WoW newbie looking for advice

[Bob the Beholder]

On Terenas, a level 13 Tauren Druid named Thrak has just arrived in the Badlands (Crossroads).:)

So far, I'm really liking it. Though getting the bear form was one hell of a pain, it's not bad. Though the attack speed is soooo very sloooow. At this point I can't wait for cat form, hoping that its attacks are much faster. Weapon speed doesn't actually have any effect on form attack speed, does it? EDIT: oops, nevermind, saw it mentioned above that weapon speed has no effect. I just forgot about it.

I love the little exploits possible with the Druid. Casting Regrowth on myself just outside a target's detection range, then running into melee while shifting to Bear, and the first ~10 seconds of a fight you are still getting healed. Then there's the awesome fact that mana regenerates while you're in bear form, so if I find myself needing another heal, I press the spell, automatically pop out of bear form and find myself at full mana. I hit the target with Moonfire, hit Rejuvenate on myself (love instant cast spells), still plenty of mana, so back to bear form to finish off the fight. But I'm sure the only one here for whom this is new is, well, me.:)

I was shocked to have been able to tank four enemies ranging from my level to -1 to -2 this way. I've never been able to do that with any of the other classes I tried. Sure I had to use a potion, and use my Stomp ability, and I was down to 26 HP, but my Rogue, Warlock or Hunter would've crumbled long before.

So methinks the restart-itis is over. I'm sticking with the Druid. And I can't wait to try out the Moonkin form (OoMkin form, as I read on another forum, hehe). A Mage with the armor of a Warrior? Sign me up!

Ok, now onto other things. I've read guides that said it was best, for a new character to start off with two gathering professions. Well, I followed that advice and went for Skinning, which turned out very profitable, and Herbalism (what with the +15 bonus Tauren get), which turned out to be a waste of time. The things I tend to gather are barely worth the time. A whopping 10 copper, or at best 60 copper if I'm lucky to find two per "flower"? After a string of disappointments I unlearned it and went with Leatherworking. Glad I did too, as I didn't realize one could reinforce existing armor with light leather kits. But in the long term, was this a mistake or will I be able to make some useful things for my Druid?

So that's where I'm at. There are a ton of quests at the Crossroads, and flying over the expanse to Thunder Bluff I saw enemies of roughly level 14-16, which I realized I can handle, as my level 13 killed a few level 15-16 enemies while on the Golden Road.

Once again, thanks for all the advice guys. This game is surprisingly fun. Especially for an MMOG, which tend to be a dreary grind. WoW is a pleasant surprise.:)

Druids can be fun like that, yeah? Extreme soloing power. As long as you're careful and know what you're doing, you don't even need to fear elite enemies. And a good healing druid is very much in demand for all sorts of things at high level (although both feral and balance specced druids can hold their own quite well too).

And I will echo Monkey. Herbalism isn't worth much at low levels, but it's easy, pays off later, and you can still find the occasional buyer for the lowbie stuff on the auction house. And mining might as well be printing money through all but the mid-level stuff. Leatherworking is certainly useful, but for the most part anything you can make with it, you can buy just as easily with the extra gold from another gathering profession. It can still be useful, though, if only for the occasional piece of gear while levelling, and some stuff at high level. If leatherworking interests you, then don't worry too much about the best way and just go for it--you'll do fine in the end.

Just for the love of all that is holy, don't take enchanting unless you've already got a gold source. My main levelled as tailoring/enchanting and my god I was so broke.