Arthion officially launched at 18:00, but just over ten minutes later the first login problems appeared. Over the following hours the server was taken down several times, with the staff reporting technical issues, DDoS attacks and infrastructure instability. Eventually rollbacks hit as well, and the team is now even considering a complete server reset.
For players following Metin2 servers, the Arthion launch turned out to be far more chaotic than anyone could have expected. The staff kept posting updates on Discord, reporting on progress, changes of plan and the reasons behind each new downtime. The latest information suggests that the issue responsible for the rollbacks has been identified, but the situation has still not been fully resolved.
Arthion launch timeline
18:00 - Arthion officially online
The server launched as announced. The staff said Arthion was now available to players and reminded everyone to update their client with the patcher beforehand.
So the start looked routine. Problems, however, appeared very quickly.
18:14 - first login problems
Just 14 minutes after launch, the staff reported login problems. Some players were unable to get into the game, and the team started looking into the situation.
They then decided to take the server down temporarily for around 15 minutes.
18:42 - server back online
After the break, Arthion was brought back up. Players were asked to run the patcher again and update their client before logging in.
It was not the last problem of the evening, though.
19:17 - another maintenance
Less than 40 minutes later, another announcement came. The server was taken down for around 30 minutes for maintenance.
20:03 - back up again
Arthion came back online. This time the staff also said that accounts which had not received the email confirmation message had been approved manually.
For new registrations, players were advised to check their Spam and Junk folders if the activation email did not show up in their main inbox.
21:14 - server down, DDoS comes up
At 21:14 things got more serious. The staff announced that the server had been taken down due to technical problems and ongoing DDoS attacks.
This time no specific relaunch time was given. The team said it first wanted to properly deal with the current issues and secure the server.
22:20 - work expected to take about an hour
In the next update, the staff said they were still working on the situation and on protection against the repeated DDoS attacks. The initial estimate was that around one more hour of work would be needed.
23:36 - final fixes
At 23:36 another update arrived. The team was wrapping up the final fixes and preparing the server to go back up. At that point the assumption was that Arthion could be back online within about 30 minutes.
That did not happen.
00:16 - launch moved to 11:00
After midnight, the staff announced that they had not managed to fully resolve the remaining issues. As a result, they decided to postpone the launch to 11:00 CET.
One of the reasons given was a fair start. The staff did not want to open the server very late at night, because the small group of players still active at that hour could gain an advantage over those who had already gone offline.
00:42 - change of plan
A few minutes later, however, developer Sonitex posted another announcement. The team was still working on the network issues and decided to go back to the original plan, which was to launch Arthion as soon as possible.
New network protocols were being tested, but the staff could not give a specific ETA.
01:10 - Arthion online again
At 1:10 the server was brought back up. Players were also informed that active Premium and Feather of Lovers would be extended by one day.
After several dozen minutes, however, it turned out the problems had still not been fixed.
02:02 - maintenance due to rollbacks
At 2:02 Arthion went into maintenance mode again. This time the main problem was rollbacks, meaning player progress was being reverted.
This was a significant shift in the whole situation. Until then, the announcements had focused mainly on login problems, the network, stability and DDoS attacks. Rollbacks, on the other hand, meant a direct problem with preserving the progress players were making.
08:33 - the staff take a step back
In the morning, the developer said the team was focusing on solving the problems related to DDoS and server instability.
A more detailed explanation of the situation and a further plan of action were also promised.
12:11 - cause of the rollbacks found
The latest announcement brought more concrete information. The staff said they had identified a network security vulnerability and the issue that was causing the rollbacks.
The team is currently working on a solution designed to prevent progress from being rolled back in the event of further server stability issues.
At the same time, the possibility of a complete reset came up.
DDoS or infrastructure problems?
When it comes to the Arthion launch, it is worth keeping some distance from the simple claim that all the problems were caused by DDoS attacks.
The staff reported ongoing attacks several times and named them as one of the reasons the server was not working properly. At the same time, later announcements mention a network security vulnerability, rollback issues and general infrastructure instability.
Based on the Discord announcements alone, it is impossible to independently confirm what share of the problems was a direct result of DDoS and what stemmed from shortcomings in the infrastructure or in how server instability was handled.
Nor does it necessarily mean there was only one cause. A DDoS attack can put heavy pressure on infrastructure, but how a server responds to such a situation also depends on its security and its preparedness for failures.
In Arthion's case, the news about finding a security vulnerability and the issue responsible for the rollbacks is particularly significant. It suggests that at least some of the problems need to be solved on the side of the infrastructure itself and the mechanisms that protect player progress.
That is why, at this stage, it is safest to speak of a combination of network problems, infrastructure instability and the DDoS attacks reported by the staff, rather than blaming the entire mess solely on external attacks.
Rollbacks could mean a full reset
The biggest challenge for the staff right now is the issue of lost or reverted progress. According to the latest announcement, the scale of the damage may be too large for all changes to be restored manually.
For this reason, the team is leaning toward a full server reset.
This is not yet a confirmed decision, but the staff have openly warned players that this scenario is being considered. If it happens, current progress will be wiped.
At the same time, a refund of coins and other forms of compensation for players have been announced. Details of any compensation system have not yet been presented.
Launch problems could weigh heavily on Arthion's future
The whole situation has one more important dimension. For new servers, the first hours and days after launch are hugely important for building an active community. That is when interest in a project is at its peak and players decide whether they want to stick around for the long haul.
In Arthion's case, instead of a smooth launch, players got a series of downtimes, login problems, repeated maintenance, instability and then rollbacks. For some, that may be reason enough to stop playing, especially if they had already invested time in developing their character and that progress was rolled back.
Another problem is keeping the interest of people who have not started playing yet. If a potential player comes across news of repeated server shutdowns and a possible reset, they may simply put off starting or pick a different project.
This could translate into a drop in the number of active players, which would be a serious problem for a server aimed at long-term play. Fewer people means not only fewer players visible in the game world, but also less activity on the market, less competition and potentially weaker interest in the project in the following weeks.
Of course, this does not mean Arthion is doomed to fail. A lot will depend on how the staff handle the current situation, how they explain the causes of the problems and whether the next launch attempt can go ahead without similar complications.
How the staff treat players affected by the rollbacks will also be especially important. If a full reset happens, the way compensation is handled could make a big difference to how many existing players decide to start over.
When will Arthion launch again?
At the moment, the staff have not given a specific time for the server to go back up. Earlier attempts have also shown that each estimated time quickly became outdated, so it is hard to treat any specific hour as certain.
The team's top priority right now is patching the vulnerability, securing the infrastructure and preparing a solution that will prevent further rollbacks. Only once that work is done is Arthion set to be brought back online.
For those following Metin2 private servers, the next few hours will therefore be very important. The project first has to deal with its technical problems and then convince players that the next launch attempt will finally be stable.
Arthion faced a very tough test right at launch. In the end, the server's future may be decided not by the fact that problems occurred, but by how effectively the staff solve them and how the community reacts.
For now, all that remains is to wait for the team's next statement on the relaunch date and the final decision on the reset. One thing is certain - after such a turbulent start, Arthion's next launch will mean much more than the end of a routine technical break.