Part of the Sea of Conquest Basics Series:

Sea of Conquest Beginner's Guide: Core principles (Start Here).

Seasons Guide: How season resets change the map.

Alliance Guide: Why your alliance matters more than your server.

Quick Answer

Server transfers in Sea of Conquest are handled by a transfer item used from your profile, and they are gated: you generally need to be above a minimum power or flagship level, below any migration cap the destination server has set, off cooldown from your last move, and not currently holding alliance leadership or territory. Your account, heroes, ships and resources move with you. Your alliance membership, any territory you hold, and server-specific rankings do not.

Before you spend one, understand this: transferring rarely fixes the problem people transfer to fix. Most players who move because "the server is dead" land somewhere else and hit the same wall six weeks later.

When a Transfer Is Actually the Right Call

Four situations genuinely justify a move.

Your server is functionally dead. Not quiet — dead. Empty alliance rosters, no rally participation, cross-server events where nobody signs up. If your server cannot field a competitive group for events, no amount of personal effort fixes that.

One alliance owns everything. A single dominant alliance that refuses to accept new members and farms everyone else creates a genuinely unplayable environment for the rest of the server. If you are not in it and cannot get in, leaving is rational.

Your real-life friends or your alliance are elsewhere. The most common good reason. This game is dramatically better played with people you actually talk to.

Time zone mismatch. If every war event fires at 4am your time, you are permanently second-class on that server. Moving to a server whose peak hours match yours is a bigger upgrade than any hero pull.

When It Is a Mistake

"I want an easier server." Newer servers are not easier, they are earlier. You will be the strong one for about two weeks, and then the natives catch up while you have lost your alliance network.

"I got farmed once." Fix the shield habit first. See the PvP guide — most farming is a self-inflicted wound from leaving yourself unshielded.

"My server lost the last cross-server event." That is normal. Losing an event is not a structural problem.

Right before a season transition. Season resets redraw the map anyway. Wait, see what the new season looks like, then decide. The seasons guide covers the cycle.

Requirements and Restrictions

Exact thresholds shift between versions and by server age, so check the in-game transfer screen for the current numbers, but the structure is consistent:

You usually need:

A server transfer item, obtained from events, the shop, or occasional login campaigns. This is the actual bottleneck for most players.
To meet a minimum power or flagship level — the game does not want brand-new accounts hopping servers.
To be off transfer cooldown from any previous move.

You usually cannot transfer if:

You are the leader of an alliance. Hand over leadership first.
You hold territory or a title on your current server.
Your destination server is capped — popular servers close to migration, and newly opened ones are often locked for a protection window.
Your account has an active shield, ongoing march, or pending mail rewards. Clear everything first.

What Carries Over and What Does Not

Comes with you:

Flagship, cabins and all levels
Heroes, hero levels, promotions and shards
Ships, ship parts and trinkets
Resources, speedups and unopened items in your bag
VIP level and purchase history
Your account name (though you may be asked to change it if taken)

Stays behind:

Alliance membership — you arrive unaffiliated
Any territory, ports or structures you controlled
Server-specific rankings, titles and leaderboard positions
Any ongoing event progress tied to that server
Local reputation, which sounds soft but genuinely matters in a game built on rally coordination

That last one is the underrated cost. On your old server people knew you were reliable. On a new one you are an unknown with high power, which reads as "threat" to established alliances before it reads as "asset."

The Transfer Checklist

Do these in order and nothing goes wrong.

Spend your resources down. Anything sitting loose in storage above your protected cap is at risk during the move window. Dump it into upgrades first — see the ship upgrade requirements guide for what to sink it into.
Collect all mail and event rewards. Unclaimed items can be lost.
Cancel every march and recall every fleet. No fleets on the map.
Step down from alliance leadership and release any territory.
Line up your destination. Talk to an alliance on the target server before you move. Arriving unaffiliated on a hostile server is the worst possible outcome.
Confirm the destination is open and has the migration slots available.
Transfer, then immediately shield. You arrive with no protection and a visible power score. Shield first, then find your alliance, then unpack.

New Servers: Timing and Strategy

If your goal is a genuine fresh start rather than a transfer, a new server is the better move — you keep no progress, but you compete on level terms.

New servers open on a rolling basis, and the cadence tightens around major updates, season launches and collaboration events. There is no fixed public calendar; the in-game server list shows the newest entries at the bottom, and new servers are usually flagged.

The advantage of starting fresh on day one of a server is substantial: early resource nodes are uncontested, the first alliances to organise take the good territory, and the event leaderboards during the opening week are the easiest they will ever be. If you are willing to restart, our beginner's guide and progression guide are built around exactly this opening.

FAQ

How do I change servers in Sea of Conquest?

Open your profile or settings, find the server transfer option, and use a server transfer item on an eligible destination. You must meet the power requirement, be off cooldown, hold no territory, and not lead an alliance.

Can I go back to my old server?

Usually yes, but only after the transfer cooldown expires and only if the old server is still open to migration. It also costs another transfer item, so treat every move as one-way.

Do I lose my heroes when I transfer?

No. Heroes, levels, promotions and equipped trinkets all move with you.

Can I transfer to a brand new server?

Generally no. New servers are protected from migration for an initial window so that established accounts cannot steamroll fresh players. Check the destination's status on the transfer screen.

Is there a free way to transfer?

Transfer items appear in events and occasional login campaigns, so patient players can get one without paying. They also show up in the shop. Watch the events hub for the campaigns that hand them out.

Key Takeaways

A transfer item plus power, cooldown and territory checks are the gates on moving.
Everything on your account moves; everything about your server does not.
Line up an alliance before you transfer, never after.
Shield the second you land. You arrive unprotected and visible.
A new server beats a transfer if what you actually want is a fair fight.

Sea of Conquest Server Transfer: How to Change Servers Safely