Sign in to follow this  
Idony

Quick Server Guide

Recommended Posts

7/31/20:  Thread pending update to include new servers. (Harmony, Defiance, Melody...)

Quick Server Guide

This post is meant as a quick resource for new players considering which server to join. The information contained here is only a snip-it of the information available, but is meant to be a simplified "best-of" resource. Please feel free to post questions/comments/suggestions/recommendations!

It should be noted that it is possible to travel between servers (all skills intact) if you should so desire to switch at any point- with the exception of traveling between Epic and non-epic servers which does not allow transfer of inventory or epic skills. Skills will transfer from non-epic to epic in some instances, details on this can be found in the "PVP Information" subsection.

More information on travel will be provided below.

It is best to read through this article in its entirety.

 

 



Contents:
Basic Information
Choosing a Server, Inter-server Travel

Freedom Cluster

Epic Cluster

Map Insert:

     Freedom Travel Map

     Spoiler link: Outdated travel map (still contains relevant travel info on Epic servers)

Maps

Links to Server Travel Maps

Links to Suggested Server Maps

Freedom Isles

Epic

PVP Information: (Chaos and Epic Servers)
Villages
General Notes

Wurmpedia (wiki)

Wurm Forum Main Page

Wurm Forum New Arrivals Section

Game Rules

Chat Rules

 


 


 


Basic information:
For all your server basics this wiki entry can not be more highly recommended:
Server types- Wurmpedia

As you will gather from the entry not all servers are the same size.

 

 

Independence and Chaos are the oldest and were the long standing largest maps until recently(4096x4096). Elevation is the same size and Deliverance, Exodus, Celebration, Pristine, Release, Desertion, and Serenity, and affliction are a quarter of that size.

 

The newest, and now largest server, is Xanadu.  Xanadu is 4x the size of Independence/Chaos/Elevation, 16x the size of Deliverance, Exodus, Celebration, Pristine, Release, Desertion, Elevation, Serenity and Affliction!

 

Further reference to server size will be as : very large, large, and medium

Choosing a Server, Inter-server Travel:
At the conclusion of the tutorial you will need to choose a server to play on. From the portal you may travel to any server. All servers are open to f2p and p2p accounts. PVP and PVE servers both exist. Further info on PVP in Wurm is contained later in this post.

Servers are broken into two large basic clusters: "Freedom" and "Epic".

Freedom Cluster Servers:
*Freedom Cluster PVE:

-Independence-----------(large size)

-Deliverance--------------(medium size)

-Exodus--------------------(medium size)

-Celebration---------------(medium size)

-Pristine--------------------(medium size)

-Release------------------ (medium size)

-Xanadu ------------------ (very large size)

*Freedom Cluster PVP: -->Please read on about PVP before selecting a PVP world.

-Chaos--------------------(large size)

 

Epic Server Cluster: (PVP) -->*Items are non-transferable when traveling between Epic and Freedom Clusters.  Skills may transfer one way from Freedom to Epic under some conditions. Please read on about PVP and Epic before selecting one of these.

-Elevation ---------------(large size)

-Desertion---------------(medium size)

-Serenity-----------------(medium size)

-Affliction-----------------(medium size)

 

 

Please note that should you change your mind after choosing and traveling to your server it is possible to relocate to another.

 

 

 

Travel between servers in the same cluster is accomplished by boat or in some cases player made "boat bridges". Travel between Epic and any Freedom cluster server is done through the use of an "Epic Portal" .  Skills and items do not transfer when using an epic portal.

 

When traveling to a new server by boat you can either sail the "old fashion" way straight across server borders to connecting servers or you may use the newer "plot course" feature.  "Plot course" allows you to travel between any two servers (in the same cluster), even those that do not border each other.

 

If you are going to sail the "old fashion" way you can see which borders will take you to which other servers by using you ingame map, or one of the maps below. ("O" > Map  - you can toggle between individual server maps and a map of the entire cluster you are on)


These two maps in the spoiler below pre-date the implementaion of the "plot course" feature, but are still perfectly useful.

Spoiler

 

Player Boombza has put together an excellent travel guide for the Freedom Maps, I highly recommend reading it here.  The map that follows is courtesy of Boombza, and is but one of the newly created maps!  (Click to zoom in for easier reading, also note it is ill-advised to try on the corners of any map)

 

ClusterMap.png

 

 

(Note on the following spoiler link: The  travel map below is outdated, as it does not contain Xanadu or the new travel connections to Pristine and Release.  However it does contain the Epic cluster servers, and travel between and to them.  It is left here in spoiler format as some may still find it useful for a simplified visual of (most of) the servers and PVE/PVP)

 

 

 

wurm_overmap.jpg

 

 



Maps:

 

As with everything in wurm maps are player-made, and subject to change as new settlements and roads are made. For a complete list of maps vist the wiki.

