Each release changes enough that experience with a neighbouring entry only half transfers.
Short answer
It is a distinct entry rather than a re-release: different systems, different balance, and largely a different audience.
- Look at current player numbers if you care about multiplayer.
- Expect the first months after release to be patch-heavy.
- Expect one number in every guide to be out of date; the method is what matters.
Twenty years of expansions mean half the advice online describes a version that no longer exists. Cross-entry knowledge transfers at the level of instincts, not specifics. Starting with the newest is usually right, and there are two or three well-known exceptions.
Where it sits in the series
If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. The community's favourite entry is rarely the newest one. Series entries diverge more than their shared name suggests. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different.
Ports and re-releases sometimes carry balance changes that are easy to miss. Player populations differ hugely between entries, and that matters for anything multiplayer. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you.
What changed from the previous entry
Some entries were fixed by later patches into something quite different from their launch state. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time.
- Check which entry a guide is written for before following it.
- Check whether a re-release changed balance.
- Write down what you changed, so you can undo exactly one thing if it goes sideways.
- Newer is not automatically the right starting point.
Who it suits
Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first.
Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about.
Whether to start here
A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice.
Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. World of Warcraft is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.
How it holds up now
Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts.
Where people go wrong
- Changing five things at once and then not knowing which one helped.
- Downloading a helper tool for something the game already does in its own menu.
- Treating a rare edge case as the normal behaviour and planning around it.
- Rushing the last step, which is usually the one with the actual requirement in it.
WoW FAQ
Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?
No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.
Does this work the same on console and PC?
The logic is identical. Menu paths and button prompts differ, and any real difference is flagged above.
Should I start with this one?
Usually yes if it is the newest, unless the section above gives a reason to start elsewhere.
Is this still accurate after the latest World of Warcraft update?
The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.
Work through it in the order above and midnight system requirements stops being a question you have to look up again.