The right number of alts is the number at which you're comfortable with the amount of grind you have set up before you.
That said, they probably expect you to only run one to three or four characters through each event, particularly ones like the Mirror Event where it takes 15-20 min or so per character including wait times.
I find a comfortable number of toons 3 one from each faction.
dare say I will make it 4 if they bring out a new faction but I`ll have to jiggle them around a bit maybe so I still only do 3 most days.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
Minimum is 3, one of each profession... And a Rom... And a KDF... And a bank toon... And an alternate account with 1 - 2 toons to hold excessive doffs and another mailbox to fill up with junk, and...
Sometimes I think I play STO just to have something to complain about on the forums.
This is actually one area where the "Fedwhine" minority is trying to help you out. When the Feds finally have all of the things that set the KDF and Romulans apart, you will only have need for one character!
I simply have my primary Fed toon and a KDF toon for kicks.
I mostly play my Fed toon, it can be difficult to max out the 8k dilithium per day, but I try to get as much as I can for the amount of time I allow myself to play the game. For my KDF toon I try to get 8k every 2 or 3 days.
Fed toon to play the various PvE missions to collect marks and stuff, more or less abandoned the mainstory Currently max level, but only half way thru the Klingon War story arc.
KDF toon, I don't bother with any PvE missions for marks and stuff; just focus on main quest sometimes, Doff missions and grinding dilithium so I can buy another 100 Doffs slots.
I have 3 that I play often 1 each Klingon kdf tac,sci,engineer.
but in total I have 10 left and 5 open slots from toons I killed off.
I only break them out for event like this current one I cant pass up that much dil. fleet needs it too bad.
but for the silly ship grinds I usually don't bother with them. this past anniversary grind BS only Klingon sci toon did it because a KDf science ship is hard to come by LOL and what happens its some kinda hybid monster . I have it set up and it actually works rather well. but I went back to my kamarang just more fun that the grind ship. winter event I didn't even do . I play as a Klingon and fly Klingon ships. no interest in breen ships risian corvettes or any of that junk.
so I play 3 toons but have back up for events that I feel can be of benifiet to me or my fleet.
Trophies for killing FEDS ahh those were the days.
If I stick with it for the long haul, I will probably have 6 toons.
For RPGs I usually create male and female characters and since there are 3 factions in STO, that means 6 characters in total. I'll play a different class for each toon. My male Fed toon is an engineer. My female KDF toon is tactical. That means my Romulan toon will be science; I'll probably flip a coin for the gender.
Why would you rely on others to determine the right number of alts for you?
Anyway I have 15 plus two Foundry test characters. That's the right number for me until I decide to make more.
I've also decided it is all about playing "smart" instead of playing "hard." Not every alt has to do every thing. I picked one, maybe two reputation tracks for each. On some I do Romulan, some I do Nukara, etc etc. Lots of variety, I can play what I feel like playing and still "advance" my characters.
I played the heck out of the Fast and Flurrious (cause it was fun and cause I had the time) so I wouldn't need to bother with getting more marks. I looked at the Anniversary "grind" which frankly I thought was too easy to merit the word, and said "ok I'll get the ship on three guys and get 600 Qmendations on the others to set up for next year." One mission run and five days doing the 5-minute event. Easy peasy. I am choosing to do the Mirror event on all 15 characters because I want the dilithium. Note I say choosing, because I am in no way forced to do this event on any character, much less 15.
Ive got 2 fed 2 kdf 1 rom/kdf most of the time thats the right number for me except when events are on. I dont really have a main unless ive a new ship to learn.
I find it a hell of a lot easyer to max dill on kdf side. But i dont find it hard to get it any way because i play elite n cash in marks. But all my chars are maxed out in rep.
Short answer - there is no right number, how many do you enjoy doing the daily with. For me, one is the max. For others maybe 15.
I don't grind, but I have three fed characters that get played consistantly. One for about 90% of my time and the other two which are more for fleet management stuff get played the rest. I have two KDF characters that I almost never play except when I want to break things up by doing a KDF story mission. And finally another fed and romulan (just can't play a romulan who is a granola munching tree hugging elf) who are both still low level because they never get played at all.
