Ctrl Alt WoW - Virtual Reality & Gaming Podcast

Ultyr

The Podcast, Ctrl Alt WoW, is a great podcast hosted by Aprillian and Ashayo talking about alts, and people who love making alts. They have been having a few discussions about the Recruit a Friend system and it's benefits to dual boxers everywhere, and in the most recent episode, they asked for people to send in their opinions and thoughts on the system as well as their experience. Here is my submission.

I was an early adopter of the R-A-F system. I recruited myself within a week of the release of the system.

I am a person who finds fun in this game in learning class mechanics. However, as many people who play the game, my time is limited. I am rarely able to play my main to the extent that many people do, so alts are always kind of a shot in the dark as to whether or not I'll ever get them to the cap.

I am not a person who had a maxed out character Pre-BC. While I did play Pre-BC a considerable amount of time, I did not max out a character until the release of Burning Crusade.

Moving this back to the Recruit a Friend system, I was an early adopter, and I did it solely for the purpose of being able to play other classes to the extent that I wanted. The system is amazing, almost to the point where I feel I'm hacking

The experience gains are amazing of course. Triple Experience seems almost as if it is too much, but in my opinion, it is the perfect amount.

The Zhevra mount is… meh. I have it on my warlock because I love mounts in the game, but the Zebra just seems to be a bit out of place in the World of Warcraft. Maybe it is the fact that I am a warlock, but it just doesn't seem to click with the rest of the world. It would have fit better if they had given us a modified version of one of the mounts in the game, or say, maybe an option to have a tiger for the horde or a kodo for the alliance.

Now as to my experience, here is what I Did : I started off trying a few things. I try first, a combination of paladin and rogue, and shaman and rogue, both of which I did not like. I wanted a rogue, but I couldn't get the hang of questing as those combinations. The shaman would always die, or the rogue would die, or something would happen that would always slow me down. After those two trials, I decided to try something ranged, and came up with Mage and Paladin.

Now I started this combination with full intention of duo questing my way to 60 just like every other recruit a friend adopter plans on doing. However, out of the blue, I thought about instances. Instances give decent experience in groups, but if you add the 70, it nerfs the experience you get. Hence, "power-leveling" is impossible to do in this game. Well Recruit a Friend changed all of that.

When someone is getting a run through an instance by a 70, the experience gain is essentially a fraction of what one would get. So lets put it this way, if someone is running Scarlet Monastary with a group, lets say they are averaging about 300 Experience per kill.

Now lets say only two of those characters are running scarlet monastery, but this time with a level 70 running them through it quickly (3 people in the party, 2 lowbies, 1 70). Now this person is only getting 150 XP per kill. Half the experience for half the speed of a normal run.

Now lets say the same thing is happening, only this time, theres a RAF pair with the 70. Now, instead of getting 150 XP per kill, they are getting 450 XP per kill. So now, the pair are getting more XP in a shorter amount of time.

Now here's the kicker. You can do this all the way up to 60 if you wish. I normally stop around 45-50, but up to 60 is definitiely possible.

Here was my order :

Quest 1-8

Ragefire Chasm 8-16

Shadowfang Keep 16-25

Scarlet Monastery (Arms) 25-32

Scarlet Monastery (Cathedral) 32-40

Zul'Farrak 40-45 or 40-50

Sunken Temple 45-50

After that, you can move on to Dire Maul, the Black Rocks, things like that, but I normally quest from 50 on.

I did this pattern with my first grouping and it worked like a charm. Keep in mind, doing so gets a bit repetitive, but it is definitely an easy, easy, GAURENTEED way to get there.

Now for those of you who like dual boxing and follow questing and such, this system will be just as good without the instance runs. However, I would suggest you hit each instance at least once with all the quests for it. Why? That's about 1-2 levels free for having someone run you through the instance. Can't beat that.

Now the 30 free levels I gave to my Paladin… I know… you're probably thinking "wait a sec… didn't he say he leveled a paladin and mage duo??" and My answer is yes. I did. However, at about 37, I was really tired of instance runs (mind you… this was my first group… so yes it gets very boring) and tried to do some quests, but the paladin was so slow that I decided to grant 4 levels to my 33 hunter to catch him up to my mage, and then did my hunter/mage combination. The funny thing is, a day later, I went right back to instance grinding… go figure!

So anyways, my first grouping reached the cap, a Blood elf Paladin, a Troll Mage, and an Orc Hunter. Originally I was rather happy with the group and started working my hunter up to 70.

Well… in my semi-altalholic nature, I started getting really bored of my hunter and lost interest in my mage (female trolls… I don't like their appearance anymore) and my paladin. And I realized… "I dont' have an undead or a tauren"

Thus my rogue and my warrior were born. For this pair I did instances up till about 45, and since then I follow quested to about 50, and I have been questing with a friend since then (without my warrior following). The only reason I multibox for this group now is when I'm turning in quests for the 3x turn in boost.

