[:1](Comments welcome. This is a draft of an answer to a very common question).
There are several factors to consider when choosing a server. If you don't already have friends on a particular server and just need to pick one, the choice can seem more difficult than it has to be.
There are a few things to think about:
1. Server type
2. Server population
3. Server time zone
People often want to know where the "best" server is -- which one is friendliest, has people willing to help new players, and has a welcoming attitude. Trouble is, people who reside on any given server will have both good and bad stories to tell. Put simply, there are good people on every server, and there are jerks on every server. You will find both everywhere.
Your own attitude will help. If you go to a server expecting to find people who will wait on you, give you what you need to progress, and spoon-feed you the content, you're unlikely to find a good experience. Most WoW players admire the ability to do things for yourself, so the more self-sufficient you become, the more likely you are to find friends who will work with you as a team. If you start out by begging, you're more likely to find yourself getting ignored a lot.
That said, there are some generalizations as well, which will be addressed under "server type".
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SERVER TYPE:
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There are four types of servers: PVE (Normal), PVP, RP (Roleplaying Normal), and RP-PVP.
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PVE: PVE stands for "Player vs. Environment". On a PvE server, you don't enter into combat with other players unless you choose to do so, by an action known as "flagging". Normally, a player on a PVE server has their PVP flag turned off, meaning that you can't attack other players, but you also can't be unexpectedly attacked by another player. You can only flag for PVP against members of the opposite faction (which is true on all servers, not just PVE). You can go your entire gaming career in WoW on a PVE server without ever engaging another player in combat. You can also be flagged for PVP by attacking an NPC (non-player character) of an opposing faction. You are also automatically flagged for PVP if you enter one of the opposite faction's four major racial cities (Stormwind, Ironforge, Darnassus, and Exodar for the Alliance; Orgrimmar, Undercity, Thunder Bluff, and Silvermoon City for the Horde).
There are opportunities for occasional PVP if you want them. You can engage in Battlegrounds or Arenas, which are small and large combat against a group of the opposite faction. Every server belongs to a Battlegroup, a collection of servers, so you will find as you enter the Battlegrounds that you will see people from other servers. There are some PVP quests as you level up, which you can do or not do as you wish. There are rewards for PVP, but not everyone enjoys the PVP experience.
Many people recommend choosing a PVE server if it's your first time playing an multiplayer roleplaying game. For many, it's a more relaxing experience, as you don't have to watch over your shoulder every minute to see if you're going to get attacked by another player. It's the most popular server type of the four. On a PVE server, you can make both Alliance and Horde characters on a single account, so you can try and play on both sides. PVE servers tend to be a little more open and friendly than PVP servers.
PVE servers tend to have a higher number of Alliance than Horde. Most of the time, however, this doesn't matter to everyday play.
If you make a character on a PVE server and decide to change servers, you are limited to switching to another PVE server or a regular RP server. You cannot transfer characters from a PVE realm to a PVP one.
Advantages: Easier to get quests done than on a PVP server. Reasonably tolerant of new players. Probably the most laid-back of the four environments.
Disadvantages: Some find the lack of constant PVP dull.
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PVP: PVP stands for Player vs. Player. On a PVP server, you are automatically flagged for PVP combat in all zones except a few of the lowest level zones, the four major cities of your own faction, and inside instances. You can level to your late teens and early 20s by staying in "green zones", without ever having to flag for PVP.
Many people enjoy PVP servers for the added excitement of having to deal with hostile players as well as monsters. PVP servers also have to put up with a lot of "ganking", which usually refers to higher-level characters killing lower-level characters for fun, an experience many of the gank-ees find extremely frustrating. PVP players usually have low regard for PVE players("carebears").
PVP servers also tend to have a higher ratio of "griefers", people who seem to live to make other people's lives miserable. Since there are more opportunities to do this on a PVP server than on a PVE one, they tend to congregate here in higher numbers. Since the Blizzard game masters assume that players have more ability to handle problems on their own, they don't tend to intervene when these kinds of problems occur.
PVP players also tend to be far more critical of players who are not self-sufficient. While there are pockets of friendly, helpful people on PVP servers, many people complain of PVP servers being less open to new players. Think of a PVP server as the worst of the Wild West frontier, with a "sink or swim" attitude.
On a PVP server, you can only have characters on your account who belong to either the Alliance or the Horde, but not both. If you want to try the life of the other faction on a PVP server, you will either need to get a second account or make characters on a different PVP server.
If you decide to change servers, you can choose any of the four types of servers. However, if you switch from PVP to PVE, you can't transfer back to PVP later. Once you're on a PVE realm, you're limited to PVE or regular RP.
Population can be a key factor to whether it's a good PVP server or not. If there is an extreme imbalance between the two factions, or if the population is either very low or very high, there can be problems. There tend to be more Horde than Alliance on pure PVP servers.
Advantages: Tend to be more lively. Many people think they're more exciting than PVE. Gives you some way to retaliate against the opposite faction directly.
