Server Merge: Bringing the Community Closer Together

As the Allods community anxiously waits for the server merge coming this Thursday, June 7^th, I wanted to talk more about the server merge from my viewpoint as a Community Manager for Allods Online.

Allow me to introduce myself! My name is PioPico and I have been part of the Allods community since Open Beta. Reaching out to the community, whether it is planning events, social networking, or resolving customer support issues, have all been my main responsibilities to help foster a positive community. I am personally ecstatic for the upcoming server merge and I am going to elaborate why I am looking forward to it.

Let’s Start with the Facts!

The technology behind Allods Online has improved and now allows us to host our entire community on one server. Our two servers, Tensess and Nezeb, will merge to create the new Yul server.
What is the significance of the name, Yul? Prior to the Great Cataclysm, there were several continents on Sarnaut that had different climates and were inhabited by different races/creatures. The largest and most inhabited continent was Yul. We see Yul as representing the merging of our unified communities.

What This Means for the Community

There are two elements of community impact as a result of the server merge: gameplay and social.

-Gameplay

Something unique that makes Allods Online’s server merge interesting is the opposing factions that players swear allegiance to – the League and the Empire. Greater numbers in one centralized world will bring new friends and foes alike. With contested PvP starting around level 23 and over half a dozen unique in-game PvP events, the struggle between faction dominance will never be the same!

Before, you often heard the same top guilds going back and forth, glorifying their accomplishments, while highlights from guilds of lesser size got overlooked. With more guilds, smaller guilds can compete between themselves and have a greater impact in the whole spectrum of competition. Plus, League and Empire will have new enemies to face that they have never met on the battlefield. One guild that may have been the “king” of their server will be confronted with new players from a different server that need to be factored in the equation. Guilds may merge, new strategies must be formed, but most importantly, PvP conflict will be unpredictable and that is what will make the gameplay aftermath so interesting.

-Social

This next part is no secret, but having more players on one server will enhance everyone’s social experience.

For example, the Allods forum is a place for players to gather and communicate about anything regardless of one’s time zone or server. Often times players are sad to find that the cool individual they have been exchanging messages on the forum with has their main characters on the other server. This has caused some players to create new characters on the other server just to be closer to those individuals, but it takes time to grow a new character and not everyone wants to spend time on an alt. The server merge allows us to break down that barrier and let everyone socialize together.
Having everyone together will also allow our Allods team to focus our resources on the merged populations. Instead of spending four hours to accommodate each of our four faction communities (Tensess League, Tensess Empire, Nezeb League, Nezeb Empire) for an event, we will be able to dedicate two hours per faction (Yul League and Yul Empire) while socializing with everyone together. This improvement in team resources means more events and faster customer support. It also allows us to spend more time on ways to help the game and community grow.

Bright Future Ahead!

This server merge will have a lot of impact on Allods Online. While I have picked my brain openly on how it will change Allods Online for the better, it is ultimately up to the community to decide what they make of this special opportunity. All the communications made and actions taken by each and every player will change the world of Sarnaut that they inhabit.

We look forward to seeing Yul on June 7^th!