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Q1) If I'm starting out completely fresh, which server should I be playing on?"
I recommend Ymir as the $7 barrier to entry keeps the gold farmers out, creating an economy where a new player can actually earn zeny without KP.
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Q2) Is Ymir only open to VIP players?"
You need VIP to create a character, but not to play one. You can figure out what classes you're going to pay, fill your account with placeholder novices, and you're good to go for a one-time fee. You *do* have to pay once, however.
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Q3) Is the game still P2P for the Ymir server, or are all servers F2P with special items for purchase (Kafra store)?"
They're all basically the same, Ymir just has the mandatory one-time fee to keep the bots out.
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Q4) I heard that Valkyrie is infested with bots, and roughly 400-600 players logged are just vending... so roughly how many REAL players do you think is playing the server at any one time?"
Bots, Venders, and people playing multiple characters (this is allowed as long as you're actively controlling them all) all skew the numbers. If I had to guess, 30-40% of the login number on Valk is the true number, and 80% or so of Ymir (no bots, but still lots of people AFK vending of course). If you want to see how many venders are on, check Ragial.com, which is an automatic market-tracking site that lists all active player shops. (It'll be *slightly* off as it it takes 2-3 min to do a sweep, but this won't throw the numbers off by enough to care.)
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Q5) I heard that Sakray was shut down, and is now only a temporary test server that gets constantly wiped, is this true?"
Yep. Sakray was always supposed to be the test server, it just got stuck in a "it's been up so long they don't want to wipe it" state.
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Q6) Are non-VIP players (never pay) able to gain 3-1 jobs?"
Yes, but you have to use an item called a reset stone. This can either be purchased for a buck, or earned through quest tokens from the daily turn-in quests. IIRC, it's 8 tokens, and you get 2 per day per character from TI quests, so you should easily earn a stone by the time you need one. You can also of course just buy one with zeny off of someone who has extra tokens and is willing to make that trade. Whichever method you choose, it's really no big deal.
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Q7) What are the EXP rates on all 3 servers?"
Normal usually, with x2 events decently often.
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Q8) I read somewhere that VIP have 3x rates and non are 1x... is this correct?"
Short answer: No, VIP is 1.5x, but they also get better quest xp.
Long answer: There are 2 daily TI quests for your level range, and VIPs are also allowed to pick up both of them at the same time, while non-VIP are not. When people say VIP is 3x, they mean they're doing a double turn in with the 1.5x, effectively getting triple the xp per quest run. If you level exclusively on turn-in quests, this does essentially become 3x. TIs ARE a very major part of leveling, so while I wouldn't say VIP is 3x, it's definitely effectively higher than 1.5. Exactly where in between those 2 depends on how you prefer to level.
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Q9) I know the Alchemist is useful for making potions & homonculus, but is the Blacksmith useful at all?
I never played, so I'm not sure, but the basic forging of items seems... pointless with the current uber items in game."
Basic elemental weapons still have value, but there's definitely a MUCH larger market for pots. If you're only making one crafter, definitely go Alcy.
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Q10) I always started a game with a merchant for OC/DC/Vend... which 2nd character should I make for EASY solo (gear/card finding)... Sin-X / High-Wizard / High-Priest / Sniper ?]"
Out of the ones you listed, I'd suggest Sniper... Camouflage and Arrow Storm can take out packs of monsters with little fear of retaliation.
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Other points...Anything else I should know about the iRO servers?"
Valk
-Largest population (but by a MUCH smaller factor than the login server suggests... 2/3 or more of their populace is bots)
-Highest rate of griefing (10 year olds that can't afford a credit card are here and not elsewhere).
-Medium age
Ymir
-Lots of very long-time vets... you probably know people from beta on here.
-All of the good and bad that comes with that (Experienced players eager to help newbies... but also the elitist ultra-competitive types, a market with plenty of opportunity for newbies to sell supplies to vets... but also a market where many types of gear have been farmed to death and de-valued as a result. Etc.)
-Most people that buy VIP once are willing to keep doing it, and most of the original p2p people are here, so it has the atmosphere of a p2p server even though it isn't one.
Ygg
-This was mainly aimed at people wanting a fresh start when Renewal was expected to greatly increase our playerbase (...rather than lower it)
-This gives it properties of both Valk and Ymir... both good and bad.
-Because there are bots here too, their true population is VERY low. If you're looking for large-scale play, you may have trouble finding it here.
-On the other hand, if you're looking to hold a castle with a group of 4 friends, this may be the server for you.
If in doubt, try them all. Everyone is of course going to say the one they stuck with is the best (Ymir in my case), but as what we look for in a server varies, there isn't a universal best. I like Ymir's friendly, skilled party players, I like being on a server that isn't run by bots, and I almost never WoE, so the elitists I just plain ignore.
"I know there are no @ commands, skill/stat resets, or any of those goodies that private servers have."
That's changed actually. Everyone gets a single free full reset, which an additional one offered when things are majorly changed. Those reset stones I mentioned can also be used in larger quantity to buy a stat reset (hence the name), and skill resets can be done with a $4 cash item (which you can also just buy from other players). The basic idea is to make it difficult enough to do that people won't discard their build just for one castle siege, but people intending to make a permanent change can.
"Lastly, are there any noob friendly guilds on any of the servers?"
If so, could you name a few so that I may join?[/quote]
I'd normally point you to mine, but we're mostly inactive atm (at least in RO, we play a bunch of other games). I suggest reading through the recruiting forum, as most are quite upfront as to whether they like newbies or not.
Note: Your questions are in normal quotes instead of quote blocked because there's apparently a limit on how many quote blocks are allowed.
Edited by Mwrip, 06 February 2012 - 02:02 AM.
