If I change name, is it possible to find the character on tibia.com with the old name?

Question

So, If I buy a name change and change my name to something totally different. If some of my old friends want to look up my character, can they use my old name at tibia.com to find me and see my new name? :)

And for how long will my old name work (if it works at all that is)

Comments

Interesting! I wonder if that's only the case for characters that had to forcefully change their names. When I search for an old character name of mine (I bought a character rename) I don't end up on my profile. What's more, there's already a completely different character that uses this name.

I also reopened this question - this indeed isn't duplicate. Character search and old character name display don't seem to be connected.

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Thank you. I did some additional research and I was unable to find any cases like mine.
It's actually quite interesting, would be nice to check it with someone else who got namelocked for illegal nick.

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Thanks for opening up the question again, I'm still a bit confused about this :P

Answer 1

Yes, of course you can search for a character by its previous name(s). The time it will take for this redirect to stop working might be connected to the time it takes for the old name to be available again which can't be determined even by CipSoft. See related FAQ below:

Unfortunately, names of deleted or renamed characters are not immediately available for use by other characters due to technical limitations.

There are many factors which determine how much time must have passed before the name of a deleted character can be used again. Note, however, that it can take several months or even years before such names are available again, so we recommend you choose a different name for your character.

—FAQ: Name of Deleted/Renamed Character Wanted

Another similar FAQ, with basically the same answer, is this: Error Message: "This name is already used." Even Though no Such Character Exists. I've seen this myself, I was trying to create character Hunter of Dragons for weeks, every time I got that error message till one day it worked. However, I don't know what happened to the original (or previous) Hunter of Dragons. Perhaps he was deleted, not renamed as described in your question. In case he was renamed, it would mean the time period that searches using an old name redirects to the current character name is actually smaller than the time you have to wait till the old name becomes available. Anyway, this is the best answer I can give you.

Edit: With the help of Sir Dzidek, admin of GuildStats, we found a character that had been renamed in January: Sonekao Marrom. I was checking its page every single day since then. Today, its old name, Gruby Pucio, is no longer listed as a Former Name and when using a direct link to its page (or when searching for it), it does not redirect us to the new name anymore. This character was renamed in January 25, exactly 180 days ago. This confirms an old name is listed as a Former Name for 6 months. As previously stated, the duration an old name redirects to the new name as well as the duration a name is unavailable may be higher than that.

Comments

I just added my own findings to the answer.

Answer 2

Yes your character can still be found at tibia.com if people search for your old name. It gets redirected.

But just for 6 months.

After those months the name becomes available for anyone to use again.

Comments

As mentioned in the comments on the question, 6 months doesn't seem to always be the case.

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I am fairly certain that it is actually the case, but I might be wrong.

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Have you checked out the char "Church Master"? The name is long gone from the character page (6 months have passed), but you can still search using that name.

Answer 3

people can use your old char name for up to 6 months before it wont work again as i have done name chages for some of my chars

Answer 4

Yes they can track you for some months on Tibia.com. Buy after that they will be able to find you only on Tibia Ring