What are the benefits of 2-boxing vs 3-boxing vs 4-boxing, etc??

[Yixum]

Greetings!

I am relatively new to the multi-boxing scene and I'm hoping to get some insight into the different levels of multi-boxing. Currently I'm only 2-boxing (2 hunters at 45 and recently started a Pally/Mage duo to try it out). Can anyone comment about the benefits and drawbacks to doing 2-box vs 3-box vs 4-box vs 5-box? I'm honestly not sure how I'd even manage 5-boxing. It seems like it would be an aweful lot of work.

Also, I'm curious what's the best route to go for team composition for the various different tasks in the game. For example, what would I want to use if I want to focus on instances? (i.e. 2-box or more? Same class or different classes?) Also, what would I want to use if my primary goal was something like aoe farming?

Keep in mind that I'm new to both dual-boxing and to WoW in general. My 45s are my highest characters and I know litle about most of the content of WoW.

Thanks for your input!

[Svpernova09]

I started out 3 boxing Shaman. I could do just about any world elite without any issue at their level. I may lose one or two, but I managed it pretty well. I killed regular mobs while leveling in 2 volleys of lightning bolts and a shock maybe to finish it off. So i was able to move from mob to mob very quickly. I moved up from 3 to 5 so I could instance. Even if you want to instance you can box as many as you want, just sub in regular players for the gaps. it comes down to how many are fun for you.

[mmcookies]

it's a slippery slope

once you feel the awesomness of dual-boxing, you'll want more

5-boxing is a fairly stable plateau

[Marathon]

I just recently moved from 2 active accounts to 4 and I can tell you I one shot almost everything that is at my level. I love the power .... However, I do not have the patience to do collection quest anymore. It is just way to boring to collect every little thing. So i say if you can run 5 accounts do so ...

[Taliesin]

The number of chicks fawning over you rises exponentially with group size. Unforunately, I started at zero chicks, which means that even with exponential growth, I'm still at zero.

Seriously, the downside is the cost investment of money (both in subscriptions as well as possible technology upgrades needed to support it) as well as time (more toons means more to micromanage).

The upsides include being able to do more content solo, saving time by not having to look for groups, and possibly getting to 80 with more toons in less time as opposed to doing each individually.

I can log in and knock out heroics faster than trying to run solo and finding a group. But I also had to invest many hours in fine-tuning dozens of macros for 6 different toons (not counting my rogue which I just farm ore/herbs with). It can be draining to manage, but the challenge and independence more than makes up for it to me.

[aboron]

I originally had 2 accounts for convenience reasons that I never tried playing at the same time. And the second I decided to try boxing I raf invited 3 trial accounts to start with 5. It just seemed like being able to run a 5 man heroic by myself any time i felt the need for gear tokens was too strong of a benefit to ignore. Now here I am about a year later and I finally have a group with my first heroic boss on farm (moorabi), and it's just about as fun as I thought it would be.

For 5 boxing I'd highly recommend a group with one specialized tank and one specialized healer - and if you happen to pick driuds they could all be the same class and fill all 3 roles, though i like dk's, priests, and paladins myself.

And i'd agree that there is a lot of resistance against going more than 5, since the next really useful level is 10-man which is twice the investment and at least twice as hard to run, if not far more difficult than that (2 tank encounters, multiple healers and dps, etc) I'd only ever go more than 5 boxing if I retired/hit the lottery and needed a more difficult/interesting hobby and a reason to spend money on hardware and accounts.

[heffner]

To me, the biggest advantage is a group of 5. Everything I listed below still applies to more than one toon though.

1) More classes to choose from when you get to the raid level, unless you want to multibox raids.
2) You can do instances by yourself with 5 toons. Never have to wait on anyone again!
3) It's no more difficult to run 2 than it is to run 5 if you have the computer(s) to do it. It's only the initial setup that takes the most time (i.e., macros). This site will help out a lot on that though.
4) If you run multiple classes you can take advantage of the different loot drops. I have five classes, so I can almost use all the loot that drops when dual specs are factored in.
5) Dailies X 5 is nice $$. You can buy an epic or two a day at 80.
6) Leveling up is easier. You never have to worry about those group quests, especially when you start late in the game. This is even more important now with quest phasing.
7) Slightly easier to create a guild. Ok, so not that big of a deal, but five less signatures is still something.
8) Less worry on a PVP server (maybe??, never played on one).
9) Access to up to 10 tradeskills.
10) Possibly easier to get into a guild later on since you may have multiple classes.

[chaosultimamage]

I just recently started dual-boxing as well and I have to say, I already want more. I was just thinking earlier today that I want to get a third account, but I don''t have the monetary resources I'd need for that currently. Hopefully in the near future, I can splurge on this, but in the mean time, I'll be enjoying my duals.

I think most of the pros have been listed above. Of course, if you have the time and money, there are no cons. It's just like playing 1 character or dual-boxing, just more flexible.

