I want to get in to World of Warcraft, but I'm not really a serious gamer at all. I only plan on playing 3-5 hours a week, if that. I don't really want to pay $15 a month or whatever it is to not play that much.

So my question is, what is the deal with free servers?

Is it pretty much the same thing as the real game except for free?

Is it still possible to be in a guild on a free server?

I've been looking at some online, and they all have stuff like "instant level 80" and "50,000" free gold. I don't really want to play like that, I want the full experience, just without paying. If I play on a free server, will everyone else be level 80 with ridiculous amounts of gold and items and all that?


tl;dr: How does one go about getting the full WoW experience on a free server?

You start by picking a better MMORPG, 90% of them suck so good luck finding a good one.

THEN you buy it, most "free" or "pirate" servers are full of admins who give instant max level, heaps of currency etc.

you might want to look into guild wars. it's a one time cost of $30 or so. no monthly fees. play as often or as little as you want. It's a pretty decent MMO.

If you want WoW, specifically, you'll have to be patient in finding a good free server that's not just a test one.

http://ravencrest.nl/, I played on it for a long time, but I lost interest in wow, the exact day diablo 3 was announced.

most "free" or "pirate" servers are full of admins who give instant max level, heaps of currency etc.

Only the servers run by fuckwit 12yr olds are like that.

Good servers usually have several different servers.

Blizzlike: Exactly like Blizzard servers, same EXP rates, same drops, no retarded weapons/spells/armor.
Funserver: Increased EXP rates, sometimes up to level 255, custom weapons/armor/spells, in-game events like Staircase (GM spawns stairs in game and constructs it to be difficult to do, with a reward at the end) etc.

Do you have any experience with MMOs? If you've never really played one there are PLENTY of free ones of all kinds out there to try. Hell, you may find one you really like and not even need to fuck with getting WOW and paying the monthly.

Here's a site (http://www.free-mmos.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=3) with a list of them

OP, if you find a good private server, or another mmo to play, let me know. I'm always on the lookout myself.

I think you might want to look into a funserver or mid-rate server. If you're only looking to spend a spend a few hours a week on the game, and not the 8-20 hours a day that most WoW players do, then higher xp/drop rates might just be what you need. Plus you might enjoy the extra content that you usually find in a privately run server.

I just started playing Guildwars recently. Pretty good so far and very different from WoW.

In total agreement with Leth.

In relation, WoW is a terrible MMO once you've been exposed to better ones. I played WoW for quite a few years, the only good thing that came out of it was I made friends that I still talk to today (after 2 years). Private servers are fun to play on the side but not as good of a feeling of accomplishment.

Ex: You log into a mid-rate private server. /grind for around 2 hours "Oh god! I got my first epic!" Then you realize most private servers literally give away epics.
On a Blizzard server you'll grind not hours but months until you get your first epic, and Blizzard aren't just giving them away. Hence the sense of accomplishment.

Then again, it's the whole video game philosophy "Am I actually doing something or is this just a projection of image after image to please my eyes?"

TL;DR-Wow, went way too into detail for this post.

Only the servers run by fuckwit 12yr olds are like that.

Good servers usually have several different servers.

Blizzlike: Exactly like Blizzard servers, same EXP rates, same drops, no retarded weapons/spells/armor.
Funserver: Increased EXP rates, sometimes up to level 255, custom weapons/armor/spells, in-game events like Staircase (GM spawns stairs in game and constructs it to be difficult to do, with a reward at the end) etc.

Still doesn't solve the fact that you're playing WoW...

Still doesn't solve the fact that you're playing WoW...

How do you solve facts?

How do you solve facts?

With violence. Lots and lots of violence.

In total agreement with Leth.

In relation, WoW is a terrible MMO once you've been exposed to better ones. I played WoW for quite a few years, the only good thing that came out of it was I made friends that I still talk to today (after 2 years). Private servers are fun to play on the side but not as good of a feeling of accomplishment.

Ex: You log into a mid-rate private server. /grind for around 2 hours "Oh god! I got my first epic!" Then you realize most private servers literally give away epics.
On a Blizzard server you'll grind not hours but months until you get your first epic, and Blizzard aren't just giving them away. Hence the sense of accomplishment.

Then again, it's the whole video game philosophy "Am I actually doing something or is this just a projection of image after image to please my eyes?"

TL;DR-Wow, went way too into detail for this post.

u say months to get epics u can get like 10 epics running naxx on heroic and regular in 1 nite

u say months to get epics u can get like 10 epics running naxx on heroic and regular in 1 nite

lol, gtfo.

if you can get to 80 in 1 "nite" (whatever that is) I'll pay you.