Altaholics Anonymous, a Guide to Kicking the Habit
By
Altoholic_Monkey,
Posted on: 2006-08-31 04:33 in Player Guides
Awww, good job and sound advice. No chance in heck I'll follow it, but sound advice nonetheless. 
-Possibility
Shameless Altoholic
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Step 4. Delete all characters on your chosen server under 30. "What?!?! You've got to be $@#&ing kidding me!"
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I enjoyed your guide. It was a fun read and had lots of usefull information. I do however have to disagree with this one piece of advice.
Once you have a charecter that you like the powers/costume/concept/name there is no reason to commit genocide on the rest of your creative works.
From my experience, players who delete lots of charecters are the ones who are likely never to make it to level 50.
Centinull
Hello, My name is Pollution, and I'm an Alt-a-holic.
I have been playing CoX since CoH was in Beta. Even then, I was unable to get my main toon over level 22, due to my obsession with Alts.
I have exactly one toon at levle 50 in these almost three years. I have another who is at level 42, Ember Reign, the Fire/EM tank. I also have quite a few 30+ level toons.
I find myself daily debating about what toon to play. Currently, I'm focusing on Chatter, the DM/FA Brute, for whom I wrote my first guide for this game. I have only respec'd him once, and that's saying something for me.
I have over 50 alts on varying servers. Some in their 20s, most in their early teens. I seem to achieve a travel poiwer and then loose interest in my toon. I once tried playing as much as I could without a travel power, by 6 slotting Sprint, but ED ended that toon's carrier, as without a travel power, even Swift+Sprint 3-slotted for speed became too much of a burden.
I would like to reform, but I find it hard. my toons mean alot to me. Each one has a history, a backstory, an origin of powers story, and yes, even a family. My level 50 hero's family were killed by Crey Corporation. Another's family lives happily in Vermont, and welcomes her home as if nothing has changed for her since she was a child. My Tank's family is estranged, his father disagreeing with his chosen lifestyle, due to his uncles death in the Rikti Invasion, he blames Heroes just as much as the Rikti.
You see. An idea pops into my head, and I have to try it out. I can't tell you how many controllers I've tried, or how many defenders were deleted, only to be replaced by an exact clone.
I am here today, to tell you all that Alts have destroyed my life. I find myself thinking of them in the middle of the night, craving even, to play with the costume creator, even if I don't have a concept. My wife and children are ashamed that I only have one 50, when others have entire server's full of them.
My name is Pollution, and I'm an Alt-a-holic.
As the resident Queen Monkey of the Altoholics, I quote Bugs Bunny: "Of course you realize, this means WAR!"
Split Personalites and YOU!
101 Alts
Alts from the Big Chair
Age of Alt-quarius!
I could go on... 
It's interesting to me that so many people perceive "getting to 50" as the only true and valid goal of the game. Where does this idea come from?
I'm an altaholic, and even after occasional fits of toon deletion I have over 50 toons. Recently, with the diligent and generous help of a regular teammate, I have leveled one toon up to 50 in CoV. All I can say about it is: "big deal." I received zero emotional satisfaction from my achievement. What it felt like to me was that I played one of my favorite toons a lot more frequently than I really wanted to, and now that toon is basically dead. Unless you are a PvPer, or a SG leader, or you are trying to unlock the Kheldian ATs, there is no real point in having a level 50. So tell me again: what is the point in grinding it out to finally get to 50?
Altism is one of the purest pleasures in CoX. I enjoy creating new concepts, even if I have already used the same AT/ powerset before. I like playing a toon till it gets its travel power, or till it gets a cape or aura, depending on the character. I like saving my toons for a day when I get the craving to play them again. And if a global friend logs on with a toon of level "x," maybe I have a toon in my repetoire of about the same level, and we can enjoy a pleasant afternoon of gaming.
But relentlessly playing a toon till I have killled it? That's a mountain I just don't care to climb.
He's in denial.
Level 50s:
BlackSpectre, Dark Defender (Guardian)
Thorin, Invul/Axe Tank (Justice)
Volcano Juice, Fire/Stone Tank
Professor ?, Mind/FF Controller
Stone Forge, Stone/Fire Tank
Having a 50 is nice (insert sense of accomplishment here) but so is being able to play a wide variety of characters with different power set combinations. Some might even be the combination but be played differently for a host of reasons. I have a modest 45 alt's currently with one 50 but a few others getting close. The joy is in the journey not the destination and there is no wrong route.
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It's interesting to me that so many people perceive "getting to 50" as the only true and valid goal of the game. Where does this idea come from?
