Is rerolling worth it?
by Elizabeth Wachowski 
Oct 29th 2007 at 12:46PM
After my paladin hit 70 a few weeks ago, I felt kind of ... empty. I wasn't raiding due to scheduling, I'm terrible at PVP, and I had little desire to run instance after instance getting my pally better healing gear. Then a real-life friend who lives far away suggested that I roll a character or two on his new server, Medivh. And thus, I created three new characters, one for every class I've never played (undead warrior, blood elf priest, and troll shaman.)
I'm having fun figuring out the specs and professions of my new, nearly-naked lowbies. But it's been so long since I began a serious character on a new server, I'm getting bombarded by all the issues that face new players. I don't have any bag space, or money for that matter -- I can barely afford my skills and food. Walking places seems ridiculously slow, I have no higher-level friends to run me through instances, and my new abilities are confusing and numerous.
All of this makes me wonder if for the majority of the population, rerolling (defined as starting from scratch on a server where you have no characters) is worth it. Most of us have relatively wealthy 70s, strong guild and friend connections, and an overall sense of history on a single server. If our servers are our homes, then rerolling is leaving your money and possessions behind to move to a new city where you don't even have an apartment yet.
What problems have you found when rerolling? When you reroll, do you generally abandon your character before going to Outland, or do you keep pushing on to midlevel? All in all, is rerolling worth the strife, or do you prefer to stick on one server?
Filed under: Virtual selves, Alts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Matthew Rossi Oct 29th 2007 12:54PM
When I rolled a toon on Zanga for IcfTB I found that after about level 11 I just got tired of being broke and having no bags. I felt bad, cause it was a fun guild, but my other guilds needed me enough for raiding that I felt like I couldn't afford to level there.
Horixon Oct 29th 2007 12:56PM
I can never seem to get past the first 20 or so levels. I always drift back to my home server.
Krishan Oct 29th 2007 12:59PM
I could never re-roll on another server, I NEED to be able to send myself 4x Netherweave Bags, have a high level main to grind money for mounts and boost people who offer to boost me e.t.c.
Also I HATE cross-server playing, I have 2 level 70's on alliance and another 2 on Horde, and currently i can't raid on both my mage (alliance) and druid (horde) hardcore, becuase of this. I would love to be able to keep them all on one server...
Anyway! So I think alts are cool, makes the game more fun, adds more of a lifespan but getting past level 30 gets boring :P
Hollywood Ron Oct 29th 2007 1:01PM
I can only latch on these days if I have a friend there who'll at least float me 1g to get started. Otherwise it's too much hassle.
Bloodspirit Oct 29th 2007 1:04PM
i think if you don't have a prob with leveling a new char without the "modern comforts" of the hight level players, and you are having fun the i say its worth it.
but by the sounds of it, you don't seem to be that happy about leveling a new char and then it becomes a job more then a game when you force yourself to do something you don't like.
But thats just my 2 cents :)
GRT Oct 29th 2007 1:06PM
I recently came back to WoW after about an 8 month break. A friend was playing on a new (to us) server and asked me to join her, so I did. She gave my newbie character 10 gold to get outfitted with, so I didn't have to face the no bags, no cash for skills conundrum.
But still, something feels different. I used to have all kinds of semi-random adventures on my old server, but this one I just feel like an outsider, really. I've only gotten my new character to 22 in a few weeks of playing, which should tell me something. I go days without playing, just because it doesn't feel like home.
At the same time, logging on as one of my characters on the old server feels weird too. So maybe you just can't go home again. I don't think I'll last too long back in WoW this time.
MechChef Oct 29th 2007 1:07PM
I'll never start a new server without an existing financial base. I didn't come this far to boot a new toon out in the cold to fend for himself. I was lucky in that my server choice was made by friend who already played. At lvl 5, he gave me 20G, which was a fortune at the rank. At the very least, if I was compelled to start fresh elsewhere, I'd start the new character, and character-transfer a mule to the same server with a pocket full of money. Being broke sucks. I may be weak and helpless, but at least I won't be poor.
Thestormo Oct 30th 2007 7:13PM
If you reroll with people you have fun with it is worth it. My guild rerolled preBC from alliance to horde. We mostly ran in groups of 5 and rolled through instances. Rerolling was some of the most fun that I have had in this game.
IF you have to do it solo, the it isn't fun. Make your fried on your new server level up with you then it will be worth it.
Also, character transfers nearly make rerolling unnecessary.
KateJaneway Oct 29th 2007 1:09PM
It makes me want to reroll actually, I liked the challenge of having nothing and then getting somewhere. Somehow it feels like cheating, when my main sends an alt 30g in the mail, even though I'm not going to Not do it.
It reminds me of when I first started to play, although I did have a really great guild for a beginner. Daughters ofThe Alliance on Bronzebeard FTW.
Val Oct 29th 2007 1:13PM
I feel your pain Elizabeth. I started Horde, leveled to 55 before a friend asked me to play Alliance. Jumping at the opportunity to join RL friends, I switched and leveled a mage and hunter to 60. Soon after TBC shipped I really wanted to try out a BElf. I finished my mage to 70 and then began a BElf warlock on another friend's server. Now my old AC mage is collecting dust and I have three 70s on Horde side again. I'll never leave these two server though, it's too tough to rebuild each time - and although the shuffling has delayed my toon's gear by 3 months or so, it's great fun knowing I can see all the new content (WotLK) from both AC and Horde sides at will from a max level rather than drudging it from 1.
