// PC GAMER — GAMING
A tribute to PC Gamer's first MMO characters—may they never be forgotten
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World of Warcraft: Forever's got me feeling nostalgic. In case you've been under a rock this week, Blizzard's released the beta for its reimagining of "Classic"—or, if you're at least 30 years old like me, "Vanilla"—World of Warcraft. It's a trip and a half, seeing these old zones touched up with just the right amount of modernisation.
I've been feeling so nostalgic, in fact, that I decided to ask my fellow writers who their first MMO character was. Or, at least, the first one they could remember. In doing so, I have discovered two things: First, we're all a bunch of mid-2000s kids. This much should not surprise you.
Secondly: It's amazing how many details we can drum up about these games, especially from 20+ years ago. You always remember your first—and if you feel the warm rose-tinted fuzzies, I encourage you to share your own first MMO character in the comments down below.
My first ever character was in World of Warcraft, after—as my bio states—I pretty much begged my parents to give me a WoW subscription, and was rewarded for my articulation with a proper WoW account and a life-changingly debilitating enthusiasm for videogames. And while I did technically have a Runescape character before this, I can't remember 'em, so Leetman is here.
I was not a good rogue. In my defense, I was 10 years old—but I didn't level my poisons, I didn't reach level cap, and the height of my career was spent futzing around Un'Goro Crater. I did, however, manage to get the gold for a mount, which made me feel pretty swanky. That was a big deal back in the day.
Leetman would eventually be traded out for the troll shaman Earthborn when The Burning Crusade rolled around, but I shall remember him fondly. Perhaps his reticence to use poison was merely a question of honour—but he's deleted, now, so we shall never know.
Karokan's is a simple tale. When I was six years old, I saw my dad having a good time in a then-new release called EverQuest. Obviously, I wanted in on that, and badgered pops into helping me make a character.
My dad played a gnome magician, but I was revulsed by the idea of being as short in the game as I then was in real life. Also, magicianry sounded complicated. I settled on a half-elf whose class I no longer remember, and came up with a basically random series of syllables to serve as a name.
And then! I went nowhere. I was terrified. I wasn't so much scared of dying (though I was a bit scared of dying) but of getting lost. EverQuest felt impossibly vast, and I knew for sure that the second I stepped out of Freeport I'd never be able to find my way back. So I spent Karokan's life just outside the city gates, fighting orcs and rats, and never venturing further. It was a simple life, but a happy one.