I'm an altaholic, and even after occasional fits of toon deletion I have over 50 toons. Recently, with the diligent and generous help of a regular teammate, I have leveled one toon up to 50 in CoV. All I can say about it is: "big deal." I received zero emotional satisfaction from my achievement. What it felt like to me was that I played one of my favorite toons a lot more frequently than I really wanted to, and now that toon is basically dead. Unless you are a PvPer, or a SG leader, or you are trying to unlock the Kheldian ATs, there is no real point in having a level 50. So tell me again: what is the point in grinding it out to finally get to 50?
Altism is one of the purest pleasures in CoX. I enjoy creating new concepts, even if I have already used the same AT/ powerset before. I like playing a toon till it gets its travel power, or till it gets a cape or aura, depending on the character. I like saving my toons for a day when I get the craving to play them again. And if a global friend logs on with a toon of level "x," maybe I have a toon in my repetoire of about the same level, and we can enjoy a pleasant afternoon of gaming.
But relentlessly playing a toon till I have killled it? That's a mountain I just don't care to climb.
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QFE
Been playing since release and my highest toon is level 35
Virtue: Sistah Powah, Afrodizziac, NeutronBlonde,Distortionist,IonMaiden,BlindFaith,M adwoman, Vital Signs,Yzzorrdrex,Diesel Mage, Defend, Glasshouse,Rescue I, Bootytrap, The Experience, AE Virus, Drawback, Daytime, Nighttime, Chamberwraith, Invincible Ink, Monster Mitts, Hex Object, Hexperiment, Frightningbolt, Spooky Deville, Scream Weaver, Cackler, Shocktopus, Ogrekill,Road Hazard,Fahrenhate,Duotherm,Black Lung, Horrorculturalist,Foulmouth,
Nice guide you crazy mental ward freak 
lol
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Step 2. Chose 1 server. We all know that with 11 servers and 12 slots a piece, that creates a possibly 132 toons! That is 131 too many! Find one that suits you best. Check the boards to find out which community seems right for you. If you RP, there is an unofficial server for that. As well as one for PvP. You just have to chose and you've graduated from step 2!
Step 3. Delete all other toons on all other servers. "What?!?! You've got to be $@#&ing kidding me!" No. I am not. Remove all temptation from your life. Have a lvl 50 on a different server? You really should stop reading here, or perhaps you should rethink your server choice. But with another 120 slots available to you, the temptation to creat an alt is far to great. Go ahead, delete them, I'll hold your hand.
Step 4. Delete all characters on your chosen server under 30. "What?!?! You've got to be $@#&ing kidding me!" No. I am not. Obviously if you've gotten a toon to lvl 30, it is a toon you enjoy playing. The name, the archtype, the power sets, you enjoy spending time with this toon. "But Nadya, I don't have a toon over lvl 30. What should I do?" That's okay. All is not lost. If you have a few toons around the same level, pick one, and only one. This may take awhile, I'll wait.
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That would be criminal killing all those heroes and villians I have invested my time in. Just to pour it into one toon.
No Sir I do not like it... Not one bit.
Great guide thou, I really enjoyed reading it. Just not somthing I will be doing anytime soon.
Please do not read any tone into this my post it is meant as 100% none abrasive
A nice guide, but I have to agree with the other alt-o-holics here. You don't necessarily have to delete all your other toons. I had a handfull of toons, all different types. One of the types stood out as a clear favorite. I just enjoyed playing that character more than the others. Got that one to 50 while the others stayed in the teens. I now have 25 toons, but a few clear favorites.
It's definitely a journey. Enjoy the scenery and don't forget to stop and eat the roses. 
"Player First / Villain Second" - Dr_Hetero
"The real pros will never trumpet their experience. They'll lead by example." - Primal
I'd simply amend this guide with: "If you cannot follow these guidelines, for whatever reason, I suggest you check out that crazy group of unrepentant altoholics (who still ahve plenty of lvl 50s!) over at the Repeat Offenders Network (www.repeat-offenders.net) as they'll enable you nicely!"
/end advertisement
This was definitely my problem. After almost 2 years my highest toon was a 35. But then I did commit and, though I did mess with another toon for 36 levels in between, I got my 50 during a six month span. I have one suggestion for a recovering altoholic:
Do a little soul searching to find out what it is you really love in a character. Then, make yourself that character and commit to it.
For instance: I know I love a silver-age concept AND a rarely seen powerset combo. I'm not a power-leveler or min-maxer. Thus, for my 50 I spent a long time generating a concept that I really enjoyed that tied to a powerset combo I'd never seen in game before.
