Balmung has always had an ERP problem. It was the go-to RP server back in Legacy 1.0. Gilgamesh briefly took the crown as the RP hub in 2.0, but that collapsed due to internal RPC drama, and everyone migrated back to Balmung. Then it briefly shifted to Mateus before inevitably gravitating back to Balmung; now, it's spread everywhere. Just look at Party Finder venues for proof.

World and Data Center visits made it worse—not just for Balmung but across the board. Again, check the number of venue listings in PF; it's no longer a Crystal-exclusive problem. The ERP presence has grown game-wide, regardless of server. That said, Balmung today is a bit worse than in ARR.

And here's the kicker: you probably wouldn’t believe me when I say I get more unsolicited RP offers on Aether than on Crystal. As someone currently living on Balmung, I can tell you from experience that if you avoid the Quicksands, keep your search info completely free of RP references, and play a male character, you’ll significantly reduce the amount of tells you might receive. Adding something like “No Mare” or “No ERP” in your search info also helps; there are so many “fish in the sea” that people will move on to an easier target.

Quote Originally Posted by Illianaro View Post
I’m increasingly tempted to move over to Mateus as I’ve heard good things about the RP scene there. The biggest thing that has stuck out to me on Balmung lately is how insane shout chat has become in places like Uldah. It’s always been active, but now it’s just off the rails. Forget actually RPing in the Quicksand.
The shout chat is a huge issue. It's so bad that we have a whole website dedicated to it.
https://thequicksand.live/