Long time 2boxer New to 5boxer

[Enoah35]

WARNING: This will be a long post. So excuse me in advance for the big PILE of my history. Will make a "too long to read, sum it up in a few sentences" will be after this.

Hello everyone,

Been lurking the forums for some time, but decided to register so that I could participate on the forums as well as ask for suggestions on multi-boxing. I have been 2 boxing on almost every single MMO that I played, starting from EQ1 up to WoW now. I never used a tool while 2boxing. After a while, I got tired of the constant time wasted on PuGs doing daily dungeons/quests as well as huge time waiting to get on a group so I ended up quitting 1.5 years ago. I came back about 2month ago and started 5boxing just last week. I was reading all the guides, and my tool of choice was ISboxer for its easy to use interface. I haven't seen Keyclone or other software so I cannot comment on those and it is my first time using a multiboxing tool so I got alot to learn.

My current setup is a Prot paladin(80), Disc Priest (70), Demo warlock (72), Arcane Mage (74) and Elemental Shaman (80). Now before anything, my account suffered from a hack while I was absent. I did get some items back but that was all I could get back from the help of the support desk. Basically only the Prot Paladin and the Arcane Mage are Geared to an extent. Disc priest lacks almost every part of her gear, which i managed to gear her back a bit with old dungeons and tailoring stuff. Same goes with the warlock. Shaman is in a pretty bad shape but I guess I could work around. More detail about the gear:

Prot Paladin:
http://eu.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Tyrande&cn=Riris (for some reason shows with her healing spec and gear, will update when I go back home)
Note: She is quite decked with badge gear. She had the TOC10 shield but lost when the hack happened amoung other things. But I would say she is ok geared.

Arcane Mage:
http://eu.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Tyrande&cn=Lemi
Note: You can see that this account was frozen for a while. Back when I was raiding Burning crusade. (no one wears T6 now). She is decked with T6, and mixture of old Badge of Justice gear.

Disc Priest (casualy 1 of hack):
http://eu.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Tyrande&cn=Riria
Note: She is hit pretty bad. Lacking close to everything. Was planning to run old heroics to get some old badge gear to do some practice on 5boxing. More later.

Demo Warlock (casualty 2 of hack):
http://eu.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Tyrande&cn=Ellenoah
Note: Shes another one who suffered major loss on gear. Just looking at her mana makes me shudder. Same plan as the priest.

Elemental Shaman (need respec, casualty 3 of hack):
http://eu.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Tyrande&cn=Xheo
Note: this one I left when the Wotlk raiding was in his early stages. Was an alt and only popped when the guild I was in needed a healer.

Those are the characters I PLAN to take till the end and do some heroics eventually when I get better. I am currently reading the guide Ualaa has posted to know more about ISboxer. Since right now only thing I am doing is just tap 1(hammer of something) for the tank and the 3 dps does their macro which is set to 1(arcane blast arcane missle combo for mage, shadowbolt spam for warlock, lightning bolt for shaman). Naturaly I haven't done any customization in which as a result on Normal Mechanar, I wiped on the 2nd boss (the mage with fire elemental adds). I did manage to complete Utgarde keep with a friend (ditched the shaman and dragged him in), although the end boss everyone except the paladin died (the flying axe killed 3 of my characters). Also did nexus with the friedn and another friend and finished without issue (although it was thanks to those 2 otherwise I don't think I could have completed).

-----------------Too Long to read, Get to the point starts here------------------

WHAT I USE TO PLAY 5BOXING

I use 2 computers 1 desktop and 1 laptop (alienware laptop). I play tank on the main pc, and I play the other 4 on the laptop. They are both linked with ISboxer and I manage to make some things to work. I do not have any G11/G15 keyboard and I use both Keyboards and mouse. I heal using the laptop's mouse using Healbot untill I figure out how to work around with ISboxer (haven't been there yet). Yes its a mayhem so far and it will take a while till I figure everything I need to know in the ISboxer.

THE SUGGESTIONS I NEED

1. The group configuration. I know its hard. I know and read that the best beginner's combination is a Paladin x 4shamans, or 5shamans or 5 druid combination. Something that doesn't require a huge pile of macros on each character and configuration on the IS boxer. So should I first make the 1xpala (which I got already) and 4x Shaman at start, then slowly start with other combination to get the hang of 5boxing? (Note: i don't have RAF. Its my 4 account and last account I got it from a friend who no longer plays and deleted all of his chars. I just moved my shaman on account 1 to that account).

2. The healing. This is the part I need to read more of the guide. But I heard healbot+something about mouse repeater should do the trick. But I also heard about making clickbuttons from the ISboxer and macro it on the healer. Would like to know which is easier since opinions varied on most posts.

