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Waiting to reroll
While I'm referencing threads on the European forums, this situation is no less common on US realms. Some players out in the World of Warcraft are simply chronic rerollers. They love the environment of a new realm -- a fresh economy, plenty of other people to level up with, and that thrilling race to level 70. And since Blizzard hasn't released any new realms (for players on US or EU realms) since the release of The Burning Crusade in January, players of this sort are really getting a bit antsy. Blizzard, for its part, is holding to its stance that they'll release new realms when overall population requires it -- but until then, the best you're going to get is low population recommended realms. Vaneras thoroughly explains the situation for us: the fact that people enjoy playing on brand new realms just isn't a compelling reason for Blizzard to create new realms when existing realms have plenty of room to grow.But what's the solution? Vaneras tell us that merging existing low-population servers in order to be able to open new realms isn't going to happen. (And I can understand why -- merging realms and then rolling out new realms is a lot of work by Blizzard's tech team, and essentially serves no purpose.) Vaneras suggests that you could get yourself organized and ready for new guilds on new realms, but that's probably little comfort. Some posters suggest a rerollers' realm of sorts -- a realm that resets every few months to offer players wanting an authentic rerolling experience a chance to race to 70 on a regular basis, without the need for any new realms. But what do you think? Do we need new realms? Is the fun of playing on a new realm enough of a reason for Blizzard to regularly deploy them -- even if they'll wind up ghost towns down the road, when players abandon them for other fresh realms?
New realms? No. Recommended realms? Yes!
Looking for new realms? Well, it seems like you're going to have to keep waiting. Just over a week ago, Tseric told us that there are currently no plans to open any new realms. And on Monday Drysc followed up on that by suggesting that players may want to consider joining one of the following relatively underpopulated realms: Velen, Terokkar, Rivendare, Shu'halo, and The Underbog. I, for one, am not sure you can really replicate the "new realm experience" on a low population realm -- there's just something fun about being on a brand new realm where everyone is just starting out, and typing /who 60 and not seeing a single player. And while it's certainly in Blizzard's best interest not to have to maintain underpopulated ghost realms, telling us to reroll on these realms just isn't the same as rolling out new servers. (No... I'm not a chronic reroller -- why do you ask?!)
No new realms for you!
It's been a bit over two months since we've had any new realms for US players (the last new realms came with the release of the Burning Crusade on January 15th), there's been some cry on the forums for new realms to be opened. But with pre-BC server improvements helping overall realm stability and population cap increases limiting queue time, I haven't been seeing a lot of realm status complaints that would seem to justify the need for new realms or transfers. (My own realm has been pleasantly queue-free since BC's release.) CM Tseric seems to agree with this assessment, since in response to recent requests for new realms he's very clearly stated that there are no plans to open new realms at this time -- but that it's always under consideration, and they'll let you know when they'll be opening new realms.However, my realm -- and the news I'm reading on the forums -- may not present an entirely accurate picture of how all the realms are behaving. So do we really need new realms to take some of the burden off overcrowded existing realms? If your realm is struggling, speak up and let us know!
Free transfers for some European realms
For the European-server-playing readers in the audience, some awesome cracking news: free transfers, including a couple of brand-new realms! Thundgot sends a telegram wireless announcing the following transfers for English realms, with a stern note to the effect that origin and destination realms are subject to change, and that they won't be helping guilds with transfers: Burning Legion to Boulderfist Burning Legion to Haomarush Crushridge to Burning Blade Crushridge to Jaedenar Drak'thul to Twisting Nether Drak'thul to Xavius Frostmane to Dentarg Frostmane to Mazrigos Grim Batol to Agamaggan Grim Batol to Dragonmaw Warsong to Daggerspine Warsong to Vek'nilash Kilrogg to Anachronos (brand new realm) Runetotem to Anachronos (brand new realm) Silvermoon to Bronze Dragonflight (brand new realm) Stormrage to Bronze Dragonflight (brand new realm) Sometimes I feel like a European when playing since I listen to a lot of BBC radio shows. Can I have free transfers?
New realms for US and EU players
Yep, you heard me right. Today has brought news of four new US realms and one new English-language EU realm. US players have their pick of Misha (PvE, PST, Whirlwind), Ravenholdt (RP-PvP, ET, Whirlwind), Bladefist (PvE, PST, Whirlwind), and Maiv (PvP, PST, Whirlwind). European players hoping for a fresh start can look towards the new Burning Steppes realm (PvP, Nightfall). While there's no further details on the US front, CM Thundgot tells EU players that they should expect several new realms opening up when the expansion launches -- and thus they shouldn't hope for more new realms before then.
