Tibia

Tibia: a journey through time in the form of an MMORPG

Unless you’ve never had any contact with the world of MMORPGs, you’re certainly familiar with *Tibia*. Created in 1997 by four German university students, responsible for CipSoft, this game remains relevant nearly 30 years after its release. And let’s face it, that’s quite a rare achievement.

But how is it possible for *Tibia* to continue attracting new players and making history over such a long period? To find the answer, let’s dive deep into this universe. Below is a complete overview of the game, exploring its vast world, gameplay mechanics, and other details that helped it become a true phenomenon.

Understanding the story of Tibia

Because it’s so old and revolves around exploring its vast world, many people don’t know the game’s story. But it does exist and spans across five eras. They unfold as follows:
– First, there is the Era of the Gods, during which the world of *Tibia* was created.
– It was followed by the Era of Demons, with a war between gods and demons.
– Next came the Era of Mages, who replaced the gods.
– Then came the Era of Machines, which overthrew the mages.
– Lastly, the Era of Unity, which is the current era in the game.

This brief timeline is important because it explains how the MMORPG includes so many different races and classes. It’s a world full of mysteries, secrets, technology, magic, and virtually endless exploration.

Amidst all this, you can choose to start your journey as a knight, paladin, druid, or sorcerer. In the early areas, there is a tutorial that teaches you everything you need to know, and helps you level up in the initial stages. After that, your adventure begins. And here, the game’s core revolves around its five main quests:
– *In Service of Yalahar*;
– *The New Frontier*;
– *The Inquisition*;
– *The Secret Library*.

Each of these quests guides the player toward specific adventure paths. Upon completing them, you are rewarded with new areas and items, further expanding your experience. And of course, along the way, you uncover important details of the game’s story.

Game structure and features

Here we touch on the features that make this MMORPG a true phenomenon in the genre. In terms of structure, *Tibia* stands out due to several interesting aspects. In this regard, the key highlights include:
– A highly fluid combat system, with turn-based battles, but in a unique way. The player selects their attack or magic in real-time, and can use the surrounding environment to their advantage.
– An economy heavily influenced by players. In addition to obtaining important items and gold by defeating enemies, monsters, and other players, you can also acquire them through sales and trades.
– A vast quest system, ranging from simpler tasks to more challenging and epic ones that involve multiple players. In this sense, the character progression system allows for continuous and proportional XP accumulation.
– And the world is very complex and challenging. For example, you can explore PvP servers to fight other players. But if you prefer, you can also focus solely on improving your combat mechanics and leveling up.

Among all these features, we can say that the game has a strong social element. And that’s what helps make it so special. Cooperation and competition between players are some of the most important aspects of the game, which brings together a nostalgic community as well as new explorers.

Current numbers of the Tibia community

Before diving into that, it’s worth noting that CipSoft continues to release updates for the game to this day, even after all these years. And although at its peak the number of active accounts reached 500,000 players, the game’s servers are still busy today.

According to company figures, it is estimated that *Tibia* currently has between 100,000 and 150,000 active accounts. Of these, the daily average number of players ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 members. The majority of these players are in Europe and Latin America.

Brazil, in fact, is one of the countries with the most simultaneous players in the MMORPG. If, at its peak, the game registered 200,000 active accounts in the country, today there are between 20,000 and 40,000 accounts still active in *Tibia*. And during peak periods, it’s common to record 10,000 simultaneous players here, thanks to servers like Pythera, Astera, and Belobra.

Explaining how a phenomenon is created

Perhaps the arguments mentioned so far haven’t convinced you of the game’s importance. After all, the graphics are quite simple, as is its user interface. The learning curve is hard to master, and the PvPs are extremely punishing for new players. To top it off, *Tibia* also promotes its Premium sales model.

But none of this outweighs a well-constructed world and a united community, which are trademarks of this MMORPG. And while new games in this genre continue to emerge, with more complex and challenging mechanics, this title wins with its simplicity.

The result is a game that remains interesting and fun, even after 27 years of existence. As players delve deeper into the story through quests and world exploration, this becomes evident. The same goes for its active community.

We also have to highlight its impacts on gaming culture in general. *Tibia’s* legacy includes popularizing the MMORPG genre, teamwork in this type of game, and the establishment of Free and Premium models. Additionally, it set a direction for the indie game industry, strengthening and encouraging small developers.

For all these reasons, this title is a true phenomenon. And fortunately, for both its community and MMORPG fans in general, this isn’t likely to change anytime soon. In one way or another, everyone who enjoys these kinds of games benefits from this.