For those who don't know: multiboxing (or dual boxing if you only use two accounts) is playing with multiple chars at the same time. It can be done on one computer (even with one screen, though the char-screens would be small) or on multiple linked PCs. Software is used to broadcast keystrokes to all the active WoW clients. The "Slave" chars are on /follow to the Leader char. In PvP, this can be tricky: if your Leader is killed, the Slaves stop following. Similarly, when your chars are feared, they're all over the place and you have to bring them back to the Leader and press your /follow macro again. Some multiboxers (well, maybe most now) will have a ranking setup: if the Leader is killed, Slave number 1 becomes the Leader, and more of those cunning solutions.
Some people hate multiboxers. They think it gives a player an unfair advantage and that enough money to afford multiple accounts = win. I've been killed by multiboxers in PvP and yes, it is frustrating, because before you can damage one of them, you're dead. However, imo it is equally frustrating to be targeted by a group of 5 players: I'm just as dead at the end of that encounter. It may just take them a second or two longer, though.
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Anyway, a few years ago, I thought: "Maybe multiboxing is the way to go for a person who's afraid to group."
So to try it out (PvE only, I'm crazy, not dumb), I got myself another account, downloaded some software called Keyclone, made two pink-pigtailed gnome mages and off I went... Killing mobs was fast, of course. With questing, it depended on what the goal was: "kill 10 <mobs>", sure! Each mob counted for both chars, as they were grouped. "Collect 10 <items> from <mobs>" on the other hand, took a bit longer.
In cities, I sometimes lost the "slave" char when going around corners (two chars aren't much of a freight train, I know, but it felt like one sometimes!).
Everywhere I went, I was met with joy and cooing. Oh how cute everyone thought the gnomes were in their identical gear!
Then I made two male, bald, bearded dwarven hunters and suddenly I wasn't as cute anymore. I was accused of botting and cheating, spat on, reported to GMs, etc. Mind you, this was all while questing on my
own two. I wasn't interacting with any other players, I wasn't stealing any mobs, nothing. Just minding my own business.
Eventually, I decided that dual-boxing was too hard for me. The Slave's screen was so small I could barely see it, I constantly forgot to check the Slave's bagspace, I lost the Slave sometimes and gatherquests took ages. It was fun to try it, but not really something I wanted to continue forever.
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So where was I going with this... Oh yeah! I entered a BG with my priest tonight. Eye of the Storm and my sigh was audible two counties over, I'm sure. Alliance rarely wins this and it takes FOREVER!
I zoned in and noticed 5 Death Knights with similar names, from the same guild. A Boxer!
Excitedly, I started following him around, throwing a shield in his direction
s every now and then to justify my presence.
I had a BLAST! I didn't even see him swing his sword most of the time. We'd ride up to a hordie and the hordie would just... die!
He rode from tower to tower, killing all hordies, other players would rush to that tower and occupy it and off he went again. At one point, we had three towers and had just lost MT. A Horde DK was hiding inside MT with the flag. He rushed in, with me on his five sets of heels, killed the Horde DK, took the flag, stood there for 3 seconds to occupy the tower again, capped it, then ran off again. Suddenly he stopped and said: "Should we thank him for the flag?"
Needless to say, we won that BG quickly and easily. If you ever see a multiboxer in a BG, pray it's a good one and follow him around. Your end stats may look like this too:
PS: I quickly made a char on his realm to thank him for the show, as he left the BG before I was done typing. He was really kind and we had a nice chat. He won't ever read this, I'm sure, but: Thanks again, Vethek!