3. Keyboard. Should I get a G11/G15 keyboard to make my life easier? Or should the standard keyboard would be enough? I kind of expect the answer but would like to make up my mind on purchasign an expensive piece of hardware or not.

MY GOALS.

Its quite simple really but here it goes:

1. To be able to do Daily dungeons/heroics alone. Or with me +1 friend. without needing to wait on long queues (dps specially) or getting frustrated by the performance of a PUG (unanounced afks (many of them), stupid mistakes, bad performance, demanding Gearscore)

2. To be able to raid old contents for fun (although I have already cleared the old raiding zones before, would be nice to go back there. And also maybe to twink some of my alts for fun.) that cannot be done with 2 boxing but can with 5.


Thanks for reading (specially for those who read the entire post).

P.S. Guides I have read so far:
The ISboxer Wiki
The ISboxer Youtube videos
The Macro Compendium from Jafula

[Khatovar]

So should I first make the 1xpala (which I got already) and 4x Shaman at start, then slowly start with other combination to get the hang of 5boxing?

Probably, you're likely to start over a couple times anyway, learning more each time. So start with an easy combo so you can figure out the basics like macros and such on just one or two classes. Once you get comfotable with that, then you can worry about more complicated group makeups.


last account I got it from a friend who no longer plays and deleted all of his chars.

That a big old no-no in game and thus on these forums. All the accounts should be in your name, otherwise you are violating the ToS which states you may not sell or trade accounts. Doesn't matter if he deleted all the toons, go buy a new account.


Keyboard. Should I get a G11/G15 keyboard to make my life easier? Or should the standard keyboard would be enough?

I have used a regular old keyboard for years. The other stuff could be easier depending on what you do, but I haven't really come upon a situation where I've felt I "needed" or would have done better with a G15 or whatever. Now, a mouse is a different story, I'd love a mouse with a few more buttons, but my boring old Logitech MX400 does me just fine.

[Enoah35]

Thanks for the reply. I will get another copy of WoW and add to my account so that all 5 will be mine, and move my shaman to that new account. I guess I will start working with the 3 shamans then. It is tedious to start from level 1 but at least I got a boosting character so should be pretty fast.

About the keyboard I will wait then. I used standard keyboard for years and since I am starting again with the simple combo of paladin x4 shaman then it wouldn't require that much macros. About the mouse you do have a point. i use a 3 button mouse but yes a few more clicks could do wonders for easy access on some macros (like on healing... right now I can only use PoM, penance and greater heal with my mouse).

Any other suggestions, comments are welcome. And I thank again for those who replied.

[ghonosyph]

Get a wow mouse or a razor naga mouse.

I think the wow mouse kinda sucks but its been incredible for extra buttons and easy setup

[alcattle]

Just 2 things and you have what you need already. Both come from ISboxer. Get your toons organized as to what spells you want to use, when you want to use them and how the work.
I use 1 for attack all toons
2 will be your main DPS key, the one you use the most. Make sure all the spells cast in the same time span.
3 might be your AOE or instant spells
4-5 more spells as needed
6 your setup/buff key hit once before the pull.
7-0 anything you need once per fight
These will change as you find what works for you.

Most mobs should fall with a couple dps and an AOE.

Healing: Healbot and Repeater Regions. More in other threads and on IS forums. All this can be done on main screen with one mouse (5 button works better but I used a 3 button for a long time) and one standard keyboard. ISboxer gives alot and can be learned as you go.

[Zub]

1. The group configuration. I know its hard. I know and read that the best beginner's combination is a Paladin x 4shamans, or 5shamans or 5 druid combination. Something that doesn't require a huge pile of macros on each character and configuration on the IS boxer. So should I first make the 1xpala (which I got already) and 4x Shaman at start, then slowly start with other combination to get the hang of 5boxing? (Note: i don't have RAF. Its my 4 account and last account I got it from a friend who no longer plays and deleted all of his chars. I just moved my shaman on account 1 to that account).
It's not hard, it just takes longer to configure.
The important thing is to have an idea of how the classes work. Then you can pick the 3/4/5/n abilities to use and start making macros. Start with simple ones (like those you listed) and add to them as you go.
If I were you, i'd jump directly into the mixed team. Just because at least you'll be advancing while trying things out and won't have the feeling of wasted time.
I personal use about 9 main macros for my toons, so that's 9 keys for 90% of the play actions
- 1/ buff. Each toon has a macro that casts all possible buffs on the party. i use it at the start of an instance or after a wipe
- 2/ prep. pre-pull action (PoM, Totems, switch to correct form etc)
- 3/ pull sequence. the tank starts building agro alone
- 4/ dps rotation. each toon starts dpsing, the tank has his tanking rotation, and the healer has a tank healing rotation
- 5/ special. each toon has his special abilities (starfall, bloodlust, treants)
- 6/ aoe: Fire Nova, Hurricane, Blizzard, holy nova etc
- 7/ help: each toon has his oh shit botton (ice block, desperate prayer etc)
- 8/ regen: shadowfiend, managem, innervate etc
- 9/ taunt: tank taunt, dps and heals throw threat reducers (wind shear, fade etc)

