This wasn't the world he remembered.
After the initial rush of excitement faded, Gabryell slowly realized something was different. In this world, World of Warcraft's open beta had launched globally at the same time, instead of first going live in North America in 2004 and only later rolling out overseas.
"The world's changed."
Gabryell's throat went dry.
Back then, he hadn't even started playing right away. He had joined the game almost a year late, and even after that he was just another casual player—nothing close to the hardcore raiders pushing progression at the front.
By the time he stepped into raids, most of the content had already been cleared. Boss strategies were solved, guides were everywhere, and world-first kills had long since been claimed.
Onyxia's Lair, Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, Zul'Gurub, the Ahn'Qiraj raids, Naxxramas… all of it had already been conquered by someone else.
Even later on—Illidan in Black Temple, and the endless farming of Sunwell Plateau—he had always been following in other people's footsteps.
But now things were different.
A global launch meant millions of players starting at the exact same time.
No guides. No solved strategies. No one ahead.
Gabryell felt his heart start racing.
"Global launch… Is this my chance to do it all over again?"
Gabryell had fifteen years of WoW experience. No one in this world understood the game better than he did—not even Blizzard's own developers back in 2004.
With the game launching everywhere at the same time in this world, it felt like he was playing with a strategy guide from the future.
Armed with that knowledge, becoming the top player in WoW no longer sounded impossible.
"What class are you guys planning to play?"
Carlos logged in while entering his account and password. "I'm thinking Warrior. I heard Warriors are the only real tanks in the game—the backbone of every group."
The game had previously run a short closed beta with the level capped at 45. During those tests, many players had already realized just how important the MT was when running dungeons.
Carlos spent a lot of time browsing gaming forums and had picked up quite a bit of information about the beta. From what he'd seen, the MT role came up constantly, which made him especially interested in Warriors—the class that filled that role.
Gabryell's hands trembled slightly as he launched the game. The familiar login screen stirred up a wave of emotions he hadn't expected.
"The tank is the backbone of the team," he said. "Whether a group clears a dungeon or wipes usually comes down to the tank."
As he spoke, Gabryell absentmindedly hummed to himself.
After hearing his explanation, Carlos felt even more drawn to the tank role.
"Then I'm definitely playing Warrior. You guys just stay behind me—I'll protect you."
Igor spoke up from the side. "Gabryell, how do you know so much? Don't tell me you've been secretly digging up game info behind our backs every day. Come on—how much are you hiding?"
Gabryell laughed. "A lot. You'll see soon enough."
It was a small heads-up for his three roommates—so they wouldn't be too shocked later by just how much he knew about the game.
Igor leaned closer. "So what class do you think I should play?"
Gabryell thought for a moment. "Rogue or Paladin."
Igor frowned. "Why those two?"
A mischievous grin spread across Gabryell's face.
"Rogues can stealth, and they've got Pick Pocket. Fits you perfectly."
Igor snorted. "Are you calling me shady?"
Gabryell shrugged, his expression saying it all.
"If you don't want Rogue, you could go Paladin. One cast of Holy Light and tons of girls will fall for you. And it has the most broken ability in the game—Divine Shield. Twelve seconds of total invulnerability."
Igor immediately started picturing the scene—girls flocking around him.
"Alright. I'll play Paladin."
Gabryell chuckled to himself. Just like that, he'd talked someone into becoming the team's healer.
Back in Vanilla, the Alliance was strong largely because of Paladins. Their buffs were ridiculously powerful—enough to make Horde players green with envy.
Seeing Carlos and Igor settle on their classes, Hugo quickly spoke up.
"Then what should I play?"
In WoW there were nine classes: Warrior, Rogue, Paladin, Priest, Mage, Warlock, Druid, Hunter, and Shaman.
The Alliance had Paladins but no Shamans, while the Horde had Shamans but no Paladins.
