Guide to bank alts
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Bank alts are an institution in World of Warcraft. Primarily, they exist to provide additional storage space for one's other characters. Additionally, they allow access to vendors and auction houses without the need for one's active characters to travel there themselves.
- See also: Mule (game term)
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Advantages to having a bank alt
Bank alts are supported by WoW's mailbox rules: Items mailed from one character on an account to another arrive instantly, where items mailed to other accounts take an hour. There are many ways to take advantage of this.
- Inventory Management and Storage
Characters used as bank alts typically have space available (inventory space, normal bank space, purchased "bag slots", even guild bank tabs) that said character does not need. These inventory spaces can thus be used for any other purpose the player wants. Typical uses are for tradeskill materials, BoE or non-binding items used for quests, or equipment that other characters are not yet able to use. The alt's ability to hold money (gold/silver/copper) may also be useful to a player.
Additionally, items mailed to the same account have several advantages. First, they remain in the mail queue for up to 30 days. Within certain limits, this effectively allows items to be stored without consuming actual inventory space. Second, as both characters belong to the same account, the player retains full control of the items, including if a mailed item gets returned after the expiry period.
- Access to services
It can take several minutes to get from one place in WoW to another. While many of these places have mailboxes, not all provide all services. Thus, as long as both characters have access to mailboxes, one can switch characters, buy things, mail them, then switch back, often in less time than it would take to travel to said service then travel back. Vendors of particular items, Auction Houses, and (as mentioned above) normal and guild bank space.
Making a bank alt
A bank alt has only three criteria: being a member of the same faction as the character(s) it works for, access to at least something that another character might not have, and access to a mailbox. As such, any character can be used as a bank alt at times.
Typically, though two sorts of characters emerge as dedicated bank alts: Characters the player no longer plays regularly, and characters created for the express purpose. There are no level restrictions on this use, although most bank alts created specifically for the purpose seldom achieve high level.
Any race/class of character can serve as a bank alt. While some classes have more mobility (teleportation, hearth-like abilities, movement), these are typically available only after some amount of play. Choosing a race/class combination that one would otherwise not mind playing means less work should one need to reclaim that character slot to start a character they want more to play.
Where to station a bank alt
While bank alts can move pretty much like every other character (of their level), there are a couple of things to consider when positioning them.
First is their access to things you think you will need. A character has access to most types of vendor in any of the capital cities. Several neutral cities (Everlook, Gadgetzan, Area 52) have access to the neutral auction houses. Various specialty vendors are where you find them. Placing the character in these locations gives you effective access to those resources.
Second is ease of travel. A character's Hearth point is a location which they can always reach, nearly instantly, and thus need not be where the character is usually stationed at. One is well advised to remember that with the stationary portals...
- Characters in Dalaran can get to Shattrath or any capital city (of their faction) via portal.
- Characters in Shattrath can reach the capital cities, as well as the Isle of Quel'Danas similarly.
- Characters in the capital cities have portal access to Blasted Lands, and thus Hellfire Peninsula and outland regions (by taxi).
- Access from one city to another (via Taxi, Boat/Zepplin, or the Deeprun Tram) may also be a consideration.
Choice of location may also be influenced by the amount of lag the player experiences.
Some characters may have additional means of travel:
- Druids above a fairly low level have the ability to teleport to Moonglade, and take a taxi back to Darnassus.
- Shamans and Inscriptionists are able to use hearth-like effects more often than other characters.
- Engineers at certain levels are able to make teleportation devices to places such as Gadgetzan and Everlook.
- Mages gain abilities to teleport themselves and others to various cities.
These considerations are generally only of interest if the character will also be played, and thus may not influence the player creating a dedicated bank alt.
- Several other items may allow teleportation to particular locations.
Guild Banks
Bank alts historically were often used as Guild banks. As might be imagined, while these were useful, only one player had access to the bank inventory at a time. Patch 2.3 introduced actual Guild banks, allowing guilds to store communal items much more effectively.
Guild bank space can be restricted by the Guild master to make it effectively an extension of his normal bank space. A guild with the bank alt as the sole member is a common use of this concept.
As guild banks tabs cost some amount of gold to acquire, this can make otherwise defunct guilds a commodity in their own right.
