How nice it is

[Mannyman]

I'm doing Wailing Caverns now, and it feels great now to box multiple characters. Never having to find another group, wait on people to log in, afk's, etc is so refreshing. And there will be no worries or issues about loot, because I'm sure that can be worked out *cough*.

I can take my sweet ass time, because I don't have to worry about anyone else. Hell, I can "pause" the game for my wife, kids, food, etc. If things get tough, or the mood moves me, I can play one character in someone else's group, as one of 4 classes :mrgreen:.

All the setup work to get this thing going is starting to show. Thanks to the helpful people on this site and Mr. Keyclone Rob and Xzin of course:)

If I can offer one word of advice, stay the hell away from collection quests!

[clesven]

How do you level without collection quests? Grind a lot? :? I want to start 5 boxing, but the only way I can find that viable is grinding, and I don't know how grinding would be on it (i think it would be be slooow...)

[Mannyman]

I make up the xp difference by running instances.

[Xzin]

Yeah - and since some quests are such that you only need to do them once, it makes it easier in some ways. XP is still split and all but there is a small bonus for grouping. Plus, quest items such as "head of" or what not are lootable by everybody - so you only need to do them once and turn in.

You can always grind instances that are slightly below your level for quick XP. I find that a complete clear of WC gives about 75% of a level. Once you get it down (or have soulstones) you can clear it with no wipes nearly every time. If you buy water, it will go even faster. 2 sets of dots per mob, 3 - 4 mobs in camp at any time with VWs tanking.

The real fun comes when you hit 30 and get PoH and Hellfire and can CAREFULLY AoE as a warlock :)

[deadarcher]

Heh, I forget about my water and food. I keep contemplating throwing a mage in my mix. However, 4 warlocks and life tap....the priest could easily heal and only she would need to mana up but that still doesn't make up for the time spent so I'm not sure yet...

And food/water isn't free so maybe I should put a mage in, maybe I shouldn't...arg!

On another topic, Warlocks can EASILY AOE with a paladins concentration aura and points in intensity or whatever that talent is....it's fun :)

[clesven]

If I were to 5 box it would be 4 Mages and and a Paladin or 3 Mages and a Paladin/Warrior + Priest or Paladin(Tankadin) ( Paladin(Healadin). I can't see myself leveling with any 5 person combo but 4 Mages and a Paladin though.. and I won't be able to level fast with even that forever...Ugh.. just 5 boxing leveling seems like a long pain . :lol: I would also be Alliance if I were to 5 box since I need a Paladin and it's not worth buying BC just for that class, and I hate BE's.

[Bradster]

[quote="Mannyman"]I'm doing Wailing Caverns now, and it feels great now to box multiple characters. Never having to find another group, wait on people to log in, afk's, etc is so refreshing. And there will be no worries or issues about loot, because I'm sure that can be worked out *coughquote]

It is nice 8)

My seutp being all cloth pretty much desire the same gear for the most part. Can't wait to run SM a million times for 5 staffs and hats, if I dont out level the place by then. I managed to lear it last night with them being orange con. Won't try it again for a few levels. Just wasnt worth the down time going in there that low.

After I ran WC Sun Rock Retreat area has a few kill quests and elite ones. Also dont forget the quest line for The den up at stone talon, thats a lot of exp.

BFD was the most fun i've had in instances so far. I just liked it in there. Hope you have as much fun as I did in there. I'm doing SM Graveyard right now which is nice change of pace. I collect up as many ghosts as possible and just hellfire them all down :lol:

[Picticon]

Just wanted to post about quests. Found a funny quirk last night in Desolace. There's a quest to round up Kodos. I decided it might be worth it, as most of the time is ferrying.

Well, when someone in the group turns in a Kodo, everyone gets credit. So I found out you only have to ferry once. Was faster in a group than it would be solo!

[Morganti]

There are a few quests like that I've seen. I enjoy the ones also like Test of Endurance in Thousand Needles. If you don't ever pick up the claw then you can do it over and over which is like an AoE party over and over and over.