Disadvantages: Can be difficult to complete quests in highly contested areas. Ganking. Not for everyone. If you like questing in peace, this may not be a good choice for you. Some areas nearly require grouping for simple survival.
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RP (Roleplaying Normal): RP servers are roleplaying servers. They use the PVE ruleset, and therefore are little different from PVE servers in mechanics. It differs primarily in culture. There are also some specific rules about using chat channels, as well as more strict guidelines for naming your characters. You can see the rule set differences here:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/artic...rticleId=20458
Culturally, you will find a larger number of people on RP servers who want to be actively social. RP generally means pretending that the real world doesn't exist and that you actually are your character and live in Azeroth, but you will find people sticking to this to varying degrees. Many people only RP very lightly or not at all, and there are others who are very hardcore RPers, sometimes referred to as purists or the "RP police". Different guilds have different advertised RP levels, from none to heavy, where you are expected to RP pretty much 100% of the time.
Even if you are not an RPer, you will find that people on RP servers are much less tolerant of leetspeak and bad spelling. Typing something like "r u going 2 goldshire" is likely to earn a lot of derision in public channels. Using proper spelling and grammar helps a great deal on RP servers.
Since RP servers have the same ruleset as PVE servers, you can create characters on the same account from both factions. You are also limited to server transfers only to PVE or other normal RP servers.
Advantages: Tend to be more social and outgoing. Many consider RP servers the friendliest type of the four. Public chat relatively free of leetspeak and references to the real world, especially once you've left the 1-20 new player areas.
Disadvantages: Can be somewhat elitist. Some of the "RP police" a bit tiresome to deal with.
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RP-PVP: RP-PVP servers are roleplaying servers with the PVP ruleset. Nearly everything about both RP and PVP servers apply here, although the culture of these servers is a mix of the two types. RP-PVP servers tend to be friendlier than normal PVP servers, and a little less rigid than normal RP servers about roleplaying. With only a couple of exceptions, most RP-PVP servers enjoy a near-balance between Alliance and Horde. There are a couple of exceptions; Twisting Nether and Ravenholdt have many more Horde than Alliance, and Emerald Dream has slightly more Alliance than Horde.
RP-PVP servers also tend to have high populations, partly because there are only 6 US realms (out of 223) and 15 (out of 233) EU realms.
Advantages: Same advantages of both PVP and RP realms.
Disadvantages: Same disadvantages of both PVP and RP realms.
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SERVER POPULATION
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According to a major realm census site, the average server population for US servers is around 18,000, for EU servers around 13,000. There are US servers ranging in population from just over 5,000 to over 35,000. EU servers tend to have more balanced server populations.
Ideally, you should choose a server that's right around average -- anywhere in the 12,000 to 18,000 range is good. The population will be stable and active, the economy not as likely to be wildly high or wildly low.
A low population server often means the server isn't doing well, and people are leaving. It usually indicates a server in decline. The economy may be poor, with items you need to sell to get money not selling for much because there simply aren't people buying them.
Very high population servers -- in the US, probably over 25,000 -- can have their own problems. It's common for high population servers to have wildly inflated economies, which can be good for getting money when you are young and poor, but other things in the auction house are equally overpriced. Servers with populations over 30,000 can often have queues, meaning you may have to wait anywhere from five to thirty minutes just to log into the server.
Google "warcraft census" to find popular census sites that will point you in the right direction. While not 100% accurate, they will give you a good idea of the server's general population numbers.
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SERVER TIME ZONES
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US servers are in EST, CST, MST, PST, and Oceanic time zones. If you're planning to group a lot, picking a server in your own time zone will make it easier to find groups and guilds at prime gaming times. If you're living in PST, you may find that being on an EST server will make it hard to schedule raiding activities, especially when they're starting raids at 7 or 8 PM EST, which means you'd have to be ready to start at 4 or 5 PM. This may work on weekends, but not so well on weekdays.
However, if you're primarily interested in soloing, you may pick an off-time-zone server for that very reason. I live in EST and have an alt on a PST RP-PVP server and play there in the early mornings sometimes. It's quiet and I am more likely to be able to play without being ganked all the time (not that it never happens, but it's safer than playing later in the day).
All European servers are in CET (Central European Time).
Here is a list to date of US servers and their time zones:
All European realms are in the CET (Central European Time).
