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TurpsterVision: Multiboxing, Recruit a Friend Style


We can't believe it either – Turpster has been let loose on WoW.com to bring you videos from in and around the World of Warcraft! You've heard him on the WoW Insider Show, and now see him on TurpsterVision right here on WoW.com.


Multiboxing has long been at the center of a heated debate within the WoW community. Some say that it is cheating; others say that it is just against the spirit of the game, all I know is, I absolutely love it!

I started my journey nearly 90 days ago where I added three new accounts with Blizzard's 'Recruit a Friend' scheme. I set myself the goal of being able to have a level 60(+) of every class in the game. For some of you out there I am sure that you've already achieved this feat during the past 4 and a half years of Warcraft – I know of one person who has gone FAR further than just one of each class. I've always focused all of my attention on my main, gathering achievements, pets, mounts, mats, gold, gear, well you get the picture – and I ended up forgetting the joys of alts. So with too much time on my hands, a few extra copies of WoW and some cool bits of software (more on this below) I jumped into Azeroth with a new mission; to destroy everything!



My set up is as follows:
2 x 20" Monitors
1 x Mac Pro
1 x Windows 7 Release Candidate
1 x Octopus (The multiboxing software not the new expansion's Hero Class)
1 x Logitech G9 Mouse & G15 Keyboard

WoW isn't the most intensive game on your graphics card and system resources when you don't want it to be, you don't need a super computer to take on more than one WoW client running at once.

If you have more than one processor core available to you then you can set up different 'processor affinity masks' which is basically a posh way of telling your PC to which of the WoW clients will use which processor core. There will be more in-depth info on how to set this up on next week's video and post.

Managing the keystrokes between your accounts is the most important task for any multiboxing setup, without it you wont even come close to reaching the potential power that comes with a well coordinated team of <insert class name here>. As I have said before, I use a program called Octopus, but there are many different types of solutions out there depending on your setup.

If you want to play on a PC, there is, of course, Octopus, but an alternative option is the very popular Keyclone that has a very friendly GUI and built in maximizer, which will help keep all of your windows nice and organized.

If you've got more than one PC at your disposal then you'll need to pick up a KMV switch or a program like HotkeyNet. This is obviously more expensive but it is how the old school multiboxers did it.

For Mac, there is CloneKeys which is a slightly more basic than Keyclone (but just as functional for anyone who is starting out) but with no built in maximizer you'll have to take care of your own windows placement.

The second most important tool in the multiboxer's arsenal is the awesome WoW add-on suite Jamba. Jamba assists you in some of the more menial elements of the game, such as all of your characters getting on the right flight path and picking up and handing in the correct quests. I find it invaluable in preserving my sanity; a one button group invite, automatic /follow after combat, sending warnings to the master account whenever someone breaks follow or is attacked. Just one of these features would make it a great add-on to have, but having all makes it a must in my opinion.

Lastly the use of in-game macros makes one shotting mobs possible from level 1 onwards. For my characters I choose one account to act as the 'Master' account and the others act as 'Slaves' to the 'Master' account. For each of the slaves I have the same button layout as the master but with /assist MASTER'S NAME before each of the spells in a /cast macro. These allow me to just target the mob on the master's account and then press the key binding causing all of the characters to jump into action hitting the mob's weak spot for massive damage.

So this video should serve as a little taste into the world of multiboxing. If it is something you think you would be interested in, then tune in next week and take a look at the full guide. And if you aren't interested in multiboxing, or even go as far as to say that you hate the idea of multiboxing, then tune in too since I'll be pointing out all the weak points and how to take them down!