🧾 Monthly Realm Populations Report! May 2020 (Comparison to January 2020) - Americas & Oceania

WoW Classic WoW Classic General Discussion
1

Hello, Classic WoW Forum! :slight_smile:

I think it is pretty interesting and useful to see the way realm populations change over time.
Here is the list of Classic WoW Realms sorted from the most popular to the least popular server as of 17th of May 2020 in comparison to the start of this year - the 1st of January 2020.
Source: Ironforge Database (counts active lvl 60 raiders for last two weeks).

  1. Whitemane (PvP)
    Population: 11,841 = up (+3,034) from 8,807 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [48.5 Alliance / 51.5 Horde] and was [41.0 Alliance / 59.0 Horde]
  2. Herod (PvP)
    Population: 11,262 = up (+1,871) from 9,391 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [36.5 Alliance / 63.5 Horde] and was [38.1 Alliance / 61.9 Horde]
  3. Arugal (PvP)
    Population: 10,639 = up (+ 3,623) from 7,016 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [41.0 Alliance / 59.0 Horde] and was [41.1 Alliance / 58.9 Horde]
  4. Fairbanks (PvP)
    Population: 9,979 = up (+2057) from 7,922 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [36.5 Alliance / 63.5 Horde] and was [36.0 Alliance / 64.0 Horde]
  5. Faerlina (PvP)
    Population: 9,254 = up (+1531) from 7,723 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [49.4 Alliance / 50.6 Horde] and was [37.5 Alliance / 62.5 Horde]
  6. Sulfuras (PvP)
    Population: 9,082 = up (+3,526) from 5,556 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [44.0 Alliance / 56.0 Horde] and was [46.5 Alliance / 53.5 Horde]
  7. Pagle (PvE)
    Population: 9,031 = up (+3,892) from 5,139 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [82.8 Alliance / 17.2 Horde] and was [80.9 Alliance / 19.1 Horde]
  8. Grobbulus (RP-PvP)
    Population: 8,652 = up (+3,087) from 5565 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [56.4 Alliance / 43.6 Horde] and was [52.0 Alliance / 48.0 Horde]
  9. Benediction (PvP)
    Population: 8,341 = up (+4,808) from 3,533 back in January.
    Faction Balance now: [54.8 Alliance / 45.2 Horde] and was [46.6 Alliance / 53.4 Horde]
  10. Earthfury (PvP)
    Population: 7,719 = up (+4,663) from 3,056 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [44.5 Alliance / 55.5 Horde] and was [55.6 Alliance / 44.4 Horde]
  11. Bigglesworth (PvP)
    Population: 7,372 = up (+2,686) from 4,686 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [43.8 Alliance / 56.2 Horde] and was [35.2 Alliance / 64.8 Horde]
  12. Makrik (PvE)
    Population: 7,369 = up (+4,288) from 3,081 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [30.9 Alliance / 69.1 Horde] and was [26.9 Alliance / 73.1 Horde]
  13. Kromcrush (PvP)
    Population: 7,271 = up (+1569) from 5,702 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [38.1 Alliance / 61.9 Horde] and was [40.9 Alliance / 59.1 Horde]
  14. Yojamba (PvP)
    Population: 6,895 = up (+3011) from 3,884 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [38.1 Alliance / 61.9 Horde] and was [37.4 Alliance / 62.6 Horde]
  15. Netherwind (PvP)
    Population: 6,857 = up (+4,772) from 2,085 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [60.8 Alliance / 39.2 Horde] and was [34.1 Alliance / 65.9 Horde]
  16. Atiesh (PvE)
    Population: 6,764 = up (+3,718) from 3,046 back in January.
    Faction Balance now: [73.5 Alliance / 26.5 Horde] and was [70.2 Alliance / 29.8 Horde]
  17. Blaumeux (PvP)
    Population: 6,711 = up (+1,591) from 5,120 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [40.0 Alliance / 60.0 Horde] and was [37.7 Alliance / 62.3 Horde]
  18. Kirtonos (PvP)
    Population: 5,996 = up (+1299) from 4,697 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [36.1 Alliance / 63.9 Horde] and was [33.6 Alliance / 66.4 Horde]
  19. Rattlegore (PvP)
    Population: 5,534 = up (+2,097) from 3,437 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [38.0 Alliance / 62.0 Horde] and was [38.2 Alliance / 61.8 Horde]
  20. Skeram (PvP, but not really)
