A Story About Alts

As most of you know, I run an alt account under the name Zojj. I've done so for awhile now, and Alpha recently asked if I'd post about setting up an alt, so here we go. I'd first like to talk about why I have an alt account, then about how to start one.

First things first. Here's the squad that my alt runs in the Arena, as well as through GW nodes:

This Zaul (Darth Maul with his Zeta Leader Ability) Sith squad is fun to play. I can mostly breeze through GW and it's interesting to see how much more powerful squads encounter problems with Zaul's Leader Ability in the Arena. Why am I bothering to show you this, you ask?

Well, the first reason that I started an alt account was to experiment with characters and abilities either before I invest with my main, or to take a different route than my main. With this game, unless you pay through the nose, you won't be able to really max out all the factions and/or many of the different characters that are available.

So, with my main I went all in when Darth Nihilus came out. He leads my main Sith squad. With my alt, I get to have a lot of fun with Zaul, too. And, after using only a 5* Sith Assassin regularly in the Arena, I can tell you that she's killer. Eventually, I'll invest in her with my main.

Experimentation works with Ships, too. I can see what ship combos work well together before I invest with my main. When I started my alt, that was much easier to do at a lower level, but, even at Level 85 now, the premise is the same. My alt's Ships are terrific because I experimented with DS ships first, building around Darth Maul, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett. Eventually, I'll do so as well with my main.

In short, alts are good to:

1. Experiment with alt Characters and Abilities
2. Experiment with alt Character Combinations / Synergies
3. Experiment with alt Ships and Ship Combinations / Synergies
4. Power Up Raids, Tank Takedowns, and Territory Battles
5. Give Rare Gear to Main through Exchange

Now, truth be told I recently started a second alt. Yes, you heard that right! I've got TWO alts. When I started Zojj, I was still learning the game. And, while there's still room to pick up a trick or two, I know its mechanics now pretty well. So, here's my second alt:

Why did I start this alt when I already had one? Well, tbh it was just super FUN to start completely from scratch again. I've a full 7* Phoenix squad with my main, but it has been terrific to build this squad up and fight with them incrementally, slowly leveling up. And they really kick ass. With my main, I couldn't use ANY of these characters until they were 6-7* and at least Gear Level 8.

What's more, I've used this particular squad combination with my alt for awhile, and I now know just how effective Zeb can be. My main Phoenix squad uses Sabine Wren instead of him, and I've since started developing Zeb in earnest.

Will I start a Sith squad with this alt? Probably not. For a primary DS squad, though, I started with these ladies:

By the time I'm high enough level to participate in the Defense of Dathomir event, I'll have all the necessary Nightsisters bulked up. For now, this squad cruises through GW, and they're incredibly fun to play. Interestingly, when I finally unlock Nightsister Zombie and Spirit, I should be able to use them right away. While only at 2*, if leveled, geared, and modded smartly they'll be good to go. I can't do that with my main. Or even my original alt.

So, one of the advantages of starting an alt is that you can use less powerful characters right away. They can have an impact. We recently were gifted a 4* Kylo Ren, for example, and it was basically useless for my main and for my original alt. But, my 2nd alt is only Level 67, where a 4* character is SO USEFUL. In fact, on the heels of the latest Kylo / FO events, I've already formed the backbone of an FO squad that looks like it'll be killer when leveled, geared, and modded right. If it indeed plays well at the lower levels, I'll definitely consider developing the same FO squad for my main.

The idea behind alts is really pretty simple, at least for me. First, everything's a theory until you actually try it out. It's no coincidence that the word "experiment" shares the same root as "experience." Alts can help you figure out what moves you want to make with your main. And secondly, well, developing low level squads and slowly building in power is a lot of fun, especially since I now have a firm handle on game mechanics. I'm not squandering resources as I did with my main and, even, my original alt at times.

As for how to create an alt, that's fairly simple too. I can only speak for iPhone/iPad users, though, although the premise should be similar for other platforms. The first thing I had to do was create a new Apple user ID. A quick Google search will help you through that process. It's cake. Once you have a new Apple ID, then:

1. Close out the game. Double-tap your Home button, select the SWGoH page image, and swipe up. In technical terms, this will restart the client when you next open the SWGoH app.
2. Go to Settings
3. Tap on Game Center
4. Sign out
5. Sign in with your newly created Apple ID
6. Close Settings
7. Open SWGoH

Now when you open the app, the game won't recognize your new Apple ID and will assume you're a new player, thus starting you off at the very beginning. Trust me, doing all the training exercises for newbs is hilarious! When you want to access your main again, just sign in with your original Apple ID and, voila, you'll switch back.

Have fun!