Do you know what you love? If you're a min-maxer, pick a spines-regen scrapper or mind-kin troller or energy/ stalker. Do you like gothic toon concepts? Make your own vampire. A satirist? Make that silly toon you always wanted.
Whatever it is, put some thought and effort into your character before you roll it. You will feel more involved with that toon and stick with it, and you will get lots of positive feedback.
Once you've done that, build on it. "Speak" like your character would. Use emotes and bind little sayings. Breathe some life into your character and you will feel like that hero (or villian).
Finally, plan your build. Search the forums for guides and read up. Get the character planner, make at least one build, then post it online and get feedback. Nothing will disenchant you more than gimping yourself halfway through your journey.
I'd recommend the following links to help you on your road to recovery:
Snowlily's Guide to Creating Roleplayable Characters
Starmor's Guide to Random Phrases!
SherkSilver's Character Builder
For an account of my personal experience recovering from being an altaholic, see the top link in my sig.
Here's a less drastic way to do it:
Housecleaning
Go through your collection of alts, and decide which, if any, are deleteable. Some things to consider are character level, character concept, and overrepresented powersets. For example, ask yourself if you really need two Emp defenders and and an /Emp troller. People will also have different views on what level characters are deleteable. Personally, I'll delete anything under level 22 without thinking twice. Some might consider toons in the 30s deletable, and others might not want to delete over 10. That's fine... different players have different needs.
Goals
Whether or not you've deleted any alts at this point, the important thing is that you've given your alts some careful consideration. Now it's time to go through them again, and think about what your goals are for each character. I would actually take the time to write this down... maybe break out a spreadsheet.
I think it's important to have a goal for every alt, and it's important to realize that "get to 50" isn't a goal for every character. Some characters may have goals like doing specific content or earning a particular badge. Others may have roleplaying or social goals. I consider them all valid, it's just important to know what your intentions are for the character. Also, while you're writing down your goals, if you run across characters who you have no goals for, you should consider them a good candidate for deletion.
Picking Your Main
Pick one character, only one, and make his/her goal be "get to 50." It doesn't matter what level this character is, but make sure it's a character you really enjoy playing. Now consider your timeline as a secondary goal. Try commiting to something like one level per week. Of course this depends heavily on your own play schedule, but choose something that works for you.
Work on meeting your goal. As the OP said, it helps to have an active SG. Also, use your server forum to meet people, set up in-game events, etc... I also recommend making use of your global friends list and global chat.
Enjoy your journey to 50, but don't be so rigid about it that you can't enjoy an occasional break with an alt either.
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Awww, good job and sound advice. No chance in heck I'll follow it, but sound advice nonetheless.
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ditto.
I'm terrible
The problem is my main hero is emp/rad def. So I can't solo wit him, so I need an alt when I can't find a team.
ok, here's a quick thing, the 'get to lvl 50' is a MAIN GOAL, while untill you reach it, you should make 'SECONDARY GOALS' like, 'get a cape' or 'get a badge' or... maybe even just try to become famous for one sort of 'saying' or just become some flow of knowledge at lvl 50 that everyone turns to, or make some immersive role play unlike the others, there's millions of possibilities that some of the old career quitter vets wont utilize, wich makes it your job to compensate for
Yeah, I'd skip all the deleting.... Two accounts, 125 or so characters, three of which have gotten to 50. One of them was a fluke. (As an a "what the heck," unplanned, not an invertibrate.)
What gets you to 50? A good group you like playing with.
What helps you keep going? Being able to switch once in a while. Yes, alts help. But when the level 34 Scrapper, 36 Blaster, 35 Kheldian you play with are on... you want to haul along your level 33 or so Controller. (as a for instance.) It's just more *fun* that way. (says the person who joined an Infernal group some SG mates were running... with a lvl 6 stone tank.)
My name is baleful deity, and I suffer from acute altitus.
Oh sure, I have tried to stop... but I CAN'T! I would say I have made around 200-300 alts since signing up. Most never make it to level 15. I only have three characters past thirty, and no lv 50s.
I won't even lie now... I don't even have any characters NAMED baleful deity anymore... and the original got deleted at level 12...
I'm an altaholic and proud. I love creating a new characters. I love trying out the different power sets. I love trying out different combinations.
My altaholicism started because I like to play healers. I tend to play late at night so finding a group can be a real chore.o I'd make more toons and play around with them when I couldn't find a group. My highest level character got there by fighting winter lords. He's level 41. The only reason I really want to get him to 50...is so that I can have a few more alts to play with.
Some good advice, some horrible advice. To quote a wise man, "L50 is a journey, not a destination." Just play the game--there is no wrong way to do that, as long as you have fun.
