Why do you guys do this?

[Eastt]

Do you level faster?
Challenges?
Feeling good about soling instances, and getting 2k Teams?

[Zoroaster]

I think most people do it for the challenge. Or the ability to do instances on their own.

Getting a 2k+ team as a multi-boxer... is not easy at all. Ellay is the only multi-boxer I know to actually do this well in arenas, and his team consists of 4 shaman + 1 healer played by another person.

I've been dual-boxing forever with priest/warrior, and more recently with my shaman/warrior. I work night shift however, and there is only so much you can do in the early morning hours after getting off, very few people playing that time of day. Also my raid guild is in complete farm mode right now, ~2 raid nights a week for MH/BT, so leveling 3 mages seemed like a fun thing to do on off-nights and in the early morning.

[Xzin]

I do it for the ladies.

[Vyndree]

I do it for the ladies.

<.< ...
>.> ...
>.<

[Xzin]

See. There's one now.

[Dor]

I work nights and play early and hate to lfg... also is fun to try new things. Im sure I would have left wow by now (boredom) if not for multiboxing.

[unit187]

I do it for challenge for sure :)

also pvp... man, thats insanely fun

[kllrwlf]

Was about to shelf WoW again for the 2nd time until the next expansion.

Found a couple of 5-man videos on YouTube, thought it would be great to actually see and clear all the instances that I've missed (which is about 95%) of them, and eventually get up to 70 for the heroics.

Also, love the challenge of multi-boxing.

I *may* do Arenas, it's not in the plans with my group... maybe the next one. :)

Oh yeah... and chicks dig it. 8)

[Majestic_Clown]

I do it so the only person I can blame when we wipe is me :)

No more annoying pugs,
No other player dependencies
Quicker farming

[Ilion Sturmlied]

I had the choice, quit wow, start raiding or multibox.

I did not want to quit wow.

Finding a raid group that accepts that I usually come 1h to late to a raid (because of my work) is not that easy

So I started to multibox as my new challenge.

And I love it!

[Otlecs]

This came up before, and quite a few of the "old timers" here took the time to write lengthy reponses, but I couldn't find the old thread with a quick trawl.

There are just so many reasons to do this, but for me, personally, right now, it comes down to CHOICE.

If I want to go to an instance, I can. Alone. No hours of LFG spam. No petty arguments over loot. No morons causing wipes (except me, obviously ;) ).

If I then want to go afk to tend to something out there in real life, there's no issue.

On the other hand, if I want to raid, or want to do an instance in the traditional way, my status as a multiboxer in no way removes that possibility.

In fact, it enhances it. Especially since one of my active teams is a traditionally balanced team (tankadin, priest, hunter, 2xmages) rather than a group of squishies. Can't find a tank or healer? No problem. I'll bring both!

I often use parts of my team to walk friends / guildies through instances. I've done the pally epic quest from end-to-end for 4 people. Tonight, I'll be running somebody's alt through Mauradon central.

So, yes, for me it's because multiboxing empowers me with choice.

I think my original response lamented the lack of real challenge in WoW, and that's still true, but having the choice as to what I want to do is the real reason I continue to do it.

One of the most common misconceptions amongst non-boxers is that boxing in some way imposes more of a burden than not boxing (you know, the old "you have no life" throw-away), and that's simply untrue.

Boxers can do pretty much what they want, when they want to do it. We get to enjoy the content on our own terms, and I tend to do everything in my life on my own terms.

[zanthor]

I started dual boxing out of necessity, our guild was short priests and my main was a rogue. I found it very easy to mouse over, throw a heal, stab and move while the heal cast, repeat as necessary. I learned that using autofollow on your guildmates was relatively reliable once they knew what was up...

I got a 3rd account and switched my main to a warrior, when TBC came out I 3boxed the warrior/priest/rogue to 62 before giving up on the idea, leveled the warrior to 70, then my girlfriend took my priest to 70... you'll laugh at the reason I gave up on the threeboxing... it was too easy to get a 5 man. As a guild leader and a raid leader I've found that to get any group I simply need to "/guild Looking for XX more" and they tend to crawl out of the woodwork... ahhh, power.

All that was pure point and click, I had often pondered about key injection and sending keystrokes to more than one application... I did a very minor amount of looking but never put serious effort into it.

So I kicked around and one day found Dual-Boxing.com... wow, the tools, it was very much handing a chemistry set to the kid who's been figuring out chemistry in the kitchen with what he had available... tools! I had three accounts of my own, my girl had an account, and before long I purchased a 5th (My highest 5 box is still only level 9, so that shows you how long that 5ths been around =)).

