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)