by Karen Hertzberg on Jun 16, 2006
By Shayalyn
For a while, I was okay--I could
handle it. I really didnt want to play any other classes at first, and
I felt that my EverQuest druid was just fine. She had all the skills I
loved to use: nukes, DoTs, roots, snares, heals. I was content. Happy,
even. And then one day on a whim I made my first. Well, not exactly my
first, Id tried others, but my first since Id started playing my
druid in earnest. I made her, and she was good...very good. I got a
taste for it.
My first real alt was a barbarian beastlord. Ah, she was smooth. She
could solo well, and could summon a wolf to do her bidding. I thought I
was cool. All the other players were making alts, and I felt like I
wanted to be one of them...one of the in crowd. I made another, this
one a dark elf shadow knight. A dark elf enchantress followed. I was
getting deeper and deeper; more and more hardcore into creating
alternate characters.
My friends warned me to stop. Youve got to quit making alts, they
said. Thats no kind of life. Your druid is getting thin and
under-equipped. She isnt making any progress.
I can handle this, I told them. Dont you think I know how to handle
this? Im an adult! Im not some newb who cant control herself. Who do
you take me for?
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alt="Shayalyn the wood elf"
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hspace="4" vspace="2">They all shook their heads and turned away.
They called it denial. I knew that secretly they were plotting an
intervention. But I wasnt that far gone. One of my guildmates was a
two-boxer whose two accounts were laden with alts. I imagined him
quivering as he made new characters, or maybe selling his grandmothers
heirlooms just to support his habit. (Come to think of it, he actually
is a pawn shop owner in real life. Coincidence? I dont think so.)
Despite my growing stable of alts, I somehow managed to reach the level
cap with my EQ druid. I knew my alt addiction couldnt have been as bad
as everyone made it out to be, because Id met people who had not one
but many level-capped characters. A friend of mine had three characters
at the cap, with two others in their 50s, and maintained three--yes,
three!--separate EQ accounts. (He owns a network gaming center in real
life. Coincidence? I dont think so.) My addiction was nothing compared
to theirs. Compared to them, I was perfectly normal. I may have had a
minor alt problem, but I wasnt an alt-aholic.
Now, enter Vanguard. All those classes! All those races! Im naturally
inclined to play a wood elf druid, but how will I resist the lure of
the goblin bloodmage, the raki monk, or the lesser giant shaman? Telon
will be a cruel world for those struggling with alt addictions.
But not for me, of course; Im fine, I tell you--fine! *twitch*
Its my belief that characters are like potato chips--no one can play
just one! Whats your take? Will you have many alts when Vanguard
launches, or will you find your niche and play one character straight
through to the level cap? Are you straight and sober, or a confessed
alt-aholic? Perhaps youre in denial. Either way, answer our poll--its
completely confidential.
Whats your level of alt addiction?