For events like MI. I run my main character through and that's it. I get my enjoyment in the game by doing doff missions, like colonial support that require me to fly around the galaxy and organize my personnel. Dealing with my people, putting the right doff in the right mission, skilling up new bridge officers, feels more like Star Trek, rather than blowing the living TRIBBLE out of every new species I meet.
I've only got two chars and I've been neglecting my KDF since Brokosh isn't even level 50 yet.
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
I say three is the magicman number (unless your a Packers fan, then its seven). I am at 5 used to be 13 until the nightmare that was the 2013 Winter event. I have the extra two because one has the D'kora and the other one has the Wells.
As everyone's said, the right number is however many you like having and are comfortable with.
As for how many Cryptic "balances" for, I'd be tempted to say that they don't consider alts at all, because they seem to be so proud of their revamped missions that they don't mind letting people burn out on it by doing it 14 times, let alone 28 or 42 times.
However, I'd say the maximum they take into account is equal to the free slots they give, so three, plus the one for subscribing. So three or four.
Personally, I have four (Fed Tactical, R Engineer, KDF Tactical, and Fed Science), but I'm seriously considering deleting one so that I'm not even tempted to bother with the daily events a fourth time. I know it's my fault I do it, but I just can't help it!
The consensus seems to be around 3 or 4, which makes sense seeing as those are the default amounts you get just for playing. If you have more, fantastic, but my guess would be you're above the avergae.
Personally I have 4 but only really play my two Feds. My Romulan is only level 50 because of the XP weekend and my KDF has been level 4 for months.
I'm trying to stick to 0 right now. I had alts in past plays and just decided this time round to stick to my favourite faction and career choice.
It's both good and bad. Good because I don't have to grind forever and my guy is pretty much sorted gear and capabilities wise. Bad because the grind is the content and he spends most of his time pottering around in the Sphere casually gaining marks for the Dyson rep he probably doesn't need.
It would be so nice if there was a more robust free play or sandbox endgame system, or even a more fleshed out procedurally generated content system with chains and such.
So right now I've played with the skill planner and I'll probably break my no alt rule soon enough.
As for the right number, I guess 3 would be the best minimum - done right you'd cover all careers and factions so all the bases are covered. But if your one who likes to experiment with skills and builds, or you just want every career, race and faction in the game that number will go up quite a bit.
KDF Sci (for Birds of Prey), Romulan Tac (the T'varo), Starfleet Eng (by default). I also have a lvl50 KDF Tac, but i will only go back to it if flanking is LOLsauce. I have given up on a lvl 50 Starfleet Sci & a lvl 50 KDF Eng.
The Mirror event has been grinding, though. Why not borrow more ideas from Guild Wars 2 like the living world events? It isnt just a single grind event to complete the living world prizes.
There just isnt enough spaceship pew pewing in GW2...
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That said, they probably expect you to only run one to three or four characters through each event, particularly ones like the Mirror Event where it takes 15-20 min or so per character including wait times.
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dare say I will make it 4 if they bring out a new faction but I`ll have to jiggle them around a bit maybe so I still only do 3 most days.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
I mostly play my Fed toon, it can be difficult to max out the 8k dilithium per day, but I try to get as much as I can for the amount of time I allow myself to play the game. For my KDF toon I try to get 8k every 2 or 3 days.
Fed toon to play the various PvE missions to collect marks and stuff, more or less abandoned the mainstory Currently max level, but only half way thru the Klingon War story arc.
KDF toon, I don't bother with any PvE missions for marks and stuff; just focus on main quest sometimes, Doff missions and grinding dilithium so I can buy another 100 Doffs slots.
That's about all I have time for.
I have 3 that I play often 1 each Klingon kdf tac,sci,engineer.
but in total I have 10 left and 5 open slots from toons I killed off.
I only break them out for event like this current one I cant pass up that much dil. fleet needs it too bad.
but for the silly ship grinds I usually don't bother with them. this past anniversary grind BS only Klingon sci toon did it because a KDf science ship is hard to come by LOL and what happens its some kinda hybid monster . I have it set up and it actually works rather well. but I went back to my kamarang just more fun that the grind ship. winter event I didn't even do . I play as a Klingon and fly Klingon ships. no interest in breen ships risian corvettes or any of that junk.
so I play 3 toons but have back up for events that I feel can be of benifiet to me or my fleet.
