Ready to try 5 accounts.. Shaman

[vextagora]

To start, I figure it's been done by enough individuals where the advice, reference material, etc. is plentiful. However, let's consider me an idiot.

See, my reading comprehension is so that, if enough "blah blah" is thrown in the middle of the absolute relevant information, I will likely remember only the "blah blah". So yes, "Move your car 'blah blah blah' of it will explode and kill you.", I will most likely remember only the 'blah blah blah'. Makes sense?

Perhaps, it's just that the information is so plentiful, it's overwhelming, I really haven't a clue what the precise reason is, but, I AM LOST.

I have Pwnboxer, have donated to it (tried IS Boxer I believe it was, but it simple wasn't dummified enough for me -- sorry, I'm sure its a powerful piece of software though), so I'm good to go there.

I have my main account that I've had for some months now, another box set sitting unopened and then three more I'm going to buy tomorrow/tonight (at Wally World if I go tonight).

Though, I'd hate to start the RAF chain before I know I am as prepared and set-up as I can be.

There are obviously two ways to do this, re-re-read all the material I have found on the subject and continue to be confused. Or I can donate some $$ to someone to setup via Vent, pictures, emails and anything else is necessary (vent is pretty necessary imo) and then donate money to this site as it would have acted as the referral to the helper (whom I will hopefully find, any takers yet?).

Is this fair? Frowned upon? Hopefully not frowned upon, as I have given consideration to purchasing an account with the idea level 80's on it, sure I have two of my own on my main account, but, 5 other 80's with maxed professions is suuuuure tempting... but, is against the rules set forth by Blizzard, thus, I personally cannot commit what is immoral according to standards set by myself for myself (I'm not one to tell others what they should feel is moral or not -- just so that is out there).

So, I got to thinking. $200ish for an account, or $20x4 (due to already having the "main" account) which provides me with a 5 account RAF chain, 30 days of play time on those 4 accounts and 300% experience gain on all five accounts (of course if the characters are 60 or below) and do this legitimately without a chance of banning (I sure hope not anyway).

I read that referring myself is allowed, I sure hope this is right, because I will then eventually after the 90 days transfer the wanted toons from the chain accounts (slaves I believe it is referred to as) to my main account.

That's the goal anyway. This grind after just two characters is enough for me, I personally cannot see how someone does it for more than that. That all being said (much of it irrelevant thus sort of ironic considering the opening of my post), do I have any takers on my offer?

Or even if there are those willing to help for free, but, I'm rightfully afraid that many of those willing to help for free will simply refer me to literature that has already overwhelmed me, thus, allowing me no forward progress in achieving my intended goal(s).

Though if you're willing to help for free and can dummify it down Big Bird style for me, you've got my undivided attention.

[Ualaa]

You'll want to refer yourself, probably like this:
A -- B -- C
A -- D -- E

(Where A is your existing account.)

A will RAF invite two accounts.
Which will both upgrade with retail codes, after the accounts are created with the RAF (emailed) codes.

Then log into each of the new accounts, account management page, and send yourself one more RAF invite from each of them.
Use the emailed codes to create the accounts, then upgrade with retail codes.



You'll want exactly the same name on the four new accounts, as you have on the existing account.



Leveling will be fastest by a process called Boosting.

Take your best geared tank type toon, from Account A.
Or lacking that, take your best geared AoE type toon, on A.

And run the four new toons (group all five together) through content.
There are a lot of leveling paths.
I like:
a) Level 01-10 = Quest
b) Level 10-20 = Shadow Fang Keep (if Horde).
b) Level 10-16 = Deadmines (if Alliance).
b) Level 16-20 = Stockades (if Alliance).
c) Level 20-45 = Scarlet Monastery.
d) Level 45-55 = Stratholme (Dead Side) or Scholomance.
e) Level 55-60 = Hellfire Ramparts.



Keep your DPS simple for now.

While leveling, the shammies will only really Lightning Bolt.
Down the road, take a look at a click castsequence.
But until you're close to 70th (if your main on Account A is an 80th), the main will be doing the lion's share of the DPS.



