Breakfast Topic: When your alt becomes your main
by Matt Mitchell 
Jun 19th 2010 at 8:00AM
Back long ago I started a druid for the sole purpose of making leather kits for my guild. At the time I didn't realize that since my main was an enchanter, I made myself redundant because leather kits overwrite enchantments -- but I must have liked my druid. As I leveled that enchanter, a mage, my druid was never far behind. Now both toons are level 80, geared, and at the top of their professions. I honestly don't know which one of them is my main and which is my alt. The only difference is, as a healer, the druid has more utility in raids and heroics.
Have you ever switched mains? What would cause you to switch? Guild needs? Personal preferences? Switching classes? With paid server and faction transfers, a lot of the old reasons for switching toons have gone by the wayside. We want to hear your main switching stories.
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
Snark Jun 19th 2010 8:05AM
I switched from a horde main to an alliance main.
Was this a mistake?
MusedMoose Jun 19th 2010 8:10AM
The only way it's a mistake is if you're not having fun.
Possum Jun 19th 2010 8:10AM
Yes
Cyanea Jun 19th 2010 9:19AM
Yes, but one that can easily be fixed with another faction change. Don't worry, bro...we've all had moments of weakness.
My first character was a Nelf Hunter (see? Moment of weakness). I wanted to play with my friends who all started the game at the same time I did, so I didn't level her very fast. I was sitting at 50 waiting for them to catch up and rolled a Warlock for shits and giggles. Long story short, I fell in love with the Affliction tree and that lock became my main.
Until one day, for lack of anything better to do I logged into a shaman I levelled through RaF and then ignored. Now SHE'S my main. Chain Heal with 4pc T10 is just too sexy.
Molo Jun 19th 2010 1:29PM
Mistake? Both factions are the same. Unless you're referring to spending $25 or weeks rerolling, then yes, I would say It's a mistake.
Aurann Jun 20th 2010 12:21AM
I started playing mid-bc, back then my main was a hunter
First character to 70 first character I went into a raid with
Then I leveled up my shaman as I had been enjoying playing it at low level, suddenly my enhancement shaman was being brought to all the raids.
I then of course leveled my shaman up to 80 as my new main
Now for cata I’m thinking ill main my warrior (who is also 80 now)
As for the hunter... I hear borean tundra is quite nice right now :P
MusedMoose Jun 19th 2010 8:14AM
I used to consider myself too much of an altaholic to ever have a main, but that was back in the days when the highest I ever got a character was 36. Then my rogue was my main for a long time, mostly because I was trying to get her to 80 by last December, so I could get the "Merrymaker" title for her. I stopped playing her after that, mostly 'cause I felt like I'd achieved everything I wanted to with that character.
Now, I play my mage and my DK almost exclusively, so it's hard to say which is my main and which is still an alt. I tend to go for a goal with one of them - a rep grind for a mount or title, usually - then switch over to another goal with the other character, all the while running heroics and all that with whatever character I'm playing at the time. I've been going for the "Argent Champion" title with my DK, but it'll be time to switch to my mage in a few days, to get all the Fire Festival achievements.
If nothing else, it keeps me from getting bored, and I think learning two very different playstyles has helped me get better at the game. Except when I push a button for the wrong class ability because I'm playing the other class. @_@
Calybos Jun 19th 2010 12:56PM
Same here; I don't have a "main." I rotate between all my characters at various times. Some are at 40, some 60, and three are at 80 now... but I don't play one more than the others.
In fact, the ones at 80 are probably going to get less attention now--I like questing and exploring a lot more than the endgame stuff.
Molly Jun 19th 2010 1:42PM
I'm similar. I have a policy for myself that I only play WoW when I WANT to. Not like I always want to do the grind, but I never force myself to play when I have absolutely no interest. This keeps me from burning out completely and, you know, I actually have fun playing the game. So when I get bored of doing one thing on one main, I'll switch to another alt and level, or mess around with professions. Or, I'll just take a break altogether. I've always been 'slow' playing the game, but I think I also enjoy it for myself. Perhaps more than people who rush through to endgame and get geared up immediately. But then again some people enjoy doing that too, so I can't say.
cloudhopper013 Jun 20th 2010 2:00PM
I had something similar. The furthest I'd leveled a character was to 40, until I found my lock. But then... something happened.
