Server Time Zones: Do They Matter?
by Elizabeth Harper 
Mar 25th 2006 at 11:00AM
While I haven't logged on to all of the new servers, I've heard they're all in the EST time zone - to much bitter
complaining. But does the time zone the server runs on really matter that much? A number of players say it
matters because guild raids are scheduled based on server time, but I've always wondered why players on a server time
zone that doesn't fit their schedule can't band together and create their own guild and schedule. (Though I
suppose this is more work than just joining a guild.) Of course, it seems like Blizzard could solve many of these
complaints by adding a simple time zone tag to the realm selection screen. What do you think, dear readers?
Does time zone really matter when choosing a realm?Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Realm Status
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brian Mar 25th 2006 1:04PM
I don't think it matters that much. Even if a guild raid is based on server time (which, to prevent confusion, is a good idea) it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be based on the time zone. If the raid leader is in CA but is playing on an EST server the raid will still be what is best for him/the guild.
Also, when WoW was first launched there were time zone tags on the realm selection screen. I forget why they removed them.
bobilox Mar 25th 2006 3:48PM
Server time zone didn't matter to me when I first started playing WoW because I did'nt know about such things. The people that have discussed their location with me have been scattered from East coast USA to Aussie land. I suspect people group with whoever is on regularly when they are and they get along with.
Most important, is that it's daytime on the server when I play. Groping around in the dark all the time just would not work.
Penny Mar 25th 2006 5:15PM
As bobilox said above, at first it didn't matter to me as I knew nothing about the raid schedule etc.
But now, I play on my Oceanic server, so it's daylight when it's daylight. And the reduced lag from having a 'native' server is really, really helpful.
Shawn Inman Mar 26th 2006 10:14AM
The servers aren't on EST, they're on CST. I'm in EST and the server is always wrong. It always reads one hour earlier. BTW, being mostly an evening player, I like that I can get one extra hour of daylight while playing. Makes it more interesting to be able to see more of the world.
Peter Filias Mar 26th 2006 10:34AM
Only thing it really matters on is saying: Farming Silithus Dukes at 7pm server time rather than saying 7pm Eastern.
Aaron Mar 26th 2006 1:24PM
The time zone is a matter of location. I am on a West coast server as I was in LA. My latency was about 20 ms. Now I live in NY and while the same server has no doubt grown in population, I never get below 100MS and usually I am somewhere in the 230ms area or so.
Steve Mar 27th 2006 2:41AM
It definitely matters to me. Not so much when I first started out, when I soloed and PUGed my way thru content. At higher levels, you NEED a regular reliable group for instances. On a personal level, my guild reformed with participation requirements- pvp or raid with the guild- which would be great if they didnt do those activities 5 hours before I can even log in.
If I had known how things quiet down at night (when I play), i would have started on a West Coast (or even oceanic) server, where a night owl like me would have people to play with.