Welcome to Gaia! ::

The wonderful world of World of Warcraft, aka WoW.

The druids of the Cenarion Circle regard themselves at the caretakers of the world. Having an affinity with all things nature, druids have the power to do a good many things -- and therein lies their power. Druids are versatile. While they may not be the best at particular roles, they are capable of mostly anything.

Druids are normally regarded as casters who have slightly better physical options than the three cloth classes of mage, priest and warlock, and slightly worse magic options. In truth, a druid can heal about as well as a priest can, and can do some decent spell damage when they mean to, although not nearly as much as a mage is capable of.

However, druids' most significant aspect is their ability to shapeshift into various animal forms. At level 10, druids learn to turn themselves into a bear, that effectively makes their character behave like a warrior. The bear has a rage bar, some better combat options, and can take hits far better than the druid in "caster form". Level 20 also brings the druid catform, which lets them behave like a rogue. While catform is not as able to take hits, like a rogue compared to a warrior, a cat deals better damage than a warrior and can even go into stealth.

In instance groups, druids will generally be healers, but can certainly fill in on other roles as needed if healing is covered. The same goes for raiding, although druids are further pushed towards healing and removing poisons and curses. In PvP, druid roles vary a good deal, but the shapeshifting abilities become rather important in the battlegrounds where a feral druid can do a lot of good.

Stalkers of the wild, hunters rove the land in search of prey. Skilled trackers and ever vigilant, they attack with gun and bow, while sending their animal companion to keep their adversaries at bay. If the hunter weren't fearsome enough alone, having a tiger or bear assail you to boot is enough for other members of the world to respect the power of a hunter.

Hunters are a class that is known for its ease in soloing and general lack of skills to bring to a group, however that isn't entirely fair. Many hunters are loners, who have figured out how to work by themselves, and are not always exposed to the rigors of party combat until much later in their career.

Hunters are capable in close quarters, with many weapon proficiencies and wearing moderately heavy armor, but their strength lies in their ranged skills. Because of this, their "pet", a beast that they tame out of the wild to fight alongside them, provides a distraction for the hunter to maintain range. Some hunters have great reliance on their pets, as a tiger's claws are still rather sharp.

In instance groups, hunters will typically fill a damage-dealing role, although the good ones will also provide decent utility. Hunters are good "safe" damage on raids, as they are generally not exposed to opponents' dangers from afar and are not nearly as limited by mana as a mage. Hunter PvP roles vary greatly, but a skilled hunter often uses their tracking skills and lies in wait to surprise opponents.

Wielders of powerful magic, mages through history have concerned themselves with their lust for power. This great power led the mage Kel'thuzad toward being the catalyst for starting the plague that took over Lordaeron. However, not all power corrupts, as the remaining members of the mage city of Dalaran would like to uphold.

Of the three "caster" classes, mages place their combat focus on destruction. Ice Bolts and Fire Balls freeze and sear opponents into oblivion. But being general overall spellcasters, mages do have slightly more than just blowing stuff up...like, um...polymorph, to disable an opponent so they can better blow them up.

In fairness, mages also can cast teleport spells and conjure some supplies. A few of their spells also have a significant amount of utility usage. Mages may be a bit fragile, but they are also very capable.

In instance groups, mages are excellent at dealing damage, and specialize in area effect (AE) damage. They also use Polymorph, Frost Nova and Counterspell to try to take their opponents out of the fight. On a raid, the crowd control aspect of the class is often stifled, but mages are always called upon to do damage. Mages can be very potent in PvP, casting single-target and area damage spells.

Traditionally human, the Order of the Crimson Hand also includes dwarves in this post-third war era. Defenders of The Light, justice, and honor, Alliance paladins are holy knights that excel at both healing and defense. With the arrival of the Burning Crusade, the Draenei were found to also be ardent followers of the light, whose powers supposedly the Blood Elves have managed to steal and create their own cadre of Blood Knights.

Paladins are heavy armor specialists that do not excel at damage dealing, but instead make good healers because, though their spells lack the sudden punch of a priest, they are incredibly hard to kill. Indeed, when called to the task, paladins are capable tanks if they can hold aggro.

Paladins also possess some very potent spell effects they can bestow on other players, such as blessings, auras, and (indirectly) judgements. Though the blessings are very short in duration, and a paladin can only cast one on each target, many consider them the best buff spells in the game.

Groupwise, the paladin will often find themselves playing a support role. After blessing their group and activating the appropriate aura, a paladin will often be back-up healing and off-tanking as needed. In the absence of a warrior or another healer, sometimes the paladin will be the main tank or healer, but this is usually not preferred. Paladins are excellent back-up healers because they can resurrect, meaning if something should happen to the priest or druid late in the instance, the group is not screwed over.