I'd go with a Focus based assist system.
As that is pretty simple.

Every toon needs five focus set macros.
Which is one macro per toon.

On the same keybind for all toons (something like Shift F1), have this macro:
/Focus [Target=ToonA's Name]

Do the same (Shift F2, Shift F3, Shift F4 and Shift F5), for the other four toons.

Everyone will have a follow macro, on the same keybind.
/Follow [Target=Focus]
Get into the habit of mashing that macro a lot.

Your DPS (until you move to a click - castsequence) will be:
On the shammies:

#show Lightning Bolt
/cast [Target=FocusTarget] Lightning Bolt

#show Flame Shock
/cast [Target=FocusTarget] Flame Shock

#show Chain Lightning
/cast [Target=FocusTarget] Chain Lightning



And your heals will be:

#show Lesser Healing Wave
/assist [Target=Focus]
/cast [Help][Help,Target=TargetTarget] Lesser Healing Wave

#show Healing Wave
/assist [Target=Focus]
/cast [Help][Help,Target=TargetTarget] Healing Wave

#show Chain Healing
/assist [Target=Focus]
/cast [Help][Help,Target=TargetTarget] Chain Healing



Down the road, you'll have five shammies, each with the same spell as all the other shammies on the same key.
IE, 1 = Lightning Bolt, 2 = Flame Shock, 3 = Chain Lightning, 4 = Lava Burst, 5 = Frost Shock, etc.

While leveling, decide how many keys the tank type toon will use.
And put the Lightning Bolt macro on every key the tank uses.
Example:
A bear (Feral Druid) might want...
1 = Mangle
2 = Swipe
3 = Growl
4 = Lacerate

If that is the case, put the Lightning Bolt macro on 1, 2, 3 and 4.

[vextagora]

Originally Posted by Ualaa

You'll want to refer yourself, probably like this:
A -- B -- C
A -- D -- E

Excellent reply, thank you very much for your time and effort. I have yet to use key bindings in WoW, though I am somewhat familiar with what they are in the game through reading prior posts concerning them.

I was curious however, why the above RAF chain/method/structure? It's a genuine question, I'm trying to figure out the scheme of it.

I'm glad you mentioned it though, as I was going to simply have A refer B, C, D and E.

I figured so long as they are all grouped with A (the referral), they would receive the 300% experience and once I have my first group of 60's, I could make a level 1 toon on A, then have B grant that toon level 30, then have C grant it to 59. Then make another level 1 toon on A, have D grant it to level 30, then have E grant it to level 59.

I only foresee myself keeping account A, seems like a waste I know, but, I wont do anything foolish like delete the characters from the other accounts, I simply doubt I'll keep them active. I'll likely move toons from B to account A before I let the subscriptions run out. In short, I'll likely only keep account A active after the 90 days of boxing fun..... but, who knows, I may just get the "bug" and keep them, albeit, I am planning according to as if I were not going to keep the "slaves" active.

[vextagora]

Originally Posted by Ualaa

Leveling will be fastest by a process called Boosting.

Take your best geared tank type toon, from Account A.
Or lacking that, take your best geared AoE type toon, on A.

And run the four new toons (group all five together) through content.
There are a lot of leveling paths.
I like:
a) Level 01-10 = Quest
b) Level 10-20 = Shadow Fang Keep (if Horde).
b) Level 10-16 = Deadmines (if Alliance).
b) Level 16-20 = Stockades (if Alliance).
c) Level 20-45 = Scarlet Monastery.
d) Level 45-55 = Stratholme (Dead Side) or Scholomance.
e) Level 55-60 = Hellfire Ramparts.

I meant to quote this in the same post darnit, but forgot to do so.

So let me see if I understand you correctly. I have a level 80 prot pally on account A. You're suggesting that I use that Pally to group with level 1-60 toons? If A was the referral for B, C, D and E, would they get the 300% despite the Paladin being so higher in level and would the get experience being grouped with such a high level?

