Is it worth it to transfer off Balmung?

[Colt47]

This is something I've been debating and trying to figure out. I think that one of the important aspects of a server is the ability to build up functional Free Companies that have a decent number of players, and to do that requires new blood or returning players. With Balmung being congested that can make this kind of difficult, and with many of the housing lots basically taken up by ghosts from the past (it feels like some raid FC manors are now housed by just a skeleton crew of people that log on once in a blue moon) this is not leaving a good impression.

The other aspect of this is the economy. If the server isn't getting new people and it's kind of like a ghost land of people just popping in and out, what exactly is going to happen? I see things showing up on the Marketboards, but I'm wondering if the boards are more active on places like Mateus. There certainly is a lot of gil built up on the server, though.

Has anyone who has taken the plunge got any input on this? I've been burned before with moving off a major server before in past games so I kind of want to be sure my observations aren't being shared elsewhere.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

Moving off Balmung was the best thing my FC did, tho our FC is just our group of friends, and never really planned on expanding. We all got our houses after moving, and didn't have to deal with the usual queue problem Balmung had.

[Niqote]

Realistically, we are in between patches and every server has a lower rate of people actually playing because we have long finished with the most recent content.
So keep that in mind if you have expectations of wanting a higher population, esp if you are just going to another NA server that will have similar patterns for the community.

[Odstarva]

I moved off of Balmung to join Omega, back when it first opened.

Obviously, the free transfers were a part of the reason, but also things such as latency (being in Europe) and wanting to get out of the bubble and be a part of a growing server really did it for me.
I don't know. I've never looked at a full-to-the-brim server as a synonym of a healthy living server.

But to answer the original question, I think it's absolutely worth it. You know, push yourself out of that bubble. Risk it, take the plunge! I mean, seriously, what's the worst that can happen? The fact that you're considering is reason enough to do it as far as I'm concerned.

[CatStarPrime]

I'd say it all just depends on your true needs and desires.

I spent a lot of time on Balmung, Gilgamesh, and Mateus.

If you like a population that's busy, at all hours, across the globe - if you like active shout chat, active cities, as an *individual*, I don't think Balmung can be beat.

For keeping things going in groups - FC, Linkshells - I don't have any useful info. On Gilgamesh I am a member of an FC that's always at max membership, but as you might expect, there are members, and then there is an active Core, which is much smaller.

I have no interest in housing, don't understand people who think it's important, so no help there, either.

[Skivvy]

I think it depends on what your concerns are, and what you are looking for in a server.

Balmung still has A LOT of active people to chat with, even though we're seemingly locked for half the year. We have more of a buyer's market, so that may be something to keep in mind. From talking with my two friends who moved away, the market boards heavily favor the gatherers/crafters. Housing is obviously another thing - if it's a big deal to you, you may wish to move elsewhere.

Going back to those two friends who moved away. The first moved with his girlfriend and they were a bit unhappy with their move, but they're trying to make it work. They did say hunts were far more active on that server (Mateus). The other is planning to move back the moment Balmung is open again. These are the only experiences I've had with my friends. I know on the forums plenty have moved and have been satisfied. Just really gotta think about what you want in a server. Are friends/FC going to be something you miss? Is housing a big perk? Do you like a quieter/more active server? Do you have any market concerns? Are Hunts your cup of tea? Maybe some other concerns you may have?

[Theodric]

I transferred off of Balmung for a five month period and in that time I tested out both Cerberus and Mateus. Both were smaller than Balmung but people were generally friendlier. I actually regret returning since I reconnected with a few people when I returned but it feels very hard to 'get to know' people on Balmung due to how easy it is to take people for granted in such a large server. Furthermore, there's less 'all rounder' players who do more than just role-play on Balmung these days. So many people I meet just don't have any interest in the game as a whole.

For such a large server it's also alarmingly focused on FC's for interaction. Yet not everybody wants to join a big FC, leaving them feeling isolated.

[Makeda]

It probably depends on whether or not you have a stable FC.

Trying to join a good sized stable FC or make one: get on a big server. Already in one and have the ability to convince everyone to pay $18, move.

[Nightroad]

Why not make a new character on the server that you think of transferring too ?
That way you could see if it fulfills your needs before moving.

[Kewitt]

I world wait for cross world ls, or if you are looking for more people to run content, join the fc alliance discord.