〈Flyff Universe〉 is an IP with more than 20 years of history, first launched in 2004. 〈Flyff Universe〉 launched in 2022 based on this IP.
Then, on April 23, 2026, a new server opened in 〈Flyff Universe〉. It wasn’t a major expansion or the release of a new class. Yet, both longtime players and those who had stepped away from the game for a while gathered on this server to create new characters.
Everyone started at Level 1.
This server is a limited-time server opened for the Flyff World Championship (FWC), now in its fourth year. By the day before the server opened, approximately 100,000 people had pre-registered, and on the day of the launch, daily active users exceeded 120,000, with over 50,000 new sign-ups.
How is it that so many people are gathering once again in a game with over 20 years of history to start all over at Level 1?
With this question in mind, we visited Wemade Connect, the publisher of 〈Flyff Universe〉
Why Everyone Starts Over at Level 1
FWC is a global esports tournament held annually by 〈Flyff Universe〉. A limited-time FWC server opens for the duration of the tournament, and players have about half a year to reach the finals. During this time, players level up their characters, collect gear, and form teams to compete together.
The most basic rule of the FWC server is that everyone starts at Level 1.
While players could have brought over characters they’d spent a long time leveling on existing servers to compete, doing so would carry the gap that has built up between early players and recent joiners directly into the matches.
Kim Yu-dan, Vice President of the Global Business Dept at WEMADE CONNECT, cited this disparity as the reason for operating the FWC server separately.
There’s bound to be a clear difference between those who started from the very beginning and those who joined later. That’s why we created a new server, so that everyone—without exception—can start at Level 1.
The FWC server levels up faster than existing servers. We’ve increased experience points and item drop rates so that players can fully level up their characters within a set period.
And this structure isn’t just for tournament participants.
In long-running MMORPGs, the growth gap between existing players and newcomers widens over time. New players find it difficult to catch up with those who have been playing for years, and players returning after a hiatus must readjust to the changed environment.
On the FWC server, everyone starts at Level 1 on the same day. New and returning players can take advantage of the fast progression to learn the game and fully level up their characters before joining the main server.
Fabian Choi, Team Leader of the Global Business Dept at WEMADE CONNECT, explained that the FWC server serves not only as a space for tournaments but also as a growth server for new and returning users.
This server completes the cycle of quickly leveling up and developing characters before they join the main server. Since new players need time, the period allowed for them to fully develop their characters on this server is included.
This is also why the period from the server’s launch to the finals spans approximately half a year. It takes into account not only the time experienced players need to fully level up their characters but also the time it takes for new players to learn the game and prepare to join the main server.
Therefore, the FWC server serves as an arena for some to prepare for tournaments, while for others, it acts as a gateway to join this long-standing game for the first time.
Gameplay That Began on the FWC Server Will Return to the Main Server
Characters raised on the FWC server will not disappear once the tournament ends. When server operations conclude, they can be transferred to the main server in accordance with established transfer regulations, allowing you to continue playing.
This rule also allows existing users to try something new. For users who have been raising characters on the main server for a long time, starting over from scratch with a new class or build can be daunting. However, on the FWC server, they can try raising a character with a different skill tree or stat combination and then transfer that character to the main server as a second character.
Kim highlighted this as a key feature of the FWC server.
On the main server, starting a new character feels like a burden—you hesitate, 'Should I really level this one up?' Here, about once a year, you can try the build you've been curious about, with different skills and stat allocations, and then bring that character to the main server as your second character.
New and returning players also join the main server after growing sufficiently on the FWC server. When new players and characters join, demand for gear and items increases, and new relationships form with existing guilds.
The gameplay that begins on the FWC server doesn’t end on the tournament server—it continues on the main server.
And it’s not just the characters that move over.
“Where should we meet again?”
Players from all over the world gather on FWC servers. People who originally played in different countries and on different servers spend several months hunting, forming parties, and competing together in the same space.
As the server’s operation nears its end, conversations like this naturally begin.
“Which server should we meet on next?”
Choi said he often sees users who became friends on the FWC server deciding together which server to move to.
Friends decide it among themselves: 'Let's all meet on that server.' People who were spread across Germany, France, and other European countries spend a season together, then move as a group to one European server and regroup there.
People who first met on FWC later choose the same server and play together again.
Ultimately, it’s not just the newly created characters that make the transition from FWC to the main server. The relationships formed with the people you meet there also carry over.
From the Server Launch to the Finals: Six Months of Competition
The time spent leveling up characters and meeting people on the FWC server ultimately leads to a single stage.
Players who have spent about four months since the server opened in April leveling up their characters and forming teams entered the online qualifiers in late August. After the preliminaries and qualifying tournaments, the final eight teams will be selected, and this year’s Grand Final will be held on October 24 in Manila, Philippines.
The act of leveling up and collecting gear over the course of about four months is not the competition itself. However, without that process, players cannot reach the final stage. In that sense, the first round of the FWC effectively began the day the servers went live. The time and effort invested throughout that period ultimately lead to the championship stage.
Last year’s Grand Final in Manila drew a crowd of about 3,000 people. The finals took place on stage, while cosplay, performances, and merchandise sales took place around the venue. The gameplay that had continued online for months finally found a physical venue on this day.
Rose Hong, Project Manager of the Global Business Dept at WEMADE CONNECT, explained that the FWC serves as a bridge connecting the online and offline worlds.
The FWC isn’t just an online tournament. There are users participating in the Grand Finals, users coming to the venue in person, and users watching the matches via live stream. I believe the FWC serves as a bridge connecting the online and offline worlds of the Flyff Universe.
Why Do People Choose Level 1 Again?
There’s a unique scene you can only see when an MMORPG first opens its doors.
Countless characters start out in the same town and wander around similar areas, unsure of where to go. But as time passes, this scene disappears. Players scatter across their respective servers and guilds, and each character accumulates a different timeline. That moment when everyone started together becomes a thing of the past.
FWC recreates that scene every year.
Fabian likened this to “ripples in still water.” This means that as new players and gameplay enter a world where time has already accumulated, they create new momentum.
I think of FWC as ripples in still water. It also serves as a pathway for new water to keep flowing in. In MMORPGs, there’s a certain charm in watching everyone gather in the starting village when the game first opens and rush off in a swarm to hunt starting at Level 1. Even though this is a game that’s been in live service for several years, the fact that we can recreate that experience every year feels quite special to us.
FWC doesn’t erase the time players have accumulated or reset everything to the beginning. Instead, once a year, it creates a space where many people can start together at Level 1 on the same day.
For long-time players, it’s an opportunity to try something new,
and for those who’ve been away for a while, it’s a reason to come back.
For newcomers, it serves as a welcoming gateway to start alongside existing players.
And the characters and relationships formed there carry over to the main server.
In the end, FWC may be creating more than just new Level 1 characters.
A time to start a new together, without erasing the time we’ve accumulated.
This year, too, the finish line awaits at the end of that journey.
On October 24, the top eight teams from the FWC server will take the stage in Manila. We’ll see there what kind of dramatic finale this half-year-long journey will bring.