Two New US Realms Available
Two more US realms have opened today, adding to the two new realms last week. Both realms are in the EST timezone and include Undermine, a PvE realm in Battlegroup 10, and Anub'arak, a PvP realm in Battlegroup 11. Both of these realms will be closed to paid character transfer for six months, as opposed to the previous three months. (And if you're playing on a realm not yet open for transfers, the new six month limit applies to you as well.) So if you were looking for fresh adventures in Azeroth, this is a great chance.
New US Realms & Paid Character Transfer Update
In an announcement that will probably stop the "new realms plz!" requests for a good sixty seconds, two new US realms have opened this afternoon. Tanaris is available for the PvE-ers and Forgotten Coast for the PvP-ers. (And, before you ask, bot realms are in the EST time zone.) However, the most interesting thing about these two new realms is the fact that no transfers will be allowed to them for 6 months, rather than the previously standard 3 months. And what's better is that all future realms will follow the same 6 month rule. (Though whether this will be the case for all realms that aren't yet open for transfers is not clear.)
Breakfast Topic: Pick a Realm, Any Realm...
This post about selecting a realm to play on caught my attention, as I recently find myself in a similar predicament. After playing many months on one realm, the guild I've been in has started breaking up - with several of my friends giving up on the game - and I'm left wondering what to do next. The existing guilds on my realm hold little interest for me and the Horde population there is sufficiently small as to make establishing a new guild a difficult or impossible endeavor. So I'm faced with the thought of starting anew. Should I re-roll on another realm? Transfer to another realm? And, regardless of which one I might decide, I'm faced with the ominous decision of which realm to pick. So, how does one choose the perfect realm - or is there such a thing? What do you look for when deciding to start afresh in Azeroth?
Additional Downtime for Sixteen US Realms
The sixteen realms (including the two new realms - Sentinels and Venture Co.) that were having hardware problems yesterday have been brought offline again as of 11:44 AM PDT. While a work-around was used to bring the realms back online last night, the problem that caused the failure still remains, and needs to be addressed. The following realms are offline for now, with no current ETA on being brought back up: Aerie Peak, Altar of Storms, Anvilmar, Blackwing Lair, Deathwing, Demon Soul, Doomhammer, Gnomeregan, Icecrown, Jaedenar, Kel'Thuzad, Lethon, Onyxia, Sentinels, Uldaman, and Venture Co.
Two New US Realms Today
Two new RP realms opened up this afternoon - The Venture Co (RP-PvP) and Sentinels (RP). And, before you ask, both realms are in the PST time zone. So, for the countless players who have been eagerly awaiting new RP-PvP realms, here's your chance! However, opening new RP servers without opening any other servers does run the risk of attracting many non-RPers who are just looking for a fresh realm. Let's hope Blizzard knows what they're doing with this schedule..!
The Results of Paid Realm Transfers
I've spent a long time looking forward to the idea of paid character transfers. I have two well-geared 60s on an old realm that I abandoned for various reasons, and I'm excited at the prospect of having them available for play on the realm I now call home. So I've always looked at the prospect of transferring as a way of regaining access to characters that I'd put a lot of time and effort into, but had to abandon in order to play with friends.However, one of my want-to-transfer characters is in full tier 2, with some Ahn'Qiraj gear. I'd be transferring to a server well Nefarian has not yet been slain nor the gates of Ahn'Qiraj opened. And I can't be the only one wanting to move such characters, for one reason or another. There are many impassioned cries by players on realms old and new - as characters far beyond the realm's progression transfer over and start changing the face of PvP and PvE. With the number of restrictions on the transfer service ($25 per transfer, can only transfer every 6 months, can't transfer to severs less than 3 months old) it's obvious they've thought about the potential problems. And it's equally obvious, with the effort put into rolling out this program, that it's not just going to vanish. So where's the happy medium between a free-for-all transfer and allowing players to rejoin friends on other servers without abandoning previous efforts? Blizzard seems to be listening to player concerns, but where it will go from here, and how open character transfers will continue to impact realm status, is still a mystery.[Fan art by Guillaume Bonnet]
Four New Realms Today
Four more new realms opened today - for PvP players, there's Onyxia and Blackwing Lair, while PvE players can enjoy Gnomeregan and Anvilmar. So if you were feeling like a fresh start in Azeroth, here's your chance. The realms appear to be in the PST time zone, so if that's what you're looking for, this is your fix. There are ongoing complains on the forums about low population servers, but perhaps the combination of newer realms and pay for realm transfers this will aid in evening out population imbalances across all the servers. However, only time will tell!