Links to Server Travel Maps:
          Travel map for Freedom Cluster (made by Boombza)

In-game freedom servers connections Guide

(You can also use your ingame map: ("O" >Map)

 

Links to suggested Server Maps:

Freedom Isles:
Independence
Deliverance
Exodus
Chaos
Celebration

Pristine

Release

Xanadu


Epic:
Desertion
Elevation
Serenity
Affliction

 

PvP Information: (Chaos and Epic Servers)
There are five servers in which PvP is allowed: Chaos (in Freedom) and the Epic servers (Elevation, Desertion, Affliction, Serenity).  To travel between Freedom (non-epic) and Epic you use Epic Portals.

One item of importance to note in your selection of PVP server would be the presence or lack thereof of "Scenarios". In a nutshell, the Epic servers have scenarios enabled- these scenarios can result in either bonuses or penalties. Whether or not this would be desirable in your gameplay is personal preference.

 

While it is possible to start out on a PVP server as a brand new player many established players advise against doing so.  It is of course your choice, but you may find it a more challenging place to learn basics.  This approach may or may not wind up to be quite your "cup of tea".


Please also note that

1. The non-epic skill is higher than the epic skill.  

2. You do not have a "3x" modifier  (from death skill loss) on Epic. 

The "3x" modifier indicates you will regain xp at 3x speed until you reach your pre-death-penalty level.  So if you do have a 3x on epic and it is preventing a non-epic skill from transferring all you need to do is gain enough xp back to remove the "3x" first.   This prevents there being essentially no skill penalty for death on epic.

Examples:

  • Carpentry on Epic is 80. Carpentry off epic is 1. -> Epic skill stays only on Epic. Non-epic skill is lower than on Epic so will not over-write.
  • Masonry on Epic is 20. Masonry off epic is 50. -> Epic skill stays only on Epic.  Non-epic skill is higher than Epic and there is no "3x" modifier so traveling back to epic will over-write the old "20" epic skill to "50".
  • Farming on Epic is 50[3x](until 51).  Farming off epic is 75. -> Epic skill stays only on Epic.  Non-epic skill is higher than Epic but will not overwrite until the 3x modifier is removed on epic.



Words of wisdom for those choosing between Chaos and Epic servers:

 

Quote
 

 

Quote

yes i like to pvp..but i don't want to be dropped in a server full of griefers and seasoned pvpers ..is it better to learn the basics in a non pvp servver then transfer?

Epic is a very unique situation in that you cannot build up your skills on the "safe" Freedom server then transfer with all those skills over to Epic. Instead, what happens if you take a portal to Epic, is that a second copy of your character is made, and all characters start on Epic with 0 skills on their Epic character, no matter what skills they had on the Freedom servers. You can go back and forth between the two, however skills & inventory items do not transfer between those two -- they are treated as if they were separate and unique characters (even though they share a name, and also share bank/coin assets).

For that reason, if your longterm goal is Epic & PvP, you might be better off to start there. Joining an established village on a so-called "home" server will probably reduce greatly the risk of gankers/griefers, but to be honest I am not a PvP player at all and know very little about the current state of PvP there, or an exact definition of what the home servers are. I would wait until someone more familiar with the "risk" for a new player to survive on Epic, for advice.

 

 

Villages:
Starting out in wurm as a lone player can be tough. For some making it all on their own is the style of choice, for others they prefer to join a village. Quite often you will read recommendations to join a village as a new player to help get your feet on the ground- not a bad suggestion at all.

If you are interested in joining a village you can either look at an ingame "village recruitment board",  ask in kingdom chat, or check out the "Village Recruitment Center" or one of the server specific recruitment boards here or here.

Typically the forums will give you the broadest view of what is available vs. who is online at the moment you ask and sees your question.  Village recruitment boards will only show villages on the server you are on.


General notes:
The wiki and forums are your best friends!!
-Wurmpedia (wiki)
-Forum Main Page
-Community Assistance Section of Forum -New Player discussions for those at the beginning of the adventure.

Game/Chat/etc Rules



Have fun, and best wishes in your Wurm-endeavors!