I must say, I respect you, Aprillian and Ashayo, very much. After two pairs of characters being multiboxed (and often triple-boxing my friends mage to run myself through the instance), I can honestly say that I am so tired of triple boxing that I dont' want to do any major multiboxing anymore while I continue to play world of warcraft! For me it was really a draining experience! I really enjoy my classes, but I don't think I'd want to play them together anymore. For this reason, I am transfering my warrior off my second account to my first, leaving my mage on the second account ( I have… ZERO interest… in playing her at all) and letting my second account just run out of time. I plan on granting my last 24 or so levels to a possible twink, and that will be the end of my RAF experience.

I'm near that end soon. My rogue is 56, and my friend and I will be hitting 58 today and heading off into outlands in which case I am done with this system. Farewell Recruit a Friend, and thanks for all you have done.

Ctrl Alt Wow, I hope this helps you guys, and thanks for a great podcast.

Hey guys,

My apologies for not being overly clear last email...

No, I don't use my feet to play WoW (lol)... I was, however, at work most of the day before my injury, then proceeded to break the bone on the side of my foot (the 5th metatarsal) as well as incurring muscle damage and ligament sprain... and then was at the hospital (and away from my computer) for the remainder of the day.

All is now well, though, and the authenticator seems to work just fine!

But hey! A silver lining has come from all of this – I have a great deal more 'home time'... my kittens love it that 'daddy' is home more and I have gotten a great deal more accomplished in WoW.

Hey Aprillian and Ashayo!

First, please allow me to apologize to the fair Aprillian for seemingly excluding her from my last email and the possibility of catching Mr. Pinchy... t'was not my intent.

We're all cheering you on, dear Aprillian, in your quest to get to 70... and we'll erupt in a cheer and song and much revelry when you ding... BEFORE the Wrath of the Lich King.

Right?

Plus... in all fairness, Ashayo specifically asked for the Mr. Pinchy details... and ol' Blade delivers...

Speaking of delivery... I wasn't overly clear on a point I made last episode. When you use the last wish (that's wish #3) of Mr. Pinchy, he disappears. That's it. That's all. You'll have to catch him again if you want three more wishes.

That said, it IS possible (if you're terribly lucky) to have more than one Mr. Pinchy in your inventory at any given time (for SOME reason Mr. Pinchy isn't a unique item...) and each one is on the same 2 day timer. So you can only get one wish per two days, no matter how many Mr. Pinchys you happen to put into your inventory.

Onward.

Have you ever been a little jealous of your druid friends for their ability to shapeshift into other forms?

What if I told you that it was possible for ANYONE to become a fish?

It takes some luck... and not a small degree of skill... but it's possible.

Before you embark on this journey, you must have the following:

Fishing skill (minimum 130, preferably 225+)

Character level at least 10 (to get the fishing skill minimum), preferably lv35+ to defend yourself from the mobs that will be around the areas you will be...

Booty Bay and Stranglethorn... for the weekly Fishing Extravaganza!

This particular weekly event is also very popular with lower-level pvp toons for the extra gear (with boatloads of Stamina on it) that you can obtain...

In Stranglethorn Vale... at 2:00 PM server time, Riggle Bassbait (he's the little green goblin near the big hanging fish and the inn) will announce "Let the fishing tournament begin!" which will trigger a whole ream of Ally and Horde toons running full-bore out of Booty Bay towards their mutual destinations.

The pools along the shore.

For two hours (2:00 PM to 4:00 PM server time) ALL of the pools in Stranglethorn Vale will become 'Pools of Tastyfish' for the purposes of the contest.

All you have to do is fish 40 tastyfish from these pools – before anyone else – and get them to Riggle Bassbait – before anyone else.

Sound simple?

It is and it isn't.

It can be challenging if you don't quite know the ins and outs of your fishing skill... an don't have a few tricks up your sleeve beforehand.

Firstly... remember that the Tastyfish are in pools... and to FIND these pools, your job will be made infinitely easier if you have learned the ability to track pools on your minimap courtesy of the Weather Beaten Journal I discussed previously.

(You see? There's method to ol' Blade's madness...)

So off you go to find some pools along the beaches of Stranglethorn Vale... remember that most mobs along the beaches here are in the 35-40+ range (raptors, basilisks, pirates, etc.), so having the ability to defend yourself against attacks is crucial. Bring a friend with you if you don't think you'll be able to survive a crocolisk attack on your own... or if you're on a pvp server where the contest can become deadly in its competitiveness...

Now... as a lot of people will be trying to win this contest, having a few strategies set up beforehand can only help...

Equip your fishing gear before the contest even starts... that's pretty much a no-brainer...

I, personally, have my Fishing Skill (the button-click to cast a line) on a second hotbar... so that instead of clicking (or double clicking if you have an addon that allows it) the water, all I do is tap my hotkey... this helps when I'm trying to cast into a pool and miss it... one click and I'm tossing the line in again.

Also... it's probably advisable to have a straight fishing skill – that is... nothing that you have to put on your fishing line each and every time in order to increase your skill (like lures or aquadynamic fish attractors, for example) as these take TIME to put on... and in this contest, time is of the essence...

