My name is Aunna, and I'm an altoholic. My healers are my favorites, but recently I've been playing my hunter more than usual, and I've made a little warrior tank. (Gnome tanks are adorable!) I was having a discussion with a friend, and we began talking about the class changes, and he mentioned how he doesn't like the changes to his main class, but is very fond of an alt now, so he was considering switching mains. I've swapped mains in the past, but I've never had as many things on my main as I do now. I can't imagine not furthering the work on just her, and leaving alts as alts. When has there been too much work into a toon to swap anymore?
I like all my characters. If you asked me which one I liked the most, I would say my Paladin. However, if you rephrase the question a bit, my answer would be different. For example, if I lost my account and had to start from scratch again, what would I make first? My answer would not be the same. I'm not sure what it would be, but it wouldn't be a Paladin.
I love the mechanics of my main, but I love the same things about my alts too. What keeps me there isn't the class. It's the amount of work put into her. The titles, the achievements, the mounts. Things that just aren't viable on alts. Even beyond that, it's the reputation I have. The fact that people know my main. Her name is familiar on my server, and I often name drop her to get into groups on my alts. There are a ton of things that I just can't re-create on another toon, and that's what keeps me from swapping.
For the foreseeable future, my Paladin will remain my main. I will keep putting work into her, and making her as amazing as possible. I will also continue raiding on my alts, but they will never get the same amount of care that she does.
I'm really curious to hear from someone who does swap mains a lot, especially if you are a hardcore raider or have something otherwise unattainable on a former main. How can you handle letting go?
/bubblehearth
I hear ya, did not raid vanilla but still....
ReplyDeleteAlso, name dropping is just sensible, it tells people instantly that u know fights etc.
My current main I've had since BC, and she was an alt for part of wrath.(naxx-ulduar, my guid needed a bear tank so I did that for a spell)
ReplyDeleteIt was hard enough swapping from my druid, who has a realm first inscription achievement and some titles my paladin doesn't have, but I just can't imagine swapping anymore. I have too many things that I will literally not be able to get on any other toon, such as Death's Demise, Grand Crusader, and Light of Dawn. Not to mention the tedious achievements I have. I just can't imagine giving that stuff up and making her an alt now, we've been through a lot together.
I know people who have swapped mains every expansion, and even one guy who does it every raiding tier. I just don't understand how people don't get attached.
I have switched every expansion, and I find it actually easier to dive into an expansion with a fresh character. Expansions have always felt like game resets to me. Part of it might just be my history where my guild, server, and character has changed with every expansion. A clean late with which to dive into the new content! No thoughts of "I can't believe this instance blue is better than my legendary..." I can't believe the new guy that was in blues last week is now the best geared person in the guild, because he leveled faster than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteBC was just a guild/main change, while Wrath included a server change as well. Having a totally clean start made Wrath the most fun I have ever had. I have seriously considered changing servers again for Cataclysm. Sure I would miss some of the friends left behind, but a clean slate might be a good thing to keep the game fresh.
Right now I really don't know what I am going to do... Six months ago I was sure I was switching back to Horde for Cataclysm. Three months ago I was sure I was playing my priest in Cataclysm. One month ago I was sure I was sticking with my druid as my main. And now here we are almost exactly a month from Cataclysm and I have no clue what I am going to do... I definitely have to make up my mind soon!
I can see how titles like Death's Demise and Grand Crusader would be the type of thing to really tie yourself to a toon, but in some ways it's also a reason to put a toon on the mantle. Preserve them in their Wrath perfection and retire them as the best of the best :)
-Qismat (Feathermoon)
Thanks for the comment! I was curious about the other side of the fence here, and you've made some good points. I can see how a fresh start could be appealing. Personally though, I have a hard time switching servers. I enjoy wow largely for the community, so I hate leaving friends behind. But, I suppose with RealID that is not a huge concern anymore. The downside to my way though is that I sometimes am not a huge fan of the changes the class has gotten, but get too stuck on the character, and just put up with it.
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, as for what you should do in Cata....I happen to know a holy Paladin who needs a badass tree for a progression hard mode 10 group. Should hit me up ingame if it's something you might be interested in. Wednesday/Thursday 7-11 PST. I'm waiting on an answer from someone still but I wouldn't be surprised if she has plans already.