[MrLonghair]

I'm enjoying being able to "solo" (grin) instances earlier than before with my duos. The level 18 hunter duo for example needed some deviate scales so they just killed their way into the Wailing Caverns, looting and skinning and moving on until they both ran out of ammo.

[Lance]

This is one of my 3 reasons for doing this (others are challenge/fun) will be sweet not having to rely on other ppl.

[Bradster]

Just wanted to post about quests. Found a funny quirk last night in Desolace. There's a quest to round up Kodos. I decided it might be worth it, as most of the time is ferrying.

Well, when someone in the group turns in a Kodo, everyone gets credit. So I found out you only have to ferry once. Was faster in a group than it would be solo!

Desolace is a gold mine of EXP for 5 boxing.

I went there at 32; most of the quests are kill quests. I did about eight quests until they got to high for party (elite ones). Really good place. I'm now fooling around in the SM Graveyard, seems like pretty good exp so far (haven't had a chance to play lately).

[Xzin]

Desolace is awesome.

Prior to that though, The flats.... awful. STV after Desolace... AWFUL. Too many collection quests.

Head to RFK instead - grind there until you go from 33-35 and then skip STV and head to Arathi.

[Dor]

Ive more or less started doing the collect quests and count it as my grinding....gets boring but least im in one spot killing away.. and I do all instances 1 time til brd (do brd on up multiple times, seem to get decent xp there for some reason)

[Bradster]

Ive more or less started doing the collect quests and count it as my grinding....gets boring but least im in one spot killing away.. and I do all instances 1 time til brd (do brd on up multiple times, seem to get decent xp there for some reason)

I had a lot of fun in BRD. Feel about the same for SM graveyard. It’s a new approach for my boxing combo, AOE FUN: D. I can't really aoe in RFD because some of them have earthquake type knock back stuns. But in the Graveyard I can pull to my hearts content. Haven't died or over pulled yet. But I plan on pushing the limits as soon as I have time. That's what soul stone is for hehe.

[keyclone]

thanks Manny for the hat tip.

as a developer, most of the time all you hear are bug reports... but its really great to hear positive feedback from users.

makes it all worth while

when do i get to see some pics of the keyclone 'kids' in action??

[Suribusi]

I collect up as many ghosts as possible and just hellfire them all down

I was always curious with a warlock crew how 4 hellfires with Pyroclasm talent would work out. Have you tried it out? Do the mobs stay mostly stunned?

-S

[Bradster]

I collect up as many ghosts as possible and just hellfire them all down

I was always curious with a warlock crew how 4 hellfires with Pyroclasm talent would work out. Have you tried it out? Do the mobs stay mostly stunned?

-S

I'm full affliction thus far. Pyroclasm would be pretty neat to try. :)

[Xzin]

Same... I will be testing it soon. Right now I am full affliction as well. I doubt it will be full stun but consider that Hellfire is THE best mana to dmg ratio in the game by FAR....

It actually works out pretty damn well, assuming a dedicated healer or healers who can aoe heal.

[Suribusi]

Well hurry it up! I'm dying to know over here. :D

I haven't decided if I want to start multiboxing again, or if I want to try a new combo (priest/locks, group of shaman, etc). I'm mainly indecisive because of things like this that I "think" sounds good, but am not sure. So inbetween doing research and getting information from you guys, I'll just stick to writing my broadcasting app for now :wink:

-S

[Mannyman]

Hmm, that hellfire + stun effect sounds neat. I'm not high enough in level to try it yet:(

I'll try to get a screenie up in the next day or so.

[Xzin]

It is not THAT viable until you hit about 35 due to the talent requirements.

Fortunately, I should hit 35 today and respec and see if it works or not.

Without the stuns and interrupt prevention, I can kill 4 elites in SM - levels 32 or so, about 100 exp per kill. 5 sometimes. 6 or more is SOMETIMES possible but usually too much. Takes about 200 "packs" of 4 to level. Seems faster than questing if you can just get in there and crank it out. Slower if you die a lot (after you learn how to do it). You had better have shields, flash heals and aoe heals memorized! Plus, turn on if channeling to prevent recasting hellfire if it is channeling already.

