Decision between Servers

[Kiht]

As it's apparent this is my first post, due to my nature to be, as my valiant title suggests; a Wall Flower. - I usually never speak up or post. However, the time has come! I apologize in advance if this topic is littered on the forums, or it's in the wrong section. I did my best to search for related and none that I saw really answered my concern. 

 

Anyways, I've been roleplaying for quite a long time, nearly nine years, and I wasn't part of the previous incarnation of FFXIV, so the community here is new to me. My concern is between Balmung and Gilgamesh. As I've discovered, Balmung is the original RP server, and is now the Legacy server for FFXIV:ARR, which means the majority of Veterans will dive back to that server, and a hunk of the newer people will dive there as well due to numbers and an already developed community.

 

Gilgamesh is a new server, and the community has the intention of expanding and fleshing out it's secondary base here (As I've read all over the forums and their ambitions are glorious.) Now, my ordeal is that I'm new to this community, and from my standpoint Gilgamesh is more.. attractive, essentially. Reasons being, that Balmung I'm sure has multiple fleshed out storylines and groups that have already been established, and it's intimating to take the step forwards. 

 

In my view, it's similar to a group of people who are all friends, chatting away, and the new guys (Moi.) are timid to step forwards and try to get friendly with them. I know that this community and RPers in general are angels when it comes to social interaction, but it's still... unappealing to try and wedge myself inside an already molded situation.

 

Gilgamesh obviously has a clean slate, and even though there are veterans there, they still need people to make the community blossom as a vibrant RP hub, however I fear that the numbers will lack due to it's big brother's already established community.

 

 

LONG STORY SHORT: Gilgamesh is appealing due to being a part of the creation, and it feels like it would be easier to 'fit in' so to speak, yet I fear that eventually the water will run dry and RP will be few and far between because the majority is on the father server.

 

Balmung is appealing due to it's larger RP base and established community, yet intimating to think about having to try and wiggle into the scene with the impairment of, essentially shyness.

 

I am not sure if I'm alone in these thoughts, but I have a feeling there are a lot more people in my position of undecided thoughts. SO, Gilgamesh or Balmung?

[Selsix]

I wasn't part of the previous incarnation of FFXIV

 

You answered your own question.

 

Balmung is only for Legacy players, meaning people who played the original FFXIV. You will not be able to roll a new character there for QUITE some time.

 

Gilgamesh or bust my friend. 

[Kiht]

I wasn't part of the previous incarnation of FFXIV

 

You answered your own question.

 

Balmung is only for Legacy players, meaning people who played the original FFXIV. You will not be able to roll a new character there for QUITE some time.

 

Gilgamesh or bust my friend. 

 

That explains why I couldn't find an answer, I'm just a moron. GILGAMESH IT IS. Thank you =P

[AFriendOfAFriend]

I wasn't part of the previous incarnation of FFXIV

 

You answered your own question.

 

Balmung is only for Legacy players, meaning people who played the original FFXIV. You will not be able to roll a new character there for QUITE some time.

 

Gilgamesh or bust my friend. 

 

Erm... Sorry, but no. Balmung is a Legacy server, yes, but new character creation has been available there since Phase 3, even for non-Legacy players.

 

To the OP: Standard subscription price allows for a character per server, so my advice would be to roll on both Balmung and Gilgamesh, test them out and see which you like better. Informed decisions are often the best.

[K'nahli]

Balmung! Balmung! Join ussssssss~

 

But really, from what I have seen there are going to be a lot of fresh faces(myself included) going ahead and joining the Balmung server and because of the large community I don't think you have anything to fear. Everything will be well-balanced from the beginners to the veterans and there ought to be many opportunities for you to find your own little niche.

[FreelanceWizard]

Balmung is only for Legacy players, meaning people who played the original FFXIV. You will not be able to roll a new character there for QUITE some time.

 

Incorrect. The only systemic differences between legacy and non-legacy servers are:

 

• No transfers are allowed off them for a period yet to be specified, but likely six months, after launch; and
  
• All 1.x characters will be transferred to legacy servers only.
  