Edited 1/15/13: Revised, new servers added, links updated

Edited 6/26/14: Revised, new servers added, links updated

Edited 7/22/16: Revised, broken links removed/replaced

Edited 2/5/18: Revised, information updated about Freedom skill transfer to Epic.

  • Like 5

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Bump as a reminder for Celebration map which is out.

And I would like to piont out that there is now a Travel map with a built in link to the newest updates of each map.

http://wurmmapsearch...et/Overmap.html

(its looks basic as its basic html so that you can even access it on your phone)

Edited by axeblade346

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Post has been revised/edited. 1/15/13

 

Awaiting revision for Xanadu/travel . 6/18/14

 

 

Post has been revised/edited. 6/26/14  *Thank you Boombza for the use of your maps !

 

 

Edited 7/22/16: Revised, broken links removed/replaced

 

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The Quick Server Guide is newly edited!

 

If you see anything else that needs correcting/updating or would be good to add let me know below!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Idony said:

The Quick Server Guide is newly edited!

 

If you see anything else that needs correcting/updating or would be good to add let me know below!

" -Affliction-----------------(small size) " Should be changed to Medium size now.

"-Elevation (p2p only)--(medium size)" Should remove the p2p only part.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Firestarter said:

" -Affliction-----------------(small size) " Should be changed to Medium size now.

"-Elevation (p2p only)--(medium size)" Should remove the p2p only part.

Thank you, good catch!

Updated Affliction size, and removed p2p only from Elevation.  Also I noticed Elevation size matched Independence/Chaos so upgraded its size to "large".

 

Gone are the days when :

"The smallest server is Affliction-1/16th the size of Independence and Chaos (Quarter size of the medium servers)."

And Xanadu was "64x the size of Affliction!"

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

How do I move the default villages on my custom map? Hearth started in a dense forrest, Litocania cut a hole in a mountain, and Winkshir is at the bottom of a lake... I can't find anything about how to do that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

QBit, i suggest you ask about that in the Wurm Unlimited section of the forum.  This thread is generally about a guide summarizing the servers of Wurm Online and your custom map question from Wurm Unlimited might be missed here.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

this might be super crazy, or asking way too much... but, 

Is it possible to update this guide with some broad statistical / demographic data? Things like the following: 
server population
server population density
server population percentage using premium vs free accounts
amount / percentage of server "land" on-deeds
amount of server land occupied by highways / roadways 
some relative metric to indicate average daily / weekly / monthly activity level per server
thing or quality server is generally "known for" (being vast, having lag, large amount of newbies, hardest mobs, huge market port city, etc)


These were the kinds of questions I was asking when trying to decide between servers. I know that some of this might be more subjective information, and I did try to ask other players their thoughts and insights while I was still in the Indy starting town.... but as far as I could tell, most players were generally nonresponsive, and there really isn't anywhere that has collected this sort of information all in one spot for newbs. 

Knowing the dimensions of an island is nice... but it can't tell you that Xan sometimes has more lag than other servers, or that Indy is known for steep, sloping terrain. Just looking at the maps can't tell you if a server has a population that log in daily, or only scattered throughout the week or month. A map can't tell you if the land is tied up in big city-sized deeds, or if the island is known for hosting events and public imp-a-longs. 

I really feel that kind of information should be collected somewhere, and periodically updated. But, again, I might just be crazy. Feel free to gently tell me exactly that, if I am. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

7/31/20:  Thread pending update to include new servers. (Harmony, Defiance, Melody...)

 

@Amata - That is a very thoughtful suggestion.  I don't know that I could necessarily find and post all those metrics but perhaps there is some additional "practical" information or descriptions that could be incorporated.  Ty!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Heya Idony (and Wurmians) - around the time of the new server launch, I ended up writing out a little ditty about what can be found in the SFI starting town, Haven's Landing.... I don't know if you would like to add some or all of this info to your guide? Hope this is helpful -

 

Here are some key aspects of Haven's Landing, on Independence island, that might be worth considering for a player new to Wurm: 

 

 the Freedom Apartments..... whole building full of free beds for new players to sleep (log off) in - this helps you start earning sleep bonus, a great buff for gaining skills! 

