Any hope for 5mans in TBC?

[Murdertrain]

I got into boxing right before the crackdown. Managed to get a few teams to 60. Haven't done much experimenting with 5 mans but wondering if it's realistic to successfully run TBC 5 mans with a team nowadays.

I'm gonna be transferring servers soon so I need to figure out who goes and who stays. :)

[Moorea]

Here to stay. You're welcome on Blaumeux US PVP Alliance (West Coast Server) - though PVP is maybe not a great choice anymore

[Murdertrain]

Here to stay. You're welcome on Blaumeux US PVP Alliance (West Coast Server) - though PVP is maybe not a great choice anymore

That's great news! The classic 5mans were quite easy to run with various comps due to minimal boss mechanics. Wasn't sure if the TBC dungeons were doable.

[jak3676]

OG TBC was great to 5-man back in the day (and I had 0 clue what I was doing and used a totally crappy comp - but it worked well enough to do heroics). I'm sure we'll all be able to get all the heroics again.

[Murdertrain]

OG TBC was great to 5-man back in the day (and I had 0 clue what I was doing and used a totally crappy comp - but it worked well enough to do heroics). I'm sure we'll all be able to get all the heroics again.

That's great to hear. Was this before things like isboxer? I don't really know when those awesome tools started arriving on the scene. I'm having fair success with OneBox.

[jak3676]

I don't remember when ISBoxer did initially came out. Early TBC most of us were running around with whatever hardware multibox setups we had. I remember starting with an old PS/2 KVM when I 1st started my 2nd account on my 2nd computer. I had to actually flip to switch input to my 2nd CRT monitor in order to heal myself. But I remember moving to Keyclone somewhere around TBC days. Keyclone started out as a tool to control multiple PC's.

Then about the same time TBC launched; quad-core CPU's, the 1st truly 'high-end' GPU's and affordable LCD's were all becoming a thing. Somewhere in my storage room, I think I still have my Intel Q6600 system with an Nvidia 8800GT - that became my main PC somewhere in TBC. My kids are still using my old Dell 2007FP's as their side monitors. So 2007 was also the beginning of the concept of running 5 (or more) copies of WoW from 1 PC, but I know a lot us were still in a mixed hardware/software setup for a while.

Keyclone eventually grew into a single-pc type of software, and then ISBoxer sorta grew out of that. (I did ask the keyclone author about reviving the old, multiple pc control aspect of it last Nov when the initial software broadcasting ban went into effect - no luck). But everything was so much clunkier back in 2007-2008. Even when ISBoxer did come out, it took it while before it was doing the combination of in-game and out-of-game control that people are familiar with now.

Not that the history lesson is that critical, but just that's mix of hardware and software tools that we were all using at the time. I think a lot of us would also look back on that as the 'golden age of multiboxing' as between TBC and WOLK the tools and hardware really, really improved rapidly. Multiboxing went from a "I wonder if this is possible" to watching videos of the top multiboxers in the top-of-the-world arena PvP. We were all clearing all sorts of dungeons and heroics back then too. So I have no doubt that current tools - both hardware and non-broadcasting software will be fine. Looking forward to good times myself.

[Uhnknown]

Isboxer would've been later in TBC / WoTLK, iirc. TBC was done primarily with hardware boxing and then Keyclone and Isboxer.

As long as you're atleast hardware broadcasting then you'll be fine doing dungeons, although depending on your group comp you may be limited in what dungeons you'll be able to successfully do, heroics especially. Prot Paladin + 4 Elemental Shamans is a very solid and safe group, especially leveling 60-70 in dungeons. 5x Elemental Shamans is arguably the best for clearing heroics though.

[cerruption]

I am using my 60 mage on classic to level 4 others to 60 and that will be my team. I may clone them to classic forever realm and I am a bit worried about the difficulty of movement heavy TBC bosses without input broadcasting. I am going to give TBC a really good try, leveling through dungeons with druid tank, resto shaman, fury warrior, mage, warlock. Using WowOpenBox. I know it will be difficult. I can think of more then a few heroic (even normal!) Bosses that may prove quite hard due to combinations of movement, heavy group damage, but as long as it's not impossibly hard I think it will be a fun challenge.