Anyhow, I do it because it gives me an instant group to play when I dont feel like playing my raid character on something high end with no chance of progress... I don't know how many of you have literally gotten EVERY item you possibly can except whats available in 25 man content, but it's a sad feeling to log on at 8am because your awake and realize that until 10am at the very least you can't even do a heroic, because you did them yesterday... lots of boring.

I figure with my 3box I'll see some fun in arena's, I dont know if I'll rate 1000, 2000 or somewhere in between, but I don't see how 2 pom/pyro combo's CANT be fun in pvp... I figure with my girlfriends priest and any number of others in my guild I can form a steady 5v5, and with a guaranteed focus fire of 2 mages, 2 healers and whatever I bring in 5th we should be pretty solid there as well...

Anyhow, I did it for the fun ;).

[Kyudo]

Several reasons:

1) I can't raid at regular times, but still want the opportunity to instance and do heroics.

2) After 2.5 yrs (4 70s and 3 60s) of vanilla wow, was getting pretty mundane for me, and this was a new and exciting avenue to go down.

3) The challenge of controlling 2 or more characters has added a new sense of enjoyment and technical challenge to the game for me.

4) Sick of so many years of crappy PuGs.

5) Will enjoy the kudos of having all characters to level 70

6) The technical side interests me, and it has done wonders for my understanding of macros and other gameplay elements.

7) I have a decent, well paid job, so there are no real money restrictions on me being able to multibox.

8) A recent upgrade to a new PC opened up the avenue to me, so I wanted to try it (I did NOT however, upgrade for the sole purpose of multiboxing, I only came across this site post upgrade).

[Diamndzngunz]

Lets see... Im mainly tired of always working and missing raids. So why not multi box?

New enjoyment out of the game

[amalgam]

After getting a couple of 70s, you get tired of doing it again. This is more fun, honestly. The tedium is offset by the incredible pace you can set.

[Remote]

I like to purposely make things more difficult; it's just part of my personality. On the flip side, it makes everything more rewarding.

I can't tell you how happy I was when I cleared Deadmines the first time by myself. It's just such a cool thing to accomplish.

[Bravo]

Not having to LFG is by far the best thing I've gotten out of this experince so far. Constantly posting LF Tank and Healer for X instance could be the biggest waste of time I've went through in my life.

[Bulls]

that look on peoples faces when you kill them. you know the look of "what the, whoa!". that always makes me smile. especially with 2 or more guys behind your main following your orders.

[Nimyx]

I got bored of browsing *cough cough* STUFF with my other hand and eye so I gave them a toon to play. That got boring so I got a third toon.
Now my Thumbs are active too!


My toes however are beginning to QQ.


Honestly though my first experience was in EQ and I tried it because I was tired of spending 6 hours LFG only to find one 30 minutes before I had to log.

Ever since then it has always been 2-3 accounts per game.

WoW however completely cemented my enjoyment of it when I read someplace on a message board "2 characters being two boxed will never be as efficient as 2 characters being played by two separate people given that those separate people have any competency."

Compared to most of the people here I am a complete tard as far as efficiency goes. I play with three completely separate systems and absolutely no macros other than the normal hotkeys wow gives us with the default game. (unless you count my /dance /wave /giggle /snicker type emote macros). Yes I actually "type" in the ./follow command every time.

This means alot of swapping hands to different keyboards and watching different screens but the fact is I find it challenging and enjoy it immensely.

I found that over the last year and a half not only am I just as proficient in certain area's as 2 players in alot of things, instead I am even more efficient. PVP... yeah not so much, but grinding down those "group" quests with two characters and soloing BC instances with 3 all while using separate machines... I gotta say it provides such a sense of accomplishment.

Yes sometimes you lose and sometimes you wipe really hard but to me thats the beauty of it is attempting it reanalyzing it and finding out the key or correct combo to effectively "box solo" whatever is before me.

So if I am sometimes more efficient than two players I know most of the people here, running the way they do, simply put the smack down on that whole aforementioned statement.

Its about really being "able" to enjoy the game without being "dependant" on those you wouldn't normally group with if you had a choice.

[Zseth]

I can't make friends in game because I'm an asshole.

So I play with myself.

Seriously...

I'm an asshole.

Right fellow zerglings?

[Xzin]

/nod

:D

[Boom]

Multiboxing is a completely different game from "solo wow". I happen to enjoy this new game. :) Simple as that.

