Alt-friendliness and bind on account loot

[Azerate]

Alt friendliness is often a hot topic with generally people being in favor of various alt-catchup mechanics and against mandatory grinds that the player has already completed on their main character (reps, AP etc.). Here I'd like to ask you about what I would consider extreme alt-friendliness, and whether you think it would benefit the game, or not.

I recently had a chat on that issue with an old mate who has come back to WoW somewhat recently. He would like to experience playing various different classes, but the amount of time required to bring an alt up to speed and gear it to heroic level is an obstacle he can't overcome as an adult who has limited time to play the game. His idea to fix that problem was to make all loot BoA. That way you could just farm everything (including raids) on your main, send the loot to your alts, and only start playing them when they're already geared.

Personally I don't really play my alts in current content and only use them for farming and legacy content, but as a somewhat veteran player of the game this kind of change wouldn't sit too well with me. I think most of the fun of playing a character is actually gearing it and improving it. Then again, I only do current content with my main.

What do you think, would this motivate people to play alts? Would it be beneficial to the game as a whole? Feel free to explain your choice in the posts below.

[Declaron]

If his time to play the game is so limited, why would it be necessary to have any character in full heroic loot?

Also, it takes approximately 25 hours to level a character from 0-120 and gear it to 445.

Also also, if you make all loot BoA, you effectively destroy the gearing system. Like completely annihilate it beyond belief.

[Dread Pirate Phayde]

Voted no, I get people want to play alts, hell I have a lot myself, but its pretty easy to already get gear for them. Every 120 alt I've leveled since the rep buff has gotten full benthic gear out the gate and then upgrade as I play them, if I even go back to them. You want the alt, you need to put in some effort to get them to where you want them. Not to mention that wouldn't work with all alts, only similar armor classes.

[Firatha]

Raiding on 2 or 3 of the same class and funneling the gear onto one of them sounds like a great idea! /end sarcasm

[Azerate]

Raiding on 2 or 3 of the same class and funneling the gear onto one of them sounds like a great idea! /end sarcasm

Every type of armor (plate/mail/leather/cloth) is used by more than one class. Then you also have rings and trinkets which can pretty much be used by any class.

[RemasteredClassic]

I think it would be a good idea. Gearing being the only thing people are after can get dull and boring quickly. There needs to be another reason for people to play than gearing as the ultimate goal. Xmog, titles, mounts, toys, special effects, a legendary weapon with special powers is the exception, but even legendary gear should be account-wide IMO, other than weapons.

[Sorshen]

What could go wrong? /s

[Declaron]

I think it would be a good idea. Gearing being the only thing people are after can get dull and boring quickly. There needs to be another reason for people to play than gearing as the ultimate goal. Xmog, titles, mounts, toys, special effects, a legendary weapon with special powers is the exception, but even legendary gear should be account-wide IMO, other than weapons.

So your suggesting that gear is the only thing people are after, which is not true as people are “after” all the things you go on to mention directly afterwards, and then you go onto suggesting that all of it should be account wide?

Are you actually insane?

[reLik]

The gear itself is not the problem. Gearing alts is really easy, and in some cases, can be fun.

The problem is essences, cloak, azerite, and AP.

[Motso]

I have an alt of every class, and have found that the drag of doing the entire boring war campaign + getting them to a gear level that allows you to do the nazjatar shit has killed em for me.
I have a couple that I have gotten to 440+ but the time investment is just silly. BFA has killed the concept of alts for me, and it used to be my thing.

[Tziva]

The gear itself is not the problem. Gearing alts is really easy, and in some cases, can be fun.

The problem is essences, cloak, azerite, and AP.

This is basically how I feel. I don't mind gearing alts, because that comes naturally from doing the end-game content I want to do with them anyway. The stuff I don't like is the grinds that are required as a social prerequisite to that content - stuff like leveling the neck, unlocking basic essences, obtaining the cloak. Slogging through the cloak quest chain or opening Nazj/Mech for the sixth fucking time isn't the kind of fun activity I am excited about spending my limited available time doing.

There needs to be some stuff to do on alts. A major part of the MMORPG experience is the carrot on the stick for character progression and if you make too many things BoA, you remove that very important aspect of end game. I'm all for making it easier to jump into end game on new characters and am pro alt-friendly design, but I'd much much much much rather see that happen in other areas before gear.

[Maruka]

The cloak quest is by far the worst part of the current game after doing it for the sixth time. The rest isnt bad after you unlock flying.

[Razion]

Anything from past expansions at the very least should be fair game.

[Uko]

BoA gear would be garbage. They would have to heavily reduce loot drop chances to account for the no lifers doing 50 runs of things a week to min max gear since they can just do a run mail gear off to the next char.

[Laughingjack]

I liked the event heirlooms they did in MoP but anything beyond that seems a bit heavy handed.

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

Oh ya, this is not on the table in any way.
If all loot is BOA it REALLY exposes the balance of the game and classes.

Just can't happen.

The whole "alt unfriendly" thing has gotten really out of control some how.
There is more player power given for less and less effort every expansion, but yet some how people who don't have enough time to gear these alts are upset that they can't min/max them to the same degree as their main?

Makes no sense at all to me.

Probably because I grew up with this game in a time where getting the best gear meant committing to a raiding guild.
Now people just do a single 30 minute dungeon and get a 475 corrupted item.

Hard to understand any complaints about alt unfriendlyness when you can get mythic raid gear that easily.

[Nzx]

We carried someone though heroic last night and he went from 421 equipped to 470. If you're having trouble getting "heroic geared" that's certainly not a game problem. I'd also question why on earth you think getting any level of raid geared should be a reasonable expectation for someone who doesn't want to put forth any effort whatsoever.

[alt-ithist]

Oh ya, this is not on the table in any way.
If all loot is BOA it REALLY exposes the balance of the game and classes.

Just can't happen.

The whole "alt unfriendly" thing has gotten really out of control some how.
There is more player power given for less and less effort every expansion, but yet some how people who don't have enough time to gear these alts are upset that they can't min/max them to the same degree as their main?

Makes no sense at all to me.

Probably because I grew up with this game in a time where getting the best gear meant committing to a raiding guild.
Now people just do a single 30 minute dungeon and get a 475 corrupted item.

Hard to understand any complaints about alt unfriendlyness when you can get mythic raid gear that easily.

At this point there are people who expect all their alts to start at max lvl and corresponding matching Ilvl Gear of their main to be delivered in the mail upon logging in. Actually I’m pretty sure you’d still get complaints that having to open mail to get the gear is alt unfriendly.

[Sansnom]

What do you think, would this motivate people to play alts? Would it be beneficial to the game as a whole? Feel free to explain your choice in the posts below.

I personally think the changes Blizzard has made is already on the border line on alt friendlyness. And I actually likes to play multiple alts. While it is nice to have all alts at the same level, this in my opinion destroys certain attachments to characters since they are all the same and potentially creates a problem if certain class are favored over others for certain encounters. Bring the most optimal class combination.

As mentioned, the ability to gear alts to some decent level is already possible. The WQ, the limited BoA gear etc. Maybe there is argument to increase the alt friendlyness more towards the end of the expansion as a step to prepared them for the next expansion.

I think the current system is more than sufficient. Do people really need to have multiple toons at the same level? Other than because?

So, no, I do not think additional changes are required at the moment unless something major happens, like the AP grind back in Legion.

[Doffen]

No, alts should have their own progression.