Spiritual leaders across many different races are loosely defined as "priests". Every race has priests to guide their beliefs besides the shamanistic orcs and tauren, and the technocratic gnomes. While priests are generally revered as healers, each race's priests are slightly different, and some priests are more intent on using the darker powers of their faith.

Priests will combine holy magic mostly reserved for healing and protecting, and shadowy magic that manipulates, damages, and withers opponents. A priest makes for a good ally and an unwanted enemy.

Priests are very often sought out for groups simply for their healing capacities. Though priests are capable of much more, this is the role they are normally reduced to in any kind of group or raid environment. However, in PvP, shadow priests melt faces.

The cat burglar. The street thug. The ruthless assassin. All of these people are united in that they often transgress the law to succeed, and by hook or crook, they will take what they need. Usually not one to engage in open confrontation, rogues do not fight a fair fight, and typically the first indication a rogue is nearby is from the dagger in your back.

Rogues are melee combatants that focus on their skills rather than their armor to keep them alive. Masters of moving in stealth, crafty rogues have skills for just about every situation, and without mana, they are generally only limited by their own endurance -- one only has the energy to do so much at once.

Rogues make for the best single-targest damage in the game, and this often brings them into groups, who might also want a rogue around to sneak ahead and scout or sap an opponent, or to pick the locks on doors and chests. This does require the rogue to be up front and possibly in the line of fire, however.

All people turn to their spiritual leaders from time to time. Some of the more tribal races have shamans to fill this role rather than a priest. The shaman communicates with spirits and the elements, and has visions of the future, to guide their people through the darkest of time.


Shamans are no pushovers, however. They possess a variety of potent combat skills in addition to their magic, and eventually wear mail armor along with the option to protect themselves with shields. Many a combatant has fallen prey to a shaman's might, only to cry nerf.

Shamans are capable of healing, although of the four healing classes in the game, they are the weakest at it, preferring to have more of an offensive and combat-oriented focus. Still, they are able to resurrect themselves and then others, and this can be of great benefit to a group deep into a dungeon.

What shamans are best known for in combat are their totems. Long the Horde complement to the paladin, the shamans short-term buff abilities and other temporary effects come from the laying of totems. The shaman eventually comes to master each of the four elements, and has specific totems that are associated with each. One totem of each kind may be active at once.

Mages who lust for power often turn to darker arts, such as necromancy. Several races' mages have also turned not to the power of the undead, but to demonic energies. The orcs, in particular, were long-suffered from being tainted with demonic blood. While they have largely thrown down the demonism that has filled their culture for many years, there are still many orc summoners. Amidst humans, gnomes, and blood elves, it is simply the tantalizing offer for power that compels an adept to follow the way of the demon. And why shouldn't it?

Warlocks have powerful damage spells, but they place a much higher emphasis than the mage on damage-over-time. A warlock is perfectly capable of "DoT"-ing up an opponent, cursing them, and simply watching them disintegrate. While doing so, they may tap their own life energy for more mana, and then drain that energy back from their opponents.

One of the best-known aspects of Warlocks is that of summoning. Warlocks have a great many different pets for various situations, from spell-casting imps to alluring succubi to towering infernals. Each pet has its own set of uses, and the warlock must drain the energies of the souls he or she is fighting to power the rituals to bring the appropriate pet into this world.

The warlock is a very powerful class, but one that may take a good bit of difficulty to learn. Their damage does not blast like a mage's. Their pets are not as much of a tank as a hunter's. Their support abilities are limited. But they have amazing versatility.

Warriors are combatants. Plain and simple. From weaponmasters to berserkers to well-protected soldiers, warriors are always capable in, and quite possibly looking for, a good fight. Their motives can range from defense and protection of others to revenge and fury, however you will never find a warrior sulking somewhere in a corner. If a warrior has a problem, he will come forward and address it.

Every race has warriors of some fashion. The Stormwind militia, orc grunts, the sentinels of the Night Elves, and everyone in-between have societies of warriors, or at least guards and soldiers. Only the Blood Elves feel the call of the warrior too barbaric, and prefer to protect themselves through magic.

Warriors are capable damage dealers, mastering all types of weapons other than magical wands. A team of warriors can easily make quick work of an adversary. However, warriors are also prime defenders, able to avoid and weather blows better than any other class. They cannot last forever, however in the role of tanking, they can hold the attention of their enemies long enough for a fireball or backstab to deal the killing blow.

Because warriors are the most capable -- and in some players' minds, only capable tank, it is generally assumed that is the role that a warrior will fulfill in a group. Fighting defensively and blocking with a shield, this inhibits the warrior's damage output somewhat, but it allows the group to work to their maximum potential. Fighting alone, however, he may choose to pull out a large claymore or wield battle axes in both hands, choosing offense as the best defense.

Now for the Alliance races.