 

Anyone can make a character on a legacy server. The restriction on new character creation only existed in early phase 3.

 

EDIT: Ack! Looks like other people have posted this response too. I'm not trying to pile on, promise! This is just a common misconception that needs to be squelched.

[Havoc Snow]

I wasn't part of the previous incarnation of FFXIV

 

You answered your own question.

 

Balmung is only for Legacy players, meaning people who played the original FFXIV. You will not be able to roll a new character there for QUITE some time.

 

Gilgamesh or bust my friend. 

False. Legacy Servers are the only place you can currently play a character you had during 1.0, but they are not exclusive to old characters. You are completely capable of joining Balmung even if you are brand new to the game.

[Selsix]

Yeesh guys, you didn't have to tell me I was incorrect THREE times. I get it, I'm misinformed. :blush:

 

My buddy is a Legacy player and told me that's how it is, so I took his word for it. Carry on. I apologize.

 

However, more on topic? In spite of this, I'll still be rolling on Gilgamesh. I'm treating this like a brand new game. Why would I want to be on a server full of characters who are already max level? 

[FreelanceWizard]

Sorry!

 

This is just a pretty common misconception (spread in part by some Legacy Program players who are being weird about new players for some reason) and I think a lot of us just respond fast on it without seeing what others have posted first.

 

[Kiht]

Yeesh guys, you didn't have to tell me I was incorrect THREE times. I get it, I'm misinformed. :blush:

 

My buddy is a Legacy player and told me that's how it is, so I took his word for it. Carry on. I apologize.

 

Now we both know things. All in all, complete victory has been achieved.

[Havoc Snow]

Sorry!

 

This is just a pretty common misconception (spread in part by some Legacy Program players who are being weird about new players for some reason) and I think a lot of us just respond fast on it without seeing what others have posted first.

 

<- Not a Legacy Program player, has 1 1.x character that was level 7, and is starting new in ARR.

^This pretty much, there is a strange amount of animosity between Legacy Program players and Non-Legacy players on the beta forums. There are some players who absolutely refuse to play on the same server as Legacy members, and there are some people who only want to play with Legacy members. Because of this I think it's kind of a knee jerk reaction to sort of respond to this kind of thing.

[Desmond Aryll]

For me the appeal of Gilgamesh is trailblazing. 

 

Balmung has established RP, Linkshells and new FC's springing out of those old relationships. That's all great and a testament to the people who were there before. But for example if one wanted to open an RP tavern, they exist already on Balmung. How do you lure in players to your upstart spot when they already have a venue for a similar thing?

 

Gilgamesh is brand spanking new territory. I feel it better compliments the beginning of my own noob story.

[FreelanceWizard]

Anyhoo, back on topic to the OP's question!

 

I recommend you make a character on both servers if you're undecided. There's great people and LSes on Gilgamesh and Balmung. However, there are of course some differences between the servers, as you've noticed. You may want to look at the following threads where these topics have been discussed:

 

• A questionnaire that's been making its way through forums -- It has some methodological issues, but it makes some interesting points about the relative server sizes and RPers per capita.
  
• A discussion of the effects of Reddit and 4chan on Gilgamesh -- This covers the pros, cons, and possible effects of those communities' choices.
  
• Alothia's post on the differences between the servers -- This explains the pros of both servers and why you might choose one over another.
  
• My post summarizing the arguments for both servers -- I tried to summarize all the arguments I heard from all sides in a neutral way.
  

 

I'm sure you can find more resources and discussions on the topic here, but those are the ones I think are most helpful.

 

One final note I'll add is that XIV had a population in the low tens of thousands when 1.x closed. ARR has a beta population of over 1 million at this point. Also, a lot of 1.x players are starting anew in 2.x so they can play through the new storylines. As such, 1.x characters will be utterly overwhelmed by new characters no matter what server you choose, so "new RP" will exceed "old RP" by a significant margin. Balmung won't be very much like an "old" RP server, IMO (and Gilgamesh definitely won't be, since it's all new over there).

