Lets face it, the biggest worry or fear of any player that chooses to bot his levels or gold is getting caught. Getting caught means a suspension at the least and more often than not, a perma ban for that account. This is not something any of us want to have to deal with when botting, but by following the information in this article, you can increase your odds at not getting caught by the infamous gm bot hunters.
First off, lets discuss leveling your toons using bots. My preferred bot of choice would have to be Glider. Hands down this program blows out the competition as far as I am concerned. I have never gotten an account banned or even warned using this program, but have had a friend using a custom program get 7 accounts hammered and banned. The biggest problem with botting in general is being seen and reported by other players in the game. The gm’s do not become involved most of the time until they receive a ticket from a player who has observed your toon in action. So here are some general rules to follow when leveling using bots:
Never afk bot. Be around your computer or computers while botting, this allows you to respond to whispers and such. It also allows you to get your bot out of jams that it may encounter from time to time in the game. Players become wary of a toon that ignores whispers and stays in an area killing the same mobs over and over again. Glider has an alarm to warn you of people talking to or around your toon, use this to keep yourself from getting reported and banned.
Never use the /afk or /dnd tags available for player use. These are flags for players and gms alike that something is fishy with your toon. Think about it, before you started botting how often were you really out there with an afk or dnd tag over your head while questing or farming? Not very often I would venture to say. So why do people do this while botting?
Avoid higher traffic areas. Plain and simple this is stupid. If you know that a certain area has high traffic for reasons such as quests, travel to and from areas, etc, stay out of that area. The less your toon is exposed to other players the better off you are. People can’t report what they do not see.
Make your own profiles. Too many people are using the same profiles over and over again. This is not a good idea. It is sad to see three or four bots all using the same profile at the same time, not only does it cut down on your exp per hour, but seeing 4 people in the same area following he same path exposes you to risks that are not worth it. Make your own. Each server has it’s own hotspots and peak hours for various places. Do some research and utilize the information you put together. Grind in spots that are out of the way and not being used by anyone else. Learn and experiment with your bot so that you are able to make a nice and simple profile of your own. Also, it is my experience that a larger profile with more waypoints is less likely to get you noticed then a small one. Once again common sense will tell you that a profile that covers a larger area makes it less likely that a person questing in that area is notice you. Also over time you will improve your profile creation skills to the extent that you will be able to make them look more natural, avoiding walls, fences, trees and other items that block your toons movement. Seeing a toon run into a wall and not move around it is a sure fire sign that someone is botting, and using a crappy profile to boot.
Gear. The biggest flaw I see in most bots is that they are wearing gear that is often times 20-30 levels under their current level. No real player does this. Take the time to try and update your toons gear by using the auction house. The gold spent is well worth it for several reasons. One it makes your toon look current for its level. Two it makes it more survivable while gliding. The less you die the more exp and loot you get per hour on average. My favorite way of helping my toons out is to buy them the clefthoof armor kits, its amazing to see an extra 300 health on a level 12 toon, and most times those pants can last you 10-15 levels. The gold spent on the kit is well worth in my opinion, since my toons do not die. I use these kits on all classes, which may sound strange, but the extra health like I just said keeps them alive longer, and on those occasions where you pull three mobs at once, makes it so that you are not using your ghost waypoints very often if at all. Nuff said on that topic.
Prolonged botting. Do not be foolish to think it is worth it to bot your toon for 24 hours straight. Sure you get exp this way, but, it also marks you as a bot, I mean come on log onto another toon, bot that one for awhile. Bot a character for no more than 4-6 hours at a time and then move on. Get it some rest at an inn, etc. someone in the same spot for 8-10 hours straight is a flag especially to many players who like to police the realms and seek out botters to report.
Guild up. Some people say this is dangerous, and to an extent I agree. I am not saying join a guild that is super active and talkative. That is bad exposure and runs you the risk of getting reported by your fellow guildies. Play it safe, make your own guild and boot everyone else from it. The small price involved in this is well worth it. The reasoning behind this is simple, most people have the incorrect perception that all botters are chinese gold farmers, the annoying people that spam trade and whisper you constantly trying to sell their gold to you. People are blind to the fact that normal people bot too for fun and ease in leveling their toons. A guild name over your head helps to hide you from what you are doing, it alleviates a small amount risk from your botting.
Keep your mouth shut. Do not tell every tom dick and harry what you are doing. Common sense should tell you this, but most people still have a need to tell people what they are doing. I am not saying that you cannot tell a real life friend that you play with what you are doing, in fact this can be helpful to you as he can help you monitor your toon, and often times you can party bot toons up together. People get jealous of other people very easily, and on that emotion alone will report you for your activities. They do not like knowing that we have found a much easier way to level and get our gold for epic flyers than they are using, and this upsets them. Do not trust the average person on the game to keep your secrets, the risk is not worth the bragging rights.
If this is not your main you are botting, do your toon a favor and buy it good bags. Sixteen or eighteen slot bags are a godsend for botting, because you do not have to go and vendor goods nearly as often.
Professions. It is my experience that most people that are botting, are making a farming character. One to help support their main and his activities. If this is the case, pick the professions that are solid moneymakers. To me this means skinning for sure, and either mining or herb gathering. These are cheap to level and can bring in huge profits for you throughout your progression through the levels.
I hope that the information contained in this article helps keep your toon safe, and unbanned. Even though most of the tips are common sense, they are things that need to be thought about when botting to avoid potential problems that could result in the loss of your much loved account. Keep your eyes out for future articles forthcoming on gold farming, gold selling, spots that are currently not watched as much as others, and how to avoid getting scammed when buying or selling gold. Good luck and safe botting guys.