I'm currently thinking I misunderstood something.. dunno.

[Ualaa]

You already have an existing account, which means you'll likely get the most out of the RAF program by using the existing account to boost with.

I would recommend going with four (or eight) characters boosted. This (multiple of four principle) is purely for the purpose of granting levels. For every even level gained by an account you refer, the parent account can be granted one level. There are stipulations, such as can only grant levels to a targetable same faction toon of lower level then your boosted toon, and a maximum level of 59th to receive a granted level.

A (Existing Account) has two chains going. In the first, they refer B who then refers C. So our first chain (and the second will be the same structure) will look like this:
A -- B -- C

To get RAF experience, you need:
i) To be within a certain proximity to the account you are linked to;
ii) To be grouped with an account which is directly RAF linked to yours;
iii) To be within +/- 4 levels of a character on that account;
iv) To kill mobs (or complete quests) that are not grey to either character;
v) To be level 59 or lower.

Account A, as a booster will likely be 80th, which means conditions 3 and 5 automatically fail. However, BC (and DE) will qualify for RAF by merit of being grouped (and boosted) together, irregardless of not meeting the criteria with A.

Let's say A boosts four sets of toons on BCDE. If it was me, I'd go with: Druids, Paladins, Shamans and Warlocks. Looking at our first chain, C has gained 240 levels, which is 120 even levels, so can grant two level 60 toons to B, over and above the four toons we have just leveled (B gives the same to A, as E gives to D and D also gives to A). Now B (and D) have also received 120 levels purely from granting, which is 60 more even levels, which means B can boost another level 1 on A to 30th, and D can then boost that 30th to 60th.

And when you boost, you level a toon as close as possible to 99% into the level. So for example, your lowbie toon gets to level 2.94 or 3.96 (easier to almost ding and not, as a level 2-5 toon than as a level 1 toon). You grant a whole bunch of levels to them, and they end up level 60 and 94 or 96% into that level.

You'll end up with an entirely full Account A, most likely.

We have:

A (Existing Toons) +4 (Toons from BD) +2 (Cascading Granted Levels).
B (4 Boosted Toons) +2 (Toons from C)
C (4 Boosted Toons)
D (4 Boosted Toons) +2 (Toons from E)
E (4 Boosted Toons)

A = Existing +6
BD = 6
CE = 4



*EDIT*
To clarify... the only reasons A is even in the chain, are to receive granted levels and to receive the bonuses such as the Epic speed flying rocket and extra months of free subscription.

And the reasoning for several sets of toons... once you try boxing, I seriously doubt you'll quit; hundreds have said they would and 99% don't. $75/mo (or $60/mo, if you pay in 6 month increments) is very cheap entertainment, which is there for virtually as many hours per month as you want.

[Tim]

Wow Ualaa just hooked you up with some great information, you should be ready to roll!

Post some screenshots and info in our general forums when you've got yourself set up!

[vextagora]

Ok, last question (atm) simply to reiterate. A level 80 pally from A can be grouped with all the other accounts and they'll still get experience? If I remember right they will, but, isn't it severely penalized? If so, am I to assume then that this is a tested method where the penalization has been taken into consideration (as well as the 300% experience bonus on the "boosted" toons) to make it still worth it? Or would it be best to have a newly made tank on account A to level right alongside of B, C, D and E?

Appreciate the patience with me, I just want to ensure I'm making the most of the 90 days, as I really am fairly sure I won't keep all accounts active. $60/mo while not much at all in my eyes and the checkbook, the wife's eyes on the other hand.... I'll go from exalted to hated in no time flat. ;p

[Ualaa]

If you were to group BCDE, all at say level 28 together.
And head into the Cathedral wing of Scarlet Monastery.

(I'm just picking numbers here, not sure if they're exactly correct)...

A single level 30 elite, might be worth 1000 experience each.
And it might take you 15-20 seconds to kill, if you get only one.
A typical pull might be 3 mobs at once, which has a good chance to kill you... and might take a minute or more.
With all the healing and drinking between pulls, you'll have a lot of downtime.



