World of Warcraft: Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames)

Buy this guide!

Preface: Not one to read the directions when doing ANY project, I'd rather open up a package, pull out all the parts and pretend that I can turn it into something recognizable on my own. And having been savagely disappointed with previous gaming guides (of the online variety - UO or DAoC...), I figured this purchase was up in the air to unlikely. The philosophical posts on praise/objection for these guide books points out these issues.

"Will I really need to know the armor class of level 2 cloth gloves?"

"Just how many times do I need to see the same artwork that came in the game's press release packet, inserted between size 40 text?"

"Will I purchase the guide now, only to use online websites for the information I need later?"

"A 'veteran' online gamer of some years, will I bypass the first 50 pages just to get to a few weapon/spell damage tables in the middle somewhere?"

Were just a few of...Read more

The first thing to keep in mind is that this strategy guide was written for the beta version of WoW. MMO's being what they are, have changed drastically from the earlier version that this guide was written for. Also, be aware that to get the "updated" material you must purchase a WoW binder from the publisher. Finally, before my review, this guide has more typos than any other publication I have ever seen.

Pros:
- The zone descriptions are very informative, you can quickly search through which areas are suitable for your character to level/grind.

- The class and talent descriptions are also helpful (but I remind you, outdated) and give a general description of skills each class has.

- Great pictures and in-game graphics to keep you busy flipping through the pages.

Cons:
- There is nothing, I repeat, nothing in this guide which cannot be found (and up-to-date) on WoW database websites - which are more informative...Read more

Having played WoW for a week and a half without this compendium I'd have to tell you this book is gold. But if you're the kind of guy who likes to do things on his own, like me, you won't like it. Basically it saves you some time but it doesn't bring the same satisfaction as discovering a city/region or a quest by yourself. It's like giving a grown man a ball and telling him to put it in the round hole. Easy! Also most of the information in this book you can find online for free but it's a nice addition if you like to take it easy and have everything you need in a single spot. If I was creating a game, I wouldn't release the strategy guide until later so people who buy it see what they missed in the game and start over. Just my little evil point of view.