April 04, 2005 - In Blizzard's World of Warcraft, players may choose among eight playable races. Massive and bull-like, the Tauren are normally peaceful nomads devoted to maintaining the sanctity and balance of nature. During the invasion of the Burning Legion, they allied with the fierce Orcs, who came to Azeroth from their native world, Draenor. Later, the Trolls of the Darkspear tribe joined this coalition after an Orcish leader saved them from extermination. None of these have much good will toward the Undead, but align with them, albeit rather tenuously, against a common enemy, the Lich King. These four comprise the Horde faction.

The industrious Dwarves, once disinclined to leave their mountain citadel, Ironforge, now scour the far corners of Azeroth for signs of their ancient beginnings. They have staunch friends in their Gnomish cousins; the two have become even closer since the latter were driven from their techno-city of Gnomeregan. Both are friendly with the Humans of Stormwind, which stands as the last bastion of that species' civilization. Reclusive immortals who favor the hours of darkness, the Night Elves are honorable and just, but still hesitant to trust the 'lesser races' with whom they are allied. This quartet makes up the Alliance.

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#35 Should You Play a Rogue? (for all)
If the thought of sealing out large doses of close combat damage appeals to you, the Rogue class is one you should consider. Your Stealth ability will allow you to strike as if out of thin air, and if you can get behind an enemy, you'll be able to Backstab for additional injury. Adding poisons to your weapons will help siphon away your foes' health. You'll also have a number of skills that award combo points, which may be used to activate devastating moves like Rupture and Eviscerate. Overall, you'll definitely hit harder than the Warrior. The main trade-off is that with fewer hit points and no better than leather armor, you'll be far less suited to standing and fighting toe to toe.

This class is available to every race except Tauren. On the Alliance side, the Night Elf and Gnome start off with a fair bit more agility than the Human, with a further gap to the Dwarf, which has the most Strength and Stamina. Among the Horde, the differences are smaller, with the Orc the most agile, and the Troll somewhat hardier and stronger. Although opinions vary, Rogues seem to be regarded as quite good for solo play and as pretty helpful but not essential for groups.

#36 Is Crafting for You (for all)
In World of Warcraft, a character may learn up to two "primary" professions from the nine that are available. Of these, six involve different forms of crafting. Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Engineering, Leatherworking and Tailoring allow you to produce items that you can use and sell, while Enchanting lets you add various enhancements to weapons and armor.

In general, crafting to produce items just for your own use is likely to cost you money. Unless you have a lot of friends, you'll have to buy quite a few formulas or recipes since you won't get many appropriate drops at all. You'll also need to acquire components, some of which can only be purchased. Training adds further expense, and if you sell your production to NPCs, you'll probably incur an opportunity cost since you'll receive less than the value of the raw materials. On the other hand, if you craft for a group like a guild, that may make it worthwhile, or if you become proficient enough to create items that are in high demand, you can turn a profit. And on a personal level, you may want to do it because it's something you enjoy.


[You can follow the progress of Blizzard's hit persistent stat title both here and at our World of Warcraft Vault where we have a more community-oriented perspective. - Ed.]