Every WoW Classic server: How to pick the realm for you

Want to find the best WoW Classic server to play on? Perhaps you've decided to jump into WoW Classic to get a feel for how World of Warcraft used to play, or maybe you've decided to head back to Azeroth for Wrath of the Lich King Classic. There are certainly plenty of servers to choose from, but you may be wondering how to narrow down your choice.

Basically, it all depends on how you like to play. PvE servers are far less stressful while leveling, and require you to manually toggle PvP on if you want to fight the opposing faction. If you're playing with a group or really enjoy the extra challenge and fun that PvP can bring, that could be the way to go, as you'll always be a target for enemies in contested areas. The lore-lovers aren't left out either—there are specific servers for RP if that's more to your taste.

These lists include WoW Classic and Wrath of the Lich King Classic servers. In many cases, the same server name will exist in both versions of the game, though the servers themselves are separate. Seasonal servers are currently for WoW Classic only. 

Here's every Wrath and WoW Classic server in Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania.

Fresh start servers

Wrath Classic fresh start servers 

Wrath Classic is getting "fresh start" servers which aim to let people create a new character from scratch and build a new community with like-minded players. These new servers will come with some restrictions: 

• For at least 90 days, you will not be allowed to boost a character on Fresh Start realms.
• For at least 90 days, Fresh Start realms will not be available destinations for character transfers.
• Death Knights cannot be created on these realms without a level 55 character on that same realm.

Here are the Wrath Classic fresh start servers:

PvE

PvE servers: WoW Classic and WotLK Classic

If you plan to play on a PvE server, you have to manually flag yourself for PvP to fight other players. Choose one of these if you don't want to get ganked while you're going about your business.

PvP

PvP servers: WoW Classic and WotLK Classic

In PvP servers, you're automatically flagged for PvP anytime you enter contested or enemy territory, where you'll spend most of your time after early levels. Pick these servers if you want to fight other players often or like the omnipresent threat of PvP combat.

Roleplaying

Roleplaying servers: WoW Classic and WotLK Classic

Join a roleplaying server if you love to play in-character. Immerse yourself in the fantasy. These RP servers can also be PvE or PvP focused.

How to choose

Which WoW Classic server should you choose?

That's the million dollar question, ain't it? Choosing a good server is critical to your long-term enjoyment of WoW Classic, as the only way to change servers is to either start a new character or pay for a character transfer. Before you decide on a type of server, though, it's also crucial that you pick a server with the lowest population—especially at launch. While playing on a sparsely populated server sucks, WoW Classic's limited server pool means that many servers are bustling. But if possible refrain from picking any server that are listed at "high" or "full" capacity. There's nothing worse than sitting in a queue for 25 minutes before you can actually play.

Normal servers are best if you just want to have a good time leveling up and doing PvE content. While playing on these servers, PvP is entirely optional. That means you won't get unexpectedly ganked by high-level players, but this also diminishes the social interaction of WoW. But if you just want to have a good, predictable time, Normal servers are the way to go.

PvP servers are for players that want the true World of Warcraft experience, where danger can lurk around any corner as other players can kill you in most zones without penalty. What's great about PvP servers is that if you ever tire of questing or grinding, there's often groups you can join to raid enemy cities or take over bustling crossroads. Opportunities to make friends and have dynamic social interactions abound, so if you're okay with potentially having to give up questing in a zone because a group of level 60s are camping your body, PvP servers are the way to go.

Roleplaying servers come in both Normal (PvE) and PvP versions. The difference is that, here, players are encouraged to interact as characters in the world. While it might be a bit awkward getting into the groove of roleplaying, RP servers are legendary for their vibrant and tight-knit communities. If social interaction is what you want (this is an MMO, after all), you should give RP servers a chance. Players frequently create their own fun outside of questing and PvP, like hosting parties, mock trials, and all sorts of other fun in-game events.

WoW Classic servers: population

Picking a WoW server based on its population is something a lot of players like to do but this can be a double-edged sword. You want a healthy server population to make the game feel alive but this can lead to long queues and general instability whenever any big update goes live.

As it stands right now, Blizzard doesn't release player numbers for World of Warcraft and the sites that say they do pull their information from databases like Warcraft Logs and PvP Leaderboards. This is fine if you want a general idea of a server's population but bear in mind that the numbers won't include players who don't participate in those activities.