A Newbie's Guide to DP Items

An Intro to Donation Points

What is DP?

DP (short for donation points) is a cross-account currency that you can buy to help support the creators of the game with expenses such as server-running or bug fixing. You can use them to buy epic cosmetics to set you apart from the crowd, majestic mounts, alternate appearances to some abilities, and convenience items, such as Stones of Retreat like the Stone of Retreat: Stormwind or Scroll of Retreat: Orgrimmar, or books like the Book of Ascension (which we will get back to). You can spend DP at the DP Store.

Doesn't DP make this a Pay-to-Win game?

No. DP items are for cosmetics and convenience items only. There is no such thing as a DP item that gives you extra damage output or an extra life. Everything that a DP item does can be done without it; they just make it faster and more convenient.

Can I use DP items without buying DP directly?

Yes! All DP items are purchasable from the Auction House or from other players using in-game gold, and almost all DP items are a public good, meaning if someone summons a Book of Ascension, all players nearby can use it!

Are DP items permanent?

Yes and no. Some DP items are consumable, such as Titan Scroll: Golganneth; and once you use them, they are gone. However, most DP items are multi-use, and you only need to buy them once, meaning when you use a Book of Artisans for example, you can use it again. Moreover, it is available for all your characters and can be accessed from your Vanity Tab!

Where do I get started?

Now that you know what DP points are and how they are spent, here are some DP items that you can get to start your journey!

The Book of Ascension

Book of Ascension

The Book of Ascension is the first item every player should aim to get when it comes to DP points. It is a massive convenience upgrade with which you can learn new and improved versions of abilities on the go without having to walk to class trainers. This is one of the biggest benchmarks you can aim towards in the beginning of your Ascension journey!

Stone of Retreat: Stormwind/Orgrimmar

Stone of Retreat: Stormwind / Scroll of Retreat: Orgrimmar

While you do get a Scroll of Retreat: Stormwind / Scroll of Retreat: Orgrimmar early on in your adventure, it is only viable for getting to the city for the first time because the item has a massive 24-hour cooldown. On the other hand, the Stones of Retreat have a 15 minute cooldown and are independent of your Hearthstone. They teleport you to the main city hub and usually don't cost too much due to them being part of many bundles.

Feather of Ancients

Feather of Ancients: Azeroth

Another DP item used for getting around. This item unlocks all the flight paths on Kalimdor and The Eastern Kingdoms, which are World of Warcraft's main way of transportation. Flight paths connect the whole world, and this item eliminates the frustration of unlocking all of them manually. While you only need this one early on in your journey, there is another feather for unlocking all flight paths in Outland Feather of Ancients: TBC, so while it is useful, don't accidentally buy that one instead of the one for Azeroth! This is again a not-too-expensive item due to it being part of many bundles.

Tuskarr Shoreglider

Tuskarr Shoreglider

While this isn't a DP item, it is still something you can find in the Vanity Tab, which is low level and useful for new players. This is useful because it is a flying mount and a riding mount at the same time, thus eliminating the need to buy a mount from the vendors close to the trainer, which is expensive for most low-level players. Just by securing your account, you earn a currency called LP, which you can spend on this mount in the store. Although it isn't the best-looking mount out there, it does the job as a placeholder until you buy your racial mount or another one through other means.

Conclusion

Although these aren't all the donation items you can get early on, these are some low-cost, easy ones you can get that will massively help you. Some honorable mentions that you can unlock once you have the gold pieces for them are the Lootbot 3000, the Book of Artisans, the Treasure Keeper and the Wondrous Wisdomball, but some of these are way more expensive and don't really belong in this guide, as they are not really beginner items. Once you get the above items, you can look into some of these, or I can make a new guide if this one is well received!