DOGS OF WAR: A Melee Multi-boxing experiement

[Guilo]

Another thing about 3 Warriors + Pally + Shaman is that even if you make the pally or shaman a designated healer, you've still got a solid dps setup.

Additionally, you could make the Paladin a healer, the Shaman Elemental and let them do their thing from range while keeping the Warriors moving with the target. This would, of course work with 4 Warriors/Shaman, but it might be nice to have the ability to have a magic user on some fights where you obviously couldn't do that with the Shaman main healing.

[mikeb]

I've been boxing melee characters for about 5 months, using 1 warrior + 2 holy paladins. There are two ways to solve the 'follow' problem, either have your main back up a little, or bind the forward key to your key broadcasting script (for your alts use a different key than your main's forward key). I prefer the latter method because if you use the former method, your alts might run past your main when you back up too much and not be able to attack with direction issues. I have way more control with the forward key bound to the key broadcasting script (I use AHK). Even if your alts are facing the wrong way, you just make them follow you again and then press forward key once or twice to get them attack again. For every fight what I do is have the warrior charge, and as my alts run to my warrior I do the usual thing with seals, judgement etc. Then as they come close to the warrior I press forward once or twice then they will be in melee range.

If your target moves just move your main with it and have your alts attack from the sides. I find that my alts are more likely to attack from the sides as I move my main. All it takes is practice then it just becomes natural. Keep in mind though you will be pressing keys a lot and jumping and turning with your characters.

[Khazrael]

While I'm doing a 5x shammy team, two of them are actually enhancement. One of them my primary for a "tank" (as much as a shaman can be one at least) while the other is straight for dual wielding and dps. The way it works for me at the moment is I just have my primary damage button (with lightning bolt for my elem guys) mapped to a macro button on my other enhancement shammy. So every time I go to fire off a volley, my enhance shammy moves into position.

This works pretty well for me actually, and I find that he's a good consistent source of dps, and realy follows through in long fights, or mob chaining, where my elemental shammy's might run out of mana. The only problem I've had with it so far is with bigger bosses that you try to tank, sometimes he follows up too close to my main and the mob isn't in a position he can attack. This is troublesome. Otherwise, I find it quite effective. Only level 41 though, but I've gone through SM and RFD runs this way.

[Tdog]

I'm Dualboxing 2 Feral Druids. The diagrams you've shown is exactly how it has to be done.
The benefit to it, and dual druids with similar specs/gear is that we trade agro around alot allowing me to just do white attacks and shred for maximum dps.

We're only level 42 so no mangle yet but that should be fun too.

On a side note, I'm also leveling an Enh Shaman to pair with my 70 paladin (will respec to ret when he catches up)

The synergy between the two is amazing. WF + Strength + Bloodlust and Blessings + Auras + Judgments is really incredible.

I consider each one about .75 dps and .3 healing... Well combined I feel like they're 100% of a dpser and about .5 a healer leaving me with 2 solid dpsers and a healer out of my two man team.

I'm bring this up because, 1) I cant imagine any melee dps multibox group without a Shaman (except for 5 feral druids maybe... since goa < wf imo). 2) Any Shaman would be significantly more powerful with a Paladin in tow.

So to me the optimal 5 man melee DPS setup would be Arms, Fury, Fury, Enh, Ret. I just did some quick math on it and the fire and forget healing (healing stream + judgment of light) would be about 616 healing for the group every 5 seconds. (This is not including WF and is assuming a 3 second weapon speed for everyone so the real numbers would be a fair ammount higher). So 5x might/kings and 5x str (from shaman) and double spell resists from auras/totems or crit aura from the pally... All in all i think its a much more solid set up than 5x or 4x warriors.

/end rambelings

Well for now my current plan is to use the aggro ping-pong method between the four warriors. It's be working decently well. However after having completed RFC I'm thinking that once I get to the levels that druids have swipe and paladins have conscreation + imp RF. I'm going to pwr level up a paladin and a druid to try out the 3 different set-ups.

