Boosting 4 RAF with a level 80

[vae432]

Hi new to forums, only just started 5 boxing. Thought would share what i am doing in case anyone was interested in how 5boxing in Cata is like. So far after a month using IS Boxer and Jamba only and boosting 1-3hrs a day, i have:
4 druids - lvl 30
4 mages - lvl 40
4 locks - lvl 49
4 shamans - lvl 53

Primary objective is to get five or six 4man same class teams to 60. After RAF ends then work on getting a druid or sham team to 85, then the rest to 75 for profession income.

I have been doing some documenting for fun to see how quickly i can boost 4 chars via RAF dungeons, recording experience and time. Below is what i have found so far, summarised for my own reference and in case anyone is interested (i have bad memory, a few months ago i 3box and boosted 2 chars to 65 but had to figure out how to boost from scratch again this time round).

I rest and rotate teams so they are always on rested experience. Linkage is A-B, C-D-E with the boosting level 80 lock on account E (half ulduar and ICC gear). 4 RAF + Booster in dungeon means bonus group experience as well.

Hardware
- 1 PC (i5 + 8gb ram, SATA hdd not SSD, donno what graphics card)
- 2x 24" monitors, Booster is on right screen, 4 boostees are in a straight line on right side of left screen, close-by easy to switch.

Level 1 to 10 - Quest
- group 4 boostee chars and quest
- hit level 10 drop all quests
Time = approx 60mins

Dungeon run procedure:
- set Hearth at Inn nearest your race's Riding Trainer
- group up including Booster (5 party)
- fly warlock Booster to dungeon, summon 2 Friends, create Summoning Portal and summon remaining 2 boostees
- for non warlocks, fly Booster + 1 boostee to Summoning Stone and summon other bostees
- take all quests and do (excellent experience)
- autofollow or park boostees in safe non-pat locations, kill everything, loot items for quests, ignore all other loot
- the per-run time includes killing all main bosses and running back to the instance entrance (to reset)
- i have Autofollow on Switch on
- to park boostee chars, on my Booster i click the Push-to-all-chars button On, press Move forward button then click the Push-to-all-chars button Off. This makes all boostee chars walk forward and cuts off autofollow.
- dont use boostees for damage, only heal/res if capable/required
- safe locations are places your boostees can be safely parked without getting killed by pats and receive experience when Booster kills mobs

Level 10 to 16 - Ragefire
- safe to autofollow as long as booster aggros everything
- killed everything except the underground troggs
Time = 4 runs x 7min per run + 10min extra time for questing = approx 40mins

Level 16 to 21 - Wailing Caverns
- same as RFC safe to autofollow if booster aggros everything
- killed all bosses, did all quests and only summoned Mutanus (very last last boss after u kill all main bosses) once
Time = 3 runs x 15mins + 20min questing and Mutanus kill = approx 65mins

Level 20
- hearth
- empty bags and repair
- buy new skills/spells
- buy riding skill and mount

Level 21 to 25 - Blackfathom Deeps
- same as RFC, safe to autofollow if booster aggros everything
- only not safe part to autofollow is
- annoying part is jumping the platforms. i was lazy and only jumped 3 chars then used lock summoning portal
Time = 2 runs x 13min + 10mins questing = approx 40mins

Level 25 to 40 - SM Cathedral
- cannot autofollow, must park boostees in safe locations (there are 2)
- enter instance and run down corridor
- stop 10 yards before the doorway on the right and park boostees so they are out of LOS of the pat that walks past the doorway (safe location 1)
- clear all mobs on lower courtyard
- choose left or right stairs, move boostees and park at one of these stairs (safe location 2)
- run Booster up the same stairs, kill single pat that walks up and down this stair or else he will take out your boostees, then clear all upper courtyard
- leave boostees at safe location 2, use Booster and open building door
- kill everything
- as a lock i did this by sending Felguard to hit Mograine once then hold. this makes all mobs swarm. after that SoC 3 or 4 times then Felguard whirlwind.
- also killed Fairbanks in secret room
Time = 17runs x 5mins + 5min questing = approx 90mins

Level 40
- riding and skills/spells

Level 40 to 46 - Zul'Furrak
- park boostees at safe locations as per pic
- clear all ZF in a clockwise route of map
- keep an eye of boostee experience, as soon as u dont receive exp for a Booster kill then its time to move to next safe location
- ignore Witchdoctor Zum'rah and the elite mummies in the ground, boss summons them slowly and too lazy to click mounds and kill them
Time = 5runs x 18min + 5min questing = approx 95mins

