I saw a chart from Bellular that showed it trending downward dramatically. I think it is some kind of metric that looks at active players, not subs (not sure how they get that data… maybe log in dates?). They popped that info up earlier in the year to declare that FFXIV had overtaken wow in active players for the first time ever (that was disputed - and no, I didn’t care if it was true lol).
If they opened up free transfers, yes, but I don’t play enough to really justify that, plus my family and my tiny guild wouldn’t likely come with me, so I’d be even more alone. I’m kind of edgy and not politically correct, so I’d be looking for a realm with a lot of OG adults who have a good sense of humor.
Bellular is kinda difficult to watch but I believe it.
Correlation does not equal causality bud. I can’t say you’re “definitively” wrong, but you’re about 99% likely to be wrong. Increasing population on a realm can only help said realm by increasing the social aspect of the whole “MMORPG” - we’ve really been losing the “MMO” part for a long time (I’m a 16 year WoW vet, I have seen this decline personally).
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I think the last free transfers on retail were in 2014. I looked up an article to jog my memory and these were the realms involved:
- Area 52 → Turalyon
- Stormrage → Turalyon
- Tichondrius → Blackrock
- Illidan → Blackrock
- Bleeding Hollow → Korgath
- Darkspear → Korgath
Meanwhile, Classic still has free migrations regularly. I wonder who decided to put retail realm population maintenance on autopilot?
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I don’t want realms “erased” - I want low pop realms integrated into high pop realms to help stimulate the social aspect of the game. And, no, I don’t care what toxic 1% players who farm 15+ and Mythic raids and super high ELO PvP think regarding social activity (not saying you are, but that tends to be the demographic who dislikes socialization in my experience).
I completely agree with this. I’m more than fine keeping my realm name after my character if it means there are more players on my server to interact with.
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Ooooh Wildstar. The space furry MMO. That did look fun. I really was into Rift for a while but it looks visually… poor. If someone bought that thing and just gave it a new, high end engine they could probably re-release it and make some money considering all the content.
There is not now, nor has there ever been a need for such a thing (identity/pride). It’s frankly juvenile to even suggest such a thing exists. I originated from Nathrezim, aka the worst NA server to ever exist (a PvP hell on earth with 3/4 horde, 1/4 alliance) that was actually 3 hours off set from my own time zone because I wanted to play with a friend who wound up quitting in TBC. It was also famous for it’s hardware failures.
I also find the notion of “teams” that you’re talking about to be absurd. Humans are strange. People want short queue times and help when they ask for it in general chat. They want a wide variety of friendly, active guilds. Currently low pop realms either don’t have that, or at risk of losing what they have - my realm cluster is a prime example.
You appear to be talking from a position of privilege that you seem to think you will lose if we start connecting low pop realms with higher pop realms. That’s fine - just connect all the low pop ones in the same time zone together and that would probably help.
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I don’t. I like my low pop realms that are polite and close knit. People have the choice to move to a high pop realm.
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You’re going to be disappointed when Blizzard decides to connect every single Chicago datacenter RP server together, then.
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Ok, so you’re social elitist instead of a power gamer elitist? If more people came to your realm it wouldn’t affect your guild at all because you don’t have to invite any of them. And people aren’t “polite” because it’s low pop - they’re polite because they’re polite.
I like to joke around and make fun of “sensitive” subjects that, frankly, if you’re a sane adult shouldn’t get your undies in a twist, but people have been collectively losing their minds over the last several years. That, however, is not my problem.
The issue with a low pop realm is the LFG/LFM tool is essentially useless and when it does work you’re looking at an hour or longer queue. You can’t call out into general or trade chat to ask a question or get a human being to chat with you. And the fact you think you’re “close knit” on your realm outside your guild is laughable - the days where guilds would collaborate ended a decade ago.
That said, you are still entitled to your opinion and I thank you for sharing it.
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They haven’t remotely alluded to that at all.
I’m sorry? 
I’m not speaking of my guild.
This was never a subject I brought up.
False. LFG/LFM is cross realm.
Then you don’t understand our smaller RP realms at all. Even our cross realm friends from Earthen Ring, Emerald Dream, etc. have been fun to chat with. I don’t need to be connected to MG or WrA. I can play on those servers when I want a larger group for RP or go to elsewhere for raiding.
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Do you honestly think Kirin Tor/Sentinels/Steamwheedle Cartel will stay the way it is forever?
I don’t work for Blizzard (thank god), but I’d put gold on future RP realm connections. Just a hunch.
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We’re CRZ’d with some servers that are great, too. And that’s fine for those connections. But trying to connect us with MG or WrA? That would suicide us.
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I doubt MG or WrA would be connected with you guys. They are in the LA datacenter. Until Blizzard combines the datacenters into one, you guys are safe.
Well then the cross realm situation sucks too and just supports the need to consolidate realms. I don’t care what my realm is called, only that it’s in my time zone and is PvE. If Blizzard can’t churn out new content at a reasonable pace (Shadowlands is officially the second coming of Warlords of Draenor) then they can do some pruning and merging. And, again, the only reason you’d feel threatened by this would be if your low pop realm is being monopolized by a handful of guilds who either raid or do organized pvp and you are concerned you’d lose members to new guilds or newly formed guilds.
And yet that type of merger is exactly what I was speaking of when you shoved into the conversation. Because the person I responded to said the following:
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Ooooooh you’re on an RP realm. Ok, yeah, those are very much their own thing. That said there are some smaller RP realms, such as Shuhalo’s situation, that really do need addressing. And don’t you folks do weird stuff in Goldshire, or is that just a meme?
Shu’halo/Eitrigg isn’t an RP realm, but a lot of the people on it like to roleplay as hardasses lol. It is a smaller PvE realm that was left alone even though similar realms got connections last year.