The new continent and NA server will spike logins for a month or two, especially with good marketing. The real question is retention. Even if Sarducaa’s content is excellent, the game in its current state is fundamentally hostile to the 80–90 % of potential players who are casual/solo/small-scale oriented (proven by decades of MMORPG surveys and just common sense). Most people want to log in, progress their character, farm, explore, and occasionally dip into light PvP/social stuff without being forced into guilds, zergs, or instant death loops and waiting for people to do stuff
Core problems that will drive new and returning players away in weeks:
Bottom line Without protected noob areas, real anti-zerg systems we were promised, meaningful build diversity, and widely distributed map infrastructure for everyone, Sarducaa will just be a wasteland in 3 months time, the game is fundamentally hostile towards majority of potential players and it isn't even hardcore for vets who join zergs and play Alvarins, so the hardcore argument fails. Give the 90 % casual/solo playerbase an actually enjoyable progression loop and the game can finally grow instead of bleeding out 40% in 2 months because there is litereally nothing to do but to zerg or play 2 builds in the pettiest way possible which 95% of people simply do not want to do.
P.S. A lot of these points are given HEALTHY POP of 2k+ which they should aim for, and much needed Alvarin nerfs because they give illusion that solo is fine, you as a vet with tons of gear being able to solo on an OP class in a 300 pop game is irrelevant to the games actual solo playability.
Core problems that will drive new and returning players away in weeks:
- Zero safe space for new players There are no real noob zones. A single red veteran (or small group of vets) can completely lock down any area forever, until another vet group kills them. New players get chased and murdered the moment they leave town walls, often losing everything with no counterplay. I can probably kill 50 completely new players in a straight up 1v50 now post abilities, so don't tell them to toughen up, there is no counterplay.
Fix: Proper yellow zones around starter towns with guards - bandit camps, sewers, graveyards, etc. Add harsh punishments for attacking inside them and make guards present in most places, maybe via patrol or just make them spawn. Give new players 100–150 g/hour safe farming options (maybe highest-damage-dealt loot rule on mobs or small double-loot bonus when both parties contribute to avoid griefing) so they can gear up and learn before being forced into red zones.
- Solo/small-scale PvP is completely non-viable Even when geared, new players get destroyed by veterans. On top of that, any outnumbered fight (even 2v1) is an almost guaranteed loss because mage + footie combo is most of what we see now, mages freecast statcheck and numbers decide everything for the most part. This has pushed the entire game into two massive zerg alliances.
(3 guilds in history of mo2 being able to consistently fight outnumbered and even that to a lesser extend than in other games is not proof of anything but them either cheating or being great, do not bring it up, outnumbered fighting is horrible that's why everyone is in an alliance and always complains about zerging even if they do it all the time)
Fix: Deliver the anti-zerg mechanics that were promised years ago — real outnumbered buffs, stronger adrenaline/stam gain when focused by multiple players, more AoE melee tools, cleave is pretty bad as an outnumbered tool, focus-fire protection systems (like Albion), heavy nerfs to corrupt/lesser heal in group scenarios, etc. Players need to be able to win or at least escape outnumbered fights regularly. Adrenaline did not deliver in that regard.
- Almost zero build variety 90 % of the playerbase runs one of four builds (Alvarin footie, Alvarin dex mage, Thursar footie, Mounted Archer). Everything else is unplayable in small-scale. Alvarins are mandatory for solo play because of broken speed/fall/jump/clade gifts. MAs are untouchable in the open and counter pets way too hard.
Fix:- Remove or heavily increase cooldowns on Alvarin speed clades. Passive shouldn't exist, and there should be only 1 clade that speeds them up on a longer cooldown.
- Drastically reduce pet damage from MAs (weakspots shouldn’t work on heavy pets or something).
- Instead buff lancers with lance skills, make Controlled Riding a secondary, and give ~70 % damage from horseback even without full Mounted Combat/Archery spec — so everyone can actually fight back against mounteds, this was suggested by someone a while ago and it makes perfect sense
- Targeted buffs to Oghmir/Human footies and mages for small-scale viability without making them OP in zerg fights (for example a pipe animation length buff that ensures it's use in small scale or Human keeps adren on weapon switch/faster cast from melee swing)
Balance changes need to be done often it's not one and done, SV is really going easy on balance as if they are scared of backlash, guess what every game gets that.
- Remove or heavily increase cooldowns on Alvarin speed clades. Passive shouldn't exist, and there should be only 1 clade that speeds them up on a longer cooldown.
- The world is too inaccessible Almost everything is locked behind TC. Solo/small-group players have nowhere to bank, sell, or priest outside of the few cities and those caravans right next to dungeons, which is fine, but there needs to be more. Caravans are a great start.
Fix: Massively expand caravan system and add many more small/medium guarded towns and outposts (Kranesh-style) all over the map with banks, vendors, priests, and nerf houses by making doors breakable.
Bottom line Without protected noob areas, real anti-zerg systems we were promised, meaningful build diversity, and widely distributed map infrastructure for everyone, Sarducaa will just be a wasteland in 3 months time, the game is fundamentally hostile towards majority of potential players and it isn't even hardcore for vets who join zergs and play Alvarins, so the hardcore argument fails. Give the 90 % casual/solo playerbase an actually enjoyable progression loop and the game can finally grow instead of bleeding out 40% in 2 months because there is litereally nothing to do but to zerg or play 2 builds in the pettiest way possible which 95% of people simply do not want to do.
P.S. A lot of these points are given HEALTHY POP of 2k+ which they should aim for, and much needed Alvarin nerfs because they give illusion that solo is fine, you as a vet with tons of gear being able to solo on an OP class in a 300 pop game is irrelevant to the games actual solo playability.
Last edited:
