Blizzard loves and/or hates Alts.

So there I am.  I finally got the Crusader title with my Alliance Druid.  And sitting on enough Seals for heirloom shoulders and chest armor.  6-7 more days and I’ll have enough for a 1-hand sword.  But for whom am I shopping?

The complication is 1) A new Alliance Race, 2) I’ve got a lot of the classes already covered, and 3) My best candidate for one style of Heirloom items may have to leave the server if they don’t give us more character slots than 10.

Blizzard argued at BlizzCon, in one of the Q&A sessions, that nobody is serious about alts, so what’s the big deal with deleting one to replace it with a new race?  I mean, is 10 characters per server such a hardcoded limit to the game?  If you can blast Azeroth in half, and split Chuck Norris jokes in two, then you can provide a couple extra character slots, no?

C’mon, are they serious with that attitude about alts?  Let’s see:

1) Reward folks with faster experience gains.  Nothing a level 80 character is going to benefit from.  Alts favored.

2)  Allow mounts and flying earlier and earlier.  Again, nothing a level 80 character is going to benefit from, they’re already doing it.  Alts favored.

3) Totally revamp all the old zones with the next expansion, meaning exploration from “Day 1” is viable and fresh again.  Yet again, nothing a level 80 character is going to benefit from, except the achievement hounds and archaelogists.  Alts favored.

4) Heirloom items.  Sadly, each of those heirloom pieces have some improvement to what I’m wearing at 80.  But those level 80 characters aren’t the intended recipients for Heirloom items.  One big stat is “+10% bonus xp.”  Alts favored.

Blizzard absolutely loves alts.  Faster xp, faster movement, faster advancement, cool gear.

Blizzard hates alts.  You get to delete one every time a new race and/or class comes out.

Which is it, Blizzard?  Do you hate Alts or are you okay with them.  Do you expect them even?  From what I’ve seen I’d say the latter, that you are expecting them.

So why the flip are you expecting me to either 1) delete days of hard work (/trashcan), 2) forgo one of the new races (/sucksbeingme), or 3) Pay Blizzard more money to transfer to another server (/ninja), just because you don’t think anyone seriously needs more than 10 character slots on a server.

EXCUSE ME.  I play more than one character.  If I were hardcore, if I played one raider and did world firsts for a living, then yes, maybe I’d only have one character.  But I know folks who do the raiding deal and they have 10 level 80’s.  What are they going to do?  My lowest character is now wearing heirlooms, and will be wielding another shortly.  I’m going to delete him?  Yeah, right.  I should pay $25 to save him?  Because Blizzard can’t provide 2 additional character slots?

So I’m forced to wonder who do I buy heirlooms for given I’m going to be deleting/transferring/or whatever folks off the server next year?

Odds are I’d move my level 41 Draenei off the main server.  And his being level 41 means he’s the best candidate for heirloom items.  But if he transfers off, being a Warrior, I guess my Worgen would be a Warrior.  Eh.

What Horde-side am I going to transfer off?  My 47 Undead Priest?  She could get the heirloom’s now, and then pass them on to the new Goblin Warlock (who’d look better in Dreadmist anyway).  (She was my primary enchanter, but my Deathknight overtook her, nearly maxing enchantment and inscription now.)

Blizzard, you love Alts.  You made Heirlooms for them.  We love Alts.  We’ve filled servers with them.  Give us 2 more character slots.  Minimum.  If you’d be so kind.  Thanks.