For many years now. Players have utilized multiple accounts to push boundaries available compared to the every day player.
There are a variety of exclusive gameplay advantages “multiboxers” are able to tap into. Whether they are using 1,2,3, or 4 additional clients at the same time. The benefits ramp up quickly.
Lets begin with some broad examples.
My intention in this post is bring the discussion of what should be acceptable. Does it matter that players use mechanics in ways that break or change the state of the intended gameplay loop. Do you care? Is it an issue? Lets discuss.
For years players were able AFK craft. All day, every day. While they went about their business on their main account. After buying a massive stockpile of materials for low cost. A player could craft a bag full of pants at the cost of maybe 5-9g. Selling that item to the vendor for 16g+ per item. Every craft would take 2 seconds. 100 bag slots are filled in 5 minutes or less.
Lets say 8g profit per craft on 4 accounts. 32g x100 bag slots per character. 3,200g every 5 minutes.
An auto sell addon would actively sell everything when a vendor was accessed. Which at this point in the game, many people broadcast commands.
While Blizzard has fixed this a long time ago. I question the state of efficiency in play. Instead of correcting issues that arise. Should we be looking at the source?
Raids- LFR - Mythics - Seasonal Events
Many of the multiboxers I know take 2-5 characters into all raids. They are able to roll on many LFR pieces per run. Which can retract others ability in those tmog runs or main raids. (Normals and Heroics)- Whether or not this makes sense to you, as many raids wouldn’t let multiboxers in their raids. They do get in. Regularly.
There are plenty of instances where having players with multiple accounts engaged can be a huge benefit. You need people for Warfronts Heroic? 10 man before you can queue. Ask your buddy to fill those slots.
You need an invite to (x) shard to farm a rare, item, world boss? Ask your buddy to hop you around.
Let’s move into some of the more severe reasons for this post.
There are a swathe of achievements and feats that have been present over the years where Multiboxers were able to complete normally weekly timegated content. Day 1 or Week 1. When everyone else in the game has to spend months.
When a Multiboxer completes almost any criteria in game that has a counter of some kind. (achievement/feat). Every client they have active participating in that event gains +1 credit. Up to +5 for doing the event / quest once. To name a few.
Completing Infinite Quests ??/50. 10 quests on x5 Multibox and you’re done the achievement.
Undermine reputation abuses. There were a few farms that allowed players to earn x5 reputation while exploiting instant respawns of WQ mobs. Some players were earning a paragon cache every 15 minutes or less. While this in itself is questionable. I wonder how players consider the market impact of the pets (x5-x10 misc mechanica) - Mounts (25 mechanica). That were selling for 350k-500k (pets) - 1.2-2.5million gold (mounts). Every paragon was 1-2 mechanica. That type of market control yielded much gold. Which in turn adds to monopolies being constructed. (over time, as more use / abuse of systems continue).
Every seasonal event that has been active in the last couple years. Multiboxers are able to manipulate the account wide HiddenQuestTrigger that flags an account as completing the once per day attempt on lucrative
- Headless Horse man mounts - Valentines Day mounts/ item - Brewfest rewards-
as a few examples. If they have 5 characters in a group (2-5) and complete the dungeon for the Keg-Box-Pumpkin- all 5 accounts are flagged as having completed that quest AS the once per day attempt. Meaning they can loot up to 5 boxes as though it had the higher rewards. Day One. I’ve talked with half a dozen Multiboxers that received 1-3 Mounts day one. As well as previous rewards. It’s almost a meme in certain discords.
I position these examples to ask you, when does it matter?
Many of us remember Nazjatar. The PvP zone. Where players with a 20-40 box would walk through the zone causing havoc. I don’t mean the utter destruction of enemies forces either. Servers were annihilated most times they were present. Dampening the overall experience for players. Often times in significant ways. Massive lag occurred regularly, in these instances.
While most of the mentions I have listed here may seem completely negative. As though I have a hard bias against botters. I do and I don’t. I detest how much of the game has been infringed on by players able to bypass legitimate achievements by botting. (5,000 Player versus Player Pet Battles).
How many Multiboxers have made 100s of million of gold using systems that I haven’t posted here.
As a quick example to another major abuse. After gaining 100% in any PvP season for your Vicious Mount. If you get to 99% again for a second time that season. Load up as many as 8 clients. Have them logged in on various toons. Complete that last 1% to earn your vicious saddle. Every character logged in will earn 2 vicious saddles. One given to them in their bags and one in the mail. I won’t say who. I can’t tell you how many people I know earned every vicious saddle available in the game, in one season. All of them.
There are dozens of other occurrences that plague this game because of these abuses.
Simply put. I ask you, reader.
Should multiboxing be allowed to continue in our game?
Is it more about the areas of the game that aren’t fixed immediately. That live on for weeks, months a decade+, that should be corrected?
Believe me, I know the multiboxers point of view. I know a good portion of the Pro side of the conversation that people try to put me down for. I get how much of a benefit dual-5 boxing is.
That’s exactly why I question the public, and Blizzard.
Is it fair?
Does it matter to you?
Should it?
I hope for more discussion on everything here and else wise.
Be well, Folks.