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Cozy Stardew Valley-like MMO Palia's new expansion sends player count soaring 5c1771

Free-to-play fantasy life sim Palia has hit a new player count record, following the release of its new huge new Elderwood Expansion. f3q5n

Want something wholesome to play this weekend? Why not plunge into Palia, a free-to-play fantasy MMORPG that oozes wholesomeness. You won't be alone if you do, because, following the release of its massive Elderwood Expansion, this cozy online game has seen its concurent player count skyrocket.

With shades of Runescape and Stardew Valley, MMORPGs out there, not least because it's free-to-play. But you won't be tearing the heads off dragons or dueling other players to the death. Instead, this whimsical outing has you crafting, foraging, making friends, and engaging in all sorts of other heartwarming activities.

You'll have a lot more people to meet and greet, too, if you choose to dive into its cozy world. Palia has just received its first full-on expansion, entitled Elderwood, and its concurrent player count has rocketed by 150%, pushing it from an average of 6,000 to over 17,000 – a new player record. That's one heck of a lot of extra visitors.

SteamDB's Palia player count, showing a player spike.

The Elderwood Expansion adds a wealth of new content, including new zones, quests, creatures, pets, and much, much more. There's even a new villager, Ulfe, a boy who's been living in the titular Elderwood, a magical, overgrown forest. We're sure he's not cursed or demonically possessed or anything. Probably.

We were enchanted by Palia when we best RPGs.

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