Hey, new to this forum - don't know if I'm posting this in the wrong place!
So anyway, I came back to this game after like... almost 2 years. Needless to say, I love this game, and it's my favorite MMO right now. I've been playing it quite a lot.
But -
Now that I'm back, I've noticed my server (Goblin) is extremely dead. There's pretty much no one anywhere except for Idyllshire and Quarrymill, and even those two areas are very often sparse.
I'm wondering if it's that much better in other servers? Is the world dead in every server, even Balmung and Gilgamesh? I would like to actually - sometimes - be able to do FATEs with others and actually experience the world instead of just doing ques for POTD, alexander content and dungeons/roulettes. At least while I'm leveling new classes, it'd be nice, lol.
As for the active servers - is it even possible to get into the super active ones, like Balmung?
Thanks, guys!
Decline of Servers?
Printable View
-
12-22-2016, 08:28 PMLothianDecline of Servers?
-
12-22-2016, 08:41 PMHyoMinPark
Not every server is dead. Balmung and Gilgamesh are pretty packed, population-wise. And most of the time, the only ways to get a character on that server are to wait until after maintenance, really early in the morning, or to pay for a server transfer. Because both are usually closed with regards to character creation.
There's a lot of medium-population servers, and then there's also quite a few low-population servers. But, no. Not every server is dead. Mine isn't as packed as Balmung or Gilgamesh, but I wouldn't say it's dead. -
12-22-2016, 08:44 PMBourne_Endeavor
Oh, no. Every server is far from dead. Balmung ranges from 25-30k pretty consistently and Gilgamesh is only slightly behind that. Unfortunately, the only way to get onto these servers is by transferring, which costs $18 USD. You can try making a new character in the every early morning as they sometimes open, but it's rare. With Christmas, New Years and the 3.5 close though, you might get lucky since not as many people will be around. I know a lot of people who jumped from quiet servers onto Balmung and they said it felt like a different game.
Something to keep in mind. Gilgamesh is considered the unofficial raid server. If you have any Savage aspirations, it may be better there. Balmung does have a growing raid scene, but it more casual focused. It's also considered the unofficial roleplay server. So you'll generally see people hanging around most major cities. -
12-22-2016, 08:47 PMJuneri
Out of all the servers, all 60 something of them across all data centers, I'm pretty sure Goblin is in like the bottom five in terms of active population. It is in no way representative of other servers.
-
12-22-2016, 08:52 PMLaylaTsarra
It's really quiet right now with the holiday's, FFXV and other games. I would suggest you wait for the debut of 3.5 in mid January to see how much the activity picks up. I suspect it'll be quite a lot.
-
12-22-2016, 08:54 PMLothian
@Hyo -
thanks for the information! <3
I think I'd probably just transfer; making a new char wouldn't be worth it.
@Bourne -
Really helpful info, honestly. I wouldn't mind the RP aspect of Balmung; I often do lit-adv.lit RP on forums, so it could be something I could get into. Honestly, I'm most enamored by the idea of transferring to Balmung moreso than the other servers.
I have a question for you, if you don't mind! Do you ever have login ques for Balmung? If so, how often? That was one of the things that concerned me about transferring there. ><
Thanks, love!
@Juneri
Yeah, that's what it feels like. It's depressingly dead. I began in Adamantoise (well, Coeurl in the beta but w/e) and I remember it being booming in comparison to Goblin at pretty much any point in the day, in any area. I wonder if they'd ever consider consolidating the dead servers. :confused: -
12-22-2016, 08:57 PMLothianQuote:
Originally Posted by LaylaTsarra
True that! I guess I didn't think of that. >< -
12-22-2016, 09:07 PMRagologyGobbie...boom?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lothian
-
12-22-2016, 09:10 PMAramina
I recommend transferring to a higher population realm. I just moved from Midgardsormr to Gilgamesh a couple of days ago and it's like night and day.
