If you’ve scrolled through MMO forums or seen clips of raid boss kills popping up on your social feed, you’ve probably asked yourself at least once how good is World of Warcraft. Nearly 20 years after its initial launch, it’s still one of the most played subscription MMOs on the market, beating out dozens of competitors that launched and folded in its wake. But staying power doesn’t always mean a game is a good fit for you, especially if you’ve never played an MMO before, or you’re coming back after a 5 or 10 year break. I’ve played WoW on and off since Wrath of the Lich King, so I’m breaking down exactly what works, what doesn’t, and who will get the most out of the game right now.
How Good is World of Warcraft for New Players, Exactly?
The short answer is that it’s far more accessible for new players than it’s ever been. When I first started playing back in 2009, you had to wade through confusing quest lines, no clear guidance on how to use your class abilities, and you had to buy every expansion separately on top of the monthly subscription. That’s no longer the case today. The new player onboarding flow is one of the best it’s ever been, even for total MMO beginners.
All new players start in Exile’s Reach, a 1-2 hour tutorial zone that walks you through every core mechanic, from moving and fighting to using abilities and grouping up with other players. Once you finish the tutorial, you get access to every old expansion up to the latest one for free as part of your subscription, so you don’t have to shell out extra cash to play old story content you might be interested in. Catch-up mechanics also make it easy to jump into current endgame content even if you start mid-expansion, so you don’t have to grind for months to keep up with players who started when the expansion launched.
There are a few small pain points for new players, of course. Some very old quest lines have not been updated in years, so you might run into confusing objectives or broken mechanics if you venture off the main new player path. The sheer amount of content can also feel overwhelming at first, but the game does a good job of directing you to the most relevant activities for your level. If you’re still on the fence about how good is World of Warcraft for new players, the free trial lets you play up to level 20 with no time limit, so you can test it out risk-free.
The Core Gameplay Loops That Keep Players Coming Back For Years
One of WoW’s biggest strengths is that it caters to almost every type of player, whether you prefer to play completely solo, group up with friends for challenging content, or fight against other players. You don’t have to stick to one playstyle either—you can switch between casual and hardcore content whenever you want, no new character required. Many new players are surprised by how good is World of Warcraft at catering to both casual and hardcore players, since most MMOs tend to lean heavily into one or the other. The most popular types of content include:
- PvE open world content: Quests, world events, pet battles, and exploration that you can do completely solo at your own pace, no pressure to group up if you don't want to. There are hundreds of hours of open world content across 10 full expansions, so you’ll never run out of new areas to explore.
- Group PvE content: 5-player dungeons, 10-30 player raids, and challenging mythic+ runs that reward high-tier gear for players who like coordinated team play. You can join random groups through the in-game group finder, or play with friends and guildmates for a more coordinated experience.
- PvP content: Casual battlegrounds, ranked arena matches, and open world PvP servers where you can fight other players anywhere outside of safe zones. There are also seasonal PvP events with exclusive rewards for players who climb the ranked ladder.
- Casual side content: Player housing, profession grinding, mount and pet collecting, and seasonal holiday events that give you low-stakes activities to do when you don't feel like running challenging content. Many players spend hundreds of hours just collecting rare mounts or decorating their in-game houses, with no interest in endgame raiding or PvP.
This variety means you never run out of things to do, even if you get bored of one type of content. I’ve gone through phases where I only played pet battles for months, then switched back to raiding with my guild when a new patch launched, and never felt like I was missing out. Unlike most single-player games that end when you beat the main story, WoW gives you near-endless ways to engage, even after you finish all the main quest lines.
The Biggest Drawbacks You Should Consider Before Subscribing
WoW isn’t perfect, and there are some very real downsides that make it a bad fit for a lot of players. The most obvious one is the subscription cost, which runs $14.99 a month if you pay month-to-month, or slightly less if you buy a 6 or 12 month subscription. That adds up quickly if you only play a few hours a week, or if you already pay for multiple other gaming subscriptions. You also have to buy the latest expansion separately when it launches, which adds another $70 to your cost every 2-3 years.
Another common complaint is that some content feels extremely repetitive, especially if you’re grinding for a specific mount or piece of gear that has a low drop rate. I’ve spent months running the same dungeon once a week trying to get a rare mount, only to never get it, and that frustration is very real for a lot of players. The learning curve for high-end content like mythic raids or rated PvP is also pretty steep, and you might run into toxic players who flame you for making mistakes when you’re first starting out.
You also have to deal with content droughts in the last 6 months of each expansion cycle, when most players have finished all the new content and are just waiting for the next patch or expansion to launch. During these periods, there’s very little new content to engage with, so a lot of players take breaks until the next update drops. WoW is not a good fit if you only have 1-2 hours a week to play, as you’ll struggle to get through high-end content before it becomes obsolete. These drawbacks don’t mean the game is bad, but they are important to consider when evaluating how good is World of Warcraft for your specific playstyle.
Who Will Get the Most Out of Playing World of Warcraft?
WoW is an amazing game if you fall into one of a few key groups. First, it’s perfect if you have a group of 3-5 friends who want to play together regularly. You can run dungeons, do raids, or just mess around in the open world together, and the game’s group content is designed to reward coordinated team play. I’ve made some of my closest friends through my WoW guild over the years, and that social aspect is what keeps a lot of players coming back long after they’ve finished all the game’s content.
It’s also a great pick if you love deep, immersive storylines and worldbuilding. The WoW lore is decades deep, and each expansion has a full, cinematic story line that takes 20-30 hours to complete, with fully voice acted cutscenes and memorable characters. Even if you don’t care about endgame content, you can spend hundreds of hours playing through the expansion story lines and exploring the world without ever grouping up with another player.
If you like setting your own goals instead of following a linear game path, you’ll also love WoW. You can spend hundreds of hours collecting rare mounts, finishing all the game’s achievements, or maxing out all your professions, with no pressure to engage with content you don’t enjoy. WoW is also a great pick if you’re looking for a low-stakes social space, since most servers have active guilds that host regular events for casual players who don’t care about high-end content. If you fall into any of these groups, you’ll probably be shocked by how good is World of Warcraft even after all these years.
At the end of the day, how good is World of Warcraft depends almost entirely on what you’re looking for in a game. If you want a flexible, content-rich MMO that you can play solo or with friends, and you don’t mind paying a monthly subscription, it’s still one of the best options on the market right now. If you prefer short, self-contained games that you can finish in a week, or you don’t want to deal with the occasional toxic player or content drought, it’s probably not the right pick for you. You don’t have to sink hundreds of hours into the game to have fun, even if most long-time players have thousands of hours logged. My best advice is to try the free trial first, which lets you play up to level 20 without paying a cent, so you can test the gameplay and see if it clicks before you commit to a subscription.