[nodoze]

I am using my 60 mage on classic to level 4 others to 60 and that will be my team. I may clone them to classic forever realm and I am a bit worried about the difficulty of movement heavy TBC bosses without input broadcasting. I am going to give TBC a really good try, leveling through dungeons with druid tank, resto shaman, fury warrior, mage, warlock. Using WowOpenBox. I know it will be difficult. I can think of more then a few heroic (even normal!) Bosses that may prove quite hard due to combinations of movement, heavy group damage, but as long as it's not impossibly hard I think it will be a fun challenge.Even though it will cost some $ I think it wise to clone your favorite 5man Classic-WoW team to a "Classic Forever" realm if you also plan to send those characters to Classic-TBC (I and others I have corresponded with also plan to). Alternatively if you have multiple teams and want to save $ you may be able to split them up and send one/some to Classic-Forever and send one/some on to Classic-TBC.

Personally I plan to only clone my main team & maybe 1-2 Warlock summoning alts to a Forever-Classic-WoW server and send everyone else to Classic-TBC.

Once we know more and server(s) and options(s) are announced I plan to start a thread with options listed that maybe folk can vote on with the goal of maybe having boxers on the same server(s).

[jak3676]

I don't really see the appeal in classic forever - I really enjoyed classic. But I feel like I'm done with it now. But maybe some years from now I'll want to play it again?

I'm still trying to figure out if I'll leave any chars behind, and/or clone someone to stay on classic-era. I don't see any real reason to leave the bulk of my multiboxing team on classic. I plan to use all my 4x mages and 4x locks as tailoring/alchemy transmute cool-down alts, while primarily playing my new Shaman team. If I leave anyone behind/clone someone, I think it may be my main raiding mage - have ever tier piece as well as all the tailoring patterns and enchanting recipes. It seems like she'd be the only one where I feel like I'd be loosing a lot by not having access to all that on classic. Hmmm...

[cerruption]

I still love classic and personally not ready for TBC. I love the idea of classic forever. My mage will stay for sure, I am finally pretty good at the SM boosts, as well as RFC 1 pulls and SFK so I can always boost a new team. Around the 50s starting to farm some princess runs and ST and arena runs is when I plan to start playing them as a team. I am OK at mara 180-200 pulls.

Most people will move to TBC which is totally awesome. And realms will automatically transition to TBC. Those of us who choose to stay on classic forever, or clone some/all of our toons to classic forever, we'll be coming from many realms onto just a handful. I don't think it will ever be "dead" like people claim. I love the idea of getting full naxx gear on my main then doing it again. I easily see a few more years in classic, and so pumped to have the option of living in 3 separate expansions.

What the clone costs will ultimately determine how many characters I do it on. 10 bucks? No brainer, almost all my toons, 8 or 9. 40 bucks? Probably just my mage.

With regards to TBC dungeons, I think they'll hit hard. I'm a bit nervous about getting hard stuck on 5 man content and not being good enough to kill certain bosses. Losing movement was a big hit for me. Last boss of Shadow Labs, gauntlet in Shattered Halls (and last boss), 2nd last boss then Mini gauntlet in Mechanaar, etc. I used to have formations keybound for my teams on retail. We shall see.

I do plan on using click to move/IWT on melee and maybe driving from my resto shaman. Warlock isn't my ideal ranged class due to complexity in a round Robin rotation, but maybe I can play a shadowbolt spam spec a little early.

[nodoze]

I also hope that they funnel the straight-transfers & clones to as few as reasonable Classic-WoW-Forever servers so there are active communities there...

Don't get me wrong, if I start playing regularly again, I will at least initially be all in on Classic-TBC (and even more on a future Classic-WotLK) until I am established at cap the way I want and IF I start to find dead time with not much to do. With that in mind I likely won't touch my cloned characters for quite some time if much at all... To me cloning my main Pa3LPr team, 60 mage, some 39 & 49 twinks, & maybe 1-2 warlock summoning/crafting alts would be at best for a later date. I am not 100% sure I will ever go there but kind of think of as insurance to make sure I have no regrets in case I later want to.

Being able to go back and do the Classic Raids and Dungeons with Classic specs is nice and all but my stronger reason is because if my brother & I get really into regular twink BattleGround brackets in Classic-TBC we may find that some of us also want to sometimes queue up for Classic-WoW brackets with the specs based upon max level 60 and I would not really want to level again to be able to twink out and grind gold or what not again. Additionally, if folks from here (or other like minded folk) were wanting to do Classic-WoW stuff I may go help...