Alts, or alternate characters, are not unique to Eve Online. However, unlike most other games, alts are not only encouraged they are practically essential. In a game where trust is rare and betrayal common, you often have no one you can rely on but yourself. In addition, having an alt can add convenience to tasks that would otherwise have been difficult or even impossible and also allow you play experiences that you just couldn’t have done with a single character. Today, I would like to examine some various use cases for alts and how to take best advantage of the tools at your disposal.
Before we start digging into how to use alts, let’s take a look at the different types of alts available. When discussing alts it is important to distinguish between secondary characters and secondary accounts. The primary difference between the two is that characters on multiple Omega accounts can play simultaneously whereas multiple characters on the same account cannot. In addition, you normally can only train one character per account at a time. However, there are still benefits to using those extra two slots for your alts. First, it allows you to have three characters capable of using Omega skills with only one Omega subscription. Second, you have the option of purchasing Multiple Character Training which costs less than an additional Omega subscription. Ideally, you will want at least Omega two accounts whose characters complement each other.
Here are examples of some common uses for alts.
- Resource Gathering. For many, tasks like mining, planetary interaction, salvaging, reprocessing, etc. are relegated to a secondary character. The primary reason for this is that these skills are highly specialized and do not improve your performance in any other areas
- Support. Having a character who can provide boosts or logistical support can make life easier on a combat main. Make sure you don’t put this character in the same account as the one you want to provide the support to.
- Hauling. Hauling is one of those jobs that isn’t needed all the time but can be urgent when it is.
- Trading. The best deals tend to be found in the market hubs but the best action is found elsewhere. Having a character stationed at each trade hub (or capable of jumping between each) can make sure you always get the best deals.
- Exploration. Getting your main stuck in a wormhole chain somewhere can make it hard to get involved in anything else. Best to do it with another character. It can be helpful to put this in a different account than your combat character so they can scan down targets, if needed.
- Intel. Whether you are actively scouting or just sitting cloaked in a system. an extra set of eyes is always helpful. You’ll want to make sure that you don’t put this character in the same account as the one you want to scout for.
- Spying. Similar to intel but more involved. This is about making a character for the express purpose of getting inside information on a rival organization.
- Ganking. Ganking is the perfect example of alt usage. It can be done easily with an Alpha and you can put one into all three of your slots to alternate between while you wait out your criminal timers.
The biggest obstacle to alts is, of course, that to take full advantage of them you need additional Omega subscriptions. The extra cost of this can certainly add up. However, there is a way to subsidize the cost of these extra accounts… SP Farming. Not that long ago, you could not only pay for your accounts but also make a profit as well. Sadly, those times seem to have come and gone. However, even at today’s prices you can have an extra account for around 50,000,000 ISK a month. However, to do so requires that your alts be both highly specialized and properly setup for maximum SP gain. If this is something you are interested in trying out, I highly recommend joining Amygdala Farms our SP Farming/Ganking Alt corp. And, don’t forget to use a buddy link when you do to get an extra 1,000,000 SP.