One more thing... knowing that you will be potentially runing up and down the beaches in Stranglethorn, it'd probably be a good idea to set your Hearthstone to Booty Bay... as it is there where you turn in your Tastyfish once you catch them...

All set? Get fishing!

Oh... a few more things...

Riggle (and his companion the Fishbot 5000) will spawn about an hour before the contest starts (around 1:00 PM) and despawn about an hour after the contest closes (around 5:00 PM)... which is good... as the Tastyfish you just caught have a 4 hour timer... they'll go bad!

As an added bonus, your Tastyfish (even if you didn't win the contest) can be turned in for gold!

The price scales as you level... up to something around 1g12s per batch of 5 fish at level 70.

Yep... the quest actually makes you money while you're competing! How much better can it be?

At the end of the contest, quite a few people continue to fish the Tastyfish pools for more Tastyfish as well as the rare spawn fish that can be caught and turned in to Fishbot 5000 for so EXTRA items!

Each of these rare fish has about a 1% chance of being caught at any one time and they aren't unique... so you can catch more than one! Plus, they won't 'go bad' like the Tastyfish will... so if you have to, you can keep them in your inventory for later!

Brownell's Blue Striped Racer can be turned in to receive Nat Pagle's Extreme Anglin' Boots (Cloth boots, 36 armor, +5 Fishing Skill, +12 Stamina)

Dezian Queenfish can be turned in to receive High Test Eternium Fishing Line which (so far as I know) is a permanent 'enchant' for your fishing rod to give it +5 skill bonus to Fishing

Keefer's Angelfish can be turned in to receive Lucky Fishing Hat (Cloth, 43 armor, +15 Stamina, +5 to Fishing Skill)

There is also a rare fish that Fishbot 5000 won't want... but YOU might... as it makes a rather formidable weapon! The Rockhide Strongfish is a level 40 bind on equip green, and acts as a one-handed mace, 46-87 damage, 2.5 speed (26.6 dps) with a +8 stamina bonus!

Imagine the look of incredulity on the faces of the Alliance in the battlegrounds when they get slapped in the face with a fish!

But... the main rewards... the rewards ONLY the winner of the contest may choose from are a selection of either...

Arcanite Fishing Pole (minimum Fishing Skill 300 to use, +35 to Fishing Skill – the highest bonus in the game thus far...)

or...

Hook of the Master Angler... a trinket which allows you to turn into a fish, allowing a slight speed increase and water breathing!

Of course, it's not as versatile as other shape changing... if you are struck in combat or cast a spell, you will revert back to normal... but it still beats swimming normally... plus it marks you as a previous winner of the Fishing Extravaganza!

Good luck!

Oh... here's an easter egg for you Alliance types:

Near the Alliance Auction House, ask one of the guards the location of the Alchemy Trainer.

One of his answers will be "Why, oh why didn't I take the blue potion?"

For those that didn't automatically get the reference, this line (or one very much like it) was uttered by the character Cypher in the movie The Matrix.

As always, cheers for an awesome podcast guys!

Blade

Hey guys I love the show. I just happened on it and am in the process of getting caught up on some of the podcasts. My question is do you have one or two episodes that explain how to multibox? I have two accounts and always wanted to give it a try but wasn’t quite sure where to start. What type of system req’s do you recommend? How do you control both characters using only one monitor and one keyboard/mouse? Any recommended mods and or macro? What types of classes work well together? How do you select quests on both characters?

Sorry for the assault of questions, but it sounds like you guys are the multibox masters and I want to glean anything I can. Thanks again.

-Keelhaul

2nd Email:

Hey Aprillian and Ashayo its Triaa again sorry I missed last week, got busy with raiding and such. So this week I decided to bring you two addons. The first is a modification to your cast bar, It is called quartz. The advantage to using quartz is that it takes into account latency for when you are chain-casting spells allowing for maximum DPS for casters. Here is a link to download this addon: http://www.wowinterface.com/downloads/info7158/. The second addon I decided to feature this week is the chat addon which Aprillian comments on two episodes ago. It is called Prat and allows you to customize your chat windows even more. It removes the scroll arrows on your chat panel and allows you to scroll through chat by simply mousing over the box and using your mouse scroll wheel. Here is the link: http://wowui.worldofwar.net/?p=mod&m=4413. hope ya guys enjoy these addons, I'll be sure to have another one next week.

Comment:

Comments from Ctrl Alt WoW:

yeah.if you need info for macro or want to submit your own macros, feel free to visit wow macros. make sure to include ur handle name and server.cheers!

July 8, 2008 4:08 AM

Hi. I use this Addon for my interface: Atlas, Atlas loot, Titan Panel, Damage Meters, Ghaterer, Omen, Proximo, Preform AV enabler ecc. What do you think? This is a package of my wow interface. It’s a file zip. Addons WoW

July 9, 2008 3:12 AM

Hello I would just like to say I love the new intro.

July 13, 2008 12:35 PM