new to game, not MMO's. want some help plzFollow

1. i bought the newest disks, but not sure if i have to actually download all the expansions, so i need direction there.

****It really depends on which "newest disks" you bought. The latest expansion was called Labyrinth of the Minotaur. See if it says that somewhere on the box. If it does, then you are set and do not have to activate anything. You will still have to "patch", which is just a way of your computer getting the most up to date data, since there have been some changes (they occur every month or two) since the last boxed set was released.

2. went with a classic server, but havent touched the char yet (im a CPA in tax season), so i wanted to know if i shuold opt for normal servers to get it all in.
****Here is a link of a similar discussion. Additional changes are being introduced in March for the "normal" servers in which you can buy credit for artifacts and Master Levels. However, you have to earn bounty points, which are gained from Realm vs. Realming. I'm not sure if this will help or hurt new people. I think it may make raids fewer and farther between. On normal servers, you really should have artifacts and Master Levels to compete. Read this and ask me more questions if it is still not clear..one solution though is it costs the same to play two sepearate clusters as it does 1 cluster.
http://camelot.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=13;mid=1167234329233859446;num=11;page=1

3. ALWAYS looking for freidnly people who arent uptight to either play with or simply be social with.

****Not sure if you know this or not, but www.camelotherald.com is the official website of this game. Each week or two, they give a list of guilds that are recruiting people. Usually, the guild talks about its playstyle (such as adult oriented, or newb friendly, or hardcore RvR, etc.). here is the link for that section of the website...read some of the guild listings and send the one(s) you think fit your playstyle well a request for invite. Being in a helpful guild is incredibly helpful to someone who is going to be lost when you first start this game.
http://www.camelotherald.com/community/

4. interface questions and graphical questions galore.

****There is a mild tutorial at the start of the game, and in the next patch or two, they are planning on updating the UI. For now, best you just play the game a bit and get familiar with the default one, then in future upgrade to a custom UI. Without you asking a specific question, hard for me to provide feedback. Graphics have never been a big concern for me, so I am probably not the best person to ask.


5. looking for good guide sites, as im clueless about this game beyond the fact that it follows some MMO rules. i picked animist as my class. also wanna see the friar.
****There are not very many up-to-date class guides as the game is old. here is one link
http://www.drunkenfriar.com/

The main discussion forums here are located at:
http://camelotvault.ign.com/

For animist, you would want to visit the forester forums. For friar, the acolyte forums, but you can see there are also cluster forums there (this website gets little attention for this game..I think only people that come from other games where it is used more post here). Read the cluster forums for raids, or possibly even power level events, etc.



Good luck,
My guess is you will find the first week incredibly frustrating. Until you reach level 20ish, you will hardly see anyone around at your level. Visit the battlegrounds at level 20-24 (bg is called Thidranki)...it is one of the easiest ways to see if you like the RvR concept of this game. Classes are not overpowered yet b/c there are no super items (such as artifacts or champion weapons in the game at these levels) and players have a level and Realm Rank cap so you will not be totally outclassed. This game takes either knowing the right people or a lot of patience to succeed.