Lvl 19 Twinking for Dummies

Author: Bowner
Date: May 21, 2019
Updated: December 9, 2020
Expansion: WoW Classic

This guide is intended to be for new players to classic and a refresher for old or returning players. Along with a little detail on some more advance stuff. This is not a gear guide. If you are looking for that then refer here: Jamesb 19 Gear Guide. Here I will try to break down everything possible from knowing each spell/ability in the 19 Bracket to even break down some theoretical situations you might find yourself getting into come Classic!

Knowing The Spells

Knowing each spell and ability along with their respective cooldowns can be very important in decision making in classic. So for this part of the guide, I will add all IMPORTANT Spells that can be learned up to level 18 and a brief description and/or tip about the spell/ability.

Druid

Bear Form, sadly will be their only shapeshift ability able to be used at Lvl 19 in WSG.
”Shapeshift into a bear, increasing melee attack power by 30, armor contribution from items by 180%, and health by 20. The act of shapeshifting frees the caster of Polymorph and Movement Impairing effects.”

When FC’ing the majority the time you will want to stick in Bear Form especially while moving and rotating, so you don’t get Sapped by Rogues waiting in Connector(Balcony Room) etc.
It’s important to not fret under pressure and waste Mana constantly shapeshifting. Lesser skilled Hunters will anticipate you to shift, causing them to spam Wing Clips constantly. Paying attention to stuff like this can help you save mana while burning theirs.

Enrage ”Generates 20 rage over 10 sec, but reduces base armor by 27% in Bear Form and 16% in Dire Bear Form. The druid is considered in combat for the duration.”

Generally you would want to use this when not being attacked/no one is on your tail as it reduces your armor by quite a bit. So you would want too anticipate when you will collide with an enemy and bash them on time before losing your rage. Or to build up rage for a demoralizing roar to try and find a stealthed rogue.
There are macros you can use that will cancel your Enrage, if you only need to use it to gain enough rage for a bash+ roar then cancel quickly if enemys are on you.

Demoralizing Roar ”The druid roars, decreasing nearby enemies’ melee attack power by 30. Lasts 30 sec.” + Bash ”Instant Stuns the target for 2 sec.”

Two very useful spells, while FC’ing. Roar is self explanatory. It will help cripple Rogues and other melees. Always use this when melee is on you. You can also use Demoralizing Roar to pull Rogues out of stealth. IE, You’re holding flag roof, Enrage > Roar the ramp up roof or trees to find a sneaky rogue lurking.
For Bash it depends on the scenario, but if you have to prioritize who to bash out of a Warrior vs Rogue then Bash the Warrior as this will buy you time to get out of range of hamstring and keep them in combat with a Faerie Fire. While getting the rogue off of you with a Nature’s Grasp! And when on offense Bashing the EFC’s Healers will help separate distance from their FC and Healer, making the kill potentially easier.

Entangling Roots Rank 2 65 mana 30 yd range 1.5 sec cast “Roots the target in place and causes 50 Nature damage over 15 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect. Only useable outdoors.” + Nature’s Grasp Rank 2 65 mana Instant “While active, any time an enemy strikes the caster they have a 35% chance to become afflicted by Entangling Roots (Rank 2). Only useable outdoors. 1 charge. Lasts 45 sec. ”

For Roots, while FC’ing you will want to prioritize Range DD(Hunter/Casters). As you can get melee oof you with Nature’s Grasp/Bash/Jumps and Jukes/Stomp (If Tauren). When on offense you want to Root Enemy’s CC classes and healers (though Priests will be able to dispel it, it still will get you some distance separated from their FC and Healer) This is the second time I mention about distance for a FC and Healer. This is because this is important in Classic as there aren’t ”Stacks” in Classic to rely on just bursting down an EFC. You can’t ignore the healers in Classic unless you are watching their mana.
Always cast a second root after the first one immediately on Gnomes due to Escape Artist ”Escape the effects of any immobilization or movement speed reduction effect. 1 sec cast. 1 min cooldown.”
Nature’s Grasp, I already mentioned some ways to use it already. Just a tip is to always spec into Improved Nature’s Grasp for 100% chance of R1 ERoots and for when shifting out of Bear Form to move towards a flag pass outside. Pop Nature’s Grasp just in the very small chance there is a Rogue near by.

