Free Server Transfers Need to be Expanded Based on Current Server Populations

Blizzard’s decision to open free server transfers from low-pop realms is a good indicator that Blizzard is willing to take more active steps to maintain the health of their servers going forward. Though there are issues with the current system (such as minority pop factions not being able to take advantage of the transfers on large servers such as Bene Horde or Whitemane Alliance), one particular issue is that as other servers start (more like continue) to dwindle in population, they should also become eligible for free transfers.

As an example I’ll use my own server Netherwind. Netherwind, like all medium pop servers, has suffered significant population loss since P2 release. On p2 release, Netherwind was approximately, 70/30 split alliance favored, with about 4000 alliance players (per ironforge.pro). Shortly thereafter, nearly every Horde guild transferred, and Alliance guilds followed, leaving Netherwind an ally only server with currently <1400 alliance population.

I think the best way to demonstrate the need to update the free transfer server list is by way of comparison. Skeram, the next lowest US PvP server at the time of announcement of the transfers, was eligible for transfer. On November 10, 2021, a week prior to the announcement that Skeram was eligible for free transfers, Skeram had 1,185 Horde. Today, Netherwind stands at almost exactly 1,400 Alliance.

Multiple guilds disbanded or left Netherwind after it was announced Netherwind was NOT eligible, and as is the case with games like WoW, people will keep on leaving either for other games or other servers.

Servers like Netherwind have already and will continue to reach populations that Blizzard previously identified as being low enough to warrant free server transfers. For the continued health of TBC servers, free transfers should be updated as population continues to decrease (or whatever activity metric Blizzard uses internally).

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Netherwind really needs to be added to the eligible free transfer realms. The auction house is breaking down, it became officially low population just after blizzard released the eligible realms and people saw that we were listed as a destination server.

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Speaking for the last Horde guild remaining on Netherwind. This is getting ridiculous. It’s depressing.

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Just as an update: as of December 1, Netherwind total pop is about 1000, and Alliance pop has dipped below 1k, as predicted.

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This is a good time to discuss this option since Blizz just made a post identifying server balance issues.

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Bumping this again since the recent blue post makes this discussion even more relevant. In the post, Blizzard mentioned that it would observe the states of destination and source realms for free transfers to see if either list needed updating.

The time is now. As can be tracked in this post alone, the communities of once medium population servers have now cracked since opening free transfers. Servers such as Thunderfury and Netherwind have both fallen far beneath the highest population servers that previously made the cut (see Skeram above).

While the free transfers can obviously impact more than just those that decide to take advantage of them, the state of server balance is a direct result of the steps Blizzard has taken to get here (unlimited layering, no population caps). I’m not trying to say this is a bad thing, but at some point the bandage needs to be ripped off and implement a better system to build upon for the future, whether it be server merges or a new, smaller list of servers entirely. That is likely too radical for maintenance during an expansion, but expanding the free transfers is the fix for the mean-time that Blizzard already identified–it just needs to expand the source servers.

If the transfer list isn’t expanded then life on servers like Netherwind and Thunderfury are only going to diminish, and further reduce people’s desire to play a game they want to, but feel they are unable to.

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From the blue post, they seem to really not want to do mergers. Fine. Then connect al the realms. Leave out the RP realms for people who want smaller communities. Yeah, I get that server identity will be gone, but at this point, it’s not about making a good choice. It’s about making the choice that’s the least bad.

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You speak very nonchalant about it… I imagine there are many people involved and this far in they don’t want to rock the boat. I could be wrong for sure but that’s what I got out it.

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That’s what I got out of it as well. But it’s too far gone at this point. Like I said, there are no good choices left.

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Merging servers is the extreme option. Expanding eligibility for free server transfers is the moderate option - and one Blizzard has already felt comfortable enough doing. Enable more free transfers now to help alleviate the problem now while working on a more radical long term solution for the future.

Merge sounds good too

is blizzard doing anything to fix the servers?

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but who do they expand it for? on a 1,000 to 1 horde realm (my current issue), do you let horde leave? That just empties out the server, and that many horde going somewhere else together kills servers (what happened to Sulfuras). Do you let the poor 20-30 alliance left leave? Fixes their problem I guess. Not being able to even get 5 folks to run an instance ON THE ENTIRE SERVER has to be an addressable issue …

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Again raising this issue because though Blizzard’s post regarding server health has come and gone, life for many on formerly-medium-pop servers has now become desolate as the vast majority are now all but empty.

Let’s review the server population data from Ironforge.pro. While I know this data is imperfect, it is the best that we as players have. As you can see from two of the three current smallest PvP servers (that have data available as many have 0 registered players since the free transfers have opened) the populations of Netherwind and Thunderfury have dropped to 554, and 1285, respectively.

Compare this to Skeram around the time the free transfers (November 10-17) were opened: 1181.

Servers initially ineligible for free server transfers (such as Netherwind and Thunderfury) have dipped far below the largest server that was eligible at the time (Skeram). People are stuck on these servers, their game experience languishing because Blizzard is not taking action. While some may opt to pay for a transfer, the 30% discount serves more as a slap in the face for those who remain on unviable servers especially because it is clear Blizzard has a solution it is not applying: expanding free transfers.

Please Blizzard, it has been 21 days since the bluepost from Aggrend where you state “Ultimately, we did end up opening FCMs to and from a variety of destinations, and we will continue to monitor and modify the source and destination realms as time passes.” (emphasis added).

It is time to modify the source realms and expand free transfer eligibility.

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fingers crossed they add Netherwind as a source server for these upcoming free transfers

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