Status of All Current Progression ServersFollow

In 12 days the Phinigel TLP server opens bringing the active number of progression servers to 5. Which one is the best choice for you? [and correct me where I am uninformed or incorrect please]

Fippy (TLP 2.0) is currently at Secrets of Faydwer if I am hearing correctly. So it sounds like enough community there to keep the server moving towards live.

Vulak (TLP 2.0) is a ghost town. I play a necromancer there and am surprised to see the server still up. Server has been stuck at Seed of Destruction for some time. No one in PoK or Baz, I think 8 players is the most I have ever seen on a /who all (which doesn't account for anon).

Ragefire (TLP 3.0) is in Kunark and appears to be on 6 month unlocks now. There is voting here, or at least has been. There is/was a rotation for raid targets.

Lockjaw (TLP 3.0) just got into Kunark and recent voting means it will get into Velious before Ragefire? I have a couple of characters here, server pop seems healthy. My concern is that 1-2 guilds are pushing the content and triggering the votes (as has been the case on all progression servers up to this point) but maybe I am getting the wrong feeling from the official boards?

Phinegel (TLP 3.5) is going to be 90 day unlocks with no votes. Fair bit of official board forum rage about 90 days being too short unless you play a lot (raid heavily). Instancing of raids as well as open world so expected to be less community drama at the top-end of the playerbase. "True box" thing where they say you will only be able to box using multiple computers, and official boards are full of people saying they plan to workaround this. Official boards also full of posts from current Ragefire/Lockjaw players and guilds saying they are moving to Phinny.


I'm personally a bit torn. I like the idea of starting fresh on Phinny with newb population with me. 90 days is too fast for me, but the instance raids will be nice down the road if one is in a casual guild having fun doing content behind the server era (as it will be possible, as one person boxing level 85s can't eat all the old raid content themselves). So Phinny offers the best shot of getting me to raid a bit... if anyone else sees it my way. If no one does, I would be better off sticking with Lockjaw and enjoying the next 2ish years in the content I like best (or possibly even going to Ragefire if it is going to move slower than Lockjaw). Of course, doomsayers are saying Ragefire/Lockjaw are going to be crippled by Phinny launching so soon. I think any of the progression servers would be fun in the right guild (though good luck getting that on Vulak).

So who has current progression perspective? What are you doing and going to do? Who's so happy in their guild they are staying put? Who thinks I should roll a halfling on Phinny (I just might...)?

TLP 1.0 were Combine and Sleeper. They caught up to the live servers and were merged into one of them many years ago (I forget which).

IMO, there are too many incarnations of TLP servers ongoing right now, and they are all cannibalizing each other. Fippy took a big hit when Ragefire and Lockjaw came out (though it was struggling before that, we were still progressing). Once Phini comes out, Ragefire and Lockjaw will both take serious hits, and, IMO, no longer be viable servers (I'm not sure there will be enough people for one viable server from those two populations once Phini is released.) Phini is going to instance raids in classic to eliminate the d-bag antics of many of the guilds there, so it will appeal to a lot of people off put by RF/LJ.

TLP is a good concept but there needs to be enough space between them to allow the previous ones to complete and so that you are not just throwing server after server after server out there for people to restart on, continually pulling people from the previous ones which are still in their infantancy.

instanced raid is what lures me to phinny, while i met some friendly armies on LJ, its just to much, now if they could go to 120 days instead of 90 it would be perfect,
allow berserkers and beastlords from the start and mind be blown

I am skeptical that 3 locked servers would be viable long term (or even medium term). Especially so close together. I could see something like a server that progresses to X and then stops (e.g., will progress to PoP and then no further). Maybe having three more spread out (one at Velious, one at PoP, one at Omens) or something might be better, though once you get to the max level, most of the AAs and gear you want, what do you do? That's why I'm skeptical about how long those would last.

I think a locked at Velious server would have legs for a while, especially if people could jump off of it when another progression server goes into Luclin (my thoughts on that was changed by another post where it was said letting someone come into Velious fully Velious geared would not be good... I can concede that point).


Locked at LDoN would probably be a better bet. This keeps PoP as the main endgame, but the more casual and grouping friendly LoY and LDoN content is there too. You'd be beating PoP at level 65.


They've never tried a PC locked server. The Mac server was paid sub for years after it locked, and still had population when they folded it.

They had unrevamped Temple of Cazic Thule up on Vulak when it was new.

For some reason, they haven't been good about "saving" things (Plane of Mischief 1.0).

I see no reason that Nektulos 1.0 couldn't be the version you play on a progression server until it is time for Nektulos 3.0 (we'll never see 2.0 again I hope). Same for Freeport and such.


At the same time, I strongly believe they should keep revamping content on Live servers as the story/lore progresses. Suppose they blow up Luclin (ala EQ2) so it is gone from Live servers. Now you have more nostalgia incentive to jump on a progression server because you want to see the old versions of stuff. At the same time, it lets the Live server zone level range be weighted far more towards the actual population that is playing (A level 85-90 Najena? yes please).

Having said that, I believe in two kinds of revamps:
1. "prettied up" versions that match the layout of the original, and art style.
2. time has passed, events have changed things (so Dagnor's cauldron is dried up... or whatever) kind of revamp that has story basis for not being as per original. An Iksar renaissance in which Cabilis is no longer a rundown ruin is a good example.

*neither of my revamp scenarios cover what they did with Freeport... I'm fine with zones being combined (when original design was clunky... look at Kaladim it does not need to be 2 zones) as long as it is like we took the original zones and stuck them together for size & layout.

I never really had a problem with the Freeport revamp. I know a lot of people hated it with a passion but to me, it feels so much more majestic and city like.