Other Druid Spells:
”Faerie Fire Rank 1. 55 mana 30 yd range Instant “Decrease the armor of the target by 175 for 40 sec. While affected, the target cannot stealth or turn invisible.”

This is something you will want to spam, and make sure its always up on targets / main focuses. You can run a macro that allows you to not waste mana on a target if they are already affected by Faerie Fire.

Faerie Fire > Moonfire. Really the only time you want to Spam/Use Moonfire is just for an extra DoT or help finish off low health enemy flag carrier making out of your base.
Edit: Moonfire is great for saving mana and spell pushback at Warlocks and keeping Warriors in combat. Though in situations it might be better to Faerie Fire if you have a Mage around who can sheep.

Your Healing Spells are Regrowth, Healing Touch, and Rejuvenation. No explanation needed really on these, Carry a +55 Healing Staff to switch off to for fat Rejuv’s. Also if you get the call to go stand on Cap from your teammate, toss a regrowth + rejuv up then wait in Bear Form on cap.

R2 Healing Touch is useful to save mana and heal up yourself or targets who are not being targeted and only need a small heal. Also useful for when nearly OOM and need a quicker cast heal when holding for cap.

Hibernate ’90 mana 30 yd range 1.5 sec cast “Forces the enemy target to sleep for up to 20 sec. Any damage will awaken the target. Only one target can be forced to hibernate at a time. Only works on Beasts and Dragonkin.”

Put Hunter’s Pets to sleep, ALSO works on enemy Druids in BEAR FORM! Very useful, especially vs opposing Druid FC’s.

All Druid Spells Filter list for <19

Hunter

Multi-Shot + Arcane Shot

Your main output source for damage besides your good ol’ Auto Shots. Remember to be careful though when firing off the Multi-Shot to not break any of your teammate’s Saps or Sheeps etc. Also don’t be afraid to just use Multi-Shot on a single target!
Arcane Shot is great, though a little pricey in terms of mana (35) for how minor amount of damage it does do. Arcane Shot ignores target’s armor thanks to it being Arcane damage. It makes this great to use vs Paladin/Warrior IE Classes with high Armor! (Having a mouse-over macro for Arcane Shot is a huge help)

Concussive Shot 8% of base mana 35 yd range instant cast 12 sec cooldown “Dazes the target, slowing movement speed by 50% for 4 sec.”

Like the Arcane Shot, you should also have a mouse-over macro for Concussive Shot as well.
Concussive shot is very useful in situations where you are trying to gain separation from Range Damage Dealers from your Flag Carrier crossing to/with the flag. Though in situations where you have Melee on your FC you will want to prioritize concussing the melee and Wing Clipping the Ranged DD.

Wing Clip Rank 1 40 mana 5 yd range Instant “Inflicts 5 damage and reduces the enemy target’s movement speed by 50% for 10 sec.” + Scare Beast Rank 1 35 mana 10 yd range 1.5 sec cast “Scares a beast, causing it to run in fear for up to 10 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect. Only one beast can be feared at a time.”

Don’t need to say much on Wing Clip, besides that you should be using it on everyone in melee range / comes across your path. Though depending on what Spec you run, I highly suggest putting points in both Imp Conc + Imp WC. As Imp WC will give a chance to immobilize the target for 5 seconds!
Scare Beast, like Druid’s Hibernate can be used on Bear Form druids making it great to keep say an EFC Druid feared while you team move in for the kill. Using these two together on a EFC Druid forcing them to shape shift into Bear for a Fear.

(Also for the love of god, ”time” a jump when placing a trap so you avoid that long planting a trap animation.)

Tracking = Humanoids + Beast, Most time keep humanoids up less you want find a Druid FC in bear forms path/exit. Or if they are hiding and your pet is having trouble finding them.

Hunter’s Mark – This increases your Range AP vs target but more importantly it keeps enemy rogues visible when in stealth. A tip is before gates open check if enemy team has any rogues and copy pasta (/tar NAMEHERE) So you can get a quick Hunter’s Mark before they stealth coming Mid.