With a level 80 in the group, a single level 30 elite might only be 100 experience per kill.
But the level 80 can do the entire instance in two to three pulls, with half decent gear.
Even if the instance is five conservative pulls, you're looking at 10-15 seconds total to kill 20-25 mobs.
With basically no chance to die in the process.

You can reset an instance five times in an hour.
Which gets you six runs the first hour, and five runs per hour thereafter.
So 10-12 mins per run.

You can do Cathedral and then Armory, then reset both.
Then do Armory followed by Cathedral, then reset both.
And repeat that.



Set the loot method to Master Looter, with the booster as the master looter.
Then have the main "opt out of loot".
Set the threshold to greens (Common) or higher.

You'll lose out on all the cloth.
But greens or better will sparkle to master loot.

[Snowy42]

This is the way i see the RAF level granting. If A boosts BCDE through 2 level 60 chars each, this is how the level granting will pan out:

A-B-C
A-D-E

A- 0x0
B- 2x60 - 2x30 = 60 grantable
C- 2x60 - 2x30 = 60 grantable
D- 2x60 - 2x30 = 60 grantable
E- 2x60 - 2x30 = 60 grantable

C grants 60 to B - B has 90 grantable
E grants 60 to D - D has 90 grantable

A- 0x0 - 0 grantable
B- 3x60 - 90 grantable
C- 2x60 - 0 grantable
D- 3x60 - 90 grantable
E- 2x60 - 0 grantable

B grants 90 to A
C grants 90 to A

A- 4x60 - 0 grantable
B- 3x60 - 0 grantable
C- 2x60 - 0 grantable
D- 3x60 - 0 grantable
E- 2x60 - 0 grantable

So A isn't going to miss out on any characters, he will have the same as B and D and have 1 more than C and E

If you plan on leveling A up with BCDE and you want lots of chars on account A, then do it this way (i personally find this a better method... more chars across the same # of accounts):

A-B-C-D-E

A- 2x60 0 Grantable levels
B- 2x60 60 Grantable levels
C- 2x60 60 Grantable levels
D- 2x60 60 Grantable levels
E- 2x60 60 Grantable levels

E grants 60 to D - D has 90 Grantable levels

A- 2x60 0 Grantable levels
B- 2x60 60 Grantable levels
C- 2x60 60 Grantable levels
D- 3x60 90 Grantable levels
E- 2x60 0 Grantable levels

D grants 90 to C - C has 120 Grantable levels

A- 2x60 0 Grantable levels
B- 2x60 60 Grantable levels
C- 3x60 +1x30 120 Grantable levels
D- 3x60 0 Grantable levels
E- 2x60 0 Grantable levels

C grants 120 to B - B has 150 Grantable levels

A- 2x60 0 Grantable levels
B- 4x60 150 Grantable levels
C- 3x60 +1x30 0 Grantable levels
D- 3x60 0 Grantable levels
E- 2x60 0 Grantable levels

D grants 150 to A

A- 4x60 +1x30 0 Grantable levels
B- 4x60 0 Grantable levels
C- 3x60 +1x30 0 Grantable levels
D- 3x60 0 Grantable levels
E- 2x60 0 Grantable levels



I Hope this information has helped out a bit.

[vextagora]

Ok. The accounts are setup, I went with Ualaa's chain recommendation. I still have macros to setup and such, using this post: Macros for Protection Paladin + Elemental shamans

However, I can't find how to go about having the characters do what the "master" does, for instance, questing. I may mention that server side saves has been absolutely annoying in this process. From what I can tell, using something like Jamba would be ideal. But... I'm having some difficulty with setting that up as well.

This is too bad, as my RAF has begun and I'm making no actual experience progression at all at the moment.

<shrug>

So, one 80 paladin driving 4 shaman. Shaman are still level 1 (I don't want to level them in any manner as once everything is working/setup they'll receive the same experience together). Using pwnboxer.

I appreciate all the help thusfar -- definitely dont think for a moment that your contribution to assist me is not greatly appreciated.