Two New Realms Today!
New non-transfer realms Aerie Peak (PvE) and Lethon (PvP) opened up this afternoon. I find it interesting that we have two new realms after, just last week, Blizzard released a list of low population realms as recommended places for new players to start afresh. Of course, I'll be the first to say that new realms are great fun to roll on and play on - it's nice to start on a shiny new server, before there are farmers and twinks. But after a while the "new" will wear off and it will just be another server. Perhaps they're planning for future growth?
Two New PvP Realms
Two new PvP realms have been brought online today - Demon Soul and Jaedenar. These realms are on the new World of Warcraft site with all new hardware and are open for character creation. The reaction on the forums to this is surprisingly negative, as numerous players chime in with complaints on realm time zones (they appear to be EST servers), the realm type (still no new RP-PvP realms?), and the lack of Oceanic-flagged realms. I can't claim to understand the need for these new realms, but here's to hoping there's a master plan that we'll see eventually.
Two New US Realms
Two new US realms were opened today - Alter of Storms (PvP) and Uldaman (PvE). These are non-transfer realms and are open for character creation by all players, and they're both running at the new site, on all newer, better hardware platforms. Anyone planning on starting afresh on a shiny new server, with the hope of shorter queues and less lag, or are you happy where you are?
New Oceanic Realms Coming
Well, they aren't going to be opened immediately, but there are plans for two new Oceanic realms (one PvE and one PvP) to open mid-May. With only a few existing Oceanic servers, this will hopefully alleviate overcrowding. Of course, this does not much help existing Oceanic players who started out on non-Oceanic realms before there were any Oceanic realms - chances are they'll be waiting for pay-for character transfers if they want to swap.
New Servers: A Month Later
Remember the slew of new US servers that opened about a month ago? Well, a lot of players from other servers jumped on the opportunity to start anew - myself included. The chance to start on a fresh server has been a thrill. No queues, no lag, and no gold farmers. But the servers have already started growing up. Gold and characters are available for purchase on most and queues on my new server have already surpassed those on my old. After weeks of watching the queues increase, I'm starting to realize that this may not be just a passing thing - people aren't just coming to visit the servers just announced or tagged new, they're sticking around to play.So what does this mean for population balance? I haven't heard anything about queues or lag dropping on older servers - though perhaps people are too busy playing to post about it. Short of establishing draconian policies that force players to one server or another, it doesn't seem like there's much Blizzard can do to normalize server population aside from making new realms and transfer servers attractive options to players. But a month after a major wave of new transfers, new realms, and new hardware, are we seeing improvements - or are the problems just moving from one server to another?
Norgannon and Thrall Transfers Opening!
Finally, I'm sure some of you are saying. Initially announced on March 24th and delayed three times since, it appears that transfers to the new Norgannon and Thrall realms are finally going to happen. Begining Monday, April 17th, at 3:00 AM PDT, players from Shadowsong and Azjol-Nerub will be able to transfer to Norgannon while players from Alleria and Hellscream will be able to transfer to Thrall. Transfers will close on Thursday, April 20th, at 3:00 PM PDT, so get on it while there's a chance.
PvE to PvP Realm Transfers?
Because I do not play on any of the affected servers, the fact that Blizzard has opened up PvE to PvP realm transfers was not immediately obvious to me. Hyjal, Lightbringer, Shadowsong, Zul'jin, Alleria , Hellscream, and Whisperwind are all PvE servers, and have recently been given the opportunity to transfer to new PvP servers Black Dragonflight and Dalvengyr. This is interesting, primarily because Blizzard has, in the past, always kept realm transfers within their realm type. So these new transfers will allow seasoned players from old PvE servers a taste of the excitement of PvP without the difficulty that faces most players who wish to make such a switch - rerolling and releveling.
Update on Upcoming Character Transfers
Transfers to the new Norgannon and Thrall servers are still on hold until further notice, though CM Drysc posted on Saturday assuring us that preparations for the transfers continue, and that they have not been canceled. Drysc has also provided an update on transfers to new realms Black Dragonflight and Dalvengyr. Due to "gameplay-related concerns" the Khaz'goroth to Dalvengyr transfer has been dropped from the list, but the remaining transfers began this morning at 3:00 AM PST. These transfers end on Thursday, so if you're interested, get to it as soon as possible!
