This guide is intended to provide you with the basic tools and knowledge to dual-device. It will offer insight on compatible class-pairs, strategies and tips to achieve comfort as well as power in Celtic Heroes. By the end of the guide, you should be able to successfully choose your dual partner and adapt yourself to this badass style of play.
N.B: Please make sure to create the second toon on a different account (new username and password) as trying to log in on the same account will just log you out. Moreover, OTM does not support character transferring to a different account so beware!
I. Introduction
Dual-devicing (or more commonly dual-boxing) refers to playing two separate characters simultaneously in an MMO. This is currently achieved, in Celtic Heroes, by using 2 devices (i.e. an iPhone and an iPad) to run an instance of the game. D-D is considered difficult to do well without practice, as it involves adapting to problems in-game as well as in real-life. These problems will be highlighted later in the guide and solutions will be presented to circumvent them.
II. Why Dual-Device?
Dual-Devicing (D-D) is done for a myriad of reasons. Players may enjoy the additional challenge it can bring, as well as be able to tackle more difficult mobs on their own. Sometimes it is a matter of convenience as having permanent access to a character that can buff and heal the main character and/or speed-up a kill can be tremendously advantageous.
Overall, D-D can be considered a play style choice. Many players find the additional strategy of dual-boxing to be challenging and, with those additional efforts, very rewarding. Rather than require the collaboration and cooperation of other players, people who dual-device instead rely upon themselves to control multiple game characters and utilize their own abilities as a replacement for player cooperation.
While dual-devicing, the player does not necessarily have to waste time looking for a group/player to kill a mob/finish a quest, but rather can readily jump in a situation and not worry about someone leaving midway, potentially jeopardizing the encounter.
III. Compatible Character Pairs
Of the 10 possible pair setups, 4 stand out as the most popular and strategic pairs. They are in no particular order: rogue-ranger, warrior-druid, rogue-druid, and ranger-mage. Notice that druids appear just as much as the rogue in the pairs, which means that you shouldn't underestimate them. If anything, druids are the backbone of everything in CH, so use them to your advantage.
I'll be going over each pair, highlighting their pros and cons, and showing in what area of playing they each stand out.
1. Rogue - Ranger
The rogue-ranger combo is undeniably one of the most powerful pair ups in the game in terms of DPS and survivability. This combo relies on the similarity of both classes to dish out huge damage and take down mobs in a relatively short amount of time while still boasting acceptable survivability.
Rangers usually initiate the kill by bolasing the targeted mob and shooting the first few arrows, while the rogue jumps in with a potent sneaky-attack and a myriad of skills. The mobs succumb pretty quickly to a tornado of arrows and autos
. Rogues usually agro the mob so they will absorb the damage, but fear not: high defense and lifesteal combined with light-heal ensures minimal death.This combo shines for clan encounters and leveling. Both characters provide tremendous DPS, which is especially useful at raids speeding up kills that would otherwise fail (due to rage), and killing mobs with the highest XP/death ratio.
This is the combo I have used for a very long time in my playing-years and I would recommend this to players whose playstyle is geared towards 'hack-n-slash'.
2. Rogue - Druid
The rogue-druid combo is a very popular pair up in Celtic Heroes in terms of DPS and survivability. This combo relies on the rogue's high DPS, and the druid's powerful DOT and heal to take down difficult mobs and quest/level.
Rogue usually initiate the kill by shadowstriking and autoing while druids take advantage to cast vines, bees and lightning strike. Note that before the rogue enters combat, the druid has buffed him to ensure minimal damage taken and minimal resto usage. Rogues usually agro targeted mobs so druids can stand out of harm's way to dish out damage and periodically heal the rogue. Riposte and Bees will be your greatest leveling weapons.
This combo also shines for clan encounters and leveling. Obviously druids are a must at raids, and the added DPS the rogue provides are a great plus for any clan.
