In sixth grade, I loved midterm exams: I’d take a quick test or two at school, and then get the whole afternoon off. The year was 2005, and having so much extra time home alone for the first time in my life meant I was going to eat snacks and play Runescape, and nobody could stop me. It was the first MMO I ever tried, and while I was conscious of other games like it at the time, I felt an allegiance to Runescape that lasted until I moved onto a love for single-player games and left MMOs behind.
But now it’s 2025, and I’m back in an MMO for the second time. It’s not Runescape Classic, though - it’sWorld of Warcraft, summoned not by nostalgia, but by my partner’s wide-eyed enthusiasm. In getting to know one another, as you do when meeting another gamer, we took turns proselytizing our favorite series. He’s learned a lot about Persona and is keen to dive into it with me soon, but with Death Stranding 2 launching just after we began dating and him being a massive Kojima fan, I figured I’d let him play through the dense game he’s been excited before I bring him to the Metaverse in Persona 5.
So instead, between missions across the Beach for him and rounds of Balatro to kill time for me while he does, we’ve been trying his favorite game instead: World of Warcraft.
Starting World Of Warcraft In 2025 Feels Like Diving Right Into The Deep End
While I spent the mid to late 2000s in Runescape with my younger brother, my partner and his shared a love for World of Warcraft that hasn’t gone away even in adulthood. While I’ve been curious about World of Warcraft here and there, I’ve always felt intimidated when trying to start games with so much history.
As such, if left to my own devices, I don’t know that I’d ever have made the time to try World of Warcraft. I told myself I’d go back to Old School Runescape if I ever got the MMO itch again, but the excitement in my partner’s eyes when I agreed to try WoW with him had me registering for a BattleNet account before I registered what was happening.
I’d hoped coming into the game with a Runescape background might help, and it had enough similar trappings to feel familiar, but I was glad to have an eager tour guide for Azeroth along for the ride. He asked a few questions to get a feel forwhich kind of character I would most enjoy playingand created one to complement mine. My undead rogue joined his priest ina cryptic starting area, we grabbed the same beginner’s quests, and I immediately began following him around hoping to figure out where the heck to go.
As a WoW veteran, my partner knew exactlywhere to go for each questand how to get there without pulling up his map, which hotkeys did what, and how to stagger my rogue’s attacks in a way that led to her doing the most damage. I don’t know that I’d have figured out how to build my combo points or engage my stealth mode or how to take advantage of backstabbing without him there to help me learn. I wouldn’t have known I had to talk to a trainer every other level to learn new moves, I wouldn’t know to sell non-leather armor that I can’t wear myself, and I wouldn’t have any idea how to get the most out of my two specialized skills. I’m doing well now, but I can hardly take credit for my successes so far - without instruction, I’d probably still be in the starting area.
Building The Confidence To Go Rogue With My Rogue
Through my partner’s guidance, my character is at level 12 after only three play sessions. We’ve been completing quests in an order that makes sense, staggering them and tracking them and finishing them as we go across the map to prevent too much back-tracking. We’ve been to Under City twice already, and I’m getting pretty good at skinning and leatherworking. I’ve even learned how to use emotes, too, even if I occasionally misclick and blow kisses at random NPCs instead of him - he’s learned to meter his jealousy.
I’m loving my dive into World of Warcraft so far, but I’m not quite ready to venture out on a solo mission. My partner has offered to let me lead our expedition a few times to ensure I’ve got the hang of things, but with more than 20 years of lore and expansions, I’m afraid I’m going to miss something the way I’d have missed so much without him already.
He’s talking about how we should make second characters - Alliance ones this time, so I can experience new parts of the game - but I feel like there’s so much stuff for the Horde (get it?) that I haven’t checked out yet. I know I’d be able to jump back into my character’s stat-boosted leather boots anytime, but I feel like I’m only just dipping my toes into Under City right now, and I’m excited to learn more about it before I move into something new.
Having him around as a shaman of sorts is what’s making this game playable for me, though, because I imagine I’d be a little confused and overwhelmed without a human lore compendium beside me on the sofa. Someday, I’ll be brave enough to venture out and get lost in these dangerous worlds once I’m a little more familiar myself, but when he’s got 20 years of experience to my 20 days, I’ll forgive myself for clinging to my partner as a life raft (or afterlife raft, rather) for the time being.