a normal pull just goes like this: 2-3-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-loot . The other keys are just 'in case'
added to that you have utility macros (hearth, eat/drink, accept LFD etc)

having a group with 4 of the same class will not make it simpler in terms of how things work, it's just the name of the abilities in the macros that will be different.



2. The healing. This is the part I need to read more of the guide. But I heard healbot+something about mouse repeater should do the trick. But I also heard about making clickbuttons from the ISboxer and macro it on the healer. Would like to know which is easier since opinions varied on most posts.
i currently use a castsequence with alot of empty comas, and put it on the same keybind as my dps.
if things go bad i press it quicker :-)
That macro also has a circle of healing cast on cooldown. Starting to look into mouse passing, but using keyclone atm so trying to work it out a bit without atm.


3. Keyboard. Should I get a G11/G15 keyboard to make my life easier? Or should the standard keyboard would be enough? I kind of expect the answer but would like to make up my mind on purchasign an expensive piece of hardware or not.
i use the num keypad on my normal keyboard for my macros. I've only got a limited number so it all fits in a nice, square layout.
and i use F8-F12 for my pip switching.

Take all that with a grain of salt, i havent been 5-boxing long. been around a bit however.

[Enoah35]

Thanks again for the replies. I have started 4 shaman right now and slowly begining to understand the mechanism of ISboxer. Modifying the existing macros and keybinding was the key and I am experimenting different things right now. Once I have the hang of it I will resume my original team. Also since my original team are 70+, I am going to try to learn how to maneuver in instances with 5 characters. So far doing RC (the first instance) and still panicking when I get adds. But eventually I will try to get better, like better use of totems.

Since I am starting from scratch, I will keep my current hardware and should I need a better mouse in the future I will try to get hold of one to make my life easier. Really appreciate all the help, I thought it was an impossible thing to do a one man dungeon but with practice I probably can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Zub]

I thought it was an impossible thing to do a one man dungeon but with practice I probably can see the light at the end of the tunnel. and when you get through, it's very satisfying.
The bonus: you get to keep ALL the loot :-)

[DrunkMurray]

1. The group configuration. I know its hard. I know and read that the best beginner's combination is a Paladin x 4shamans, or 5shamans or 5 druid combination. Something that doesn't require a huge pile of macros on each character and configuration on the IS boxer. So should I first make the 1xpala (which I got already) and 4x Shaman at start, then slowly start with other combination to get the hang of 5boxing? (Note: i don't have RAF. Its my 4 account and last account I got it from a friend who no longer plays and deleted all of his chars. I just moved my shaman on account 1 to that account).

My very first multibox team is a 5-man Pally/Lock/Shaman/Mage/Priest setup and it's going pretty well. So far I've been able to tackle every instance including daily heroics, albeit some encounters usually involve 5-10 wipes before I figure it out. It did take a little while setting up macros and I'm constantly tweaking them, but despite the class diversity I only have to hit between 1-3 keys during combat and I still have access to many of the class specific special abilities (Hex, Purge, Counterspell, Poly, Mirror Image, etc...). For those I use repeater regions with bartender action bars.


2. The healing. This is the part I need to read more of the guide. But I heard healbot+something about mouse repeater should do the trick. But I also heard about making clickbuttons from the ISboxer and macro it on the healer. Would like to know which is easier since opinions varied on most posts.

VuhDo + ISBoxer repeater regions I use for the group healing, with 3 physical hotkeys also setup for tank healing (FoL, Penance, and a "panic" heal button that has my shaman stop his DPS and cast quick heals on the tank while the priest does a big one). Most healing is pretty easy, from my main screen (the Paladin) I right click on the name to have the priest cast PW:S, left click for FoL, Shift-left for greater heal, etc...


3. Keyboard. Should I get a G11/G15 keyboard to make my life easier? Or should the standard keyboard would be enough? I kind of expect the answer but would like to make up my mind on purchasign an expensive piece of hardware or not.