[mooglej]

it's a slippery slope

once you feel the awesomness of dual-boxing, you'll want more



I find this true, starting with 2 warlocks, then moving up to a 5man team 4locks/priest combo once i tasted the power. Damn double boxing, its a gateway drug i tell ya....

[Dominian]

5 for doing instances!!

4 shamans if you want to have somewhat success in the arena, im not saying 4 shamans is the only thing that works but it is the only setup that have been done so far on higher ratings. (and 5 shamans to a degree)

[Vicker]

Try two-boxing a tank+healer combo. Grab a handful of random people and run instances. Once you can fill both hard to find roles at once, you never have to wait for a group again.

[Gadzooks]

Greetings!

I am relatively new to the multi-boxing scene and I'm hoping to get some insight into the different levels of multi-boxing. Currently I'm only 2-boxing (2 hunters at 45 and recently started a Pally/Mage duo to try it out). Can anyone comment about the benefits and drawbacks to doing 2-box vs 3-box vs 4-box vs 5-box? I'm honestly not sure how I'd even manage 5-boxing. It seems like it would be an aweful lot of work.

Also, I'm curious what's the best route to go for team composition for the various different tasks in the game. For example, what would I want to use if I want to focus on instances? (i.e. 2-box or more? Same class or different classes?) Also, what would I want to use if my primary goal was something like aoe farming?

Keep in mind that I'm new to both dual-boxing and to WoW in general. My 45s are my highest characters and I know litle about most of the content of WoW.

Thanks for your input!2 boxing can accomplish a lot, the more experience and skills you develop, the more you can tackle. 2 manning instances is definitely do-able, at least up to BC content, duo's running Wrath instances would need to overpower the content with Tier gear and enchants and gems.

Do you have any plans on joining a guild and playing end-game content? That would be your best path for gear, which would give you better gear to MB 2 characters with.

I would just settle in and spend some time learning your classes, learn the mechanics of MBing (macros and addons and keybinds), and when you can afford more accounts and have a better feel for it, jump to 5. The equipment isn't that hard to set up, if you can afford it, a single machine that can run 5 instances of WoW is not too expensive to put together - or set up a couple cheaper boxes - the hardware forums can help you there.

If you can only afford two accounts right now, just play your guys up to 80 - the trip is worth it, the game is a lot of fun, spend some time getting to know the content and such. Wrath is amazing content, and two players can handle most of it easily - you'll have one or two quests where you'll need more, but you should be able to knock out most of it with 2, no problem. Spend the time leveling planning for what you want to do with MBing, plot out your equipment, teams you want to try, all of that. You're on your own time schedule now, not a guild's or anything, so if it takes a while, who cares?

Once you have at least one 80, you unlock the ability to powerlevel more characters fast, in instances. I can PL characters with my 80 lock up to 68 all in instances. That should be a big goal for you now - plus, an 80 can supply lower levels with gear and enchants or whatever professions you pick up - plus they can fund them, which helps a lot.

As for classes, the classic melee with a pocket healer can't be beat -you can grind forever with no downtime. I leveled two mages and they were fun - and a hunter and a Lock can be deadly, pet wise. A Pally and anything right now is pretty OP - and once you can bring DKs in, a DK and anything will be an easy ride. Two shaman are fun, too - there's a ton of synergy with multiple shaman, which is why they're so popular here!

The biggest challenge is being able to be patient, when starting MBing, once you get a taste, you want more! :D

[Yixum]

Great response guys, thanks!

I have a couple more questions. I think I would like to try a 5-man setup. First off, can you tell me a little more about this "synergy" for 5-man Shaman teams? I tried a shaman (granted, it was only to 10 and it was solo, not dual box) and I didn't really care for it. I am traditionally a ranged-styled player. I realize that if I'm going to do 5-man that will have to change though.

Also, I have two level 46 hunters right now. I'm thinking that I probably want my 5-man to consist of 1 pally, 1 priest and 3 mages. Is this a good team for someone new to the 5-man setup and also new to WoW in general? Is there a better team you can suggest?

I'm also wondering WHEN I should switch from my 2-man to a 5-man. I already started a Pally/Mage duo with my current 2 accounts (only level 15). Should I keep leveling them up to a point where I can power-level up the other 3 accounts later or should I just jump in and start all 5 now? I was thinking it might be a good idea to wait on the 5-man until 3.2 comes out and the prices/levels for mounts go down considerably. I don't have a large supply of gold right now. However, my RAF on those 2 accounts lasts until 8/7/09, so I want to use my time as efficiently as possible.

The reason I started the Pally/Mage duo was because I thought one or the other would be good to power-level up (via instances I think) the other 3 of my team once the time came, is this true?

Lastly, my little brother has been playing WoW for a lot longer than I have and he has started a DK on the server I'm on (Turalyon if anyone cares). He doesn't mind running me through instances to help level me up (He ran my Pally/Mage trhough Deadmines). Can you guys give me a run-down of what Alliance instances I should have him take me through at what levels to get my chars up fast?

