For additional reading and assistance, try visiting one or both of the following guides to getting started:
Shademourne's All-Inclusive Guide of Awesomeness!
HeroLief's Guide to Getting Started and Fixing Technical Problems


Let's get right down to work, shall we?


First and foremost!
Before you are able to connect to the server, you will need to head over to the Introductions forum, read the stickies in there for information, and then post an introduction. Let's reiterate the part about reading the stickies there. There are quite a lot of introductions that get denied simply because they didn't read the stickies or FAQs.


Ack, denied? What's that mean?
It means that if we GMs feel you are not a right fit for the server, you will receive an account and IP ban from the server, and possibly the forums as well. Again, be SURE to read the stickies in the Introductions forum to keep from getting discouraged!

Bear in mind you will need to wait to get your introduction approved before you can create a server account. We reserve the right to deny people entry, as stated above, if they put too little effort (One line intros) or act in a manner we do not wish to see on the server. If we feel this is the case based upon your introduction, you will get a disapproval notification stating why and what can be improved upon. If you consistently submit an inadequate introduction (for example, consistent one-line answers, obvious disrespect or trollish answers, horrid grammar/spelling despite being a native English-speaker, etc.), you will likely be recommended other RP servers.
As per usual on a private server, we on the GM team can ban you if we feel we need to even if your introduction has been approved. We will not do so without reason, rest assured, however.


Okay, so I've read the stickies and created an introduction thread that's been approved. Now how do I get on the server?
It's time to create a server account! See that link in the upper-right corner of the site, named *Click Here to Create a Server Account*? Keep looking... it's kinda hard to see, next to the Wiki link. That's the method to create an account on the server so you can actually log in. Bear in mind that while your username and email must be the same as your forum account, you can choose a different password if you wish.
Note: Please use only alphanumeric passwords to prevent any bugginess from happening which would prevent your ability to log in to the server! It has happened before!


HOORAY! I have a server account! Uh... now what?
Congratulations! Now, you'll need to go into your WoW Data folder (typically C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\Data), then to your specific regional folder (Such as enUS or enGB) and look for the realmlist.wtf file.
Rename it to something like realmlistLIVE.wtf, so you can differentiate between the normal one and the custom one.

Next, you'll need to download the one needed to connect here:
http://www.conquestofthehorde.com/realmlist.wtf
(You can right-click the link and then save it to your WoW/Data/*region* folder)

Finally, as a recommendation to ensure you're seeing anything that may be altered from the normal servers, go into your Cache folder in your WoW directory and delete the WDB folder (it will be recreated automatically, don't worry).

That's it! You should be able to start up World of Warcraft and connect using the username and password you chose when first creating your account, presuming your WoW installation is on the same patch as the server (which is stated on the front page of this site). Remember that passwords are case-sensitive, so it's suggested to use all lower-case characters in it to ensure you have no difficulties (unless you specifically want a more complex password).

Any time you wish to connect to the normal WoW servers, rename the current realmlist.wtf (the custom one) to something like realmlistCOTH.wtf or realmlistEMU.wtf, and then rename the realmlistLIVE.wtf back to just realmlist.wtf, and you'll be able to do so! Again, as a recommendation, delete the WDB subfolder in your Cache folder in the WoW directory.

Check the Connecting to the Server FAQ for more information!



Red text designates edits.

Okay, so what's this Gruntship I keep hearing about?
Weeeelllll, there's a few requirements for it. After being active around the server for at least a month, presuming you've had at least one character profile approved, and taking into account you've written a story in your Introduction thread (if you've written a story elsewhere by now, such as in the In-Character forum or the Storylines forum, you can link to your post(s) there), you're free to submit a Grunt Questionnaire. This isn't as much of a 'test' as it is a request for feedback. Please actually provide more than one-line answers, or else your submission could very well be denied. After all, while it may not be a test, per se, we do not allow people to just assume they can put extremely brief answers and not give it any thought.

At any rate, once your questionnaire is submitted, just be patient. Yes, we got it. No, you may not get a response about it for a few days. If there are any factors that are questionable about your potential promotion to Grunt (such as only having, for example, 3 or 4 posts on the forums since being around for at least a month), then we may have it sit there for a bit until more activity is shown. That said, if you mentioned any names in the appropriate sections of the questionnaire, we may have a word with them first about you!


Great! So, what's so awesome about being a Grunt?
Grunts are basically just those that have been around the server for a while, and are ideally active. Being a grunt entitles your characters (with approved profiles) to be insta-leveled to 80. Once a character of yours is leveled, they can head to GM Island and speak to Garokk the Destroyer. He will provide you with a nice chunk of gold, and a couple of 32-slot bags! Grunts also get some other perks, which are explained elsewhere.