Breakfast Topic: Alt-o-holics better at WoW?
by V'Ming Chew 
Apr 20th 2008 at 8:00AM
"I have five level 70s, therefore I'm good at the game!" This comment, or others that express a similar sentiment, is often heard in-game, on forums and here on WoW Insider.
Having multiple characters of different classes exposes you to many more facets of the game. An alt-o-holic, with multiple alts, enjoy a range of gameplay that is indisputably wider than someone who plays just one or two characters. While leveling content is largely the same, the classes are designed by Blizzard to be as different from each other as possible. Running through The Barrens on a Priest is a very different experience from running through the same zone with say, a Druid.
However, does sheer breadth of gameplay experience translate to a "better" player of WoW? Understanding how other classes work is definitely an advantage when you're playing in a group or raid, but is it fair to dismiss the "specialist" player who, through choice or simply lack of time, plays only a single toon?
In other words, does breadth of experience trump depth of knowledge as far as playing the game is concerned?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics, Classes, Alts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jumb Apr 20th 2008 8:09AM
Nah, not really. They do generally have some good insights, but levelling is still only one aspect of the game.
The ones I hate more though, are the "I raided MC so I know everything about this game" people. God, I hate those morons.
Jordrah Apr 20th 2008 11:32AM
amen bro, MC was over a year ago, and if you were still at MC when BC came out, then you suck outright. things have changed alot from what everyone says since MC. unless you had just started playing, thats like still being in only kara the week Lich King comes out
Chris Anthony Apr 20th 2008 12:25PM
Worse: "you didn't raid MC so you don't know anything about this game".
It's all just petty oneupmanship. People are looking for anything they can lay hands on to give them a feeling of superiority.
(Me too, admittedly: any time I see "noob" or its derivatives, I read "I've got five minutes until Mom makes me take the trash out.")
Wishy Apr 20th 2008 8:13AM
One can play through the game on a wide array of classes and still be terrible at the game.
Angry Joe Apr 20th 2008 8:26AM
Leveling a toon takes almost no skill, it only shows that you've played the game a lot. Maybe not even that. Ni hao!
Grim Apr 20th 2008 8:33AM
For Pvp I think experience with other classes is huge. Knowing spell/skill rotations and what that enemy's going to throw at you (and how/when) can help a lot. As for Pve, you can master every caster class and then be lost when up close when playing a melee toon (or vice-versa). Player skill definitely has to factor into success in any facet of the game. I think it's a fine line between broadening your Wow experience...and spreading yourself too thin.
Ranec Apr 20th 2008 8:35AM
Playing arcade games take the right kind of hand/eye coordination. It takes alot of practice playing games to become skillfull at it. A person with higher "gaming" skill will be successful in this game in a shorter period of time than one who lacks this gaming skill. The player playing wow who has 5 level 70's will have the knowledge to level a toon faster and what gear combinations, enchants, and talents work well.
World of Warcraft is playable without a high amount of the "gaming" skill. They might not react as fast, but with the experience they wont need to.
This does not include the players who just play casually, and maybe watch TV, chat, watch the kids, or just like to play and not compete with those hardcore players.
dick11 Apr 20th 2008 8:43AM
I have 5 level 70 alts and I wouldn't consider myself a bad player. But I'm definitely a jack of all trades and master of none. For example don't expect me to heal very well if I haven't using my priest for a month.
The advantage of alts is the insight it can give you into game play. Inferring from this that one is an expert would be idiotic.
What angry joe said is also true. When my hunter reached 70 I had almost never played in instances with him. It was only with friendly advice and reading bigredkitty that I became anything approaching good.
JParris Apr 20th 2008 4:43PM
I agree completely. Especially the jack of all trades / master of none bit.
I'm leveling my 5th 70 right now, an Enhancement Shaman. I've made it a point to have one of each "style" of character in the game. A tank (feral Druid), a healer (holy Paladin), melee DPS (enhancement Shaman), caster DPS (Warlcok), and ranged DPS (Hunter).
I feel that having experience with ever class in the game (up to at least level 30 on ones that aren't 70) is a great help in understanding what each class brings to the table. That includes defeating or working with people in PvP as well as setting up groups for PvE content.
Plus, having whatever class my guild might need on call at any moment has made me pretty useful. :D
Pendulum Apr 20th 2008 8:43AM
I'm just a few days away from leveling my 9th and final 70 (of course pally took the longest) but I'd have to say that while playing each class certainly helps, it doesn't teach you anything you wont learn interacting with the other classes on your main. If you instance and pvp for just a short while, you get to know what every class is capable of. While you can get that same knowledge firsthand by creating a stable of alts, you can learn it much quicker by doing a little reading or befriending someone of an unfamiliar class.
For me, the most important lessons were learned the first time playing each class type (Tank/Healer/DPS) After having leveled a warrior/druid/mage, I really didn't make any fundamental discoveries about the remaining classes that I hadn't already gathered after seeing them played by others.
