Break it down now!
This started off as a reply to a new guildie (also new to wow) who seemed unsure about what class/role to play. The it just got longer and longer and I thought it would be an appropriate blog post. Maybe I’ll eventually do one each about the classes I know, maybe this will be it 
First off, forget raiding, you have a hell of a long way to go if this is your first time playing wow before you even think about raiding.
What you need to think about now is what you just enjoy doing, that way when you come to raiding you’ll actually be better at it regardless.
There are four different types of group roles in WoW. When you’re lvling the group dynamic disappears and it’s just about how easily you can kill a mob.
Tank
Healer
Ranged dps
Melee dps
One of these will be your primary roles and all you gotta do is decide which one you like, and I’m assuming you know the different between a tank and healer, I guessed when I first started and thankfully I was right, though I didn’t know what dps stood for
Tank
Now if you’re new to WoW I wouldn’t suggest a tank straight away you WILL get yelled at and get hassled and it’s just not worth it until you can learn to ignore the idiots and the ‘omgwtfnoobsl2p’ types. Yes right now there will be backseat tanks out there when you join groups. I’ve played for 2 and half years and I can throw the theorycrafting of tanks at you and if I wanted I could probably give it a shot, but it’s taken me this long to even maybe just consider it a little bit. My advice for complete newbies to WoW is to not go into tanking straight away there is just too much theorycraft to absorb at first. With tanks it’s your job to make sure all the mobs are attacking you and no one else!
Healer
Dont really have explain much about these bad boys. I have a few healers and sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s fucken hard. In groups, you’ll most likely be at the back and you want to keep the tank alive then the dps, but that won’t stop all the dps from over aggroing a mob and forcing it to attack/kill them. Pretty much a sure thing if the tank dies you all die. Again with healers you will most likely get yelled at if someone dies. If you were to go with a healer then I’d suggest a healing addon like Vuhdo, (though there are other out there) took me a long time to use it but now I love it.
Dps
Technically the easiest role to do. (and just in case it stands for damage per second 
) Dps are the ‘glass cannons’ of the group, meaning they can do a hell of a lot of damage but can die quickly if attacked (in the dungeons). With lvling ofc you stay alive for a bit longer Aim of the dps is to kill the mobs before the tank dies. They are probbaly the most relaxing-ish role to play. Two different types arre melee and ranged. Melee will get in close to a mob and it’s generally more hack and slash. With ranged, you attack from far away and attempt to kill it before it reaches you.
There are much more detailed explainations knowcking around the web
Now with the Dungeon Finder system, groups tend to be ruder and have less patient because a hell of a lot of them have been playing wow for years and guess what some of them WILL know more than you! Some of them will think they do. You can learn how to play your class and role by asking questions and also by taking a few guildies on a run with you. If you’re a healer try and find a tanking buddy, and if you’re a tank grab a guildie healer, will make those runs much easier.
Also you can avoid dungeons altogether if you want. When Cat and I first started playing our first dungeon was SFK (lvl 25ish) and we were lvl 40 ish. We were too scared to form groups. Didnt really have my first proper dungeon until we started our first proper guild about 10months later.
One thing to remember is even though you’re new for now you won’t be for long, a willingness to ask for help and an eagerness to want to better your role will hopefully curb any attitude. Noobs will always be noobs. And sometimes groups can be bad not because of you but because of inconsiderate other players who refuse to let you get mana or simply they cant tank/heal/dps properly. There is a certain point when it’s OK for you to give up and join the queue again. it’s your game too and they way you play it should be fun.
So now, for fun here’s a few things to help you out.
First, check out this from WoW.com; it bascially tells you what I have done but better Plus it gives you a little info about each of the classes too and will help you understand each of the classes.
Then, if you want use this website Gotwarcraft.com I LOVE it. It’s got detailed information about most if not all now I think of the classes and gives you info about the best professions and races to go with your chosen class. Plus a few handy hints too.
And also try a couple of quizzes here and here to see what kinda of class might suit you best. For those oldies among you, you might see through some of the more obvious options but its still fun nonetheless.