All Hunter Spells Filter list for <19

That Clears up the key hunter spells, for a great guide on basically everything you need too know about twinking hunter in classic can be found here, SamHain 19 Hunter Guide

Mage

Frostbolt Rank 1 25 mana 30 yd range 1.5 sec cast “Launches a bolt of frost at the enemy, causing 18 to 21 Frost damage and slowing movement speed by 40% for 5 sec.”

Rank 1 is Superior to 2 and 3. All you get from rank 2/3 is an extra second on the slow but for the cost of 10 to twice as much mana for R3. Along with that a longer cast time that you do not want! R1 Frostbolts will allow you to be able to spam them on targets making them easier to kite. (Speccing into Imp Frost Bolt will bring your R1 cast time all way down to just 1 Second!)

Frost Nova Rank 1 55 mana Instant “Blasts enemies near the caster for 19 to 22 Frost damage and freezes them in place for up to 8 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect.”

Amazing Crowd Control, Should only be used in situations where a few enemy’s are stacked together. Unless 1v1 or 1V2 Scenarios. IE Nova 2 > Distance > Sheep 1 > R1 FB Other and Kite.
A Scenario of a good Nova would be waiting outside your respective tunnel, knowing a EFC + Enemy Team is exiting Tunnel you can get a crucial nova helping buy time for your team to rotate or gain separation from EFC + Their Support making the kill easier for your team.

Polymorph Rank 1 60 mana 30 yd range 1.5 sec cast “Transforms the enemy into a sheep, forcing it to wander around for up to 20 sec. While wandering, the sheep cannot attack or cast spells but will regenerate very quickly. Any damage will transform the target back into its normal form. Only one target can be polymorphed at a time. Only works on Beasts, Humanoids and Critters.”

If you’re in Voice, notify your team on the target you are Sheeping so they avoid DoTing/Damaging it and breaking the Sheep!
In Mid Fights or on offense, the majority of the time you will be looking to sheep a Priest, making it easier to win the Mid Fight or getting a Kill on the EFC. (DO NOT SHEEP LOW MANA PRIESTS THOUGH AS THESE WILL GIVE THEM REGEN) Sheeping opposing mages is also a good idea.

All Mage Spells Filter list for <19

Paladin

Blessing of Freedom 10% of base mana 30 yd range Instant 20 sec cooldown “Places a Blessing on the friendly target, granting immunity to movement impairing effects for 10 sec. Players may only have one Blessing on them per Paladin at any one time.”

One of the strongest spells in the 19 bracket, if used right. In terms of FC’ing you want to keep it up constantly while in combat or anticipating combat beforehand.
When supporting your FC you will want to do the same unless you are kiting enemy offensive team than you will want to use it on those behind the pack. IE Priest or Mage/Hunt kiting.
When on offense, you will want to keep this up on your mostly melee/high dps. Giving freedom to a good Rogue can make them a huge threat likewise with giving it to either a Shaman or Warrior.

Lay on Hands Rank 1 40 yd range Instant “Heals a friendly target for an amount equal to the Paladin’s maximum health. Drains all of the Paladin’s remaining mana when used.”

Another very strong Paladin Spell, but very long cooldown. You want to save this on your FC/Yourself if FC’ing majority of the time. Though can be give a swing the game by being used on Offense by using it on a Healer or DD finishing up a Enemy FC. (Also don’t be scared using this too early or before/during the first Cap! There is no time limit in WSG so sometimes you be able to find yourself using this Twice in a BG)

Other spells are all pretty self explanatory or you won’t really find yourself using much or at all.
Though a few tips on some is, Blessing Of Protection can be used to shield yourself when FC’ing but it drops the flag so you must immediately pick the flag back up UNLESS there is no threats to return the flag than you have enough time too pull off a bandage 🙂

Hammer Of Justice You want to prioritize stunning healers to make them lose distance from their FC/Team or Warlocks or any melee stuck on you’re FC. Be weary of stunning Orcs over other enemys since Orc have a 25% Stun Resist!

All Paladin Spells Filter list for <19

Priest

Dispel Magic Rank 1 18% of base mana 30 yd range Instant “Dispels magic on the target, removing 1 harmful spell from a friend or 1 beneficial spell from an enemy.”

