Updated transfer list for Warhammer Online's server merge
by Eliot Lefebvre 
Nov 30th 2009 at 10:00PM
Filed under: Fantasy, Server downtime, Warhammer Online, News items
Mark this one down under the "good news" category, but with a lot of conditionals: Warhammer Online has updated the list of acceptable server transfers for the upcoming shutdown. We reported earlier on the planned closing of Phoenix Throne and Dark Crag, bringing the game's remaining servers to four. Unfortunately, the decision hasn't been reversed, but the former limitations on what servers could be chosen as a destination for transferred characters has been expanded. In a fresh release, it was announced that characters from the closed servers would be allowed to transfer to any of the four remaining servers.
When the announcement was first made there were a number of people who protested the selections for destinations, as players had seen some of the writing on the wall and had already begun transferring over to other servers in anticipation. This move seems to be aimed at engendering some more positive community feelings after the understandably unpopular announcement, although how much help it will actually provide remains to be seen. The announcement goes on to serve as a reminder that the server merge will be taking place on December 2nd, so if your server is on the list to be merged and you wish to say goodbye, now is the time.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mirkinz said on 10:21PM 11-30-2009
OMG! Gonzo plays WARGH! since when? And they wonder why they have to do layoffs..
Reply
Hambone_Hamlet said on 10:40PM 11-30-2009
I am glad to see Mythic allowing players to transfer to any servers but with the closing of Dark Crag, all the remaining servers are Core. There are no Open RvR servers which seems very weird since the game is all about RvR.
Reply
joeltosado said on 10:41PM 11-30-2009
it is sad to see this game in such decline. Ppl need to make more babies!.
Reply
Osmosis said on 1:34AM 12-01-2009
Wow... 4 servers left?! Their subscription rates must be in free fall, and the ground is coming up fast.
Reply
Hiravaxis said on 11:05AM 12-01-2009
Sub rates aren't in free fall, it's just that the required critical mass of players left those 2 servers.
Many left to reroll on a busier server.
News like this really only looks bad on web sites like this.
My suggestion: try the Free Trial: http://www.warhammeronline.com/trial/
I think you'll actually have a lot of fun.
primetime said on 10:55PM 11-30-2009
Any server mergers make the game look worse and worse to potential new players.
Down to 4 servers is shocking. I think Mythic would just make the game F2P but with a cash-shop ASAP in order to get as much $$$ out of the game as possible before it finally collapses.
Reply
smi04 said on 11:30PM 11-30-2009
"Any server mergers make the game look worse and worse to potential new players."
How do you figure? Server mergers group the players closer to a density the developers originally designed the game having. New players cant do any of the group quests when the population is spread too thin.
And enough with the free to play, it is by no means a cure all for a flagging mmo.
primetime said on 7:47AM 12-01-2009
How does server merges look bad to potential new players?
There a ton of MMOs out there to choose from, and when comparing one MMO to another, a new player is going to want to spend their $ and time wisely.
If you had to pick between a MMO that has server merges 3-4 times a year, to another MMO that is brand new, and isn't having problem (yet), which MMO would you choose? Easy, the brand new one.
Gameplay can speak for itself, but if people are scared to devote time to a MMO that may be dead within less than a year, that gameplay won't be seen.
So, in the process of closing servers, in order to boost population #s, it actually has a negative affect on how potential new players see the game's worth.
Dave said on 7:48AM 12-01-2009
Sure you could look at server mergers as a positive in the way that it takes players from low population realms to form higher population realms but, the fact that they need to merge these servers to form high population realms is the negative. Server mergers in this case indicate the game losing customers, because I can tell you first hand they haven't increased the capabilities of their game servers to support more players.
Played at launch (played 3 months) and just canceled after my second go around (1.3.2 brought me back) and I'm dumping this into the trash bin. Seeing server mergers is the nail in the coffin for me.
