Not counting Dragonfall as its probably by far the most populated server but how does Freeholds stack up against say Arachnaea or Celestial Hills in terms of active pop, economy and political scene?
Was wondering as I have plans to move there but I wanted to see what it's denizens had to say about the current conditions of Freeholds.
I can imagine why people would want to play on a server with a decent sized population but what advantages could there possibly be to choosing a low population server?
Lack of available items in the trade broker, high prices and wandering around alone in a deserted zone trying to find people to team up with you to do BAM quests?
Do yourself a favor go to Dragonfall.
You'll be glad you did.
I was a bit "skiddish" about switching servers so instead I rolled an alt on Dragonfall and I can definitly vouch that Dragonfall's population is pretty ridiculous and makes a huge difference for the better. The auction house definitly has a better selection of items and you actually feel like the game is alive all around you. Most of the time on Freeholds you can go a good period of time before you see another character. Now I am faced with a dilemma to move my mains over to Dragonfall after being attached to this server and it's commiunity for so long.
Freeholds has a great community....there just isn't enough player base on the server to sustain the end game content. Right now Nexus events are pretty much farming phase 1 and if you're lucky time to time phase 2.
I haven't tried the Dragonfall end game content however after a few days in the lowbie zones and seeing massive amount of folks all around me I can only imagine that end game starting from the beginning has to be more enjoyable with larger numbers. Finding groups faster sure makes that level grind quicker.
Bheise pretty much hit the nail on the head. The community on our server is great, but the population is...not great. :(
I'll be sticking it out though. They'll probably merge us eventually.
I believe Freeholds is growing. As of lately, under EME Server Status Page, Freeholds population has been 'Medium' for the past few days.
No longer do I wonder throughout the server without seeing a single player, which has been the case in the past month. Now, I actually see players in towns/cities and out in zones. I think the Freehold population maybe growing again.
The downside has been the Brokerage. When needing to purchase rare runes, there aren't any available. If something rare do become available via brokerage, it's priced considerably high. At the same time, I've sold armor, gear and weapon/shield crystals quickly at the brokerage for a high premium.
Personally, I'm not planning on moving from Freeholds. My guild is based there and I like the idea of no-spawn farming (since EME ninja'd away multiple Channels).
After coming from Dragonfall to Freeholds, I actually am glad I made the change to be honest. The people are actually quite friendly I notice, generally speaking. Dragonfall has a lot more people, nice finds on the broker, and quite a few guilds that GvG. However, I was quite put off by the community a bit. It was fine for a while, but so many trollish/elitist guilds started coming over, and made things a bit...unpleasant. Still, that's not to say there aren't any decent people around!
When I rolled an alt on Arachnea 2 weeks ago, it was for the most part a complete ghost town. So few things on the broker, and the good stuff was insanely over priced. There were a few helpful people around, but most were quite rude in my experience. I haven't played on CH recently, so I can't comment.
It's true the end-game isn't as active as Dragonfalls, but still, it's not like every player is at cap. I generally can find other players to quest with, and do instances with, without having to use instance match. The broker in general for Freeholds does leave much to be desired though, that's probably the thing I dislike the most at the moment.
I'm seeing a lot of new players as well, so I'm certain this server is growing.
That's just my opinion from my own experiences, take it as you will. o:
It is all about playstyle.
If you want LFG and all channels jammed with ADHD trolls, hit up DF.
If you want stupid e-peen politics, hit up DF.
If you want to be undercut 85 times on the TB, hit up DF.
If you want to fight over spawn spots, hit up DF.
If you want to be a person and not a number, hit up FH.
If you want to post stuff on the TB and have it sell, hit up FH.
If you want to play and relax and not worry about spawn camping, hit up FH.
If you have patience and can realize that the server pops will normalize, hit up FH.
If you want a good game experience, find a good guild on FH where you matter.
It's all about perspective.
If you want a trip to a major city to feel like a trip to a major city go DF.
If you want a trip to a major city to feel like a ride on the family tractor to Weasel Pee Creek population 5 then FH is for you.
If you want your stuff to sit on the TB for 2 weeks then FH is the place.
If you want to post your stuff on the TB and have someone contact you within 20 minutes to negotiate (provided your asking price is reasonable in the first place) or just outright buy it then DF awaits.
Ever see the episode of Twilight Zone where the main character of the story is the last person left on Earth? Yeah that's FH.
If you've always fantasized about living in a monastery on a mountaintop in Tibet you definitely want FH.
Spawn camping and gathering?
Seriously?
LOL
Do you really wanna pay $15/month with that being your big concern?
I started on Dragonfall just recently moved all my crew here. Dragonfall's largely populated server for sure only the thing I miss is the mass cheap items in the ah. From day 1 at launch I had to turn off general chat it's the worst I've seen and asking for advice your asking for abuse. Been a week or so on Free and it's the nicest server I've been on in the last 5 mmo's I've played. Only a few odd ball people trolling chat and random groups have been nothing but positive. First day out questing on this server a player gave me some blue gloves. Was good move on my part, it kept me interested in Tera and I hope it continues. =)