Level 46 to 57 - Stratholme
- do live side once to complete all quests
- for boosting runs, do undead side, more elites
- park boostees at Safe loc 1, clear 3 groups then open gate
- park boostees at Safe loc 2, open gate and clear all mobs to the right including Baroness Anastari and 5 Acolytes inside the ziggurat (need to kill all acolytes in the 3 ziggurats to open the gate to Rivendare)
- return Booster to safe loc 2 then clear all mobs to the left including Nerub'enkan and Acolytes
- send Booster into Safe Loc 3, wait for gates to close then aoe
- after gates open move boostees into Safe Loc 3 and use Booster to clear all mobs to the right including Maleki and Acolytes
- return to Safe Loc 3 then clear all mobs to the left including Barthilas
- park boostees in Safe Loc 4 making sure they are in the gate (which will close when your Booster attacks Ramstein)
- clear everything, go inside and kill Rivendare and loot mount
Time = 18runs x 15min + 30mins questing = approx 300mins

Level 48 to 57 - Upper Blackrock Spires (ALTERNATIVE TO STRAT)
- clear all mobs below and above bridge near entrance including the 2 pats
- park boostees on top of bridge
- go upstairs and clear everything in UBRS
- win
- u can even get Jenkins achieve on your boostees
- cant get quests until 57 which by that time u would head to Ramps
- if u get bored of doing UBRS, find somewhere and jump down to the lava of LBRS (similar to water, no fall damage) with full team and clear your way upwards to entrance
- i have found UBRS a bit faster than Strat, with the time required for 48 to 57 being 8 runs x 18mins = 144mins

Level 57 to 60 - HF Ramps
- small easy zone to boost through, can leave boostees at entrance and get exp for whole zone (just watch out for final boss who sometimes throws a fireball down to your boostees sitting at entrance)
Time = 6 runs x 10min = approx 60mins

Findings
- RFC, BFD, WC, SM Cath, ZF net between 1 to 1.5 levels per run
- Strat between 0.75 to 1 level per run
- dungeon run time can be as quick as 5mins (RFC and SM Cath) or a bit longer, eg 15-20mins (WC, BFD, ZF, Strat). For the quicker dungeons very easy to hit the 5 instance per hour cap.
- Wowhead shows minimum level required to enter particular instances. its always better to change to new instance as soon as you hit the minimum level for the next dungeon (higher experience per mob kill)

Other dungeons
Sunken Temple - now a small dungeon, spread out mobs poor experience vs time reward
Dire Maul - tried once, too lazy to learn safe locations, alot of annoying pats

Time required
Level 10 - 60mins
Level 16 - 40mins
Level 21 - 65mins
Level 25 - 40mins
Level 40 - 90mins
Level 46 - 95mins
Level 57 - 300mins
Level 60 - 60mins
TOTAL = 750mins (approx 12.5 hours)

As you can see im a pretty beginner 5 boxer, boosting is not really multiboxing as all i am doing is making my RAFs autofollow while i clear noob dungeons. After RAF ends and i need to level up to 85 i am sure i will be forced to learn to multibox properly.

[birdbleed]

Welcome to the forum.

Maybe consider leveling or gifting some levels to a Pali so you've got a (couple) plate wearer.

I'm glad to see you can still boost with the lowbie instances. I remember the efficiency being questionable after the changes in 4.0.1.

[Mercbeast]

I constantly level new teams up via boosting.

Few things I can possibly help you with.

RFC, do the entire instance in 3 pulls. Extremely efficient this way and you only need to move your low levels once. (I use a DK so my survivability might be better as such my advice on the number of pulls may be moot )

Pull all the troggs at the base level, including the side tunnels. Pull them halfway back up the ramp to the zone in and kill them.

Run your lowbies down to the lava before you take the right hand turn up the ramp. Park them about 1/3rd of the way up, against the wall.

Clear the remaining troggs/elementals up to the orc area.

Do the orc area in one pull, pull up the right side, up the ramp and then drop down to that other boss and agro everything else on the way out. Kill them just to the right of the last bridge you cross heading out of the orc area to LOS the casters.

I prefer SFK, you never have to move them. You get XP at the zone in throughout the entire instance. I do this at 15, its super easy and fast.

I move to SM at 21 until 40. You never have to move from the zone in when doing cathedral. I do Armory and Cathedral before I reset since all 4 instances are considered 1 instance. This allows me to delay running into the instance cap.

I pull armory in 3 pulls at level 80. This MIGHT not be doable with a warlock, but I will describe the process. First courtyard is pull number 1, I agro it all and then kill it all on the first stairs down.

Pull 2 is everything left before the stairs up halfwayish through the instance. The stairs ARE the cutoff point for XP at the zone in. So what I do is kill behind a wall away from the stairs and then run to herod, agroing everything and then back to the location I killed the second pull at. If you can manage to get in and out at level 80, this will speed the process up tremendously. IF you cannot, parking your lowbies at the top of the stairs after pull 2 will work as well.