US REALM TIME ZONES:
EST (Eastern Standard Time)
- PVE (33): Area 52, Arygos, Bloodhoof, Dalaran, Drenden, Durotan, Duskwood, Eldre'Thalas, Elune, Eonar, Exodar, Fenris, Gilneas, Kargath, Khadgar, Llane, Lothar, Medivh, Nazgrel, Norgannon, Ravencrest, Shandris, Shu'halo, Stormrage, Tanaris, Terokkar, Thrall, Trollbane, Turalyon, Uldaman, Undermine, Ysera, Zul'jin
- PVP (34): Altar of Storms, Alterac Mountains, Andorhal, Anetheron, Anub'arak, Arthas, Auchindoun, Azshara, Black Dragonflight, Bleeding Hollow, Burning Blade, Dalvengyr, Demon Soul, Dentarg, Eredar, Executus, Firetree, Gorefiend, Haomarush, Jaedenar, Lightning's Blade, Magtheridon, Malorne, Mannoroth, Scilla, Shadowmoon, Shattered Hand, Skullcrusher, Smolderthorn, The Forgotten Coast, Tortheldrin, Warsong, Ysondre, Zuluhed
- RP (3): Argent Dawn, Earthen Ring, Steamwheedle Cartel
- RP-PVP (1): Ravenholdt
CST (Central Standard Time)
- PVE (26): Aggramar, Alexstrasza, Alleria, Blackhand, Draka, Eitrigg, Garona, Greymane, Hellscream, Hydraxis, Kael'Thas, Khaz Modan, Kul Tiras, Madoran, Malfurion, Malygos, Mok'Nathal, Muradin, Quel'dorei, Rexxar, Runetotem, Sen'jin, Staghelm, Thunderhorn, Vek'nilash, Whisperwind
- PvP (26): Aegwynn, Agamaggan, Akama, Archimonde, Azgalor, Balnazzar, Blood Furnace, Burning Legion, Cho'gall, Chromaggus, Detheroc, Drak'thul, Frostmane, Garithos, Gul'dan, Hakkar, Illidan, Korgath, Laughing Skull, Mal'Ganis, Mug'thol, Sargeras, Stormreaver, The Underbog, Thunderlord, Wildhammer
- RP (6): Farstriders, Kirin Tor, Moon Guard, Scarlet Crusade, Sisters of Elune, Thorium Brotherhood
- RP-PVP (4): Emerald Dream, Lightninghoof, Maelstrom, Twisting Nether
MST (Mountain Standard Time)
- PVE (6): Azjol-Nerub, Doomhammer, Icecrown, Perenolde, Terenas, Zangarmarsh
- PVP (5): Bloodscalp, Darkspear, Deathwing, Kel'Thuzad, Nathrezim
- RP (1) Shadow Council
PST (Pacific Standard Time)
- PVE (30): Aerie Peak, Antonidas, Anvilmar, Arathor, Azuremyst, Baelgun, Bladefist, Blade's Edge, Bronzebeard, Cenarius, Draenor, Dragonblight, Echo Isles, Gnomeregan, Hyjal, Kilrogg, Korialstrasz, Lightbringer, Misha, Moonrunner, Nordrassil, Proudmoore, Shadowsong, Silvermoon, Skywall, Suramar, Uldum, Uther, Velen, Windrunner
- PVP (32): Blackrock, Blackwing Lair, Bonechewer, Boulderfist, Coilfang, Crushridge, Daggerspine, Dark Iron, Darrowmere, Destromath, Dethecus, Dragonmaw, Dunemaul, Frostwolf, Gorgonnash, Gurubashi, Kalecgos, Kil'Jaeden, Lethon, Maiev, Nazjatar, Ner'zhul, Onyxia, Rivendare, Shattered Halls, Spinebreaker, Spirestone, Stonemaul, Stormscale, Tichondrius, Ursin, Vashj
- RP (6): Blackwater Raiders, Cenarion Circle, Feathermoon, Sentinels, Silver Hand, The Scryers
- RP-PVP (1): The Venture Co.
Oceanic (South Pacific)
- PVE (5): Aman'thul, Caelestrasz, Dath'Remar, Khaz'goroth, Nagrand
- PVP (4): Barthilas, Frostmourne, Jubei'Thos, Thaurissan|||EXCELLENT summary. The only thing I'd alter is to bring out the fact that you can't transfer from PvE to PvP servers. Perhaps a mention of server transfers in the general section? Something along the lines of 'don't obsess over finding the perfect server... you can transfer from one server to another if you want to... " then a quick mention of the limitations.|||It gets a sticky.|||Ren, that is awesome! Very comprehensive piece of work. Thanks.|||Addition: Ghostlands, CST, PvE server
Is there a statute of limitations on being able to edit a post?
...Ren|||Quote:
Addition: Ghostlands, CST, PvE server
Is there a statute of limitations on being able to edit a post?
...Ren
I believe it's one hour.|||It's quite useful for the beginners,thx|||Quote:
( about pvp servers )
Disadvantages: Can be difficult to complete quests in highly contested areas. Ganking. Not for everyone. If you like questing in peace, this may not be a good choice for you. Some areas nearly require grouping for simple survival.
i think this is realy too drastic ^^ while it may be true in some extreme cases like outdoor events or when the new isle was opened, most of the time you dont get too much troubles.|||I personally think that you should also take into account the age of the realm. Someone would take more advantage with entering a recent realm, with one year or one year and a half than to enter a realm that has been around for 3 or more years. It's easier to find a Guild and proceed onto high-end content, as the guilds are not all full yet. Can't forget that the older realms have the advantage of being more stable, relatively to the economy, PvP, etc...|||Should add in that PvE to PvP paid character transfers are now possile.
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