Class

[coldtail]

Well i made a shammy and hated it so i wanted to know. Whats the best class to lvl and do profs with?

[Kamchak]

This is not an answer we can give you.
Fact is, each class has abilities that some love, and some hate. There is no way to tell you to level a mage or a lock or (enter class here). You just have to make a class and see if it keeps you interested.
Also, it is advisable for you to read a little bit about a class to see if it interests you.
Finally, a race/class combo can be deal makers, or deal killers. I hated gnomes for race, and rogues for a class... then I made a gnome rogue, and love it. I also prefer dwarf shamans to a space goat.
Then you have to consider if you will raid, or PvP.

Professions, since this is a new experience for you, should be gathering. Easy to level, easy to do, and are good $$ generators for you as you get more in the game.

So just make a toon, see if you like the abilities, and go from there. Thats the best advise I can give you.

[chaos5061]

For me it was Hunter and I have Skinning and Mining.

[nin88]

U should try enchancement shaman?
Or I'd say Druid paladin since they can tank dps and heal ...and Druids can melée dps range dps tank and heal!
But I Also like hunter priest loks Mage and shamans lol so I'd say lvl a few classes u think u'll like to about 20 or so and then pick what u like best

[coldtail]

Ok i figured out most of it now one more thing. Should i fund it or act like its a new char?

[cabby]

You will only truly know a class's capabilities if you treat it as your only toon on that server. Funding a toon and giving it nice gear to start only make the class skills trivial and allows anyone to level the class without learning what makes the class good or bad.

[Cartman]

If you can get heirlooms you should do that. The XP bonus is nice and you don't have to worry about new gear for a long time.
I would not use the auction house to get stuff for a new toon, especially at lower levels the game is easy enough so don't waste money on that.

Class suggestions depend on what you personally like. I like plate wearing classes as I always go into the middle of the fight. Rogue is not my class, I don't like to worry about getting buffs and putting debuffs on the enemy and a rogue gets too much damage
If you played elemental shaman and did not like it because it's a boring two button caster (ok, I never played him but most caster classes are that easy) you may try enhancement as nin88 suggested. Those hybrid classes are versatile enough to get a completely new gameplay when using another spec. This also applies to the druid where you get a warrior type bear, a rogue type cat and a caster / healer.

[Kamchak]

Ill just say, in regards to funding a toon, that you are not sure you will enjoy playing that toon. So my view would be, why fund it?
Once you hit level 20 or 25 you will know if this is a toon you will be sticking with, and can get the BoA gear or twink it out, if you like.
IMO, doing it to a toon before you know you will stick with it would be tossing $$ away.

[nin88]

Well Ive playd my hunter a lil more and he is just a blast! I also have the 2 pve boa daggers pve chest shoulder boa's and the boa gun and a haste trinket and just got my main honored with the guild and bought him the boa AGI cloak....specd him marksman bc my pets couldn't hold arrgo even as BM bc my dps was too good lol
so if u like ranged dps and pets try playing a hunter they r ez to lvl and kill so fast with the boa's and prob even fast with no boa's or just a few.

[mzanker]

Pretty much any class is easy with full heirlooms Trouble is, as cabby suggests, it allows you to develop bad habits and not get the best out of the class. My enhancement shaman could one or two-shot stuff without dropping any totems; my rogue could do the same without poisons, etc.

But then you hit 80 and go to Hyjal and you wish you'd learned more about the finer points of your class

[cabby]

Yeah, the only time I 'help' out my alts is if they're a bit short on cash I'll make sure to send over some gold so they can get the spells and/or glyphs that are needed for their level. Other than that they don't get heirlooms or any gear (with maybe the exception of a low level wand for the warlocks) so that I'm forced to play the class and not just two shot something.

[nin88]

Yea I see ur point but I don't have time to waste lol
I wa lvln from 15-20 in 20mins a lvl and from lvl 20-30 in 25-30mins a lvl
play for 2 hrs last nite almost got 5 lvls

[Skippyninja]

For gathering professions (mining, herbing mainly, but skinning too) mages get my vote (I know, I know... I'm biased) the ports are invaluable to get where the goods are quickly. The only downside is that they're pretty delicate unless you solo as a frost mage, then you're probably going to live through more mobs per pull.

For anything else I would probably got with a druid, hunter, pally, or try to learn to love your shammy. These classes are pretty solid and can heal themselves or survive easily. Prot warriors are more durable than they initially let on and may cater to your needs.

If you have the resources to support a lock, priest or mage these might serve your interests.

DKs are kinda bad for profs IMO since you have to back track to the lower level areas for stuff...

EDIT: On the heirloom subject: I suggest getting these on all of your alts (even at the beginning). They can be the difference between pulling your hair out over dying too much or taking too long to level and enjoying the game. As for not learning what to do with you class: I always look at a new ability and think when it could be useful.... Polymorph (mage spell, shammies get hex which is basically the same thing) is great when there are three mobs around a campfire, I would "sheep" the highest level and deal with the other two, use some bandaids for a bit of recovery then deal with the "sheep."

Other spells like Eye of Kilrogg (warlock spell) is a great way to scout out the path ahead of you so you don't waste your time going somewhere that could kill you.

[chaos5061]

DKs aren't so bad for leveling professions because you can go back into the lower levels and just farm the mats. No mobs in those areas are going to kill you unless you run into a elite or something then it could be a problem if the elite is within 3-5 levels of you. With my DK I had max for my level herbalism and mining for my DKs level in about 3 hours following wow-professions guide. It's just when you need to get the profession to the max for your level that you may run into your problems because you have to go level to get high profession skill levels.