[Ildur]

I don't know how the Balmung denizens do it, but when someone 'claims' ownership over a specific place (like a tavern), they are not REALLY kicking everyone out of it forever. It's just they using the place temporaly until their scene is done. Sure, they might go there on a regular basis, but chances are that if someone else is roleplaying as the 'owner' of the tavern, then they will just look for another in-game tavern.

In that sense, both Balmung and Gilgamesh are exactly the same.

 

Or, once housing is implemented, and depending on how good it is, people will probably make their taverns in their in-game houses instead.

[Xenedra]

Regardless of which server you choose, you're in for a good experience, IMO. Why not dabble on both to start?

[halceeuhn]

Exactly why I chose Gilgamesh, to start our own community

[Kellen whitewolf]

i have no problem playing with legacy or non legacy players the only thing i would be scared of is being look down or even laught at i mean i can take a joke but if legacy player is just being rude then its uncall for

[Ren Mistwalker]

This is a pretty unique situation, given that (as far as I know) this is the only major MMO to ever release then get shutdown and remade. This is the way I see it though... Balmung, while it may already have established groups and cliques and storylines that have taken place, it also has the most stable group of core RPers, given that these are the players who have been in the game the most and already have a ton invested in their characters and the quality of the RP community.

 

Now, it would be easy to look at that and see those players as potentially being elitist or RP snobs who don't want new players coming in and mucking up their storylines. And sure, there probably are at least some players who are like that. But as a whole? I'd imagine the old RP community would love for nothing more than a wave of new roleplayers with new characters and new idea to come in and bring new life to the community. After all, half the fun of RPing is meeting and interacting with new characters and sharing new stories together. So really, an already stable community with dedicated core roleplayers AND incoming new roleplayers? That sounds pretty good to me.

 

And, this is just my own personal opinion, but I think the whole movement of players going to Gilgamesh sucks. I mean, nothing against those who are, because I know why they're doing it and I totally understand the reasoning behind it, but at the end of the day the end result is that it's fragmenting the potential community between servers. Personally I think it'd just be funner having all the roleplayers in one place, so it's kind of disappointing.

 

Anyway, that's basically the reasoning in my head for why I chose Balmung.

[ArmachiA]

It's a common misconception there won't be any trailblazing on Balmung. There are going to be much more new people on that server than Legacy, there will be a LOT of trailblazing.

 

My guild is planning on being one of them and out of the 40 people signed up... 3 are legacy.

[Desmond Aryll]

It's true that this is a unique situation in MMO's where the game is essentially launching twice.

 

This is a new game for me and I just feel like I want to share the sense of wonder and discovery with everyone. Gilgamesh will be closer to that for me. Not to say that Balmung won't have that too but pre-existing 1.0 history will change the flow of things. That's not a good or bad thing but it is a preference.

[AFriendOfAFriend]

I played on both Legacy and Non-Legacy during Phase 3 (specifically, Balmung and Leviathan). Both servers had their ups and downs - Balmung seemed very open and welcoming, you didn't have to fight eight hundred other players for mobs at level 1-10, and from a shear gameplay standpoint it was less laggy. In that same breath it at times felt empty, especially when trying to do FATEs and the like.

 

Leviathan again had a nice general community, but it was also full of trolls and the like spamming the /shout channel with nonsensical arguments and idiocy. It was also very, very crowded, and I had some slowdown problems as a result (this likely also had to do with my playing on PS3, but still the difference was there). Not saying Gilgamesh will be a troll playing ground, but that it will more populated than Balmung is a given. Gilgamesh has also been designated the Reddit server, so take from that what you will.

 

Legacy-haters are quick to say that the economy will be heavily skewed away from the noobies, but I saw no evidence of this in beta. With the better armors being quest/dungeon rewards, and Disciple of the Land/Hand being fairly self-fulfilling, I imagine the economy will be pretty stable no matter what server you play on.

 

In terms of RP, that's more personal preference. I like the idea of an established community, and the players of the RPC at least seem keen on letting the new blood flow. That being said I can understand wanting to build from the ground up, and tip my hat to anyone who is choosing to do so.