3. Mage - Ranger/Rogue
The mage-ranger/rogue combo is also a potent pair up in Celtic Heroes in terms of DPS. This combo is mainly used to maximize DPS of an already existing toon you have. Lure mages help enormously by decreasing kill times and providing nuking damage, which is paralleled by the ranger/rogue's DPS. This pair is recommended for players who own a mage and are looking for a second toon to enrich their gameplay.
This build can be a bit more tiring than the rogue-ranger combination as both classes here require attention and skill spamming. If your mage is just a lure monkey, than this does not apply to you.
Kills are usually started by the rogue with a sneaky or shadow, or the ranger with bolas and double shot. The mage then quickly lures the mob with assassin and fire/ice. The rest is normal gameplay. Levelling is a breeze with this pair, but restoration usage may be a bit high if your build is not right or if you rush mobs without taking the time to heal/buff yourself.
This combo shines for clan encounters mostly and fast leveling at the cost of plat.
4. Warrior - Druid
The original and historical duo of Celtic Heroes, the warrior-druid combo started it all. This combo takes advantage of the warrior's tanking abilities (high defense, high armor) and the druid's buffs and heals to practically take down any reasonable mob.
This combo shines for clan encounters mostly and solo questing. Levelling is relatively slower than with other classes, but you get the job done with the least plat used.
IV. Strategies
1. Gameplay
Be smart with your skill choice, stat allocation and equipment use. If you have a fire mage, then gear up on fire gear. If you lack the gold to support high plat usage, opt for a druid pair. If you see yourself dying a lot, rethink your strategy and your approach to stats. My point is that what I have previously mentioned doesn't guarantee you 100% success. My advice up to now is only 10% of the work. The rest is on you. Stay smart and alert.
2. Devices
As mentioned before, dual-devicing is a bit hard to get used to when you start-out. Dividing your attention on 2 devices can be challenging but you get used to it in the long-run. Some players are even able to quad-device but anything over that is inefficient and counter-productive.
To ensure maximal effectiveness, opt for one large device and one small one. My personal favorite is the iPad 2/iPhone 5 combination. Put the class that requires the most attention on the iPad placed on your knees, and the class which is relatively more passive on the iPhone, held in one hand. For example, with my ranger-rogue combination, I usually place the Ranger, who is more passive auto and the occasional buff and bolas on the iPhone that has a small screen, and the Rogue on the iPad which requires much more of my attention dealing with adds, spamming skills and chatting in clan.
Some people prefer two small devices because you are able to see everything happening on both devices at the same time rather than switching your attention from one to the other. This is also helpful for transportation when trying to get both toons to a desired location. Two small screens makes it easier to control the direction of both.
3. Charging
Try to keep both devices charged at all times as having one device die out in the middle of a fight may cost you plat and effort. I usually have only one device on the charger as two can be a bit cumbersome. Moreover, I like to interchange charging the devices every 30 minutes to ensure that they never die out.
Note that having the newer generation devices really helps out as you only need 1 type of charger to do the above
4. Movement
Running on both characters is one of the most painful aspects of dual-devicing and is why Snorri is a loathed/loved DL boss on CH
(To be continued tomorrow!)5. Other
Take a 20 minute break every hour or so. Dual-Devicing puts an enormous strain on the player, I've experienced it first-hand! Fatigue diminishes response time and productivity and you may find yourself not useless on locks for example if you can't be alert at all times.
V. Conclusion
The most important thing I want to stress out is that there is NO best pair. It all boils down to how you use what is available to you to your advantage. Start with figuring out the best stats, skills and equipment for your level, and then work out the kind of player you are. If you are a survivor, opt for the druid-warrior combo. If you want to wreck things with high damage, then pick the rogue-ranger, mage-DPS combo. Finally, if you are in between survivability and DPS, then pick the druid - DPS combo.
Rogue-Ranger: levelling [4], raiding [4].
Rogue-Druid: levelling [4], raiding [5].
Mage - Rogue/Ranger: levelling [3], raiding [4]
Warrior Druid: raiding [5]
And on a last note, have fun!
Cheers