Druid: Lotp for the 5% crit and Imp. LotP for the extra healing. Also bears use rage as well which eliminates mana worries, and also there are alot of similar moves between bears and warriors for easier macro placements. They also deal quite a bit of dmg for a tank.

Paladins: Consecration+imp RF is the best aoe aggro generator imo. JoL, especially awesome for Dual weilders, Blessings are very versatile and can be switched up between BoSalv and BoM depending on wether or not the alt is pulling too much hate or can easily stand to do more dmg. Aura resists help a fair amount for aoe fights. While paladins also deal quite a bit of dmg for a tank in my experience druids deal alittle bit more.

[BobGnarly]

Oh yeah, I had a question: Did you cry havoc before you started? :P

[Tdog]

I've been boxing melee characters for about 5 months, using 1 warrior + 2 holy paladins. There are two ways to solve the 'follow' problem, either have your main back up a little, or bind the forward key to your key broadcasting script (for your alts use a different key than your main's forward key). I prefer the latter method because if you use the former method, your alts might run past your main when you back up too much and not be able to attack with direction issues. I have way more control with the forward key bound to the key broadcasting script (I use AHK). Even if your alts are facing the wrong way, you just make them follow you again and then press forward key once or twice to get them attack again. For every fight what I do is have the warrior charge, and as my alts run to my warrior I do the usual thing with seals, judgement etc. Then as they come close to the warrior I press forward once or twice then they will be in melee range.

If your target moves just move your main with it and have your alts attack from the sides. I find that my alts are more likely to attack from the sides as I move my main. All it takes is practice then it just becomes natural. Keep in mind though you will be pressing keys a lot and jumping and turning with your characters.

Hmm...I actually like the idea of simply having my alts inch up to the mob rather than trying to create angles and such. I think I would still use the /follow at the end but either way I'm going to try this out. Thanks for your input

[Tdog]

UPDATED: Added in the RFC section. Discussed a new movement method for alts and mobs and a simple strategy for gathering up aggro.

Current Level 20 and cleared SFK.

[bugilt]

This thread makes me think about the mechanics of the arcane missile or other similar channeled spells. When I end up running out of mana and meleeing with my shaman I sometime get the followers way out of sync. If warriors had a similar type channeled cast they could turn from up to 90 degrees to the target. I don't mind the run through solution, but it seems to be hit or miss. I'd hate to see parried WFs.

[Tdog]

This thread makes me think about the mechanics of the arcane missile or other similar channeled spells. When I end up running out of mana and meleeing with my shaman I sometime get the followers way out of sync. If warriors had a similar type channeled cast they could turn from up to 90 degrees to the target. I don't mind the run through solution, but it seems to be hit or miss. I'd hate to see parried WFs.

Actually at the point I'm at now it's not hit or miss at all anymore. I land pretty much every hit on my main and alts even if the mobs are moving all about. Definitely takes more practice than casters do but tbh that's the whole point of why I started this little project up. I wanted to see if I could get to a point where I'm not just half assed running throw a zone but hitting the mobs in a much more precise consistent manner. So far I've actually been rather successful, though at this point I've only cleared RFC and SFK. I have some ideas for how to handle melee unfriendly fights where the melee needs to run in and out but I'm not planning on posting them till I have had an oppurtunity to try them out a number of times and see what works best.

As far as you mentioning the run through solution, that's just one soultion among several. There is no ONE solution to this tbh I'm finding out. It's simply learning to recongize which "movement method", as I've been calling them, is best for which situation. The best thing I can tell you at this point is that lots of practice is what it is going to take to really get comfortable with handling melee alts.

[Tdog]

Updated: Added in Level 7-42 section
Added in Conclusion Section

Due to a seemingly lack of interest in the thread I decided to simply make one last post for the few who may be interested. In a very short summary I found Multi-boxing Multiple Melee characters to be more than PVE viable given enough time to get use to the mechanics of a Melee team vs. a Caster team.

Not to mention quite fun