Guides & Tutorials

The biggest mistake when starting out is simply taking the top server on the list. Rank 1 only means that server is being voted for most eagerly right now – not that it fits your play style. These four points say more:

Rates. They decide how fast you gain experience, yang and drops. Low rates mean long levelling and a focus on the journey itself. High rates get you to max level within days – after that only gear and PvP matter. Decide beforehand which of the two you are after.

Max level. It shows how far the content has been extended. A server with a much higher max level has usually added its own maps, bosses and items.

Age of the server. The start date is in every entry. Servers running for many months have their teething problems behind them – but the economy is settled and newcomers start far behind. A freshly launched server gives everyone the same starting point, but can also disappear quickly.

Language. The flags in the entry show which languages the server really supports. A German client is of little use if support and community are only reachable in another language.

In the end, pick two or three candidates and read the player comments on the detail page. They usually say more honestly what works and what does not.

The split describes how close a server stays to the original Metin2. It is not a judgement, it is a matter of taste.

Oldschool follows the game of earlier years: no new races, no costumes, modest bonuses and much slower progress. If you played back then and want exactly that feeling, this is for you. It is the most patient of the three.

Middleschool sits in between. Part of the newer content is there, but much of it toned down or removed so the balance stays closer to the original. For most returning players this is the easiest way in.

Newschool uses everything the game offers today and often adds its own systems, maps and items. There is the most to do here, but also the biggest differences from the original.

Using the filters on the homepage you can narrow the toplist down to these three categories.

Votes are the currency of the toplist. They set the order and therefore how many new players ever see a server at all. For small projects that is often vital.

The process is simple: open the server's vote link, confirm the security check and click “Vote now”. One vote per server is possible every 24 hours. The toplist updates every ten minutes and a full reset happens every three weeks – so new servers regularly get a fair chance too.

Many servers reward voting with points or in-game items. For that they use our API, which reports back whether a given account has already voted.

One note on our own behalf: attempts to generate votes automatically are reliably detected and lead to the entry being blocked. In the end that harms the very server you wanted to help.

Listing in the toplist is free. You create an account, enter your server data and are listed right away. Before you start, take a look at the Rules – the key points in short:

You must run the server yourself or be authorised to do so. Exactly one account per server is allowed. The URL must point directly to your site, without redirect or short link. Title and description must match the actual content, and for languages you only select the ones your server really supports fully – homepage and client.

After listing you will find your personal vote link and ready-made banners under Link codes. If you also place the small backlink on your homepage, you receive +200 Votes daily; whether it was found is shown in your overview.

You can change the entered data at any time. It appears in the list immediately, no re-approval needed.

Your banner is the largest element of your entry and decides within about a second whether someone reads on. The format is 468 × 190 pixels at a maximum of 350 KB; JPG, PNG, GIF and BMP are allowed.

What works: a clearly readable server name, the most important figure (rates or max level, say) and an image that fits the server. Watch the contrast between text and background – our banners sit on a dark surface.

What tends to hurt: five different fonts, body text in a small size and frantic animation. Animated banners do catch the eye, but quickly look cheap if the server itself is meant to feel high quality. A calm, cleanly set banner often stands out more in a list full of flashing effects.

Test your banner at its real size before uploading. What still looks readable at 200 % zoom in a graphics program often is not at 468 pixels wide.

Private servers are run by private individuals. That is the appeal of the scene – and the reason to follow a few ground rules.

Separate passwords. Use a different password for every server and never the one for your e-mail account. Server databases have become public more than once in the past.

Check downloads. Only download the client from the server's official site. A client is an executable with all the rights of your user account – with files from third parties, caution is advisable.

Item shop in moderation. Donations keep many servers alive, but there is no guarantee a project will still run in six months. Only pay amounts you will not regret if the server closes tomorrow.

Read first, then invest. The comments on the detail page are the fastest way to learn how a server treats its players. If something stands out to you, leave a rating yourself – the next people benefit from it.