Ive got it extra bad... Infinity is the only server ive played on and enjoyed (already have friends and inf, dont have to put up with the l337 k33dz in low zones). I find myself regularly deleting lvl40 characters because i want to make a new one on a whim. When the vilian EATs come out Im going to be stuck either deleting a 23, or an 18. Being they both are mind dominators 1s gunna get the axe.
I did manage to get 2 50s in a year tho.. and am pretty close to having 2 more. But the altitis kicks in everyweek. Im contemplaiting getting a second account just for more infinity slots.
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It's interesting to me that so many people perceive "getting to 50" as the only true and valid goal of the game. Where does this idea come from?
...
So tell me again: what is the point in grinding it out to finally get to 50?
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QFE
Been playing since release and my highest toon is level 35
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Hi, my name is SouthernBlaze (at least right now it is), and I'm a relapsing Altaholic. I've been playing for about 2 years, and other than one toon I recently got up to level 40 (once I was on a 'plan'), I have only one at level 32, and then a small army in the 20 & late teens.
One thing that me, and others like me, are missing is the more interesting and challenging higher level content. Sure, if you've followed a build guide to the letter, you can probably run everything on Invincible and have no worries. But I'd imagine most of us create a good number of these alts to test out a concept, a theory.
Sure, you can clear out packs of level 25 Council, and you can cross the Gulch blindfolded with a level 5 blaster, but what about the Carnies? Carnies you ask? Yep, Carnies. Didn't even know about them myself until a few months ago. Paragon Protectors? Certainly gave me a new appreciation for MoG. There really is some interesting stuff up there that's worth checking out, and it can be a good test for your theory builds.
I think there are two reasons people, like myself, tend to stop in the low 30s. One, leveling can get pretty darn slow at that point. Two, you only get to pick new powers every two levels. For those of us that like to get a new toy now and then, this is a pretty painful combination.
Not sure I'm going to follow this guide to the letter, but it does have some really good suggestions in it. Pick a couple of toons to focus on, preferably on the same server. Clear out any lower level toon that you haven't played in a few months. Find yourself a good SG/Coalition (ironically, I'm loving Monkey's Repeat Offenders).
Then, just like me, you'll be back to creating alts again in no time
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I have exactly one toon at levle 50 in these almost three years. I have another who is at level 42, Ember Reign, the Fire/EM tank. I also have quite a few 30+ level toons.
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Hah, that is nothing; a friend of mine has been playing continuously since CoH Beta, and his highest character is 39. He has, I believe, one other character above 30 among his several full servers.
But fun, for him, is coming up with a new character/costume/backstory/sg concept and trying it a bit. So we, his friends, will keep working on him to actually get someone up high enough level in CoH/CoV to do all of the tfs with us, sigh.
But... I didn't become an Altoholic until after I had a lvl 50 character (a spines/regen scrapper) around the begining of Issue 3... and the fact that he is pretty much retired despite my love for him.. makes me sad. There's not much for me to do with him at this point since I don't particularly enjoy PVP. Now after 2 1/2 years playtime on my two accounts (I only play on one server so.. needed more slots!) I have about 20 characters at this time. Still, I have just that one lvl 50. I have a lvl 47 (dark/dark defender), a 45 (invuln/energy tank), and several high 30's heroes and villainsl.. but I love playing them so much that I can't bear to actualy grind them to 50.. I don't want them to esentialy die like my first 50.. so.. I make tons of alts and play each character in moderation so nobody levels too fast and reaches the "end" too soon like my poor scrapper did.
Funny post, but you can deleat all my alts when you pry them from my cold dead hands!
@Spydar | Virtue Server
Main Character: Thresher Shark
i am NOT an altoholic, i dont need this so called guide.....i just like to fill up the character slots in each different servers so they wont look empty....
Altaholics Anonymous, a Guide to Kicking the Habit and Getting to 50!
Hi, my name is Nadya, and I was an altaholic. Altism is a very common disease among CoX players. I first came to realization that I was an altaholic after I've been playing CoX for over a year and my highest toon was only lvl 32! Something was wrong! Things needed to change! It was time for action! I was tired of seeing all these other lvl 50 toons running around. So I devised a plan to achieve what I wanted! Anyways, like all the other "X" Anonymous', I devised a 12 step program to help kick you of this habit once and for all and get one step closer to joining the 50 club! Enjoy!
The Steps;
Step 1. Admit your an altaholic! That's right, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Say it with me, "Hi, my name is -insert name-, and I am an altaholoic." See? Doesn't that feel good to get it off of your chest? Grats! You are on your way!