    Population: 5,288 = down (-1,220) from 6,408 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [1.2 Alliance / 98.8 Horde] and was [26.3 Alliance / 73.7 Horde]
  21. Westfall (PvE)
    Population: 5,273 = up (+2,325) from 2,948 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [78.2 Alliance / 21.8 Horde] and was [61.4 Alliance / 38.6 Horde]
  22. Kurinnaxx (PvP)
    Population: 5,026 = up (+1,824) from 3,202 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [41.2 Alliance / 58.8 Horde] and was [39.5 Alliance / 60.5 Horde]
  23. Heartseeker (PvP, but not really)
    Population: 5,019 = down (-459) from 5,478 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [97.3 Alliance / 2.7 Horde] and was [75.5 Alliance / 24.5 Horde]
  24. Thunderfury (PvP)
    Population: 4,984 = up (+ 2,188) from 2,796 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [46.3 Alliance / 53.7 Horde] and was [36.8 Alliance / 63.2 Horde]
  25. Smolderweb (PvP)
    Population: 4,548 = up (+1926) from 2,622 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [41.2 Alliance / 58.8 Horde] and was [32.9 Alliance / 67.1 Horde]
  26. Stalagg (PvP, but not really)
    Population: 4,246 = down (-2,506) from 6,752 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [1.5 Alliance / 98.5 Horde] and was [29.9 Alliance / 70.1 Horde]
  27. Incendius (PvP)
    Population: 4,234 = down (-3,263) from 7,497 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [80.0 Alliance / 20.0 Horde] and was [41.7 Alliance / 58.3 Horde]
  28. Myzrael (PvE)
    Population: 4,003 = up (+1,795) from 2,208 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [71.7 Alliance / 28.3 Horde] and was [69.2 Alliance / 30.8 Horde]
  29. Remulos (PvE)
    Population: 3,213 = up (+1416) from 1,797 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [68.5 Alliance / 31.5 Horde] and was [61.8 Alliance / 38.2 Horde]
  30. Old Blanchy (PvE)
    Population: 2,950 = up (+1,409) from 1,541 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [62.5 Alliance / 37.5 Horde] and was [55.3 Alliance / 44.7 Horde]
  31. Ashkandi (PvE)
    Population: 2,895 = up (+1,381) from 1,514 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [62.5 Alliance / 37.5 Horde] and was [55.7 Alliance / 44.3 Horde]
  32. Bloodsail Buccaneers (RP)
    Population: 2,587 = up (+1,462) from 1,125 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [74.0 Alliance / 26.0 Horde] and was [70.8 Alliance / 29.2 Horde]
  33. Windseeker (PvE)
    Population: 2,160 = up (+1,301) from 859 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [57.5 Alliance / 42.5 Horde] and was [53.9 Alliance / 46.1 Horde]
  34. Deviate Delight (RP-PvP) :heartpulse:
    Population: 2,049 = up (+452) from 1,597 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [60.8 Alliance / 39.2 Horde] and was [72.7 Alliance / 27.3 Horde]
  35. Azuresong (PvE)
    Population: 1,657 = up (+969) from 688 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [64.1 Alliance / 35.9 Horde] and was [68.6 Alliance / 31.4 Horde]
  36. Anathema (PvP)
    Population: 1,071 = up (+370) from 701 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [54.6 Alliance / 45.4 Horde] and was [44.5 Alliance / 55.5 Horde]
  37. Arcanite Reaper (PvP)
    Population: 914 = down (-192) from 1106 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [83.2 Alliance / 16.8 Horde] and was [68.0 Alliance / 32.0 Horde]
  38. Felstriker (PvP)
    Population: 777 = down (-27) from 804 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [71.8 Alliance / 28.2 Horde] and was [43.5 Alliance / 56.5 Horde]
  39. Loatheb (PvP)
    Population: 743 = up (+187) from 556 back in January.
    Faction Balance: [47.4 Alliance / 52.6 Horde] and was [38.7 Alliance / 61.3 Horde]

These numbers might not reflect the actual population with 100% accuracy.
However, you can determine what is the faction balance and how your server stands relatively to other servers based on this information.

Also, you can see clearly, that once a PvP server doesn’t have any Alliance or any Horde, it tends to lose its popularity - and people tend to migrate to other realms after they themselves have hunted down every opposite faction player to extinction and turned their server from PvP to PvE.

