A:
See the Multiboxing FAQ which gives answers to the most common questions about multiboxing.
Q:
How do I get started?
A:
Whoa, hold your horses!
Multiboxing is not a out-of-the-box type of hobby, and requires a great deal of thought before you take the big jump. Multiboxing a game like World of Warcraft requires multiple WoW accounts (with multiple monthly fees) and either additional hardware and/or software.
As a multiboxer, you'll likely see a bit of harassment from ill-informed players on your server. It takes a thick skin to ignore the amount of anger that some other players might have towards you and what they perceive as an unfair advantage. As a multiboxer, you're automatically a spokesperson for the multiboxing community and you are an integral part towards the education of your fellow players as to why multiboxing is allowed, legal, and most importantly fair.
If you're reading this guide you're in the right place. Hopefully you're reading this while you're considering whether or not multiboxing is the right hobby for you. The best advice anyone can give you is to research the hobby and, after you understand the work involved, decide for yourself whether it's something you'd like to pursue.
To get started, you need to decide whether you want a hardware multiboxing solution? or a software multiboxing solution?.
Q:
What are the differences between software and hardware multiboxing?
...In short, if you have either single computers that each can run WoW on their own - OR a dual core system with at least a gig of ram, an nVidia 6 series (6600 GT, 6800, etc) video card then you have the basics of what it takes hardware wise to multibox.
For hardware for a 5-box setup, I'm a firm believer in 5 computers. Given the exponential cost of hardware these days, you can put together 5 relatively powerful machines, for under 500$ apeice if you get the parts from NewEgg, and assemble them yourself. For monitors, you can find 19" monitors (HAAAHHHNNNSS GEEEEEE) for 100$ easy.
Essentaily, you can for roughly the same cost as your "OMG PIMPING QUAD CORE ZOMG BEAST" machine, get 5 relatively moderately powered, but yet
capable machines.
Why 5 machines over 1? Performance, latency, reaction time, and Flexability.
You can run two copies of WoW at acceptable framerates on a single core processor...
WoW will even run well enough on a laptop with an integrated graphics card - but don't expect to be able to dual box on a single machine this way as the video card will not be powerful enough on any laptop with a normal integrated graphics card...
Your choice of a video card is important. I highly suggest nVidia for their windows and linux support and certain features that ATI/AMD just do not offer...
There are two different forms of "multiplexers?", which is a program or device that allows you to send a key signal to multiple instances of a program/computer. Very simply, there is a hardware version (typically PS2) and a software version. There are benefits to both types...
Software multiplexers? are generally cheap and use your home network to transmit keys from the server "main" computer to each of your client "clone" computers. Examples of software multiplexers are Synergy and Multibox. Depending on your network you may experience some lag — however for typical setups these work almost as well as their hardware counterparts.
Hardware multiplexers typically come with an extra bit of stability — that is, if one machine dies you will still be able to send keys to the alternate machines. Since most software multiplexers use the network to send key signals, a hardware multiplexer would also be able to get past that — although WoW without any network connectivity isn't very pleasant. A popular brand of hardware ps2 multiplexer is the Vetra.
Hardware multiplexers typically have vastly superior performance and stability compared to software multiplexers, but both are adequate for the job.
Synergy, an open source software application that allows you to control multiple PC's through TCP/IP (your network)...
[Synergy links]
...I personally use this application and love its functionality. Allows you to seamlessly transition from 1 PC to another simply by moving your mouse to that screen or through the use of hotkeys. Once you've moved over to another PC your keyboard and mouse have complete functionality.
Synergy has a MUCH better monitor management system, and since my monitors aren't of equal size, the boundries for each don't line up. Thus Synergy's ability to define boundries is priceless.
Multiplexers? are devices that send keypresses to multiple machines at the same time. They differ from a KVM switch, which simply sends a keypress to a chosen machine, but is able to switch between machines. In most cases, a Multiplexer Emulator is built on top of a pre-existing KVM switch emulator.
Most Multiplexers transmit key signals over your network, rather than a physical wire connected to each computer. The benefits of Multiplexer Emulators is that they are relatively inexpensive (anywhere from free to $50), whereas hardware Multiplexers? are typically limited to PS2 devices and run upwards of $100.
