When is the best time to join a server?

[Windwalker]

I am wondering when is the best time to join a server and still have a chance to win the end game?

I mean is it realistic to expect to win in Au1 since it is over half way in the game and with many established players? Au2 is only 8 weeks so is there still a chance there? Or should I try other servers?

I usually don't play a game if is there is no chance of winning.

[Kafkaesque]

If you play aggressively and you're playing a normal server, I usually start 5-10 days in.

On my first server I started 1 month intothe server, everyone else in my alliance started at around the same time as me or even 4 months late, we won the server.

It depends on what kind of play style you want to employ and whether or not you can get into a good alliance.

[Download]

I will start server 2 with you if you want we could help each other I am very experianced 2 years I have been playing

[Ogg]

You don't have a chance of being no1 on au2 10 weeks in although if you are really skilled you can be a top player come endgame.

I normally start 1 week late on normal servers but on au2 I tried starting 3 days late and look were that got me

[megatron]

well i would like to join in in the first week of a server...
i got late on aus2 however.
but i will suggest others to be on a server from start off week..

[Eyewitness]

If its your first server it doesn't matter when you join, you don't have a chance. I joined my first server like a week or two before endgame, my sttlers were o route to founding my second village when the server ended But your first is just for learning, its your second server were you want a decent start. I still started like a month late on my second server, but im well into the top 1000 so not going toooo bad. Just try to get into a good alliance and learn everything you can, worry about winning next round

[meatbag]

agree with what others have said. YOur first server it doesnt really matter when you start. Preferebly in the first month or two would be better though. learn what you are doing, what building does what, how to use troops and raid, then delete and start on a server in the first two weeks and havea nother go with what you have learnt.

Again unless you are a very quick learner you will probably be decimated or turned into a farm but you will learn from some of the bug guns about what a hammer is and how they are used. Also you will likely have a lot of incoming attacks so you will learn how to defend properly as well.

Once you have done that, I would delete again or just sim up defence for an offence palyer and start your third server as a serious game. I start in the first 3 days for speed and first 2 weeks for normal. If you can try and get a dual to play with you and find a good alliance, offer to sit someone from their and have them sit you in return. Read all the anti farming guides and see where you go.

If you are active enough eventually you will master the game and find an equally competant dual that can show you even more tricks.

Most importantly though, learn that this is a war game. If you do not concentrate on troops you wont get the enjoyment out of it that all of us somehow do.

[Regi & Tang]

Well i would just usually start when about 2000 - 5000 Players have already Registered.

[Ogg]

I wouldn't quite say that you will always fail your first server or not go well. I've known players who've held WW's during there first round of playing and others who have been top10s and had some pretty epic armies.

[Kat]

Fair point Ogg. You're not guaranteed to fail on your first server - but chances are that the account won't be as good as your next server. The first server you play is always a massive learning experience. No matter how much preparation you do, there will probably be times when you realise that you should do this differently next time, or not do that...as well as things that affirm you are on the right track.

The question should be asked - what do you mean by "winning" the game? Much of Travian is a team effort, and as such, you need to have a team focus. I have seen some alliances destroy their chances at being in a winning meta (that won the WW race) because their wing wanted a WW all of their own, rather than opting to support the WWs that the meta was building. Sometimes there is a degree of humility required - not every player will be in the top 10, not every player will hold a WW, etc. But that is ok. If you have that team focus, then you are far more likely to "win" the server - by being on the winning team. If your team wins, of course! Individual glory is much harder to aim for, and seeking it can often cost more than it is worth.

As for when to start, I'd recommend starting earlyish on a server. It means that you have a better chance of being a comparable size with other players joining some of the good alliances, and so increases your chances. Personally I'm with meatbag in terms of ideal starting time (a few days in on a speed server, and up to a week or 2 after server starts on a normal server). That's mainly because we are both fans of playing more aggressive accounts, and there is nothing like being able to raid your neighbours who started before you, while still being on beginners' protection yourself. Mind you, it means that you need to be ready for any retaliation, once your BP runs out.

Out of au servers, therefore, I'd recommend au2. Hopefully you'll get into a decent alliance. Even if you don't, at the very least, use it as a learning experience to prepare yourself for the next server you play. On the first round of aux, it took me nigh on half the server to work out how teutons differ from gauls. :blush: But that meant that when I started bluesocks on au1, we got off to a fantastic start, because I'd already learnt what I needed to do right from the start of the account.

All the best mate!