Thanks again for the input!

[Tonuss]

I'm also wondering WHEN I should switch from my 2-man to a 5-man. I already started a Pally/Mage duo with my current 2 accounts (only level 15). Should I keep leveling them up to a point where I can power-level up the other 3 accounts later or should I just jump in and start all 5 now?That's really a matter of personal preference. For questing and leveling outdoors, dual-boxing is fine. Having a group of five lets you experiment with instances and with higher-level outdoor mobs and elites. I've done a mixed group (paladin/priest/mage/warlock/shaman) and it worked well but I didn't have the time or patience to continue with dungeon-running after a while. Currently I'm leveling a team that consists of a shaman with four hunters. I've taken on mobs that were 11 or 12 levels above the group (non-elite) and finished them off without a problem.

For instance running, I'd advise some sort of setup that includes a tank, healer, and three DPS with the DPS being the same class. I think it's easier to get the most out of a single DPS classes' abilities than it is to get the most out of a mix of them. But there are 5-boxers who have completed most 5-man content (normal and heroic) with mixed groups, if I'm not mistaken.

My advice would be that if you're feeling the itch to 5-box, take the plunge now. Create a group and take them through to level 20 or so, and if you're still enjoying that group, keep leveling them. Otherwise try a different combo. When I started up again I went with a group of three mages and two warlocks, but stopped at about level 21. My shaman/hunter group is level 22 and rising quickly, and I find it more fun. You won't know what's best for you until you give it a try.

[Tombs]

I dual box, most use I am getting out of it these days is that I can herb on one while I raid on another. I don't have a need to do dailies or run 5-man content so I really stopped boxing. The intention of me getting into this was to level two characters for Wrath. Sounded like a good plan at 70, if I had only known about vehicles and item collection quests before then. As others have said the more characters you have the more opportunities open up for you, you can run entire instances yourself or swap out a couple dudes for some real people.

[Ualaa]

The fewer you box, the simpler and cheaper it is.
The more you box, the harder and more expensive it becomes.

A two box combination can do almost everything in the game, except for 5-man and above content.
Even then, with other players you can do this stuff too.

Three box is like two box, but you have the option of 3x say DPS.
Or running Tank + Heals + DPS. With synergy, you could do most/all 5-man quests like this.

Four box is ideal for arena's and pvp.
You can have a friend play the healer and go to town.
Alternatively recruit a tank if you're say Druid/Shaman x4, and run instances too.

Five box is the ultimate, in my opinion.
You are a full group unto yourself.
You can cover all roles, or be classes that function together well such as Shaman x5.
A lot of 5-boxers have done 25-man raid content, and some guilds run with multiple 5-boxers in their raid.

I started with two computers, two accounts, two keyboards, no broadcasting hardware/software.
Two years later, I stumble upon this site and quickly pick up Keyclone for its power and simplicity to set up.
I add a 3rd account, and a week later, a 4th and 5th.
Haven't liked leveling in Wrath nearly as much as Burning Crusade, but Blizz gears the game for the one-boxer.
I loved blowing up 77 elites, with 5 level 71's... there is something addictive with that level of power.
Tweaking the assist and macro's can be as much fun as the game itself.

[hendrata]

While we're on this topic, I have some hardware question for the experienced folks out there.

Currently I have two machines:
1. A desktop with Pentium 4, 3GHz, single core, 2 GB RAM. I forget what video card it has but it's pretty decent, it can run Wow on medium setting fine.
2. A laptop with dual core 1.6 GHz, 2 GB RAM, and something like 512 MB video card. I use this laptop for work that's why it's not very gaming-oriented.

And I am currently triboxing with the main on the desktop and the 2 slaves on the laptop. It's been working fine. My question is, can I push these hardware to run 5? Do I run master on desktop and 4 slaves on laptop, or 1 master and 1 slave on desktop and 3 slaves on laptop or what? What do you guys think?

[Gadzooks]

I'm also wondering WHEN I should switch from my 2-man to a 5-man. I already started a Pally/Mage duo with my current 2 accounts (only level 15). Should I keep leveling them up to a point where I can power-level up the other 3 accounts later or should I just jump in and start all 5 now?For instance running, I'd advise some sort of setup that includes a tank, healer, and three DPS with the DPS being the same class. I think it's easier to get the most out of a single DPS classes' abilities than it is to get the most out of a mix of them. But there are 5-boxers who have completed most 5-man content (normal and heroic) with mixed groups, if I'm not mistaken.Depends on the content - Wrath is definitely Tank/Healer dependant, whereas I had a much easier time in BC with mixed groups. I'm toying with some team ideas to have Tank/healer/2 dps (probably shaman)/whatever, the last slot filled by my many alts, so I can gear them, like my rogue. I don't have anything against shaman, I just like the idea of having a lot of classes to play with. :) (The nerf/buff cycle is easier to deal with if you have options, after all)