I don’t role play in WoW, we’re not on a role-playing server, but now that I have my third level 80, each of whom specializes in a different role, I suddenly see why people are drawn to it.
Somehow unconsciously, my play style changes depending on which alt I’m on. There’s Analogue, who has a sort of nurturing/protective view of her party, always making sure everyone is buffed and doing her best to keep them alive, monitoring peoples’ mana and tossing out an innervate if she can, decursing, depoisoning…. Invariant is completely the opposite, my little gnomish suicide bomber, always taking on more than she can handle and trying to get ice block off before she drops. And Divergent, the upstanding, trying-her-heart out young tank, putting herself and her shield between her friends and the big baddies.
My other alts don’t seem to have as much personality because I haven’t really played them much. I’m not sure where it is that they start feeling so “alive” to me. Sometime above level 70, I think, when I’m getting really comfy with them. Actually this makes it easier for me to switch between tanking, healing, and dps; most of the time I’m switching characters entirely, not just spec.
Does this multiple-personality phenomenon happen to anyone else?
Absolutely, although of course I have an RP background – I’ve played on an RP server for longer than I’ve been on a PvE one. I also had a friend who was the most conscientious healer ever – until she’d play her Fury warrior, when she was the epitome of irresponsible melee DPS. She was a nightmare, although it was kind of funny.
I joke that my druid is the character who has died the most because she’s reckless and daring I did really play her that way. Druid chicken jumping off cliffs, seeing how far I could jump without dying, exploring around the world, she’s the character that did it.
For me it’s a huge part of what makes each character enjoyable to play. Even if they have the same mechanics, they also have their own character and oftentimes represent a facet of your personality. It’s neat to read about yours, and what changes for you depending on which you’re playing!
I have also played on RP servers for all of my WoW career. Though I haven’t really RP’d so much since I started raiding…ah well. Even now though, when I make new characters, sometimes I have a loose idea as to their personality, sometimes not. Usually I’ll just let the character tell me who they are as I play it. Sounds wierd, but as I’m running around questing, some lil tidbit of personality will creep into things and I’ll file it away. Maybe I’ll try to reason why I’m doing quest after quest: who is giving them to me? Why? For my DK, what’s her motivation for going forth and slaying evil? How does she think of Arthas? What about her family? Stuff will just come to me and eventually I have enough to where a personality forms.
It’s all mostly for my own benefit and pleasure since I don’t RP these days. I don’t find that my *own* personality changes with various toons I play, like, I’m not more aggressive of a player when I’m on my DK or anything. I might be more daring on my DK simply cause she’s my alt and I can be more stupid and careless on her since she’s not my raiding main.