Here's something all of the hardcore mage fanboys would love to hear:
I leveled a warlock main for the longest time. One day in a random instance group, I encountered some of the nicest people I've ever met. They were all RPers from Moon Guard, too. I'd been itching to RP ever since I started playing WoW (it's in my blood, you could say) so I finally cut the crap and went over to Moon Guard. There was this character concept I made up that I was itching to bring to life in some form or another, and I decided that an Undead Mage would best fit him (I now realize that a destro lock would have done MUCH better. Ah well). Either way, after I grinded past the first twenty or thirty levels, I fell in love. My lock over on Mok'Nathal has been collecting dust for months. You just have to love the "BOOM! YOU'RE DEAD!" aspect of a fire mage.
Pyren is his name, horde side over on Moon Gaurd. He's now trying to start his own guild! >:] I need three more sigs. I already have a somewhat loyal following of active friends backing him up.
So I went from Warlock to Mage, from Non-RPer to RPer. >:D
Jarvish Jun 19th 2010 8:16AM
I started out as a hunter. It took me a lot of time to level him because I always got distracted by the immersive world and getting mounts and pets and so on. When he hit 80, I went into raiding with him and all was well and good.
My wife complained a little that I was playing so much and I tried dragging her into the game. She rolled a rogue, but didn't find the game much fun because her english is not very good and she couldn't get into the atmosphere and left the rogue sitting at 55ish.
Then the PTR for 3.2 (or was it 3.1?). New druid forms were being implemented, and I wanted to see them. So I copied a premade tauren druid to the PTR and "accidentally" clicked swift flight form. From that moment in time, my hunter has not been played except for levelling his JC.
My wife and I rolled a druid each (she dropped out at lvl 13ish and rolled a DK, a playstyle much better for her), and I'm now the official raidhealer on our ICC-10 team. He has just passed the /played time of my hunter. Just too bad some mounts and pets are soulbound and not accountbound ;)
Justin Jun 19th 2010 8:16AM
Shortly before Wrath came out, I had to quit playing because I had run out of game time. My druid was level 55 at the time. When I got back into it, I purchased Wrath and decided to roll a Death Knight for the heck of it.
Two years later, I've finally started leveling my druid again, after getting my DK to 80 and fully ICC geared.
Golle Jun 19th 2010 8:17AM
I have my Druid as a main, I've had him since the beginning of Wotlk and I absolutely love him. Lately I've been working on my Paladin to get him into ICC-raids, mostly to get DKP for 10man raids my main is saved in. I wouldn't trade my Druid for anything in the world.
Our officers on the other hand have 4-5 different chars each they swap around between raids, all in pretty much equal level of gear. I asked them char which they consider their main and none could give me an answer. They just choose their char based on what the raid is lacking at the moment.
I could never do that, my Druid is my main. My Paladin is just a side-project.
Seans Jun 19th 2010 8:22AM
I had my ret paladin as my main from 3.0-3.3.2. I had everything novelty on there, 75 pets, 100 mounts etc. In 3.2 I'd been running 10 man alts and tanking them on my druid. As 3.3 hit I got bored of my paladin and retired her, but carried on with the 10 man alt runs with my druid. Eventually worked it into a 25 man group, got some decent PuG progress and decided to make him my main. Only thing I miss are the achievement points, titles and my sindorei orb :)
Briory Jun 19th 2010 10:06AM
I had a pally too - she had loads of achievements, 80 pets, the whole kit and caboodle. When they announced they were doing away with Seal of the Martyr. I stopped playing her.
I started playing my druid again, and now my druid is better off than my pally. I think it is funny that one stupid seal made me quit playing paladin :)
The Jebadaiah Jun 19th 2010 8:22AM
pr0 tip:
whenever your main gets nerfed, even in the slightest, you switch mains...
since your 1st main is no longer as good as he was there is no point in keeping it as a main...
/sarcasm off
WaterRouge Jun 19th 2010 9:54AM
/sarcasm off is the new "Down rates incoming" ?
Anathemys Jun 19th 2010 9:58AM
Yeah, pretty much.
jobojj Jun 20th 2010 5:54AM
Why down rate when it's clearly a joke?
The Jebadaiah Jun 21st 2010 10:37AM
For those who are not familiar with the intricacies of looking up a word...
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=sarcasm&l=1