Patch 3.3 has had a lot of awesome small tweaks aimed at
improving the starting experience for new characters and new players, likely in preparation for
Cataclysm. In addition to streamlining the first few levels, Blizzard has added something else to the latest patch notes:
A new tutorial system. According to the patch notes, the tutorial windows will now be larger and contain pictures and other visual cues to better direct new players where to go, what to do, or what buttons to press on the UI. In addition, new tips have been added, and other existing tips will appear at more opportune moments.
With this, we have yet another good example of Blizzard's preparations going into
Cataclysm. Despite
having somewhere north of 10 million players, they aren't resting on their laurels, but are adjusting their game to invite in even more players, making it easier for them to get into the game, and ushering in a new era of the newbie (in a good way) for the expansion.
Tags: new-player, new-player-experience, new-players, newbie, newbies, noob, noobs, tutorial, tutorial-ui, ui-tutorial
Oct 25th 2009 at 6:00PM 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Malik Oct 25th 2009 6:05PM
Loving the labels. Noob, noobs, newbie. Hehe.
Cyanea Oct 25th 2009 6:14PM
I still think they need to put in tutorials for showing the basics of group roles..like how to tank.
Syrael Oct 25th 2009 7:11PM
A single-player 'mini-dungeon' with NPCs for other roles and step-by-step tutes might be funky.
K Oct 25th 2009 7:07PM
Nostalgia starts to taste bad when you remember the hours of wiping in the Deadmines, doesn't it?
melissa Oct 25th 2009 7:19PM
Love this idea, but it might not be good right at the beginning of the game, as so much is solo until the levels of the first instances.
Maybe at, say, level 15, you're given a class quest.
But then, of course, if you are say, a druid, it would have to be a smart system to know if you want to play tank, healer or dps.
And what if what you plan to focus on changes, as they so often do, at the end game.
Good idea, but not sure how it would work.
Nicknin10do Oct 25th 2009 8:07PM
I will say, until I was level 40 I had no idea what a tank was.
(I was an arms warrior who, because I really didn't know how to play, was running around with an axe and shield. So many tells asking me to tank.)
Kyle Oct 25th 2009 9:47PM
@Syrael The funny thing is I was thinking the exact same thing, and while NPCs can't ever truly replicate actual players, we've seen from the ToC Faction Champions encounter that they can get pretty close. I think at about level 10, new players really need an opportunity to see what group PvE gameplay is like before they really step into their first real dungeons. A quest that pairs the newbie up with four NPCs as sort of a farewell to your starting zone would be a nice way to get used to working together with other players and learning roles that players must take, as well as basic group strategy.
Aedilhild Oct 25th 2009 10:03PM
"But then, of course, if you are say, a druid, it would have to be a smart system to know if you want to play tank, healer or dps."
No need for automation. A costless respec, following an introduction of each role, would be the easiest way. To dispel confusion, a tutorial could even highlight talents designated for a particular role. As K wrote above, that first Deadmines run doesn't have to be a comedy of errors.
Good ideas, here.
Yeechang Lee Oct 25th 2009 11:03PM
The code for NPC tanks, DPS, and healers already exists in the game. See Tur Rageclaw.
Muse Oct 26th 2009 5:52AM
And the already existing escort quests can be buffed up a bit so that the NPC clearly indicates between "I'll die, keep me safe!" (sleeping druid, dagnabbi he's squishy) and "Roar, I'll tank, heal and DPS, you just come along for the ride." (like say Kinelory)
Amaxe Oct 26th 2009 1:09PM
@Aedilhild
"No need for automation. A costless respec, following an introduction of each role, would be the easiest way."
I seem to recall Guild Wars had something similar. You were temporarily granted class skills for a second class so you could try it out and see if you liked how it played or not before making it permanent.
I'm not sure if it would be feasible for WoW to do it, not knowing whether the mechanics of the game would allow it, but it is an interesting idea
alpha5099 Oct 25th 2009 6:16PM
Very interesting. This is also one of the few of these lowbie changes that's aimed squarely at new players. Most of the rest of the changes are also quite handy for alts, but unless you turn the tutorials back on with a new character, this won't affect those rolling new toons.
Monica Dickey Oct 26th 2009 1:44AM
Yeah. It's a pretty good idea I think. WOW can be intimidating when so many "new" characters are alts who already know the whole game.
joel Oct 25th 2009 6:20PM
Hopefully one part of the new tutorial system will be telling newbs that they can't do quests while in raid group.
I don't want to lose mah level 1 Hogger raids. D:
Nieker Oct 25th 2009 6:36PM
they are already lost with blizzard removing the ability to join raids
Nieker Oct 25th 2009 6:37PM
below level 10, where the fk did that piece of text go :S
VSUReaper Oct 25th 2009 6:33PM
Sounds like they are doing what Aion does. It throws up a huge picture with an animation on it showing you what to do.
Kinda cool, but at the same time, is it really needed?
Whats the point of teaching a new person how to join LFG if they wont use if for 65+ levels?? I think they need to spend a little more time working on population balances (convincing people on high pop servers to go to low pop servers or combine 2 low pop servers to create a medium/high pop servers as well as balance the Horde/Alliance population balance: there is no reason for there to be 5% alliance, 95% horde or vice versa).
brian Oct 25th 2009 7:57PM
With the new cross-server LFG coming out in 3.3 new players will be able to pug early dungeons too. Those dungeon quests give a nice amount of xp. True, it might be easier to have a higher level run you through at times, but that won't always happen. It would be nice if they could put a reward for the earlier dungeons- without the emblems and an appropriate amount of course.
Melchior Oct 25th 2009 6:34PM
I saw this in Aion (for the two weeks before I switched back to WoW). I'm sure it will be very helpful to new players. ^^
furriusmurrius Oct 25th 2009 8:24PM
Yeah, exactly my thought - WoW saw Aion do it and said 'oh, we gotta get in on this'. They aped some nice ideas off Warhammer last year when that launched too! I guess all us WoW fans have to do is hope for new MMOs every year that WoW can ninja ideas from :-P