Just like the title asks, how does it work? I know you buy multiple accounts.
It doesn’t make sense to have multiple PC’s, so do you set up virtual machines on one pc? Can you just run multiple instances of wow on one pc? How beefy a machine do you have to have to run all those games instances?
Once you get that figured out how do you get commands to each game instance? Do you have to have an add-on that copies the commands across all the game instances?
Only time I multiboxed was warhammer online free trial and guild wars occasionally. Just had a program that was able to keep 4 instances of the game active at once. From there just need a follow macro and have the buttons mapped out to be the same for all. Worked well enough for me.
I have two accounts and have multi boxed two toons a few times However, I was so bad at it that the two toons just sat and argued in Stormwind.
As for how, there is software that will send identical keystrokes to different programs so you can set up macros/hot keys so they work as a team (when not fighting). With autofollow it’s not difficult… for most people lol.
![:cookie:](https://d38bqls1q93fod.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/cookie.png?v=6" ":cookie:")
Ive got two bliz apps open on my desktop…one for each account. I just hit the play button on one. let it load, then the other, let it load, then move my game windows to one of the two monitors.
I have my monitors set up in windows so one is over the other so I can just move my mouse between the two monitors to swap between the two characters/games.
Get the addon called Jamba. It allows you to set things up so you can follow the other character much easier.
What it doesnt do is do actions for you. So you cannot set it up to repeat an attack on the second character, for instance. That would be cheating and likely get you and the addon banned.
There’s a program that is made for multi boxing, forget what it’s called but I’m sure a quick Google would bring it up.
Making multiple toons do the same thing is fairly easy with it and I seen some talk about running their own 5 man dungeons with some success.
So “multiboxing” can mean a couple different things, as is already evidenced in this thread, and surprisingly, a lot of machines can handle running two instances of WoW (or at least, the 2009 MacBook I played on exclusively until 2014 could). More instances I’m not sure about, but I can run two on my MSI gaming laptop concurrently with pretty much everything maxed but draw distance and it runs fine. I wouldn’t try to take it into any raids or world bosses or what-have-you, but it’s handy for the odd occasion when my wife’s computer acts up and I sit down to knock out a demon invasion on our leveling characters with her on follow, or what-have-you.
All that I do is just alt-tab and make a target-follow macro that’s bound to a key, so that one character is always following the other. Back during Burning Crusade my brother didn’t have the patience to level a warrior (because it was painful at low levels due to the fact you only have about two or three abilities until maybe level 15), so I just had him multibox-autofollow me through the Barrens as I quested. I’d sometimes charge things and have him autoattack, but that was about it. Of course, this is the most “basic” version of multiboxing, I guess, but that’s how I, personally, have utilized it before.
A multi-monitor setup would obviously be prime for this, like Bangyurhed described, though there’s reportedly tools that allow you to basically copy inputs between WoW clients so that instead of casting Pyroblast on one character, alt-tabbing, casting Pyroblast on the second, and so on down the line, you hit whatever button you have rigged and it sends that as a command to all the other instances of WoW you have running so all the characters logged in on those accounts cast an ability on that button at the same time. I don’t know the specifics as I’ve never used it, and it’s in the grey area of “not technically automation” because it requires user input to function, but that’s obviously a point of massive debate amongst a lot of people.
It’s not explicitly forbidden by the ToS, anyway, so to my knowledge it’s not directly actionable. I’ve seen a few sets of multiboxers running around, from time to time, but I’d guess that the relative cost of maintaining multiple different WoW subscriptions and having a computer that can handle running both the input-duplicator program and five or more instances of WoW is probably prohibitive, so the “ten-person druid train” farming mats in Nazmir that many anti-multiboxers describe as an example is probably the exception and not necessarily the rule.
Overall, I’ve multiboxed a few times for a few reasons, but mostly I’ve found it to be more trouble than it’s worth. 
Mileage may, as always, vary.
There’s a paladin that parades around dalaran that I’ve seen that is multiboxing by 10. I don’t know if he goes out into the world, but he walks around Dalaran at the least.
I “multibox” constantly on my two accounts just by having “follow” macroed to a mouse button and quickly alt-tabbing between the two toons as they are casting.
If I wasn’t so lazy I’d get a program to multibox properly.
The easy way is open multiple windows and use 2 monitors (or however many accounts you run). This is all manual and not really what I consider multiboxing.
When I multibox, I use a program that is very popular and supported in WoW and other games. THe program opens up multiple windows (and can be configured for 1 or many screens) It makes the windows fit your screen and the layout you choose.
Other than fitting the windows, it allows your key presses to go across all open accounts. hit the 1 key and it replicates across all the windows. You set up your keys to work together (if playing different classes. Macros help a lot too. There also is a way to click on a button an enable you mouse to work on all windows (and makes all other buttons works across all windows too).
WoW has a follow command (Alt-F) that makes all follow or like I said, make a macro with target XXXXX and follow.
I mainly multibox in other games where a full group is almost required to level. I played with it in WoW to test things out, and it was fun, but too much trouble to play that way all the time. Maybe if I got everyone to max level and just did things like mine or herb it would be worthwhile.
I also tried doing dungeons as a 5 man group and again in WoW, it was just so much easier to LFD it really wasnt worth the hassle.
That’s not cheating, your definitely allowed to do that. You are allowed to control both characters with the same keystrokes
I havent done it myself, but if its not defined by those who write the rules as cheating, then by definition its not cheating, as you say.
I lul’d at this!
Thanks, Grumbles!
? I said it wasn’t cheating? So we agree?
Never mind I see what you are saying. And we do agree.
Sorry about that.
No, I agree, cheating is defined by the game makers. if they say its not cheating, then its not.
Some like to believe it is, but until Blizzard themselves change the rules to make it cheating, it isnt.
What’s even better was their names… Joancrawford and Bettedavis. Only a few people got the joke though. Which made me feel even older than I am (giggle).
I’ve done it both ways
Multiple machines - using Synergy to coordinate.
All on one beefy machine - with the ‘main’ using good graphics and all the ‘slaved’ with graphics turned all the way down.
That isn’t boxing, that’s botting.
Technically, it’s not botting as someone is active at the keyboard. Also, Blizzard feels that it’s okay.
Then what is your definition of botting?