For RPGs I usually create male and female characters and since there are 3 factions in STO, that means 6 characters in total. I'll play a different class for each toon. My male Fed toon is an engineer. My female KDF toon is tactical. That means my Romulan toon will be science; I'll probably flip a coin for the gender.
3 is about right for this event. It's under an hour. So it doesn't feel like a grind.
Anyway I have 15 plus two Foundry test characters. That's the right number for me until I decide to make more.
I've also decided it is all about playing "smart" instead of playing "hard." Not every alt has to do every thing. I picked one, maybe two reputation tracks for each. On some I do Romulan, some I do Nukara, etc etc. Lots of variety, I can play what I feel like playing and still "advance" my characters.
I played the heck out of the Fast and Flurrious (cause it was fun and cause I had the time) so I wouldn't need to bother with getting more marks. I looked at the Anniversary "grind" which frankly I thought was too easy to merit the word, and said "ok I'll get the ship on three guys and get 600 Qmendations on the others to set up for next year." One mission run and five days doing the 5-minute event. Easy peasy. I am choosing to do the Mirror event on all 15 characters because I want the dilithium. Note I say choosing, because I am in no way forced to do this event on any character, much less 15.
I find it a hell of a lot easyer to max dill on kdf side. But i dont find it hard to get it any way because i play elite n cash in marks. But all my chars are maxed out in rep.
I don't grind, but I have three fed characters that get played consistantly. One for about 90% of my time and the other two which are more for fleet management stuff get played the rest. I have two KDF characters that I almost never play except when I want to break things up by doing a KDF story mission. And finally another fed and romulan (just can't play a romulan who is a granola munching tree hugging elf) who are both still low level because they never get played at all.
For events like MI. I run my main character through and that's it. I get my enjoyment in the game by doing doff missions, like colonial support that require me to fly around the galaxy and organize my personnel. Dealing with my people, putting the right doff in the right mission, skilling up new bridge officers, feels more like Star Trek, rather than blowing the living TRIBBLE out of every new species I meet.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
As for how many Cryptic "balances" for, I'd be tempted to say that they don't consider alts at all, because they seem to be so proud of their revamped missions that they don't mind letting people burn out on it by doing it 14 times, let alone 28 or 42 times.
However, I'd say the maximum they take into account is equal to the free slots they give, so three, plus the one for subscribing. So three or four.
Personally, I have four (Fed Tactical, R Engineer, KDF Tactical, and Fed Science), but I'm seriously considering deleting one so that I'm not even tempted to bother with the daily events a fourth time. I know it's my fault I do it, but I just can't help it!
Not exactly what I was after.....
Like you I have alts in the teens.
And I thoroughly enjoy having that many, and have spare slots for more.
However, I have become curious as to what number cryptic optimise their grinds around.
Because, in all the talk of alt-friendly or not, it would be useful for me to know just how many alts cryptic think is 'right'.
Personally I have 4 but only really play my two Feds. My Romulan is only level 50 because of the XP weekend and my KDF has been level 4 for months.
It's both good and bad. Good because I don't have to grind forever and my guy is pretty much sorted gear and capabilities wise. Bad because the grind is the content and he spends most of his time pottering around in the Sphere casually gaining marks for the Dyson rep he probably doesn't need.
It would be so nice if there was a more robust free play or sandbox endgame system, or even a more fleshed out procedurally generated content system with chains and such.
So right now I've played with the skill planner and I'll probably break my no alt rule soon enough.
As for the right number, I guess 3 would be the best minimum - done right you'd cover all careers and factions so all the bases are covered. But if your one who likes to experiment with skills and builds, or you just want every career, race and faction in the game that number will go up quite a bit.
KDF Sci (for Birds of Prey), Romulan Tac (the T'varo), Starfleet Eng (by default). I also have a lvl50 KDF Tac, but i will only go back to it if flanking is LOLsauce. I have given up on a lvl 50 Starfleet Sci & a lvl 50 KDF Eng.
The Mirror event has been grinding, though. Why not borrow more ideas from Guild Wars 2 like the living world events? It isnt just a single grind event to complete the living world prizes.
There just isnt enough spaceship pew pewing in GW2...
IKS Korrasami (Fleet B'rel Bird of Prey Retrofit T5-U)