-
12-22-2016, 09:10 PMLothianGobbie boom. :'(Quote:
Originally Posted by Ragology
-
12-22-2016, 09:24 PMBourne_EndeavorYes, though you can cheese those. Whenever you get a queue, just cancel and requeue. For whatever reason, it'll immediately load you into the game. This only doesn't work after maintenance when a ton of people try to log-in at once. So it's never an issue. ^^Quote:
Originally Posted by Lothian
If you're looking to get into the RP community. Check out both RPC and FFXIV Tumblr. Good way to get some networking and meet people. -
12-22-2016, 09:28 PMMature
You are playing at the wrong times. You either Move somewhere else or play at different times. Gl
-
12-22-2016, 09:35 PMLothianThanks very much! You've been really helpful. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bourne_Endeavor
Definitely considering Balmung at the top of my list right now! -
12-22-2016, 09:36 PMLaylaTsarraThose servers are way too populated. You can't buy housing there. Why does one think Gilga and Balmung are the only places to live? I have toons there and rarely spend time away from my home server Siren. Cross Server PF is coming as well. Crowded isn't necessarily better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aramina
-
12-22-2016, 09:39 PMLothianI guess it just depends on the preference. I like lower pop servers in some ways, but I also like seeing lots of people and having a really diverse, broad community. Goblin just isn't that. One could argue that I might be happy in a mid-pop server like Ultros, but eh, I think I'd rather give high pop a try. Adamantoise was mid-pop and it still didn't feel right. I like lots of people, even if it means sacrificing housing opportunities.Quote:
Originally Posted by LaylaTsarra
-
12-22-2016, 09:46 PMAraminaNot everyone is super interested in having housing. :) I prefer to be around a lot of different types of people. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by LaylaTsarra
edit: I had a house on Midgardsormr but I never actually spent any time in it because it was lonely. I prefer to spend my time in major cities where the action is. If I need quiet time there is always a chamber in an FC house. -
12-22-2016, 10:02 PMBourne_EndeavorNo prob! Feel free to nudge me if you do end up on Balmung. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lothian
Keep in mind, Stormblood is adding new housing. So anyone new to the server could blow through the story, get their house and do the story a second time properly if they are so inclined. Regardless, like others have said, not everyone cares about housing. I know for me, personally, I want to feel like the world is lived in. Seeing virtually every city completely dead just feels like I'm playing a game by myself. I know plenty of recent transfer to Balmung from small pop servers who had similar feelings. A friend of mine couldn't get over how different Balmung felt to Lamia just based on the number of people around, especially in Ul'dah and Limsa.Quote:
Originally Posted by LaylaTsarra
-
12-22-2016, 10:05 PMAmnesiacCan confirm, I transferred from Malboro to Balmung back in September and I've never looked back. It does feel like a different game; however, with the addition of cross-server party finders, there's less reason to pack up and move servers. Still, if you like being around a bunch of people in the over world, leaving a small server for a bigger one will be refreshing at the very least. I know a lot of players advise against this because they're trying to preserve these smaller servers, but what's the point? I'm for more players coming together, that's why I play a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Square Enix might have to address the number of servers in the future, maybe, if it's even possible to merge servers with housing and what-not.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bourne_Endeavor
-
12-22-2016, 10:12 PMLothian
EDIT: Nevermind, ignore me.
Anyway yeah - I play MMOs to experience the whole, massive part. Goblin is a ghost town. A lot of servers kind of seem like ghost towns. It'd be better if they consolidated them imo. I'm sure it's not impossible. -
12-22-2016, 10:20 PMckc22
Depending on the quality of party finder once it's implemented - some of these things may change for smaller servers.
Personally I'd be reluctant to go to a smaller server because it's nice to have 20+ things in party finder during prime time. But there are disadvantages too - housing is garbage and now that we know apartments suck and SE has no plans for actually fixing the real issues with the systems it's not going to get better. -
12-22-2016, 10:32 PMMadepossible
Once I'm fully active again I will transfer to Balmung, simply because all my friends I once knew on that server are gone or quit the game so no point staying there. Also after t13/a1-4s I feel no real reason to raid anymore, the difficulty is mmm not as challenging as for example t13 pre nerf loot lockouts with low gear. I'm gonna be a casual till stormsblood \^o^/.
-
12-22-2016, 10:42 PMNiraves
Hyperion seems like it has a lot of people. But maybe thats just because I'm used to really small realms from when I played World of Warcraft and my server had like.. 1500 people on it.
-
12-22-2016, 10:47 PMMadepossible4.8 ish k active ones Source: https://ffxivcensus.comQuote:
Originally Posted by Niraves
-
12-22-2016, 10:59 PMMaero
I would say some servers suffer for different reasons, one bigger reason i think is player burnout.
Come expansion there should be a surge of returning players i imagine
I see lots of new leaf players on my server but overall it does feel different then it used to -
12-22-2016, 11:00 PMRiardon
In the new patch 3.5 a unified cross server Party Finder and chat ystems are coming. This will help players from underpopulated servers to find groups. As for FFXV people already getting bored of it and rteturning to FFXIV. Many will return again once 3.5 hits the servers. So don't worry player activity always flactuates mid patch seasons. It's absolutely normal considering the lack of end game content in this game.
-
12-23-2016, 12:38 AMBourne_EndeavorIt would. The reason they don't is looks bad from a PR perspective. Most games only start to merge servers when they're dying.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lothian
Also! Forgot to mention. If you do transfer, make a few alts beforehand. You can transfer up to eight characters for the one $18 fee. So if you ever plan to level a second character, you've got them on reserve instead of having to pay again. You'll have to wait 72 hours to transfer though. Just something to keep in mind.