This is one of your best spells as a priest. You want to use this frequently and be quick with it. Novas/Fears/Polys/Lock DoTs etc to be removed from your teammates as well as removing Buffs from the enemy’s. Scenarios where you are pushing in a EFC and your DD get’s Nova’d you want to dispel their novas quickly so they can stay in distance of the Enemy Flag Carrier.

Psychic Scream Rank 1 100 mana Instant “The caster lets out a psychic scream, causing 2 enemies within 8 yards to flee for 8 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect.”

Some might just think this is used for getting enemies/melee off you but this can be used in a much more strategic way, you want to use this impending a Flag Pass from opposing team for a possible sneaky return or waiting to cut an EFC + their support from rotating cleanly and causing enough time for your enemy team to connect on the EFC.
Also if your FC is in danger/has Melee DD on him don’t be scared to move in range and get a fear off!

Scenario would be EFC is Roof Holding flag with a Priest + Mage, waiting down below Balcony for a EFC to drop below while you got your offensive team pushing up will give them just the right amount of time to connect on the EFC for a potential kill.

Hex of Weakness Rank 1 35 mana 30 yd range Instant “Weakens the target enemy, reducing damage caused by 2 and reducing the effectiveness of any healing by 20%. Lasts 120 sec.”

This is the last spell for priests I will cover. This is a spell only learned by Troll Priests. Therefore not many new players will be familiar with it.
On Defense you want to try and always keep this up on the opposing team’s Offense, and the Enemy’s Flag Carrier. If you have an UD and a Troll priest on your team you will most likely want to send the Troll Priest on Offense and keep HoW on the EFC always. Having the UD Priest on Defense is more beneficial due too Will of The Forsaken (”immunity to Charm, Fear and Sleep while active. May also be used while already afflicted by Charm, Fear or Sleep. Lasts 5 sec.”). Though in some games it might be better to have a Troll Priest on defense vs teams lacking priest/dispel and heavy on Melee classes.

SamHain 19 Priest Guide Another class guide written by same person, very detailed just like his other guide!

All Priest Spells Filter list for <19

Rogue

Sap “Incapacitates the target for up to 25 sec. Must be stealthed. Only works on Humanoids that are not in combat. Any damage caused will revive the target. Only 1 target may be sapped at a time.”

Being able to make someone useless for up to 25 seconds can cause a swing in the game. Sap is used best to take out key players out of a fight, IE Healers or their CC. A good rogue will also will try and get a Sap on the EFC attempting to cross the field.
If you are near the enemy’s GY try to get a Sap on a person resurrecting to help contain GY a little.
Edit: – If FC’ing, you are able to drop flag > stealth > and sap then pick the back up. Now this does take a little practice/timing. But something nice to know if playing a Rogue or even vs a Rogue to be prepared for when you see they drop the flag as you approach them. (Most common spot for a rogue attempting this would be on Roof as you see a single enemy approaching up banana to roof.)
If you are resurrecting and find your Flag Carrier running flag for a cap and is near base, then it is a good idea to rotate to your Flag Room to try and get a Sap on any incoming enemy’s trying to pick flag

Kick “A quick kick that injures a single foe for 15 damage. It also interrupts spellcasting and prevents any spell in that school from being cast for 5 sec.”

Most the time you will be wanting to use this on Healers to give your team a short advantage while trying to focus down a target. On the defense side this can be useful against dangerous crucial incoming spells to your FC or Healers, IE Sheeps/Fears etc.

Sprint Rank 1 Instant “Increases the rogue’s movement speed by 50% for 15 sec. Does not break stealth.”

As a rogue you want to save this for running flags to your Flag Carrier or even taking Flag from your Flag Carrier and Sprint to Cap. If you are on the opposing team you want to try and keep track of when a Rogue has Burned their sprint.
If the Enemy Team is Turtling Flag Room, A combination of a Paladin’s Freedom + Your Sprint is almost a sure way of always getting it out of their base. This is why on the Opposing team you should keep track of a Rogue’s Sprint.

All Rogue Spells Filter list for <19

Shaman

Purge Rank 1 10% of base mana 30 yd range Instant “Purges the enemy target, removing 1 magic effect.”