Next is ZF which I generally do until 45. Where you have safe loc 2, if you move to the other side on top of the hill, you are 100% safe from agro. Additionally you can leave them there for the rest of the instance so long as you are willing to pull monsters out of one area. If you pull everything in the green area back past safe loc 5 you will get XP, if you pull everything in the purple area down to safe loc 3 you will also get XP with your guys at safe loc 2.

However, given that you are using a warlock, I have an alternate suggestion for you. Put your lowbies on follow, and tab target through everything and dot it up and just run a lap of the instance. I've done that to great effect with a level 70 warlock back in 2007.

After ZF it is a bit of a crap shoot. I'll do BRD with my druids I think since I can dump about 15k instantly aoe style with howling blast.

[UFOS]

hm nice, i try at my warlocks

[Jubber]

haven't posted in a while but I just got back into the game for cataclysm and started boosting a team. My route is pretty similiar to Mercbeasts.. RFC.. i only do for the quests.. cuz you can actually go to SFK at 11.

10-11/12 RFC Same deal 3 pulls. Troggs.. Elementals.. then orcs.

11-21 SFK leave em at the start and pull the first area kill boss.. then the rest of the instance can be done until the next open door in the tower.

21-38 Cathedral. .do all 4.

38-45 Scholo.. leave em at the door. can do entire instance with toons at the door.

45-48 Stratholme.. several places to keep your toons hidden.

48-60 UBRS.. just the top side.. I dont do the lower city. Do the first pull with the rooms that open the door.. then bring your guys to the stairs that leads to the fire boss.. kill the fire boss then bring your guys to the room and put them in the upper left corner of the room when facing the door to the rookery.. can pull the rest of the area up to the locked door and the toons will get XP.. then go back and grab the toons bring them into the arena with you to do the event.. leave them in the arena when done and you can kill all the way to the final boss. after he is dead go back collect them and run out.. reset and do all over.

Edit: Def bring a tank if you do UBRS as some of the mobs can stun and the rogues like to sap you. One of the most fun pulls I have ever done with my druid involved the rookery room.. the room upstairs with the blacksmith has mobs that charge and knock you around.. you can get ping ponged pretty bad.. got knocked all the way back to the rookery room.. so I just decided to do the LEEERoy achieve with all the orcs on my tail.. had a blast.. almost died.. 30+mobs with 40+ rookery whelps can beat the snot out of you.. if you get sapped and stunned at the wrong time.

[vae432]

Thanks for the response guys. good tip Merc regarding doing Cath+Armory before reset. it was a bit silly waiting around for half an hour lol.

Just hit 60 on druids and shams. cant enter Ramps until 57 now after cata but good news is BRS is a great boosting dungeon, easy and fast to get to 57, and then literally only 3 or 4 runs of Ramps @10min per run to ding 60!

Will update original post to include Ramp info later.

[vae432]

Level 48 to 57 - Upper Blackrock Spires
- clear all mobs below and above bridge near entrance including the 2 pats
- park boostees on top of bridge
- go upstairs and clear everything in UBRS
- win
- u can even get Jenkins achieve on your boostees

[Ualaa]

Welcome to the forums and to boxing!

Not the end of the world, but I'd really consider moving your booster from E to C.
That way, half of the toons that C boosts on ABDE (D specifically) result in granted levels to C.
Further for every four toons that C boosts on (E), E gives two toons to D, who then gives one to C.
Resulting in free toons on the boosting account, in addition to the same number of toons boosted.

Druids, Shammies, Mages and Locks are all fun to box.
I'd really consider (boosting or level granting) to add Paladins to the mix.
DK's will be nice too, but start at 55 so aren't really an RAF focus.
I personally like Priests, which aren't listed.. and am not fond of Warriors, who are also not listed.

[dancook]

BFD - I never jump platforms, swim to the other side and you can walk up a rock that ramps up the wall and squeeze through a gap.

[vae432]

thanks for that dancook i will have to look for that gap next time.

Ualaa: i actually transferred the lock from Account A to E, because i have a 80 war on Account A and a 80 dru on Account C. Intention was to 3box them to 85, but ended up focusing on RAF atm. tbh the free levels are a bit of a pain to incorporate into a 5boxing plan. plus i only have 2-3 spare slots left on account C =(.

So far the plan is to get 4 teams to 60. Then on the 2 main Vet accounts level up 2 sets of priests (2x2=4)to 30, and gift all 4 up to 60. If i want to 4box them later down the track, pay for 2 transfers.

I dont like warriors too lol.

Quick update:
4x 60 shams
4x 60 druids
4x 57 locks (Ramps = 30mins to ding weeee!)
4x i think 49 mages