A fair economy
Whether market prices keep climbing forever, whether you can support yourself through play rather than purchases alone, and whether new items make everything gathered before worthless.
Reviews
Reviews
An online role-playing world is hard to sum up in a single number. A game that dazzles in its first week can disappoint six months later, while a modest-looking world can turn out to be the place where you spend years. That's why we give no scores and compile no rankings. Instead, we explain which traits of a world to look at if you plan to live there for a long time, and how to tell a stable world from a bright but short-lived flash.
A good online world isn't proven by first impressions but by how it treats its players after the first year.
How this section works: we give no scores, compile no rankings and don't name games, servers or studios. Here you'll find the signs anyone can use to size up an online world, plus a comparison of two common formats. Where you play is your call.
What to look at in an online world
Six signs that matter more than pretty graphics if you plan to stay a long time.
How newcomers are treated
Whether new players have a clear path, whether the world's residents and its design help them, or whether the game is built only for those who showed up on day one.
Anti-cheat tools
How quickly the world responds to bots and foul play, whether you can file a report, and whether reports visibly get looked at. A world where cheating goes unpunished empties out fast.
Transparent changes
Whether the developers explain why they change the rules, whether detailed patch notes come out, and whether players get advance warning about big changes.
Payment model
Subscription, free to play with in-game purchases, or a mix. What matters isn't so much what the game costs as whether paying gives a noticeable edge over those who don't pay.
Account protection
Whether the game offers two-factor verification, sign-in alerts and a clear recovery process. A world that looks after your account also looks after the years you have put into your character.
Classic vs. seasonal worlds
| Criterion | Classic | Seasonal |
|---|---|---|
| Character growth | Slow and continuous, over years | Fast, within a season |
| What happens to your progress | Kept, with no resets | Usually wiped at each reset |
| A newcomer's chances | It takes time to catch up with veterans | Everyone starts together at the beginning of a season |
| Clan life | Long history and reputation | Quick alliances for a single season |
| Economy | Prone to inflation, needs adjustments | Refreshed along with the world |
| Who it suits | Those who value stability and distant goals | Those who love a fresh start and competition |
How to read reviews of online worlds
Notice how much time the author spent in the world. First-week impressions speak to the start of the game but say almost nothing about its middle, where most of the long game takes place.
Tell taste apart from design. "Boring combat" is a matter of taste, while a market where you can't sell anything signals trouble in the economy. For someone planning to stay, the second matters more.
Be wary if a piece heaps praise on a particular server, offers a download link or promises gifts for signing up. That isn't a review but promotion, and often a road to unofficial servers with all their risks.
Read next
- Worlds
A catalogue of online world types (classic, seasonal, clan-driven, trade-focused and peaceful) and the questions that help you pick yours.
- Mechanics
How experience, gear wear, crafting, markets, clan holdings and seasonal events work, and how to avoid burning out on the game too soon.
- Updates
What changes reach online worlds: season resets, economy and balance tweaks, server merges, and how to read them calmly.
- FAQ
Answers about the magazine, clan life, game fatigue, sharing accounts, phishing and the risks of unofficial servers.
What we draw on
- Terms of service and rules of online games (in general terms)
- Editorial materials of L2vs
We write about the general principles of life in online role-playing worlds. Every game has its own rules, menus and mechanics, and they often change with updates, so check the exact wording against your game's terms of service and help pages.