I only raid on one of my chars, (and yet they all have comperable gear thanks to arenas and welfare epics) but the time it takes to manage them all is a burden. I wish I would have focused on my main a bit more this past year, as I missed out on a lot of raid content. I'm only just scratching the surface of T5 now, but everyone on my server seems to have moved on and I doubt there will be time to experience it. Still though, it is nice having more daily quests than are possible to do in a day, I'm really just focusing on getting the final 4 their epic flying before the expansion.
The toughest thing will be deciding which to make the new main in Wrath. I've gotten so used to being able to switch classes to fill a spot in a group, I'm not looking forwards to having to go another 90 levels (70-80 x9) before having that option again.
Super_Duck Apr 20th 2008 9:06AM
A guy in my guild got around 5 level 70'ers, you can truly say he masters none of them though. He is quite a bad player, and when he get to 70 he seems to forget about them..
Juliah Apr 20th 2008 9:18AM
*dryly* Alt-o-holics never ask priests/other non-warlock classes for a summons. That alone helps the game. :)
James Apr 20th 2008 9:27AM
^^ rofl too true.
Dah Apr 20th 2008 9:27AM
In the sense of knowing how all the skills on all the characters work: yes
In the sense of knowing how to fine tune and properly gear a character to be as strong as possible: no
What "alt-o-holics" miss is that hitting level 70 is only the start of truly knowing how to play a class. As a person that plays a mage as his main, I wish I had a dollar for every lvl 70 mage out there I've seen that simply doesn't know what they are doing with their gear and/or spec. This is usually obvious by mages in spellfire with no spell hit and tons of int gems or running with T4/PvP gear instead of Spellstrike gear.
Perhaps this comes down to that pre-70 you never have to do any theory crafting which is one of the defining factors in a character attaining their maximum potential.
darian Apr 21st 2008 2:32PM
You're only touching on one flavor of alt-o-holic, those that level to 70 and stop there. The trend for that subset is to lack knowledge of the finer points of their classes. However, that is not the only kind of alt-o-holic.
There are also the alt-o-holics that hit 70 and keep playing the character along with all their others. This isn't without its drawbacks, but generally speaking this brand of alt-o-holic is more knowledgeable about the game than the average Joe.
It's often the difference between factual knowledge and functional knowledge. Your average caster will probably know exactly how much Spell Hit they need to be effective, but probably won't be able to tell you why. Not every of this second brand of alt-o-holic will know either, but a greater % of their population will by virtue of increased exposure to the relevant theory.
Calybos Apr 20th 2008 9:31AM
"Alt-o-holics," as you call them, may not automatically be BETTER players. However, they might be more focused on just having fun than becoming Better At WoW.
And that, in turn, makes them better at life.
tsatsa Apr 20th 2008 9:37AM
Alts definitely help when you're grouping with people for Instances or quests. The more classes you've played (and we're not talking people who play whack-a-mole with their action bars and miraculously make it to level 70 that way), the better understanding you'll have of your teammates and how to play with other classes.
fLUx Apr 20th 2008 9:51AM
Yes maybe, if you are a raid leader, knowing what everyone can use, is a major bonus.
But I was in a group with a very well geared Warlock the other day, he was destro I think, and he told me that I could Life Tap if I was low on mana, and the healer will heal me, because I kept announcing I was low on mana...
Now, from a warlock who must have been playing for a very long time, because he also had a old PvP title before his name, I would think he knows about the talent which keeps me going though the longest of fights - Dark Pact, as an Affliction speced warlock.
So you can say Alt-o-holics are better as a group leader, but they also need to be a spec-a-holic, because I know for sure other classes - shamans especially - have specs which are miles apart, in what they can do...
Rahrnok Apr 21st 2008 10:36AM
One of our leaders for most of our guild's instancing has 5 level 70's, but plays them all very well. He also has a lot of general knowledge of the game, and that's really helpful when it comes to symboling and leading the runs. He is aware of what classes can be counted on to do what and uses us all very well. He has a goal of, like Pendulum already achieved, getting all 9 classes to end game, but of course hasn't started his warlock. (My main class). The difference in his knowledge of my class versus the other classes which has has played and plays well is funny, leaving it often to: "Oh Rahr, just do your warlock thing."
Spec plays a huge role though as I can honestly say that I wouldn't really be able to tell a demo lock how best to play certain situations since I have way less experience with that spec than with my Destro past or my Afflic spec currently. (I think I had a felguard for 3 days).
Focusing on gearing up one or two of your toons while you have fun leveling others is great, and gives you good perspective. I think the problem comes when you start dividing your attention in endgame raiding scenarios. It's hard to keep up on nine toons gear wise with the player who always brings the same toon.
-Rahr
Visit me at lockandroll.blogspot.com
Geo Lara Apr 20th 2008 10:00AM
Does having a bunch of alts make you a better player? Yes and no.
If simply counting the number of 70's you have is your only gage of skill then no. If you use your alts as learning experiences then I think it makes you better prepared when working with other classes.