Free Server Transfer?

[Xzarik.1324]

Hi all!I pre-purchased GW2 back in 2012 - even played the 3 days early! It fell to the wayside a bit but i've now got back into it and bought the latest 2 expansions. My wife has decided to start playing too, but the server i'm on is full. The game is asking me to pay 500 gems to transfer to a lower-population server (so we can play together) but I thought there was 1 free server transfer per account?

I've always been on Desolation, and never changed.

[Handsel.2891]

Welcome back to Tyria!

Free transfers were only possible before a patch a few months after release. Transferring always costs at least 500 gems since then.

The good news is, it only costs 500 gems to transfer to a medium population world (server), which is about $7, although you would have to spend $10 because the lowest amount you can buy is 800 gems.Alternatively, you can buy gems with in-game gold. It is a fluctuating market and currently it would cost you 183 gold coins for the 500 gems.

Either way, the game has a Megaserver system, which means that whichever world you actually choose during first login, you can play with players from any other worlds throughout the game. The only exception is WvW, where players are grouped together by server and fight against players from other servers. So, if you are not keen on playing this game mode with your wife or at all, you don't even need to transfer.

I'd say let her chose a medium population server, one that you might be able to transfer to later on, add each other as friends, even create a private guild together - things you would probably do anyway - and you can play together right now. The only hindrance of being on different servers is that you can't play WvW on the same side.

[Linken.6345]

The free server is only for new ftp accounts that upgrade to full account since they are not allowed to chose server when they start.

[Handsel.2891]

@Linken.6345 said:The free server is only for new ftp accounts that upgrade to full account since they are not allowed to chose server when they start.

Free accounts CAN choose worlds on first login, they just can't buy a transfer. However, they get a free transfer when they upgrade to a full account.

[Linken.6345]

@MikeG.6389 said:

@Linken.6345 said:The free server is only for new ftp accounts that upgrade to full account since they are not allowed to chose server when they start.

Free accounts CAN choose worlds on first login, they just can't buy a transfer. However, they get a free transfer when they upgrade to a full account.

Nah cant they only chose Eu or Na

[Handsel.2891]

@Linken.6345 said:

@MikeG.6389 said:

@Linken.6345 said:The free server is only for new ftp accounts that upgrade to full account since they are not allowed to chose server when they start.

Free accounts CAN choose worlds on first login, they just can't buy a transfer. However, they get a free transfer when they upgrade to a full account.

Nah cant they only chose Eu or Na

I have created several free accounts, they are all on the same server/world.

[Xzarik.1324]

@MikeG.6389 said:Welcome back to Tyria!

Free transfers were only possible before a patch a few months after release. Transferring always costs at least 500 gems since then.

The good news is, it only costs 500 gems to transfer to a medium population world (server), which is about $7, although you would have to spend $10 because the lowest amount you can buy is 800 gems.Alternatively, you can buy gems with in-game gold. It is a fluctuating market and currently it would cost you 183 gold coins for the 500 gems.

Either way, the game has a Megaserver system, which means that whichever world you actually choose during first login, you can play with players from any other worlds throughout the game. The only exception is WvW, where players are grouped together by server and fight against players from other servers. So, if you are not keen on playing this game mode with your wife or at all, you don't even need to transfer.

I'd say let her chose a medium population server, one that you might be able to transfer to later on, add each other as friends, even create a private guild together - things you would probably do anyway - and you can play together right now. The only hindrance of being on different servers is that you can't play WvW on the same side.

Oh ho thanks for this, very insightful! I guess we'll try it later - I 'guested' onto the world she chose earlier but i'll see if we can play together regardless tomorrow when she's online :)

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Although not recommended, you can also transfer, at no cost whatsoever, by deleting all your characters. You will keep everything account-bound (everything in bank, achievements, etc.), but lose any upcoming Birthday/Anniversary gifts.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Account#Home_world

[MacAaron.4217]

Well it's a little unfair that players who payed ArenaNet now have free server change, but those who payed few years before dont have that option. Right now I'm playing with friends and we decided to change servers because WvW on our server was dead, no one was doing it. They started at f2p and after account upgrade received free server transfer. Now they changed it but I have to pay 1800 gems for it. I dont have free server transfer althrough I've bought a game and both DLC's. I know that I can buy gems for gold but still it's a lot of gold, which I need for other things.

[Dayra.7405]

@MacAaron.4217 said:we decided to change servers because WvW on our server was dead, no one was doing it.

That's only a temporary thing (mostly 2 month). On the last friday of every uneven month all servers are relinked and if you are on a dead server you are linked to a very populated server to play together with them, such that after every relink all links are as even populated as they could be. (Some people don't like the result, so they transfer right after relink, leaving some links very empty and others overstacked, nut after two month this is rebalanced again, such that they have to transfer again ...)

[Turulszem.9382]

The transfer now costs 1000 gems and all of my friends who just started the game a month ago got one for free, and I can't play WVW with my guild cuz I won't pay kittening 1000 gems to transfer my character, why don't players who bought the base game back then get a free transfer once? Is this an out of season april fools joke?  

[Tuna Bandit.3786]

I am slightly confused reading the OP message.

Play together where? WvW, PvP, Open World?

 

Server only matters in 2 ways.

WvW: Here the exact server matters because other servers are your opponent.

All other content: As long as you are on the same region (North America or Euro) you can play together.

 

Sounds to me you are both on either NA or EU, because NA cannot guest on EU and vise versa.

[Danikat.8537]

1 hour ago, Tuna Bandit.3786 said:

I am slightly confused reading the OP message.

Play together where? WvW, PvP, Open World?

 

Server only matters in 2 ways.

WvW: Here the exact server matters because other servers are your opponent.

All other content: As long as you are on the same region (North America or Euro) you can play together.

 

Sounds to me you are both on either NA or EU, because NA cannot guest on EU and vise versa.

This topic is over a year old, it's likely the OP has sorted out their issue one way or another.

 

7 hours ago, Turulszem.9382 said:

The transfer now costs 1000 gems and all of my friends who just started the game a month ago got one for free, and I can't play WVW with my guild cuz I won't pay kittening 1000 gems to transfer my character, why don't players who bought the base game back then get a free transfer once? Is this an out of season april fools joke?  

The transfer fee depends on the WvW population of the server you're moving to - more popular servers will be more expensive, to discourage players from crowding onto a few active servers and abandoning the others.

 

I don't know why they didn't give everyone one free transfer when that option was added for new accounts, but since they didn't you have three options:

1) Ask your guild to donate gold to help cover the cost. If they want you to come and play WvW with them they might be willing to help pay for it.

2) Use your own gold to pay for it.

3) Delete all your characters so you can transfer for free.

 

Of course that last option gets less appealing the longer you've had your characters, I certainly wouldn't want to do it. If I wanted to transfer to a new server I'd go through my material storage to see what I could sell to cover the cost. Although if my guild was asking me to transfer to a high population (expensive) server so I could join them in WvW I'd definitely ask if they would be willing to contribute to the cost. Even if they just chip in a bit of it that would help.

[Khisanth.2948]

32 minutes ago, Danikat.8537 said:

I don't know why they didn't give everyone one free transfer when that option was added for new accounts, but since they didn't you have three options:

Probably because free accounts can not transfer at all.