Fyxie Oct 29th 2007 1:28PM
I rerolled after a 6 month break after a friend also suggested I reroll to her server to try and make the game fun again.
I went from Alliance to Horde, from resto druid to blood elf warlock. My biggest issue was bag space and money. I'm so used to being able to switch to my high level tailor and making my alts bags when I start them, sending them money, etc. It was also really hard to instance for better gear. I went into outland with lvl 40-50 AH greens because I was lvl'ing quickly and couldn't wait 4-5 days to get a run into BRD, ST, Mara... nor did I want to wait.
In the end though, it was a fun and awesome experience. I still got my epic mount quest done at 60 thanks to some extremely nice people I met through trade channel. I got my flyer when I dinged 70, and a week later I had crafted my epic tailoring set.
But in the end, I still went back to my Alliance toons. I missed my friends I had made over the past 2 years, the money and experience I had on my old mains. I do miss the horde side quests while lvl'ing alts though. They were alot more fun.
Re-rolling did pay off though, it made the game fun for me again, and made me realize just how good my friends I had made Alliance side were.
Meeks Oct 29th 2007 1:29PM
My paladin hit 70 in Feb *My friggin TBC shipped late* and I ended up eventually raiding 4-5 days a week. Yes...as far as most classes go...Paladins feel the most empty...YAY 2 buttons for 5 hours!!!!!! So after going half way through SSC it lost all its feel and became really "empty" if I started playing an alt on that server people would tell me to raid. I couldn't stand the stress of RL and raiding. So my friend and me decided to reroll from scratch on a new server.
@ (Many #'s) It is hard to reroll... doing it with a friend make a BIG difference.
AndrewS Oct 29th 2007 1:34PM
Never tried this.. but could you send a bunch of money to a lvl 10 on your home server then transfer it over?
Gimmlette Oct 29th 2007 1:34PM
I have a variety of Alliance and Horde chars spread out across three servers. I play Alliance for the most part, but the need to be away from chatter and the usual guild mechanics and invitations from friends piqued my interest at playing horde. I'm now the proud parent of a level 7 troll mage and a level 8 BE warlock.
I'm having fun being broke and starting from scratch. I don't play them as much as my main and I'm walking onto servers where I know at least one other person, but generally, I don't know a soul and that suits me just fine. I'm in the game for the experience of which going from one backpack and 0 money to every bag slot and all bank slots filled with imbued netherweave bags and 3700g at my disposal.
My daughter offered to set me up with 20g to start and I told her no. "For a change," I said, "if mom needs money, let me ask you."
AvidCasualGamer Oct 29th 2007 1:34PM
Part of the problem of rerolling is the length of how long it takes to level up. Mid-game content is not fresh the 5th, 6th, 7th times you do it. Hopefully the changes to leveling up will alleviate some of these issues.
Because of the sheer time commitment to getting your toons up and going, I never leave pallie and mage (alt) for long.
Chainfire Oct 29th 2007 1:51PM
I got my first character to lvl 60 (Dwarf Pally) and then the guild I was in decided raiding wasn't for them until after TBC came out the week after I hit 60. Feeling meh about both my guild and my pally I rolled an undead mage on another server and hanve't looked back. I never had any problems with gold though, everything I learned before worked on my new toon and I never needed for cash.
jpn Oct 29th 2007 1:36PM
having a level 70 funding my alts is the only way i'd re-roll.
Milktub Oct 29th 2007 1:38PM
Rerolling reminds me of just starting out. I had friends who played, but they were already level 60 and in raiding guilds. The most "help" they gave me was when I was level 20something and they made me some mageweave bags (for which I had to pay 1g each). But I made it 1-70 just fine. Got my level 40 mount on time. Got my level 60 mount on time. Got my flying mount just seconds after dinging 70. I always had gold for my skills, buying new bags, replacing outdated gear.
In a way, it's more fun than rolling alts. Sometimes playing my alts seems so much less immersive. It still feels like a game, in fact, I have so much fun with my alts simply because I can keep them decked out in the best blue and purple to be found, send them buff food they couldn't possibly farm the mats for, and send them high level bandages they wouldn't be able to farm the cloth for. But I feel less like an adventurer and more like a rich trust fund kid.
Autumnbear Oct 29th 2007 1:39PM
I love my Emerald Dream server.
Not only was it 'recommended' to me by my server connection, but it's named after a major part of Druid lore, something I'm definately attracted to in WoW.
The day they make my Human Druid a reality, I'm definately rerolling and staying on this server. I'd love to meet up with my age-old 'enemies' and talk about the other side of my server war.
Thankfully I've maintained a relatively good reputation with the Alliance as my Tauren Druid, even helping them out when they looked like they were about to die at some randon NPC.
I just recently read the story about raid I.D.s getting mixed up, and how a few Horde members accidentally entered the same dungeon as an Alliance guild. Too bad a cross-faction error couldn't be made, I'd love to join the opposing side. Either as a Human on the Horde, or my Tauren on the Alliance.
superfrank Oct 29th 2007 1:54PM
I rerolled a few months ago and took mining; I never had any shortage of cash with the price at which I could see copper bars.