 

 Newbie Square ... the square with the settlement token in the middle (aka "Newbie Square) is full of free, basically unlimited resources. South from the Square is a public iron mine with forges and firewood available to anyone. Rock and Iron are the best places to start leveling up your mining - plus you'll end up forging a bunch of iron pieces for starting stuff, like a small cart or a large cart or your first set of "real" tools. from the Square to the west is a public forest, usually stocked with a variety of the wood types that live in Wurm. Best part is that all the trees in that forest have a super fast respawn rate. There will always be enough wood for you. To the east from the Square is a digging area. I dunno if the dirt is infinite, but it really seems that way, lol. You can practice digging, not just to raise your skill, but also to get practical experience with the terraforming mechanics. (You're gonna need them).
 

• Farming & Seeds.... head north out of Newbie Square and on your left you'll pass by the first of 2 public farm fields. This one is the smaller one. Both fields are open to public use - generally if you harvest something, it is polite to replant that thing (for you or the next person). You can keep yourself fed, start collecting cotton & wemp, and start collecting your "starter seeds" for then day you have a farm of your own! By the time I left HL I had actually farmed enough that I had built a food storage bin to keep everything from decaying!! I had gathered enough seeds to start my own farm off with about 45-50 tiles worth of crops. From the smaller field, you will be facing another little plaza area, the Samling Manor in front of you and to the left, a textile house with free access to weaving and tailoring tools. On your right will be the Haven Stronghold building - a good place for general purpose & meeting players & RP if that's your thing. In front and to the right (across the "intersection") are the Freedom Apartments I already mentioned.... Take a right (Apartments on your left & Stronghold on your right) and then at the fountain, take a left around the Apartments... further down that road, you should find the Bigger of the public farm fields on your right. If you don't see what you want to farm, gather seeds by going out about the area & forage/botanize grass tiles to collect more seeds. 

• Merchant's Row.... If you hadn't turned left around the Apartments, and had instead continued east past that fountain, you would have followed the road to where it intersects with Silver Mountain Highway. The end of the road there (aka "Merchant's Row") is typically full of merchants kept stocked for newbies & for communities in the area who come up to HL to do their "shopping." You can (1) sell items to the settlement token in Newbie Square, or (2) forage all over the place to earn some coin. It's not a lot at first, but it will get you going. You'll get bigger coin from foraging, but it's a random lucky chance; selling things to the token guarantees coin, but it will be lower amounts.

• Silver Mountain Highway .... runs north-south, and connects many of the Southern Independence deeds and communities. The only other big north-south highway in the area is the East Crystal Highway, and boy the ECH is a *big* one - the ECH will take you from the southern parts of eastern Independence the whole way up to Misty Road and the areas way up north. The ECH also connects you to other east-west highways that can get you over to the western parts of Independence. But as a newbie, most of what you need - trees, foraging, clay, sand, etc. can be found around the Silver Mountain Highway. 

• Haven Market Docks Highway ... from Merchant's Row, if you take a left onto the Silver Mountain Highway (heading north), the next intersection you come to is where the Silver Mt Hwy crosses the Haven Market Docks Highway. Turn left for a ton of great spots to know about. HMD Hwy has another public mine off to the right (there are signs and paths). There's usually some open land to forage & botanize. Some weeks, you get lucky and the magic materials man who grants wishes to new folk will have visited - look for a random pile of crates, chests, barrels, and maybe even a cart pulled by two bulls. There will be signs point out the loot - the containers should be unlocked & you never know what free things will be inside! Follow the Haven Market Docks Highway west out of Haven's Landing to the "perimeter lands" where newer players like you sometimes build temporary shelters and sheds and pastures for animals. Perimeter lands are free & as long as you aren't building stuff right on top of somebody else's area, you are free to start working on your carpentry and masonry skills. You'll pass by the Drop Inn Tavern which sometimes has a visiting merchant or two. If any mean creatures try to attack you, there's a guard tower a little further west down the highway (don't forget to say "help" in local chat or the guards won't hear you). And finally, HMD Hwy will take you out to the shores of Crystal Lake, and Haven Market Docks. Keep following the roadway northwest around the docks and you'll dead-end at CLUB Market. Here you will find merchants, animals, and bulk items for sale! Take your time at the Market & figure out the banner-color-key-system that is frequently used in most markets all over Wurm lands. 

Your time as a new player in Haven's Landing is supposed to last for weeks, if not months. There is absolutely no rush to get "out there." There's freebies and plenty of resources in the areas to really skill up and prepare your resources before you strike out - either by land or by sea. Generally I find that the players who don't have a good experience with Haven's Landing are the ones who blew through it fast, or happen to prioritize the social aspects of Wurm in their game play. It's not for everyone - but don't dismiss Haven's Landing without checking it out first 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this