Dark Age of Camelot - Server Types

Server Types

• Normal (Ywain) These servers are the primary set for game play. PvP is limited to designated areas and allows the player more control on what they want to do. This is now the ruleset which makes up the Ywain cluster.

• Classic (Closed) - on which PvE regions, abilities, and items from the Trials of Atlantis expansion have been disabled. The character enhancement spell system has also been altered so the character receiving these spells must be grouped with and remain relatively close to the caster. Due to recent clustering with classic players and normal ruleset players, this server type has been since removed.

• Player vs. player - A single server (Mordred) has been set up to allow free for all PvP combat in almost all areas. Realm affiliations have been removed so unlike regular servers, its possible for a player to visit areas in all 3 realms. Players on this server can attack each other regardless of class, race, or realm origin. Newly created characters are safe up through level 10, at which their PvP safe flag is turned off. Players who wish to get into the action immediately may turn this flag off before reaching level 10, though this change cannot be reversed.

• Cooperative - A single server (Gaheris) similar to the Normal servers, except the designated RvR zones have been modified. Instead of RvR, the three realms cooperate and attack NPC controlled keeps, which are located in the RvR zones, and other PvE areas. A high percentage of the PvE action takes place in Darkness Falls dungeon. High level enemies defend the locations where PvP gameplay would normally take place. All classes and races are opened up to the player and teleportation is possible between realms.

• Roleplaying (Closed) - A server in which players are encouraged to take on and act out the identity of their character. The point is to create another form of interaction between players, expanding upon the lore presented within the game. This was among the original server types when the game was first released. This server type has since ceased to exist as server clustering took place. Players can still flag themselves as role-players on the normal servers though.

• Test - There is a test server available (Pendragon), allowing players to test different abilities that may become possible in upcoming changes in game mechanics prior to Mythic fully implementing them.

• Origins (No longer in development) - In June 2008, Mythic announced their Origins server project. This server was intended to return DAoC to the game experience that it was in 2001/2002 due to popular demand. It was going to have several key features such as the "Old Frontiers" brought back and the game would be playable and similar to its pre-expansion state, with the exception of improvements made over the years such as the market system, housing, mounts, class balance and UI changes. On January 23, 2009 Mythic made mention of this server in their weekly grab bag stating that, while no information was currently able to be shared, more information would come in the weeks ahead. This was the first news about this server, from Mythic, in more than 6 months. On January 20, 2009 it was announced that Electronic Arts has laid off 10% of its work force and this may account for the lack of news. On March 6, 2009, Mythic's Mark Jacobs announced on the Warhammer Online VN Boards that plans for the Origins server for DAoC were put on hold indefinitely:

Unfortunately, as you know we had layoffs at Mythic and that was one of the reasons we have been silent recently. I wasn't going to tell (or let anyone else tell the DAoC community) that Origins or anything else was coming once I even thought that a restructuring was going to happen within EA because then I would have been put into the position of knowingly lying to the community and I won't do that. We have shifted around some folks and our discussions about DAoC and it's future will continue. I will tell you something else though. When we looked into doing Origins we gathered player feedback about the idea and I was told that it wasn't overwhelmingly something the players supported or seemed to want. Nobody wants to see DAoC abandoned less than I do but right now we need to be rather careful and smart with our resources and make sure we do the right thing. If either current or former DAoC players want Origins, I'd love to see a real groundswell of demand to back that up. —Mark Jacobs

• Free Shard - There are many different community-run, "free shard" servers, encompassing most all server types, to include an "origins" like server with Old Frontiers and limited expansion. The most populated ones are hosted on DAoC Portal and run on the Dawn of Light framework.