Like Priests’ Dispel, you should be using yours regularly causing enemy’s to lose any buffs. Shamans can nearly cripple Paladin Flag Carriers thanks to this. You want to adjust to the game on how you / your team uses you in the BG’s. If the Enemy FC is not a Paladin and they have a Paladin on Offense you will want to stick Defense to Purge BoF on their Damage Dealers ideally.
Facing Shamans you will want to try your best to keep them CC’d, and if they are a good Shaman and Purging your buffs just stop applying them and save your mana till Shaman is dealt with.

Earth Shock Rank 3 85 mana 20 yd range Instant “Instantly shocks the target with concussive force, causing 60 to 65 Nature damage. It also interrupts spellcasting and prevents any spell in that school from being cast for 2 sec. Causes a high amount of threat.”

You want to save this and prioritize it vs Healers specifically, don’t use it to try and put out DPS. It’s a waste so use Flame Shock for that instead.
If you are in voice calling out that you are interrupting a healer, it can give your team the heads up to put out more DPS.

Tremor Totem 60 mana Instant Tools: Earth Totem “Summons a Tremor Totem with 5 health at the feet of the caster that shakes the ground around it, removing Fear, Charm and Sleep effects from party members within 30 yards. Lasts 120 sec.”

Somewhat self explanatory, scenarios of getting a good use with Tremor would be vs Warlocks breaking their fear when they cast it. Tremor Totem counts as an interrupt allowing you to drop it on teammates already Feared.
Tremor can also be used to break Sleeps so can be used to break a Druid Hibernate on a Pet or your Druid FC in bear form.

All Shaman Spells Filter list for <19

Warlock

Fear Rank 1 15% of base mana 20 yd range 1.5 sec cast “Strikes fear in the enemy, causing it to run in fear for up to 10 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect. Only 1 target can be feared at a time.”

Warlocks CC, that allows them too be a powerhouse if used correctly on Offense. Most the time you will want to find yourself fearing the EFC while trying to kill the healer/support with your team. Then turn your attention to the EFC.
In Team Fights you will want too fear the healers, Shaman>Priest>Mage/Pally. Shamans because of Tremor Totem and because Priests should be in Sheeped by your team’s Mage or killed.
Also quick for getting rid of Rogues

Corruption Rank 2 55 mana 30 yd range 2 sec cast “Corrupts the target, causing 90 Shadow damage over 15 sec.” + Curse of Weakness Rank 2 35 mana 30 yd range Instant “Damage caused by the target is reduced by 6 for 120 sec. Only one Curse per Warlock can be active on any one target.”

Corruption will be the spell Locks will be casting the most. As a Warlock this is going to be your main source of damage. A small tip would be to spam your Tab Button (Tar Nearest Enemy) and keeping this up on them. (VS Warlocks try your best and dispel their Corruption/Curse of Agony and other DoTs quickly as this will save you mana from having to heal bigger amounts)
Curse Of Weakness – keep this up on Rogues/Warriors/Paladins and it is also useful vs Hunter Pets. Using this on Rogues in team fights frees up your use of Fear on a Healer instead and relying on your Teams CC to handle the weakened rogue.

Regarding some other spells, Minor Recomb > Health Stone (they share same CD). Always Soulstone the Healer, preferably the Healer on Offense.

All Warlock Spells Filter list for <19

Warrior

Hamstring Instant “Maims the enemy, causing 5 damage and slowing the enemy’s movement by 40% for 15 sec.”

Hamstring – this is what a good warrior should always be using. It’s your main ability. Against other Warriors this is the main reason why you always want to try and keep them in combat to stop a Charge+Hamstring.
Also a good way to proc Weapon Enchants.

Shield Bash Instant “Bashes the target with your shield for 6 damage. It also interrupts spellcasting and prevents any spell in that school from being cast for 6 sec.”

Another underrated spell not used correctly by most Warriors. It requires some practice on swapping from 2H to One Hand + Shield at the right moments. Scenarios in mid team fights / crossing mid with your team you will want to have One H + Shield for stopping any CC Casts or Important Heals.

Sunder Armor is Another Warrior Spell that you should be stacking on EFCs ALWAYS and in 1V1 Scenarios. A Warrior’s Charge is something you also should watch out for playing vs Warriors, especially if you are Top Of Tunnel / Your Graveyard a Warrior will be able to Charge up from below up Hills. So keeping your distance as a FC vs Warriors on the ground is important but can be solved with keeping them in combat, ie DoTs etc.

