Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker Server Congestion Update

Square Enix has provided an update on the current server congestion issues for Final Fantasy XIV following the release of its latest expansion, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker. In order to ensure that servers remain within capacity and remain functional, players are experiencing long login queues during popular play-time periods. A message from producer and director Naoki Yoshida details the current status of the congestion and Square Enix’s current update plans.

Square Enix will be granting all current players with an active subscription as of December 21, 2021, fourteen days of free game time. The company is also electing to temporarily suspend digital sales of both the Final Fantasy XIV Starter Edition and Final Fantasy XIV Complete Edition, as well new registrations for the game’s Free Trial version. Expansions and Collector’s Edition digital upgrades will still be available to existing players.

The developer has managed to find the cause behind one of issues causing an error (Error 2002) for some players while in the login queue. The fix will be applied with the planned version 6.01 patch on December 21, 2021, alongside other fixes and the first part of the Pandæmonium raid series. Square Enix also stated it plans to release the version 6.05 patch on January 4, 2022, as scheduled to order to avoid delayed to other future content. The 6.05 update will add the new Allagan tomestone, new crafting recipes, the Excitatron 6000 treasure dungeon, and the Pandæmonium (Savage) difficulty raids.

As part of attempting to add new capacity to alleviate the need for login queues with the creation of new Data Centers and Worlds, Square Enix has been working on procuring new servers for the past six months. However, due to shortages caused by a combination of COVID-19 effects including manufacturing shutdowns, as well as raw material and production shortages and the high specifications required for the hardware, its attempts have been delayed. A roadmap for server and game infrastructure improvements is expected by the end of January 2022.