Since Gabryell planned to play Alliance again in this life, Shaman wasn't even an option. Instead, he recommended the class he knew best from his previous life.
"Hunter. You should play Hunter."
"Hunters are good?"
"They're great. You can kite mobs and tame pets."
"Tame pets? Then I'm definitely playing Hunter."
At the mention of pets, Hugo's eyes lit up. Ever since he was little, he'd loved raising animals like cats and dogs. He was a real pet lover.
Carlos leaned over and watched Gabryell type in his login details.
"So, Gabryell, what are you playing?"
"Mage."
Igor scoffed. "Mage again? Back when you played Ragnarok you were a Mage too. Squishy as hell—one hit and you're dead."
Gabryell just smiled and said nothing.
When Igor eventually came begging the mage for food, water, and portals, he'd realize how nice it was to have one around.
The four of them logged in the moment the servers went live.
"So which server are we rolling on?"
Since they got in early, there was no queue yet.
Gabryell had already made up his mind.
"Tichondrius."
One of the earliest WoW realms, Tichondrius had always been legendary among players. Back in Vanilla, it was one of the most populated servers in the game.
More importantly, it was fairly balanced—not a realm dominated entirely by either the Alliance or the Horde.
"Why not go Blackrock? I saw a lot of people on the forums saying they're rolling there," Carlos asked.
"Tichondrius will have more players. We're going Tichondrius."
Blackrock was just as famous, especially after becoming one of the first realms to open the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj. The two servers were often mentioned together as rivals.
But Gabryell had no interest in Blackrock.
He only wanted to continue on the same server he'd played on in his previous life—and wipe away the regrets he once carried.
"Since I've been reborn, Tichondrius will be the first realm to open the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj. It'll go down in WoW history."
Gabryell had no idea how Blackrock had managed to beat the more populated Tichondrius and become the first to open the gates back then.
But this time was different.
Now that he had a second chance, he was determined to beat Blackrock and make Tichondrius the first realm to open the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj.
The four of them rolled characters on Tichondrius.
When they reached the character creation screen, Carlos, Igor, and Hugo hesitated again.
"Alliance or Horde?"
"Alliance."
In the early days of WoW, more players picked the Alliance simply because their races looked better. It wasn't until The Burning Crusade, when Blood Elves joined the Horde, that the Horde's "looks problem" disappeared and their population started to surge.
But the real reason was that in Vanilla, the Alliance had Paladins and Dwarf Priests—classes that were practically cheat codes in raids—making PvE much easier than it was for the Horde.
"There are so many races. Which one should we pick?"
Gabryell guided them again.
"Carlos, go Human for your Warrior. Humans get Sword Specialization—that's basically a free +3 hit compared to other races, which makes a big difference when pulling mobs and building threat."
"Igor, your Paladin should also go Human. Human racials work best for Paladins."
"Hugo, go Night Elf for your Hunter. Night Elf Shadowmeld is perfect for Alliance Hunters—especially in world PvP and battlegrounds."
"And you?"
The three of them asked at the same time.
Gabryell clicked on the Human model.
"I'm going Human too. Gnome Mages get a 5% Intellect bonus, but the model's too small. Not great for the solo farming I'm planning later."
The other three had no idea what he meant by "solo farming," so they didn't bother asking.
Suddenly, Igor let out an excited shout.
"Haha! Human girls look great. I'm making a Human female Paladin. That way I can get into groups with female players."
Igor happily locked in a Human female Paladin.
Gabryell and Carlos both chose Human male characters.
Hugo picked a Night Elf Hunter and said with a grin,
"Night Elves look pretty cool. I'm going with that."
In the character name field: BentArrow.
Seeing Hugo finish first, Igor quickly entered his own name: Grada.
Carlos went with the same name he always used: Egides.
Gabryell thought for a moment before deciding to keep the same name he had used in his previous life:
Ogabs.
With their races and classes chosen and their character names set, the four of them clicked Enter World and began their journey into Azeroth.