Boom

[zanthor]

Yes sometimes you lose and sometimes you wipe really hard but to me thats the beauty of it is attempting it reanalyzing it and finding out the key or correct combo to effectively "box solo" whatever is before me.

Me: Hrm... where did my mages go?
Kim: Um, they got cleaved to death... *sigh* AGAIN *sigh*
Me: Hrm, I guess I should turn the mobs away from the squishies eh?
Kim: /headdesk

[Contents]

I guess I'm pretty much in the same boat as the majority here. Sick of the same old song and dance of the LFG system, and really was just looking for a new way to enjoy WoW.

Initially I just dabbled with a 3-box setup, but after realizing how much more fun/challenging WoW became I added another two accounts. Now I 5-box and I am really enjoying WoW again. Granted I am offically a "super dork" according to my friends, family, and fiance.... but at least I'm happy :P

[Ughmahedhurtz]

I can't make friends in game because I'm an asshole.

So I play with myself.

Seriously...

I'm an asshole.

Right fellow zerglings?
Sorta. I'm an asshole in that I think most WoW players are 12-year-old assholes-in-waiting, with whom I really have no desire to group. Plus, I play horde, which means I can gank the shit out of the prima donna faction in the game until I feel a modicum of justice has been meted out for the day. Then I can team up with Oathbreaker and make them squeal on the forums.

It's a beautiful thing.

[Blokus]

I have a Walter Mitty complex.

[Toned]

I've been multiboxing for years in EQ and WoW. I mainly box so I don't have to deal with morons in my group causing wipes or stealing the phat lewtz!

[Toned]

Compared to most of the people here I am a complete tard as far as efficiency goes. I play with three completely separate systems and absolutely no macros other than the normal hotkeys wow gives us with the default game. (unless you count my /dance /wave /giggle /snicker type emote macros). Yes I actually "type" in the ./follow command every time.


When I 5box my 70 Priest, Pal, Druid, Hunter, Mage I only use 2 machines and no special setup other than alt tab lol. Do 2 on my left Cpu and 3 on my right. I did this in EQ with 6 did 3 and 3 so it is possible. When I play the shamans though I'm a keyclone whore.

[caffiend86]

For me it started as a means of leveling multiple alts at once as well as make excessive money doing daily quests. Now I'm finding I like my 5 box setup immensely and getting the hang of various 5 man instances as I refine my macro setups...

[Wilbur]

Excessive sig... Sort it out.

[Eteocles]

Basically I like the power of having more than a single character ;p Though the challenge of running multiple chars is appealing as well. Most of my time spent not raiding is/was solo anyways so now I can actually do group quests without waiting for guildies to get around to it or *shudder* trying to pug it.

[Zseth]

I can't make friends in game because I'm an asshole.

So I play with myself.

Seriously...

I'm an asshole.

Right fellow zerglings?
Sorta. I'm an asshole in that I think most WoW players are 12-year-old assholes-in-waiting, with whom I really have no desire to group. Plus, I play horde, which means I can gank the shit out of the prima donna faction in the game until I feel a modicum of justice has been meted out for the day. Then I can team up with Oathbreaker and make them squeal on the forums.

It's a beautiful thing.


Diego and Zin confirm it. lol

[Jusa]

I'm in a BT/Hyjal Raiding guild. I'm a druid Tank, and have tanked every boss in Hyjal/SSC/Kara/Gruul/ all but Kael in TK/ and up to RoS in BT. I like raiding but what do you do when the raid is over? What do you do when you have all the items and money you need? You start an alt, so now i have a 70 rogue and shadow priest. but this just goes back to the grind over and over again. You run the same instances again and again to gain rep and get gear so you can grind heroics and gain more rep and badges. Sounds exciting huh?

Not really but.... I like playing a shadow priest. They melt faces in PvP. I can basicly toss up two dots on someone flying and just mount up and follow them and watch them die, or try to heal and then i can finish the job. Now imagine 5 shadow priests, it's a walking death squad over 10k dps with healing and mana regen that is just amazing. It makes wow exicting again to think about once i hit 50 and get VT, or when i get 70 and can do my own heroics. (i have a 70 priest so i'm leveling a pally on that account so i have a tank to grind instances to level my priests)

Some people look at 5 accounts and say OMG that's $75 a month then light up a cigerette. I quit smoking about a year ago and let me tell you that was alot more than $75 a month. This is part of your entertainment spending and please.... You spend more in 1 night at the bar than you do all month on wow.