Multi-Machine Emulators are programs that transmit keypresses to multiple windows on the same machine, or on a combination of machines. This can greatly cut down the costs compared to a full hardware setup, with the caveat that you have less performance and typically less screen real estate than an equivalent hardware box setup.
Most computers on the market today can easily dual-box two windows on the same machine. Computers with dual- or quad-cores can multibox more, with processor speed and available RAM being your primary limitors.
A simple way to determine how many instances of a game you can run on a single computer is to sign up for free trial accounts and try it out. Throttling the FPS of games that are not in your primary focus may improve performance.
Can My Computer Run +accounts?
(Insert Computer Specs Here)
This is by far the most asked Question Here. What I tell people,
Its hard for people to judge your system just by specs, to be honest all comps act in their own way. Best thing you can do is get trial accounts and try it for your self.
Make sure if you are going to dual box on a single machine that you have AT LEAST a gig of ram and you take special notice to your graphics settings. No need to go crazy here - set them to the minimum first and see how playable it is for you. WoW will even run well enough on a laptop with an integrated graphics card - but don't expect to be able to dual box on a single machine this way as the video card will not be powerful enough on any laptop with a normal integrated graphics card. On a desktop system, dual cores are perfect as Windows will automatically assign each copy to a dedicated processor. Your choice of a video card is important. I highly suggest nVidia for their windows and linux support and certain features that ATI/AMD just do not offer.
If you try running two copies of WoW, the game will crash - probably. This trips a lot of people up. The non-technical / slightly inaccurate reason is the game does so because you can't store all of the games information in files that would change from copy to copy (settings, macros, etc). So the simple solution is to copy your ENTIRE WoW directory (all 7.5 gigs or so). Rename it something that makes sense, like World of Warcraft Box 2 and then copy the shortcut to the desktop. Launch it just like you would the other copy. Leave the WoW.exe file alone. You now have two copies of WoW running on a single machine.
There are 2 different programs you can use to help ease your multi-boxing solutions. Those 2 programs are Keyclone and Autohotkey. Both are excellent programs to use, however its very opinion dependent. I use Keyclone because I don't like using my brain. Autohotkey requires you to make “scripts” or “code” to set certain things up.
AutoHotKey is an application that allows you to send a keystroke to more than 1 client on the same PC.
http://www.autohotkey.com/
For those planning on dual-boxing with just 1 PC this may be the application for you. Being able to push keystrokes on 1 screen and it sending the same to the other greatly enhances the effectiveness...
...There is another program called Keyclone that while not free, may offer a better and "more" legal version that combines the functionality of AHK and Multibox together.
Maximizer is a tool that allows you to do some complex window positioning so that you can fit your WoW windows into the array that you'd like them to be given your monitor size. It can also remove the window borders. Maximizer is built into the software multiboxing program Keyclone but can also be set up on its own even if you aren't multiboxing.
Switching your "main" leader character (the one all your following characters /assist) during combat is a tricky process that requires alot of pre-combat planning. This process will be unique for each different way people choose to set up their macros.
If your leader is your /focus target...
Simply assigning a new character as your focus target will easily switch to a new leader. This is a very flexible method, however it prevents you from being able to use /focus for things like crowd control.
If your leader is specified by name... (i.e. /assist JoeBob or /assist [target=JoeBob])
This is the hardest method to assign a new leader. Your new leader literally has to be written into your macro.
For example:
The trick to separate classes? (and indeed, separate roles) is to find as many abilities that are similar, and match them up.
Alternately, a good idea is to find a nice rotation and basically “faceroll” the other character by putting a /castsequence with that rotation on every button on their bar. However, I find this to be very unelegant and not nearly as flexible as the first.
I personally use an “assist” that allows me to change my “main assist” character using the /focus command. More information about that can be found here, but plain old /assist should work perfectly fine for most purposes. My personal favorite assist method is to assist via party assignment (leader) or focus.
As you add more and more “roles” you’re going to have more and more buttons that just don’t match up. That’s the reason why a lot of multiboxers end up choosing just one class? – it’s easier to manage differing cooldowns and abilities if they’re all the same across the board (i.e. 5 elemental shaman, 5 mages). Most multiboxers who PvP don’t use any more than 2 roles (usually healer and DPS – 1x priest / 4x mage, 1x resto shaman / 4x elemental shaman).
