Ask WoW Insider: When does an alt become a main?
by Barb Dybwad 
Apr 20th 2007 at 2:50PM
It's time once again for the weekly edition of Ask WoW Insider, wherein we publish a reader question for everyone to answer. This week brings us an esoteric conundrum from Matthew: I started WoW about 5 months ago and played an Orc Warrior up to lvl 49. When the expansion came out, I started a BE mage and I absolutely love it. However, I have just surpassed my main in level. So now I have a lvl 50 BE mage alt and I don't see myself leveling my warrior for quite awhile. My question is: Is my lvl 49 Orc Warrior still my main if it was overtaken by my lvl 50 Blood Elf Mage alt?So -- when does an alt become a main, and vice versa?
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Filed under: WoW Social Conventions, Virtual selves, Ask WoW Insider, Alts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Eric Apr 20th 2007 3:05PM
I feel that your main is the character that you enjoy playing the most at a given time. It's usually the character you have the most time put into as well, but if you leave a character to focus solely on one, then I would consider the new character your main.
For those who are alt-aholics...well, you don't get mains :P - you just get a laundry list of alts!
Kaziel Apr 20th 2007 3:00PM
IMO, whether something is an alt or a main is not dictated by level, but by intent. Someone can have a level 1 new main, and have their old main at level 70 become an alt, if they decided they would rather play the new character than the old.
Chris M Apr 20th 2007 3:00PM
I've always just considered it by whichever one has the most playtime (generally). That can usually be deciphered by level, in my opinion (i.e. Level 50 and a level 12, I assume the level 50 has been played longer, hence it's the main).
I tell everyone my 63 priest is my main, but I've been on this new Warlock for a couple months now, and I'm likely going to take him past my priest, to become my main.
Chris
Jesse Anderson Apr 20th 2007 3:03PM
I personally think it's a thin line on which character is an alt and which is a main. I have a 46 pally that I started playing with and lvled up. I created a druid just to see what they were like and loved it more then the pally. So does that make my druid that I enjoy more then the pally my main or my alt? I think it depends on the person. Your main character should be the one that you get the most enjoyment out of playing. Which one do you go back to more offten? For me, it's now my druid and my other characters I lvl when I just feel like doing something else. But I get the most fun out of the game playing my druid that I created after some of my other characters. He is still my main one that I enjoy.
Druid dude Apr 20th 2007 3:20PM
The way I see it, the distinction between the two depends on what your character(s) are doing. If you are leveling, and playing casually, calling one or the other a main is mostly only significant to the person playing the character. If you are in a raid guild though, the disitinction has meaning not just for yourself, but for the others in your guild.
Baluki Apr 20th 2007 3:05PM
Yea, intent is a good choice. Some people play a while on one character, and then start a new character that they like even more, and that should be their main.
A good rule of thumb is "which character have I played the most this month?" And really, you don't need to have just ONE Main.
meat0 Apr 20th 2007 3:12PM
For me it's really quite simple:
My main is the one I raid with (Warrior)
All my other characters are alts (Warlock, Paladin, Rogue, hunter)
priest Apr 20th 2007 3:16PM
My main is the one with all the money, all the spare bags. The one with the best gear, the highest professions (even fishing 375). The main is the one you identify most with, the one you want to see succeed more than the others.
Well, that's my main.
Zinger Apr 20th 2007 3:26PM
Pretty much what #6 said.
You can call of of your characters "alts" or "mains". Who gives a crap? The only time it matters is when you're in a serious raiding guild where you determine which ONE of your characters will be going to the instances and collecting DKP or whatever system is used.
For all you newbcakes not sure what DKP is, go ahead and call your blood elf pallies whatever you want.
Ragbar Apr 20th 2007 3:28PM
From what I've read, according to most people then I would have 2 mains!
I played my Mage for my first 60 and even took him to Rank 13 under the old PvP system. A few weeks before BC I started levelling a Priest. I got him to 60 the weekend before BC hit, and continued playing him to 70. The reason being I figured my guild (which is PvP) would need more healers for the PvE content that we were all going to have to do to get geared up for Arenas and PvP. Since then I've taken my Mage to 70 as well, and I play both equally I think.
Right now, my Priest is Shadow (oddly enough), and is clearing Karazhan weekly with a 10-man guild group. He will also be leading our first Gruul/Maulgar attempt this week.
My mage is currently PvPing for his level 70 PvP set, and working on Heroic attunements so he can gear up for Arena.
So it looks like I have 2 mains.
Mage-PvP
Priest-PvE
I'm also levelling a Warrior (lvl 15 right now! haha) because my guild never has enough tanks for 5-mans!!
Shiro Apr 20th 2007 3:28PM
I've got serious "Multiple Main Syndrome" (altaholism isn't PC any more).
Back when I was still raiding I'd bring along whatever the guild needed for the raid. Some weeks were crazy. I'd be tanking MC on my Warrior on Monday, healing in BWL on Wednesday on my Druid, I'd get a callup from an old guild to DPS on Thursday in AQ40 with my Rogue, then lead a raid on Saturday with my Priest to ZG.
Now I've backed out of raiding until I can get them all to 70. I've got one there already, but not because she's my main. It's just because she's the one best suited for farming materials with her mining/skinning (druid). The early flight form was too much to pass up. So, I'll be in MMS mode for a while longer. The rest are all between 62 and 64 at the moment.
To make matters worse, I love PvP, but the queue is enormous on our server for alliance. So, I've rolled hordies to PvP with and have been leveling them up in my "off time". :P
Norin Apr 20th 2007 3:31PM
For me, a "main" is whatever you're known as. If you make a char named "generic" and join a guild, it's likely that guild will know you as "generic." Generic is your main, but then you get tired of him and make a shiny new character. When your guild stops calling you "generic" and refers to you as your new moniker, you have a new main =)
Savemeh Apr 20th 2007 3:38PM
Pretty simple: if all of a sudden you HAD to delete all your characters except one, that one is your main.
But usually is quite discernible i.e. the one you raid with, best gear, etc.
Reidja7 Apr 20th 2007 6:43PM
I have a 63 priest and a 51 hunter. I find myself more drawn to my hunter because he was my first character and so I've dubbed him my main.
Joe Apr 20th 2007 3:46PM
@13
Now, there's a scary thought!
Atie Apr 20th 2007 3:54PM
@13
perfect way to summarize it. I agree totally!
hisk Apr 24th 2007 1:47PM
my main is a 60 hunter for the fact he is my first char also my highest lvl and the one with the more play time now my 23 preist is a greate relife from the usally pew pew slap a sting and collect loot i get to have some more responsiblity then just deal damage.
Derbeste Apr 20th 2007 4:34PM
13 wins
Kahja Apr 20th 2007 4:47PM
main = played most... IE the main character you play.
Niekon Apr 20th 2007 5:04PM
my main is still my main but an alt I rolled for fun is now pretty much a main that is being played by my wife whenever she's bored. It's getting to the point that I'm having to actually create another character and transfer that alt over to the new account for her to play whenever I am doing whatever it is my druid is doing that day.