Saylah said on 7:15PM 12-01-2009
I went back for a look myself having played to level 36.5 before bailing of boredom and frustration with T4. What I noticed most is that I still loved T1 and the idea of PQs. However, the same issues that were present before - bad targeting, inconsistent mob pathing and hit-n-miss RVR still exists. And after having played Aion since versus having gone mostly from WOW to WAR, the graphics and combat seem very lacking. Before I felt the tone/mood of the regions and combat offset sluggish combat behavior but having been in a game with smooth combat and better graphics twice (AOC and Aion), I now find those failings unacceptable.
ethereal.wolf said on 11:48PM 11-30-2009
4 servers. wow.
Reply
Khai Mann said on 4:31AM 12-01-2009
Has anyone seen WAR on sale anywhere??? I know I haven't... So I guess they don't need the money :)
Reply
JP said on 10:08AM 12-01-2009
with every news update about WAR, it reminds me so much of Tabula Rasa in Sept/Oct of last year. Just before the "announcement".
Reply
Toucan said on 10:21AM 12-01-2009
I've been checking out the game again both in endless trial and on my original account with a free 10 days that was sitting there waiting to be claimed. To date I have had 50 days of free play with my original purchase of $50.
Over the weekend I took my warrior priest from rank 14 to rank 21, over half of which I did in oRvR.
It's been a blast. I suddenly have come to the conclusion that because the PvE in this game is just plain boring (dull quest hubs, most quest of the kill 10 rats variety, and only one or two quest chains in all that time that I thought were interesting or gave insight into lore in a way that really grabbed you) -- the best way to level is get into a warband and have fun with others.
Still, I lagged out getting rank 21 in a full on 24 v 24 battle last night. Mostly the game runs smoothly but even with 2gb of ram and a fairly decent rig and internet hookup, I cannot keep up.
And you still need patience to be online while a group gets going.
The fact is if people made the effort to keep RvR going every night, the game would be a total blast. If I was not so busy right now, I would sub a full 3 months. But I worry that the game is in its death throes, and with dull PvE, odd itemization, and mastery trees that don't always make a lot of sense, it is hard to see where the game is going to hold onto people such that the keep playing for at least a few months after capping rank 40.
It will be sad if this game goes. Probably the most beautiful game with the best ideas and IP to end up a total bust.
Reply
Toucan said on 11:05AM 12-01-2009
I should add that looking at the guild recruitment window, there was no guild with more than 5-6 people on at the same time all weekend on Badlands.
Not sure that bodes well for the game when nobody is recruiting and the social fabric is almost entirly made of people in PUG Warbands in the lower tiers.
Saylah said on 7:21PM 12-01-2009
I hate to see this game fail, I really do but it does highlight how important execution is versus the grand idea. I still find it hard to reconcile how so much went wrong so fast, that they've come to this juncture. Lots of gems but not enough to on which to hang a whole MMO progression experience which means people don't stay subscribed. Personally, T4 tanked the game. Many of the people I know that left, bailed in T4. So we liked the game enough to get that far then hit the WTF am I going to do for months now and what the heck is with the lag/crashes/bugged contributions/yada?
Reply
trevor.sykes said on 8:58PM 12-01-2009
I resubbed 2 days ago. Grinded out 50 in Aion and went right back to WAR. The core rule set is fine, and I am pretty happy they merged servers, which makes for a thriving population on the ones remaining.
Game has come a long way since I departed, but for drop in/drop out PvP and the ability to progress through PVP; no MMO is better IMHO.
Reply
gerkshz said on 12:21PM 12-02-2009
Folks, remember that last year, WAR had over 60 servers.
They are now down to 4.
The game is definitely thriving!
Reply
Sarem said on 11:16AM 12-08-2009
YEA! This is great news, It doesnt take 11million ppl to make an mmo worth playing.
I re subbed 2 days ago, and I have loved the new action difference from a former dark Craig player to a new badlands player ..
LOVE IT!
and yes, i said re subbed, I jump between war and wow. since it takes about 3 weeks after each wow content to get gear capped and be bored again.
And is there anyway for a DoK to kill a KotBS!!?
Reply
skhottyboi said on 2:22PM 2-04-2010
.
Reply