With the accept macro you have up there, it is incredibly easy to “Share” a quest and then “accept” it, this saves you from having to actually click the poor NPC 5 different times. However, some quests aren't shareable, and you will have to go through that torment
I am a FIRM believer in the the /assist macro method. It is FAR more flexible, as it allows your main to be targeting something that your followers are not. This is ESSENTIAL for PvE, as many times you want to kill something, while building threat on another target.
How does this work? SIMPLE! VERY SIMPLE!
I use 'f', and the macro on every character is the same:
Is there any special loot macros I can make to loot mobs?
The Answer is No. Best bet, put it on Free for All. Loot with your main. If you have Quest Items to loot, you will have to do it manually.
Setting a keybinding or hotkey can be done simply by going to the in-game Menu -> Keybindings.
A hotkey is a key on the keyboard which activates something within a system. Specific to World of Warcraft, a hotkey activates abilities or skills, opens panes, begins or ends automatic actions, or, in general, performs whatever it has been scripted to do.
'Binding' and 'keybinding' are equivalent terms.
How to Edit Hotkeys One can edit their hotkeys via the options menu ingame. The pane lists every hotkey currently made accessible by the UI, including those which AddOns have created.
There is two popular methods to leveling your characters in the old world, "boosting" and questing. Both have their ups and downs, with the first being a lot less time consuming...
Buy a leveling guide. (yes buy, don't be a cheap ass). Jaina's lvling guild, and Brian Kopps are by far the best. If you can see if you can get the pre 2.3 version. If you use the pre2.3 version, just skip the collection quests that take a while, and you'll be fine. If you get a post 2.3 version, you probably want to stick with the quests given, unless you feel like instancing to make up the xp gaps from skipping collection quests.
Lastly, wait until 60 for outland. It's worth it, and it won't mess up your XP curve in outlands. Believe me, the EPL and WPL quests are nice and easy.
Just do em.
1-10 Lowbie quests.
10-25 I used a 70 druid to run me thru instances on my 4 shammies to 25. (VC/Stocks)
25-40 I instanced with the Warrior (BFD/SM) and did a few quests when I was bored
40-45 I did SM with the paladin and hand-leveled each shaman when I was bored for about 1 level.
<--- 2.3 Patch. Long break happened here where I didn't play my shammies.
45+ Quests.
60-67 Quests. I do each instance only once or twice in order to complete the instance quests. I did all the quests in Hellfire, Zangarmarsh, Terokkar, Nagrand.
67-68? Kurenai Rep grind. Killed ogres in Nagrand. Fun stuff. :roll:
68-69 Caverns of Time: Durnholde
69-70 (almost there) Sethekk Halls
There are other ways this is just one I came across. People also don't suggest doing collection quests because they take up way to much time. I personally do them just to try the drop rate if it sucks I skip it, if its an ok drop rate I do it. Its good XP.
Boosting is by far the fastest way to level your characters. Period. In the time it takes you to quest out one 5 box group, you could boost 3 groups.
The XP /hr is rediculous and people have gotten rediculous lvling records (28 hours for lvl 70? wut?). However, there are a few downsides:
You will have no money (you aren't looting stuff, that slows you down, ALOT).
You need a lvl 70. If you're playing the lvl 70 AND your toons, THEY MUST BE IN THE SAME NAME. Otherwise enjoy the banorola
Its monotonous. Like seriously, its alot of just -pull-kill-repeat.
It is on its way out. Blizzard knows the issue, and is working on ways to fix this. It's not going to stay forever.
So how does one boost you ask? Let me give you the short sweet version:
First you need a lvl 70, in order of preference, you want one of hte following:
I argue, that BY FAR the BEST way to earn money over a long period of time is DAILY QUESTS. In 2h40 mins I can complete my circle, gain a ton of rep with SSO, and also pickup around 1500g + Many Greys + Many Greens + Aldor stuff + scryer stuff + etc.
Why did you just spend 26k gold on epic mounts you ask? Because it speeds up dailies A TON, as well as unlocks the netherwing dailies
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