 

In terms of gameplay, do firsts matter to you? Do you want to be the first Dragoon/Paladin/Monk/White Mage/Black Mage/Bard/Warrior? Do you want to be the first to take on Ifrit or Garuda? The first to 50, the first to get Artifact Armor, Relic Weapons, etc and so on?

 

Again it's all a matter of personal style, and again I suggest trying both before making a decision. I did so in the beta, and it led me to choosing Balmung. Whichever you end up playing on, I'm sure the RP community will be welcoming and wish you luck in your adventurers.

[Gideon Aryeh]

As it's apparent this is my first post, due to my nature to be, as my valiant title suggests; a Wall Flower. - I usually never speak up or post. However, the time has come! I apologize in advance if this topic is littered on the forums, or it's in the wrong section. I did my best to search for related and none that I saw really answered my concern. 

 

Anyways, I've been roleplaying for quite a long time, nearly nine years, and I wasn't part of the previous incarnation of FFXIV, so the community here is new to me. My concern is between Balmung and Gilgamesh. As I've discovered, Balmung is the original RP server, and is now the Legacy server for FFXIV:ARR, which means the majority of Veterans will dive back to that server, and a hunk of the newer people will dive there as well due to numbers and an already developed community.

 

Gilgamesh is a new server, and the community has the intention of expanding and fleshing out it's secondary base here (As I've read all over the forums and their ambitions are glorious.) Now, my ordeal is that I'm new to this community, and from my standpoint Gilgamesh is more.. attractive, essentially. Reasons being, that Balmung I'm sure has multiple fleshed out storylines and groups that have already been established, and it's intimating to take the step forwards. 

 

In my view, it's similar to a group of people who are all friends, chatting away, and the new guys (Moi.) are timid to step forwards and try to get friendly with them. I know that this community and RPers in general are angels when it comes to social interaction, but it's still... unappealing to try and wedge myself inside an already molded situation.

 

Gilgamesh obviously has a clean slate, and even though there are veterans there, they still need people to make the community blossom as a vibrant RP hub, however I fear that the numbers will lack due to it's big brother's already established community.

 

 

LONG STORY SHORT: Gilgamesh is appealing due to being a part of the creation, and it feels like it would be easier to 'fit in' so to speak, yet I fear that eventually the water will run dry and RP will be few and far between because the majority is on the father server.

 

Balmung is appealing due to it's larger RP base and established community, yet intimating to think about having to try and wiggle into the scene with the impairment of, essentially shyness.

 

I am not sure if I'm alone in these thoughts, but I have a feeling there are a lot more people in my position of undecided thoughts. SO, Gilgamesh or Balmung?

 Your decision should be based on what you want to do as a roleplayer

 

What I mean is this

 

Balmung will have an established group yes, but it will have more NEW people than old. Even if some of the old community turn out to be, well not so great you will have so many new people to flood them out. If you want most of my friends are going to Balmung so I can shoot you some pms on who to talk to if you are shy and want to meet people to hang out with. Balmung offers the advantage of having a foundation. Its been there. people know it. Most roleplayers on this site are going there. It will be easier to meet people who are going there now because of this site. The numbers from here back it up and its a great place for a new shy roleplayer to go because there is less startup involved as far as rp.

 

 

And then there is Gilgamesh, the wildchild, the new one the sometimes unwanted one. Its going to have two communities that carry bad reps with them. Reddit and 4chan. Many roleplayers are downright scared of these communities due to fear of griefing and past experiences which I more than understand. I'm a griefer fighter by nature so dealing with them doesn't bother me personally as they will always be there, even on Balmung. But I know a secret *whispers* There is a huuuge number of people who want to roleplay on Gilgamesh, even from these two baaaaad communities. Lots of them, but the problem is most of them don't come to this site. *keeps whispering* Yep its true. I even have links to their site asking about roleplaying or expressing interest in roleplaying. Many going to Gilgamesh are on this site already and are just more lurkers than anything, so we will meet many of them during beta 4, early access and launch.