Stick with the regular keyboard for now, but if you were to upgrade I'd seriously look at a G13 rather than a G15. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but now I can't imagine doing it any other way. You have more buttons at your disposal including an analog thumb-stick which is perfect for controlling slave movement.

I make wide use of the alternate profiles with the G13. With a quick button press I switch my team from normal DPS rotations to burst DPS for movement heavy fights, or "special" DPS for fights that involve mounted combat or some other oddity. The pad offers color coding for whatever setup you choose, so it's easy to see which setup is active and on the fly switching is instant and painless.

I also have a NAGA MMO mouse, but I've only recently started to make use of its 12 available keys, as the G13 has provided more than enough button real-estate. It's looking more like the mouse buttons will be used for when I'm running solo with one of my team and need quick access to the abilities I typically ignore when running as a group.



1. To be able to do Daily dungeons/heroics alone. Or with me +1 friend. without needing to wait on long queues (dps specially) or getting frustrated by the performance of a PUG (unanounced afks (many of them), stupid mistakes, bad performance, demanding Gearscore)

This was my goal too and it has been a blast. I've been 5-boxing for about two months or so now, got my team to 80 a couple weeks back and so far haven't hit a heroic daily that I haven't been able to tackle with a little bit of work. I don't go as fast as pugs, but I'm typically finishing a dungeon in 20-40 minutes. I imagine as my GS gets higher that will speed up (sitting at around 3200-3500 on each toon atm). You're gonna love tackling the dungeons by yourself, overcoming difficult fights through trial and error and learning each of the different phases and abilities a boss has.

[Enoah35]

Not intending as a bump but wanted to thank everyone who gave me advises and tips for this. I got two teams going so far along with other characters.

Team 1 being the typical Tank + shaman group. Although this one I am doing with a friend who is a druid healer. I control the tank (warrior), and 3 shamans. We can tackle any random dungeons so far and we are around level 36-37. Have to say shamans are very multibox friendly.

Team 2 consists of my team alone. Consisting of Prot paladin, 2x Fire mage (may change to frost for easier control), 1 holy priest (easier at early levels than disc i felt) and an Elemental shaman. Currently level 47-48 and I can manage to complete every dungeon as well. Got some issues on the aoe department and the healing macro tempo but I will fiddle around with healbot soon.

I use two computers to control all 4-5. The tank doesn't use ISboxer as of now, but will change it soon. And the other 4 with my laptop. Its a bit more busy yes... so once I the hang of ISBoxer's full feature I will go back to Isboxing with all my characters.

P.S. The thing I found tedious all the time and this was even back when i was just 2boxing is the looting. And sometimes I see some of my characters on follow to just stop following all of a sudden. I am sure it must be something I must have done without realising but its really annoying when I am on a fight and only 1 of them are dpsing, and when i look at the screen I see 2 of my characters running into a wall.

[Khatovar]

P.S. The thing I found tedious all the time and this was even back when i was just 2boxing is the looting. And sometimes I see some of my characters on follow to just stop following all of a sudden. I am sure it must be something I must have done without realising but its really annoying when I am on a fight and only 1 of them are dpsing, and when i look at the screen I see 2 of my characters running into a wall.

For looting, use assist and interact with target with autoloot. This will also work with skinning. Target the mob with your main, make your slaves assist and interact and they will all try to loot. You may have to spam it, but it's easier than going screen to screen.

For the follow breaking, I'd suggest Jamba. One of the features it has is alerts for when follow breaks. You can also use follow strobing in it, which will make your slaves keep trying to follow you until you tell them to stop. As well as about a bazillion other awesome things. Jamba main thread (http://www.dual-boxing.com/showthread.php?t=12374). Setting up Jamba (http://www.dual-boxing.com/showthread.php?t=28573)

[Enoah35]

A little update for myself. After a long time of painfully leveling only by instance runs to gain practice on 5boxing, I finally managed to achieve the outland dungeon master.

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/4984/wowscrnshot083010221128.jpg

It took me a lot of wipes for some dungeons. And if I rank the top hardest would have been:

1. Auchenai Crypt, 1st boss.
2. Magister Terrace 3rd boss (although it was much easier once my shaman hit 70 and got bloodlust)
3. Shadow Laberynth, 2nd boss

I have myself a level 80 paladin tank already, aswell as 80 mage, 80 rogue but wanted to push forward to do it without power leveling. Now to do the same with norhtend dungeons. But probably would start doing some heroic dungeons for more practice.

[sectio]

P.S. The thing I found tedious all the time and this was even back when i was just 2boxing is the looting.

You can set the following characters to pass on random loot. That way just the leader can loot everything.