Following the formal launch of World of Warcraft: Classic at the end of August, players have experienced significantly long queue times on certain servers, and now Blizzard has offered free character moves for select realms. Doing so is not a complicated process, though one should consider the long-term effects that can arise from such a decision, and if that move is really in your best interests.
Which Servers Are Eligible And How To Transfer
Blizzard has provided the following list of servers that are eligible to move, as well as their destination:
From: To:
- From Arugal to Felstriker
- From Faerlina to Heartseeker
- From Stalagg to Heartseeker
- From Herod to Earthfury
- From Skeram to Earthfury
- From Incendius to Netherwind
- From Thalnos to Netherwind
- From Fairbanks to Arcanite Reaper
- From Whitemane to Arcanite Reaper
- From Bigglesworth to Anathema
- From Pagle to Windseeker
- From Grobbulus to Deviate Delight
To initialize a move, a player need only go to the character select or queue screen, assuming they are on one of these servers listed above. Players should take note that one cannot initiate a transfer if they are the leader of a guild, have an active auction listing or any bids, or if they have mail. This is the reason that Jokerd, the world first Mage to reach level 60, was unable to delete his character following the achievement.
Conditions Or Consequences Of Moving?
Upon arriving at a destination realm, a character may need to have their name changed, since it may already be in use by another player already there. One cannot move a character to a PvP realm if you already have another from the opposing faction. Finally, this is a one-way ticket, free of charge, and cannot be undone.
What one must consider as perhaps the greatest concern in moving from a busy server is that they may in the long run be playing on a dead server. These busy servers might be difficult to get into right now, but that also means that in the long-term, there are likely to be players available to maintain an active community. Dead servers are those in which there is such a low player base that cities and questing areas can feel empty and are usually only improve through the consolidation of two or more servers.
Why Has This Become A Concern?
Prior to the formal launch of the game, players seemed to come to a unanimous decision through forums that certain forums were best for them. By uniting on a select servers, a player could ensure that there would be a strong community for both PvE and PvP content later on, once battle grounds are added into the game.
There was also an effort to avoid servers that would be heavily populated with popular online streamers. This was because many found the experience of playing with or in the proximity of streamers to be frustrating, or inauthentic. Rather than be left alone, streamers could be seen with a following of players who either wanted to group with them or assist in their questing. Not only is this not how the game was played on launch over 15 years ago, it made attempting to finish certain quests difficult due to the scarcity of mobs being picked off by groups of players all working with a single streamer.
Herod may sound most familiar to readers, as this was the one destination that was planned to be relatively streamer free. For the most part, players succeeded, but they also caused queue times that could easily reach four hours, or longer, just to log in.
However, if you are tired of ridiculous wait times and wish to play the game, rather than sit in line, the free move may be a great offer. Only you can decide what is best in the long term, keeping in mind that we are likely to see a reduction in queue times overall as the “tourists” who have only come to the game for a short while eventually leave. Right now, the servers feel a bit like a gym in January, and one simply needs to wait out those New Year Resolution makers before everything calms down and becomes more easily accessible.
Source: Us.forums.blizzard.com