Hellfire takes A LOT of mana, so most likely the talents will help out tremendously. If it works out, I will keep destro as I level up and do PvP. Should be a nice compliment for the mages (raw damage over dots). The fire/shadow invuln will be nice too.

Only thing I lose out on is Unstable Affliction and instant cast Howls. Considering I already have 2 with the priests.... and regular fears... and frost novas, and counter spells, and sheeps and seduces and deathcoils...

I think I am ok :)

Plus, fears spread people out. I want them to hug me :)

[Suribusi]

I totally agree that instance grinding is better than questing if you aren't dying a lot.

When I was leveling up my priest/mages long ago, I was able to do 10k XP in 10minutes in RFD. Lots of mob clusters that drop quick.

If I recall my level path was:
Questing in Tirisfal until 12.
Questing in Barens until 20.
Crag mine (or whatever it is called) in stonetalon on the east side until 24.
Drawing a blank until 28ish.
RFK till 33ish.
RFD (outside) until 35ish.
SM (library until I got staves then Cathedral) until 38ish
RFD (inside) until 44ish.
ZF until 49-50.
ST until 59, where I stayed for like 8months before TBC came out.

I admit staying in ST that long wasn't that efficient. But I wasn't sure where else I could go besides BRD. I tried it a couple times, but since MC was where everyone was at, I had a damned of a time even getting to the instance without alliance farming me. Plus there are warriors that really loved to shield base my priest in the middle of a heal.

Sorry, went on a tangent there. Before I stopped playing I had my priest/lock crew was in their mid 20's, and was ever-so excited to hit the age of pyrocasm, but never got that high. I can't wait to hear the results. :wink:

Xzin, if it works out good, you're going to have to post some videos of your locks chain stunning alliance while your mages blast AE. That would be hiliarious to see, and probably even more so to do!.

-S

[Suribusi]

Bradster/Xzin,

Any word on pyrocasm? :D

-S

[Xzin]

I tested it last night in SM. I was averaging over 10k exp per hour grinding in the GY. Not too bad for a 5 box crew, about 4 - 5 hours per level assuming no quests.

It worked markedly better over the standard hellfire setup (with no talents). I only lost a lock a few times but no wipes, even with some rather massive pulls of 12+ mobs (non elite ghosts).

[Mannyman]

I tried out some aoe last night with my group. Concentration aura, Pally grabs aggro, consecrates, mages aoe, warlock rain of fire. Pretty damn nice. Some more levels and even the priest can jump in with holy nova.

Am looking into making a video instead of a pic soon.

[Xzin]

Holy nova really does not heal enough and EATS your mana too.

YOur group is a bit different with the pally but it should still work.... mages IAE and Warlocks Hellfire .... priest @ level 30+ Prayer of Healings.

It works - BARELY - with locks, demo specced. The mobs die a bit faster than I die - but without 4 locks 1 priest..... not sure that is a viable strategy or not.

But try it and find out!

[HPAVC]

I gotta point out that the Mag people are on a PvP server. So they might find it natural to level in a instance more so than a PvE server. A 5man group is going to find areas like [name of southeast side hinterlands escapes me] insane xp if they tackle it at a level where its tests them.

I started out on laughing skull and I still have nightmares of being pressed into glue after level 20 and not being able to play the game basically. The sight of a pack of 5 low level cloth characters grinding would be insta-camp I would assume to anyone.

I would love to hear how the army of X?in deals with this.

While I have no problems jumping from instance to instance, I am sure its somewhat server dependent on how ruthless things are. A level 25 character switches to his 70 alt to boil the X?ins might be something thats common in my experience.

[Xzin]

It is a non issue. Really. Yeah, I die here and there but one can always leave and go to an instance or if things get hectic, I just bring the mages and 10 box. I have never had a problem being camped or harassed while leveling. If I had wanted to be left alone, I would not have rolled on a PvP server.

[Xzin]

Tested this out and had some codec issues but managed to get something together to help illustrate this:

http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums2/viewtopic.php?p=4895#4895