Interesting dynamics can be seen with the rise of Netherwind, Benediction and Earthfury (all servers gained 4500+ raiders) and with the fall of Incendius, Stalagg and Skeram (who lost >1000 raiders over the same period).

For more info, check out Ironforge Database (that had an update today)
Or take a look at a new video with updated server populations:


Hope you found this thread useful, and have a productive day! :wink:
38 Likes
2

great post.

2 Likes
3

That’s it?

4

Interesting to see that the faction balance on Herod really hasn’t changed much in the past several months. I figured it would get worse over time even after the free transfers were turned off. Not so much.

It would be nice to see some of these figures double-checked via coordinated use of a census addon, though I think I’d trust the numbers gathered from warcraft logs more, since they’re more comprehensive.

5

Interesting post.

Shows at least in this data set there’s a lot more horde raiders than alliance (looks how big the PvP servers that skew horde are vs the PvE servers that skew alliance).

6

Get some server merges for the lower realms, they aren’t dead but they can be very quiet at times.

< Anathema here.

7

I’ve noticed that too.
Adds fuel to the debate who kills /ganks more in world pvp - alliance or horde.
Clearly, if more alliance chooses to stay on PvE servers, while majority of PvP servers are horde-favored - there gotta be good reason for these trends!

8

Can you really though? all this counts is the raiders, and only the raids that use the logs, so you have to make the assumption that more the 90% of raids log their raids, all this really shows is the % of horde raiders Vs the % of alliance raiders that use the logs.

example
2 servers each have the same population at 50/50 ratio

server one: has more horde that log their raids then alliance
server two: has more alliance that log their raids then horde

Now add in to the fact that one server may have more raid loggers then the other
say
server one: more then 90% log their raids
server two: only 80% log their raids

this would be represented on that site as

server one: having a horde heavy population and a higher then server 2 population over all
server two: having a Alliance heavy population and a lower population then server 1 over all

even though both servers have same population size and balance, that site would say otherwise.

I mean I get it its the best we have because blizzard to scared to release actual numbers, that dont make the anywhere near accurate.

1 Like
9

can someone please explain Skeram?

10

Remember when the 3 most populous realms (Whitemane, Faerlina, and Incendius at the time) were locked? Faerlina wasn’t in the top 5 even on Ironforge.pro at the time.

I don’t know precisely why, but I suspect it has to do with a thriving community of new and leveling players as well as those raiding at level 60.

It would be very interesting to have account-level access to data. I’d be curious as to whether there are some major private server consortiums in play.

Thanks for sharing, friend :thumbsup:

11

Excellent work putting this together and breaking it down into comparisons from time A versus time B.

12

Yeah I’ve been wondering that question too - why wouldn’t they release the data? I’m guessing is has to do with internal politics within the corporation.
This is the most accurate database as of now, in my opinion.

When it comes to big numbers, just statistically it will be very unlikely that what you described is gonna take place. Raid log doesn’t depend on a faction.

I agree that it might not show the real server population of lvl 60s, but clearly on a big scale there won’t be difference between alliance logging in and horde logging in, so the balance should be reflected accurately. As well as the population relatively to other realms.

1 Like
13

Y I K E S.

3 Likes
14

Well, Bigloafyboi (gosh how I didn’t want to type that out), although hope remains for mergers; we are not getting any. Blizzard will consolidate mergers when the population numbers only require few servers to keep a reasonable spread.

You and me are on our own or pay $25.

15

Good question. I’ve also been wondering. I suppose one possible reason would be how easy it is to misrepresent different ideas based on data.

16

I think you will find that number horribly wrong, both the current and the january one.

1 Like
17

why does the data need to be anything but private? I’m fascinated by the numbers, but I don’t see why Blizz should feel the need to ever share these numbers.

18

that site is very dependent on who actually logs their raids if more horde raids are logged then alliance it would show on that site as that server having more horde then alliance, I understand a true 50/50 would be unlikely that is what we call a hypothetical scenario

just because its the best we have does not make it anywhere near accurate. and can be very easily skewed depending on how many of each faction on each server actually logs their raids.

1 Like
19

I’m not leaving, I have developed good relationships with my guildies here. I do like it, I just wish it had a few more people, even a couple of hundred would make a significant difference.

1 Like
20

Me too. Yeah, really I don’t know if there is any real benefit to having it be public. “It would be interesting,” is about as strong of an argument as I can make. :slight_smile:

All of the data is wrong to some degree. It might be interesting to consider how correct it might be.

1 Like