Yoou know how when your first toon was 20 and you couldn't get enough, you understood the game a little, you got your first blue item and everything was exciting and new? That time is over for alot of us that play thing game. We want something new and exciting.

And yes the thought of you crying when you see 5 SWP's and a silence pop up on your toon does make me smile a little.

[Allokra]

Many of my motivations for 5 boxing have already been stated but playing with 5 characters reminds me of some of the older RPG's where you make up a party of 5 people and adventure around. As some of the others, I do get upset with some of the idiots that randomly run off...

Or the one where I am about to pull a boss and an add walks along and I decide to kill the ad first...but stupid Bllokra pulls the Boss!!! I use damage meters to see which of those loosers was slacking. It's a completely different game...

[Vyndree]

I'm in a BT/Hyjal Raiding guild. I'm a druid Tank, and have tanked every boss in Hyjal/SSC/Kara/Gruul/ all but Kael in TK/ and up to RoS in BT. I like raiding but what do you do when the raid is over? What do you do when you have all the items and money you need? You start an alt, so now i have a 70 rogue and shadow priest. but this just goes back to the grind over and over again. You run the same instances again and again to gain rep and get gear so you can grind heroics and gain more rep and badges. Sounds exciting huh?

QFT.

I am multiboxing out of raid boredom. I like challenges, or my brain starts to melt.


Some people look at 5 accounts and say OMG that's $75 a month then light up a cigerette. I quit smoking about a year ago and let me tell you that was alot more than $75 a month. This is part of your entertainment spending and please.... You spend more in 1 night at the bar than you do all month on wow.

Again QFT.

You make sense, my friend. You make sense.

I like you.

[amalgam]

The pitfall of every MMO is the mindless repetition of the levels to maintain excitement. "Ooh, I've never played a X before; let's make an alt."

[Remote]

Some people look at 5 accounts and say OMG that's $75 a month then light up a cigerette. I quit smoking about a year ago and let me tell you that was alot more than $75 a month. This is part of your entertainment spending and please.... You spend more in 1 night at the bar than you do all month on wow.
This is exactly what I tell people. This is an argument they understand.

[Toned]

Some people look at 5 accounts and say OMG that's $75 a month then light up a cigerette. I quit smoking about a year ago and let me tell you that was alot more than $75 a month. This is part of your entertainment spending and please.... You spend more in 1 night at the bar than you do all month on wow.
This is exactly what I tell people. This is an argument they understand.
I say this to everyone and they still are like wtf. I'm like go to dinner and a movie with your woman (assuming you have one) and that can be $60+ for a few hours and you might not get laid !

[Xzin]

Some people can easily spend $50 on a single meal. With the ability to box 5 on a single $1500 (or less) machine, $75 a month is downright cheap.

Especially given the amount of game time you get for said $75

[Remote]

Some people can easily spend $50 on a single meal. With the ability to box 5 on a single $1500 (or less) machine, $75 a month is downright cheap.

Especially given the amount of game time you get for said $75
These are also very good points.

[kllrwlf]

Some people look at 5 accounts and say OMG that's $75 a month then light up a cigerette. I quit smoking about a year ago and let me tell you that was alot more than $75 a month. This is part of your entertainment spending and please.... You spend more in 1 night at the bar than you do all month on wow.
This is exactly what I tell people. This is an argument they understand.
I say this to everyone and they still are like wtf. I'm like go to dinner and a movie with your woman (assuming you have one) and that can be $60+ for a few hours and you might not get laid !

There was one guy at Ironforge that followed me around saying "5x15 = Dumb"

Some people might be on a lower entertainment budget then $75/month, and I just assume that they are the ones that go WTF...

[Bena]

- it was either this or just quit wow.. was getting too boring
&
- never having to look for a group.. ever!


And to all people moaning about $$$.. I spend more on my cell :roll:
I can blow the money in the pub or save my liver and do this heh

[Ebola]

I wanted to be able to get up from my computer and take a piss without possibly wiping 40 people..... I wanted to be able to eat dinner when it arrived.... and I wanted to make my computer room a little bit warmer as I was always cold.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

I wanted to be able to get up from my computer and take a piss without possibly wiping 40 people..... I wanted to be able to eat dinner when it arrived.... and I wanted to make my computer room a little bit warmer as I was always cold.
LOL @ the room warmer thing. My 5 boxes pull about 1100VA when WoW'ing, which keeps it nice a toasty if I shut the door. :D Sucks a little in the summer, though.