First and foremost keep in mind that this is MY personal opinion to rolling a character, and I am only doing this for those who have asked for my advice :)

I don't mean this to come across self righteous or anything, it's just some pointers I'd give to anyone that would ask ME. Everyone has their own style, but I hope this will help you at some point.

This is NOT aimed at experienced roleplayers :)

Rule number one. Keep it simple!


The hardest decision you should ever have to make when creating your character for a Roleplaying realm is, what race and gender you will be.

There is NO need to make up some amazingly complex history before you set into the big wide world. Your character should start fresh, and new, as the game intends you to be. I see too many people taking shortcuts with their character personality & history. Level 7 characters running around playing as Magisters or Guards of Stormwind. Even if you do it well, the sad fact is not many will take you seriously.

Keep it simple for this reason!

You need to leave room for your character to DEVELOPE! < Very important word there, so remember it.
Creating a level 1 master of demonology with a story of heart-ache and pain, about 1000 years worth of history, no matter how well written, will leave many with a 2 dimensional flat personality.

Why is it better to be some boring nobody then?

You don't have to roleplay a boring nobody, you can roleplay as someone who builds up and developes into what you want them to become. Yes it takes a little more time, but roleplay should never be rushed! Again, that will leave you with a very flat character.

Leaving room for your character to grow will give you so so much more to work with, and you will find yourself liking your character more, also you will be able to look back and reflect on what happened in your characters life easier having been there, seen it and experienced everything for what it actually was, bringing you closer to your characters point of view.
I think it really helps to make your role play much more fluid and non-linear.

Some simple ideas for your characters start.

Like I said above keep it simple. A farmer who's family was killed, a girl who dreams of becoming a Blood Knight, or even just a villager who one day decides to take up the sword and do their part for the war.

Keeping it blunt and short means you get to have all the joys of being there from the begining and really get into the mind of your character. This in turn will help you roleplay in a way, that your character would, rather then just you controling a toon.

Work with the lore also, a Bloof Elf's family may have died in a scourge attack for example. Or a priestess may have heard news that her only friend was killed in a battle that took place, causing her to break her oath never to take a life, and seek revenge.
Hell! Your character might just be that NOBODY who decides he wants to be a mighty warrior! he might even end up being a comical fool with a sword, but that doesnt stop him trying!

Quirks and traits.

All the above is not to say you can't give your character a personality. Just ease up on the history. Odd little quirks and habits and really bring your character to life, making just a grumpy character, or a happy-go-lucky character and everything in between and more, REAL. Here's a few ideas that might inspire you.

Head tilting. My main often does this when questioning something.

A stutter can he both annoying or charming, a popluar choice with some players.

Clean freak, keeps a cloth handy! making them a little causious about going into dirty places or shaking hands, little things like that.

An incessant fidgeter who finds it hard to keep still or always has their hands doing something.

Your character might only know one language, or speak fluently in one and not so well in others.

Racist! Your Human might HATE all Gnomes with a passion! Many Night Elves are very Xenophobic of other races, I'd love to see this more in game. Staring a human down as they enter your home lands, and so on.

When stressed or lying, does a little quirky thing, like twitch slightly, or smiles from the corner of their mouth, etc.

Uses mundane items as toys.

Drags his or her feet.

Itching is a good one, like when they see bugs, they just can't help but scratch!

Can only see out of one eye or hear out of one ear.

Fears, a ghost! Boo! AAAAH!!!! Spiders! AAARGH!

(I'll include some more in a seperate thread at some point as I'm sure these will be fun to play with)

With all that said, I think thats the basics covered. I really do hope that some of you newcomers find this helpful. I'm happy to give more pointers or advice on request!

Not a bad guide this :-)

I especially like the part about keeping things simple and making room for development, as that is something I personally find works best when role-playing. Over-complicated characters with elaborate and/or restrictive back stories are hard to role-play well since such characters are less flexible and harder to evolve. Complicated characters have a tough time adapting well to any given situation or story development in a manner that is both convincing and not breaking immersion.

You have to be careful with the quirks and traits though, as some work better than others. It is of course important to pick suitable traits that are fun for both you and others, but they should also be manageable over the long run. Some traits can be fun in the beginning or in certain situations, but after a while they can quickly become bothersome. It is a good idea to not pick traits that can potentially annoy or break the immersion of other role-players.