 

     Rping on Gilgamesh is going to require more patience. You may not always get rp when you want it and how you want it (though I seriously doubt this honestly I think we will be just fine from the get go). Those who are strong enough to endure the beginning will persevere there. Strong Free Comany leaders who are moving their free companies there will shine like a diamond on a clear summer day. We all are new, and there will be trials and tribulations but those who are of strong spirit and drive will make it succeed. During beta 4 I got a lot of interest going there, people are downright happy that roleplayers will be there. One person told me they were very happy about how diverse the community will be with the addition of roleplayers. So it definitely has its pros and cons and I won't lie to anyone about them either. But I also know the full truths about BOTH servers. If you decide to join us I can promise you the rp will NOT dry up. There will be beta 4 established linkshells to connect all the roleplayers. And there are already three events that will be forthcoming between beta 4 and launch so that people will know that there will be roleplaying on the server.

 

So the question is, what do you want to do? Make your decision on what you want to do in the game as a roleplayer and you will have your answer.

 

Something established and with a fine foundation tested tried and true? Or coming to the frontier with the rest of us crazy settlers?

 

Its your choice

 

Welcome to the site!

[Imsey]

Ultimately you're the only one who'll know which server will be right for you. No matter which one you pick you'll have wonderful roleplayers to engage with, all of whom will be happy to have you. Chat with people of both servers here, browse the available linkshells/free companies. There isn't a wrong choice, and you won't be alone on either server.

 

I'm a new player joining Balmung, which'll be a new experience for me considering I'm usually in an MMO at launch (original launch... ARR is rather unique here). However, for all that I play in those brand new worlds I've never particularly been a trailblazer so to speak, and prices at auction houses and the like always get the best of me. So, I'm personally not going to sweat things like that.

 

Best of luck either way you go, I'm sure you'll be happy!

[Aysun]

This is a pretty unique situation, given that (as far as I know) this is the only major MMO to ever release then get shutdown and remade. This is the way I see it though... Balmung, while it may already have established groups and cliques and storylines that have taken place, it also has the most stable group of core RPers, given that these are the players who have been in the game the most and already have a ton invested in their characters and the quality of the RP community.

 

Now, it would be easy to look at that and see those players as potentially being elitist or RP snobs who don't want new players coming in and mucking up their storylines. And sure, there probably are at least some players who are like that. But as a whole? I'd imagine the old RP community would love for nothing more than a wave of new roleplayers with new characters and new idea to come in and bring new life to the community. After all, half the fun of RPing is meeting and interacting with new characters and sharing new stories together. So really, an already stable community with dedicated core roleplayers AND incoming new roleplayers? That sounds pretty good to me.

 

And, this is just my own personal opinion, but I think the whole movement of players going to Gilgamesh sucks. I mean, nothing against those who are, because I know why they're doing it and I totally understand the reasoning behind it, but at the end of the day the end result is that it's fragmenting the potential community between servers. Personally I think it'd just be funner having all the roleplayers in one place, so it's kind of disappointing.

 

Anyway, that's basically the reasoning in my head for why I chose Balmung.

 

Cheers! Summed up my thoughts more eloquently than I could. >>;

 

Balmung can be intimidating, but at the same time, the 'old-timers' from 1.0 are already likely outnumbered by the amount of new RPers (and non-RPers, so 1-10 won't be that lonely, that's for sure..) joining us there. Cliques are going to exist anywhere you go, and are likely already forming within the Gilgamesh community as well. You just have to take that step, and trust that you will be welcomed--which will be the case on either server. In the end it's your choice.

[Nel Celestine]

One of the major factors for me starting this series of videos called "I Remember"

is due to the fact there was a lot of animosity towards longtime / Legacy players.  These are people, real people, talking about their experience with the game.  Legacy Players aren't mean, scary, nasty and exclusive to each other.  They are some of the most modest, humble and helpful people I've met.  Some having met them for the first time through this series.  I will still say try both and see what feels right for you, but don't do it because of "Legacy" or "Fresh Start".  Both of those things won't mean anything come Nov.  Three Months and I'm positive every non-legacy server will have had their hardcore player base "Server First" everything.