Why Your Character's Name In World of Warcraft Is So Important

Although it may not seem evident at first, naming your brand new World of Warcraft character (also called a "toon") is one of the most important choices you will make in the game. Let's take a look at a few of the things you shouldn't do and then some things you should do when naming your new toon.

Are You Going To RP?

Role Playing (RP) servers are different from PVE and PVP servers in that the players there take their characters a lot more seriously. They often use them as extensions of their own personalities and make them into the people they would like to be in the real world. If you attempt to start a new toon on an RP server with a name like "Pwnzu" or "Ikillyoudead," you'll most likely be shunned by the majority of players there. You will need to pick a name that matches your race. If you are human, pick out a human-sounding name; if you are a Tauren, do a couple of minutes of research or scroll through the random name generator to see if you can find one you like.

Stay Away From the Names of Real People

While using your own name is acceptable (but not the smartest choice), avoid using anyone else's name. Blizzard actually has an official naming policy, and part of it states that you are not allowed to use the name of any public figure, religious deity or figure, or Blizzard employee.

Don't Be Hatin'

Any name that could be considered harassing or defamatory is strictly against the rules as well. Keep in mind that this is a game played by millions of people all over the world and not all of them will think the same way that you do. Using a racist or sexually deviant name will be sure to get you at least a one-day ban, if not a permanent ban, from a mod.

Pick Something Cool

Are you rolling a Worgen assassin rogue? A Draenei discipline priest? See if you can make your new name fit your new character. My favorite toon is an Undead arcane mage that I rolled a few months ago. I name him Alakadaver, which is a play-off of the words "alakazam" and "cadaver." It was also unique to my server.

Stick with Your Original Name

I've encountered many players who pick a simple name and then number it as they create alts. Others will pick a vowel and then use an ALT code to change it for each iteration of their toon. For example, they may name their main toon Alizandrel. The second toon may then become Alizandrèl by using ALT+0232, and then Alizandrél by using ALT+0233 for their third toon. (Notice how the "e" changed in each version of the name.) This allows their fellow guild players to identify them with a glance.

As you can see, naming a character does not have to be a complicated task. If you keep a few simple rules in mind so as not to break Blizzard's TOS, you can come up with a really cool name in just a minute or two. If finding a good name stumps you, though, you can always just hit the 'random name' button.

Copyright (c) 2013 Matthew Connor