Step 2. Chose 1 server. We all know that with 11 servers and 12 slots a piece, that creates a possibly 132 toons! That is 131 too many! Find one that suits you best. Check the boards to find out which community seems right for you. If you RP, there is an unofficial server for that. As well as one for PvP. You just have to chose and you've graduated from step 2!
Step 3. Delete all other toons on all other servers. "What?!?! You've got to be $@#&ing kidding me!" No. I am not. Remove all temptation from your life. Have a lvl 50 on a different server? You really should stop reading here, or perhaps you should rethink your server choice. But with another 120 slots available to you, the temptation to creat an alt is far to great. Go ahead, delete them, I'll hold your hand.
Step 4. Delete all characters on your chosen server under 30. "What?!?! You've got to be $@#&ing kidding me!" No. I am not. Obviously if you've gotten a toon to lvl 30, it is a toon you enjoy playing. The name, the archtype, the power sets, you enjoy spending time with this toon. "But Nadya, I don't have a toon over lvl 30. What should I do?" That's okay. All is not lost. If you have a few toons around the same level, pick one, and only one. This may take awhile, I'll wait.
Step 5. Reintroduce yourself to your only toon. It may have been awhile since you two have spent any time with each other. That's okay. Take a few days, get the feel for one another. The two of you are in for a long journey with each other. Take your toon to Pocket D, buy it a drink (this is altaholics anonymous, not alcoholics anonymous!). The key to this step is to get comfortable in the driver seat.
Step 6. Find yourself an active super/villain group. I've found that this is the quickest way to make friends on CoX, friends who play the same toon to help each other level up, collect badges, etc. Don't forget to use the Coalition chat as well, even more friends to be found there. You are already in a S/VG? That is fine. Check to see how long the last log ins were for your teammates. Has it been over 15, even 20 days since anyone has bothered to log in? If so, it's time to move on. There are better things ahead!
Step 7. Start teaming regularly with your new friends. You'll enjoy their company and witty jokes. Nothing passes the time like shooting the breeze while talking to your friends. Might I suggest Ventrilo, a handy voice chat that makes typing to your new friends obsolete! Your new S/VG friends will only aide you into enjoying your only toon!
Step 8. Change one of your costumes every once and awhile. I suggest at least once every 2 weeks. You could be a ninja one week, then the next a sword weilding cowboy. Don't forget to change your ID card to fit your new lifestyle. By now, you may be kicking yourself for deleting everything, but I assure you, taking the time to change your costume and reinvent yourself will ease that guilt.
Step 9. Take a break from the game. Go camping, play basketball, go shopping, whatever. There is no race to get to 50. Pry yourself off of the computer, enjoy a movie with your significant other or your offline friends, they'll be glad to see you. Once you've taken some 'me' time, log back in and get back to playing.
Step 10. Don't skip content for the sake of leveling. In the begining, the biggest complaint about CoV was that players didn't feel 'villainous' enough. I felt the same way. Get a new contact, accept mission, complete mission, rinse, repeat. It wasn't until I started reading the mission details that I started to feel truely villainous. Betraying Arachnos, setting off nuclear missles, and once I got high enough lvls, I began fighting signature heroes, and lots of them in the Recluse Strike Force. I was begining to feel more villainous, thus enjoying progessing on my single toon to see what else was ahead for me! Go ahead, take the time to read content before just clicking the 'accept mission' button, you'll enjoy the game alot more from here on out.
Step 11. Don't worry about badges. You've progessed too far to worry about something so little. Perhaps you chose to keep your badge toon, or you may not even concern yourself with them. But the point being is, the higher in level you get, the more you will see toons with dozens, if not hundreds of badges. You can always go back once you've reached lvl 50. The only thing you have to come to terms with is that the holiday badges are gone, there is no way you can get those back. For this I am sorry.
Step 12. Enjoy the ride. If you have followed these steps, there should be nothing standing in your way to get your very first level 50 toon! You've made some HUGE sacrifices, and you deserved to be rewarded. I wish I could tell you life after 50 is exciting, but I will not. Instead enjoy your new Epic Arch Types if you wish to do so. NOW, you can fill that second character slot on your account. Go ahead, you've earned it!
(This is my first guide. It may not be as detailed or lavish as other guides out there. Never seeing a guide for kicking the altaholic habits, I thought I would share how I got my first lvl 50 toon, Naughty Nadya, to lvl 50. It wasn't easy, and I followed everything I said in that order. I won't lie, I miss my other toons, but if you are determined to get yourself to 50, then drastic action needs to be taken. I'm not a guide writer by nature, so forgive me for any inaccuracies or information I left out that you felt needed. I hope you've enjoyed this guide.)
- Nadya