Wow Leveling Guides – Choosing the Right One

World Of Warcraft has sucked in more player time (and player money) than any other game in history. One reason for that is: leveling is easy early on, but later the uphill climb becomes agonizing. Foolish players risk the ban hammer by hiring someone to level for them. Smart players look for information so they can do it themselves.

WOW leveling guides are a popular choice. Instead of picking up bits and pieces from forums, web sites, and guildmates, players get everything they need in one package. It has to be the right package, though.

Never buy a WOW guide that comes as a hardcopy book. You know Blizzard: they’re always fiddling here, tweaking there, updating this and that, tinkering with the character classes. Just one or two changes can make the book almost useless. And when Cataclysm finally arrives, the changes will be so enormous, anything on paper will be worthless.

So digital is the way to go when you’re looking for a guide. Your first step in choosing a guide should be to ask: who is the author? Is it someone known to the WOW community? Known, that is, as a good player? At the very least, the author should mention two or three characters of his/her own that have high, or preferably, max levels.

It’s important to check the “pedigree” of the author. Anyone can put together a supposed “guide” that is nothing more than trash and a waste of your money. So investigate the writer of the guide before anything else.

Next, consider the leveling guide you need. Some are for Horde, some for Alliance, and some do both. Usually, the better choice is to get one for your specific faction. It is likely to be more comprehensive, because of its single focus. That may not always be the case, however.

Look at a couple of guides for your faction. Compare them for what they cover in terms of leveling. Is the information just in an e-book, or is there more, such as screenshots, videos, an online forum, an add-on (a legitimate one)?

Also consider updates to the material. Even electronic guides can go out of date unless the author keeps up with Blizzard’s endless tweaks. Will revisions be made, and will they be free or paid? You don’t want to end up with something that’s no better than a hardcopy book.

Finally, see if a refund is offered. Should the guide turn out to be junk, out-of-date, or not in-depth enough, you’d want your money back. If you can’t get a refund easily, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

A good WoW leveling guide can help make your game more enjoyable. Take the time to choose the one that’s right for you.

Do you play for the Horde? Looking to power level? Read my Joana’s Horde Guide Review here.