All Warrior Spells Filter list for <19

Now that you are more familiar with majority of the ‘Important Spells’ of each Class you will now have a better understanding of what classes can dish out, what and what not to expect. This will also help you understand some of the strategies and tactics I will discuss in this guide.

Communication: Communication wins games, simple. A BG with 7 Twinks can lose vs a Team with Only 3 Twinks in Classic if they are communicating well. I will go over communication while Solo Q’ing / (Pugs) with no Voice + Communication In Premade games 10 V 10 Twinks.

Warsong Map + Call-out Names: https://prntscr.com/nqct9l you will need to know this.

Queuing WSG

Solo Queue

First Suggestion I have is to have a /BG (Callout) macro for EFC positions. So such as ”/bg EFC IS EAST SIDE!!!” To avoid Confusion you should always call East, East. And Specify EFC Ramp or Your Ramp etc.
Calling out stuff like Rogues on Enemy team coming Offense towards your FC or big incomings to your tunnel can help buy your FC just enough time to rotate to safety. If you see something you need to call it out in chat.
While Solo Q’ing you want to try to get you and your team to adjust vs the Enemy’s Team, Like I mentioned earlier in the guide about Shamans and their Purge being a good weapon to take down Paladin FC’s. If you have a Shaman on D supporting your FC and struggling to kill the Paladin FC you should ask the Shaman to please come offense and if the Enemy team is pressuring get someone else to help sit D with your FC.
Always keep tabs on your FC and their health. It will give you the heads up on if you and your team need to Pressure EFC faster and get them out of Cap Position for potential return or if you are resurrecting go help clear the incoming on your flag carrier. Telling Rezzers to help FC in chat also is a good way on notifying your team that they need to go help your FC as soon as they resurrect!
Always keep a positive mindset, even if you are frustrated with someone on your team just avoid from arguing and focus on winning.

Premade Queue

Voice Communication: If you’ve got a mic, use it. Don’t be scared to speak up / make call outs or call out incoming / enemy players positioning. A general misconception that a lot of premade teams have is that only 1-2 People should ever be talking. That should only be the case for team fights where you have a Shot Caller call out targets and what the next move is.

If you’re new and not familiar with each other voices, be sure too call out your name or class. Getting Polymorph’d and Yelling out ”I’m Sheep” is not gonna do any good if they don’t know who to target quickly and use a Minor Recombobulator if you are in range.
Always listen to the Call Leader’s orders and rotate accordingly and quickly, Lots of games are determined by which team rotates faster and gets the better positioning.
If your Flag Carrier is in danger and potentially going to die you will want to have them drop the flag on purpose for an early Repick before the EFC can go cap. Also be wary of calling out ”CAP” on the first return attempt vs a Paladin as they usually will have LoH’s so let your Flag Carrier know that Paladin potentially has LoH and to wait before positioning for a cap!
Call out an EFC’s path beforehand, so is Roof as your team is pushing up Roof call out that he is Balcony or Heading to Fence/Graveyard. If he doesn’t jump just let your team know he is still Roof. Calling out EFC position before he goes there will give time for a teammate to cut off his route.
Have your mages call out Sheeps in advance, call out OOM Priests, if you see a target is low especially in a team fight and no one is calling it out, then you call it out!
One thing I can’t stress enough is to never complain and whine! Always keeps a positive mindset even if down 2-0, the game is never over. Crying will only set the mood down with others on your team.
If using Discord raise the volume for whoever is ”Call Leaders” voice up on discord so you can hear better and hear them over others if people are talking over each other.

Warsong Gulch Strategy

Strategy depends on enemy team comp and yours so there is no one size fits all strategy. But I will break down some Tactics and Scenarios.

First is each classes’ role in the battleground.

Class Roles

Druids

Druid is usually the Flag Carrier, though Resto Druids are viable. Resto Druids shine best vs comps with lots of Warrior/Rogues and Hunters. Being able keep warrior and rogues in combat and out of stealth with just a Faerie Fire is a big plus along with their ability to Root and keep you CC’d. Taking out a potential threat in a fight for a slight period.