Draenei

The Draenei are descendents of the once proud race of Eredar. Long ago, the Eredar were corrupted by the Burning Legion, and one of the three sects of their society fled to escape this taint. Chased throughout the universe by the Legion, they eventually found their way to the planet of Draenor where they lived peacefully with the Orcs.

When the Burning Legion found the Draenei once more, they corrupted the Orcish tribes, who went into a blood frenzy and attacked the unsuspecting Draenei. While some stayed in Draenor, most fled in the ship known as the Exodar. Discovering recently the peoples of Azeroth, the Draenei attempted to reach Azeroth, only to crash the Exodar into a cluster of islands off the west shores of Kalimdor.

A proud and righteous people and followers of the light-imbued beings known as Naaru, the Draenei strive to uphold the light, with their spiritualism contributing priests, paladins AND shamans to the Alliance.

Dwarf

The stoic dwarves of Ironforge are an ancient race of robust humanoids who live beneath the snow-capped mountains of Khaz Modan. The Dwarves have always been fast allies with the Humans, and they revel in the prospects of battle and storytelling alike. In past ages, the Dwarves rarely left the safety of their mountain fortresses. However, whenever the call to battle sounded, they rose up to defend their friends and allies with unmatched courage and valor. Due to a recent discovery that uncovered fragments of their ancient origins, the Dwarves have undergone a remarkable transformation. The discovery convinced the Dwarves that the mighty Titans created them from stone when the world was young. They feel that their destiny is now to search the world over for more signs and proof of their enchanted heritage and to rediscover the Titans' hidden legacies. To this end, the Dwarves have sent out their Prospectors to all ends of the world in the hopes of discovering new insight into their shrouded past. These journeys led to Dwarven excavation sites all over the known world, some of which serve as outposts and some of which serve as potential hunting grounds for enemies of the Dwarven race.

Gnome

The eccentric, often-brilliant Gnomes are one of the most peculiar races of the world. With their obsession for developing radical new technologies and constructing marvels of mind-bending engineering, it's a wonder that any Gnomes have survived to proliferate.

Thriving within the wondrous techno-city of Gnomeregan, the Gnomes shared the resources of the forested Dun Morogh Peaks with their Dwarven cousins. Though the dwarves of Ironforge also have a propensity for technology and engineering - it is the gnomes who provide the critical, visionary designs for most of the Dwarves' weapons and steam vehicles.

The Gnomes served the Alliance well during the Second War, but strangely, they refused to send any personnel to aid their allies during the Burning Legion's recent invasion. Though their designs helped turn the tide against the Legion, the Dwarves and Humans were shocked by the Gnomes' decision to withhold their courageous troops and pilots.

When the war ended, the Alliance discovered the reason for the Gnomes' sudden withdrawal. Apparently, an ancient, barbaric menace had risen from the bowels of the earth and invaded Gnomeregan. Knowing that their allies' priority was defeating the Burning Legion, the Gnomes decided to make their stand alone. Though they fought valiantly to save their beloved city, Gnomeregan was irrevocably lost.

Nearly half of the Gnomish race was wiped out during the fall of Gnomeregan. The ragged Gnomes that survived fled to the safety of the Dwarves' stronghold of Ironforge. Committed once again to the Alliance's cause, the Gnomes spend their time devising strategies and weapons that will help them retake their ravaged city and build a brighter future for their people.

Human

The Humans of Stormwind have shown their resilience, surviving an invasion by the savage Orcs during the First War. During the Second War, the armies of Stormwind rallied with the Alliance to reclaim their homeland of Azeroth. After this success, Stormwind was rebuilt and Human civilization began to flourish once again throughout the southlands. With the recent invasion of the Burning Legion - which left the northern kingdom of Lordaeron in ruins - Stormwind now stands as the last remnant of human civilization. Following the heroic examples of the legendary Sir Lothar and King Llane, the defenders of Stormwind are considered to be among the fiercest warriors in the land. They stand resolute in their charge to maintain the honor and might of humanity in an ever-darkening world.

Night Elf

The reclusive Night Elves were the first race to awaken in the World of Warcraft. These shadowy, immortal beings were the first to study magic and let it loose throughout the world nearly ten thousand years before the original clash between the Orcs and the Humans. The Night Elves' reckless use of magic drew the Burning Legion into the world and led to a catastrophic war. The Night Elves barely managed to banish the Legion from the world, but their wondrous homeland was shattered and drowned by the sea. Until recently, the Night Elves closed themselves off from the rest of the world and remained hidden atop their holy mountain of Hyjal for many thousands of years. The Legion's invasion brought the Night Elves out of their long period of slumber. They now have renewed interest in shaping the world, and for the first time are allying themselves with other races to ensure the continued survival of Azeroth. As a race, Night Elves are typically honorable and just, but they are very distrusting of the 'lesser races' of the world. They are nocturnal by nature and their shadowy powers often elicit the same distrust that they have for their mortal neighbors.