Hello, I'm posting on behalf of my brother who purchased the game on 12/31/2023 to play with me and some friends. Square Enix chat support suggested he post here, but he cannot log in to the forums because he cannot log in to POL to create a character in-game:
I purchased FFXI on 12/31/23 and after registering the game code in the square enix account management site and retrieving my POL ID and Password, every time I try to log in to POL by opening POL, logging in with my SE ID and Password and my POL ID and Password, I immediately receive "Error code:POL-0206 Network is busy or there are connection problems."
- I have confirmed with support that my account is registered properly.
- I have confirmed that there is no administrator permission issues, no firewall issues, and that the port forwarding is set up to allow access to POL.
- I have confirmed that my PC can connect to POL by having my brother log in to his account from my PC.
- I have also attempted to log in to my borther's PC using my account, and I get the same issue.
- I have attempted resetting my router. I have attempted logging in from another network connection using my laptop at work.
It has now been 11 days since I purchased the game to play with my friends, but I still cannot connect to the game. It appears there is some issue with my account registration specifically as my brother can connect on my PC.
The only recommendation SE chat support has made so far is to wait a few more days on both occasions of contacting chat support. I'm already nearly halfway through the trial period and won't be able to log in.
Cannot Connect to Playonline, Error code:POL-0206
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01-11-2024, 03:47 AMHegmoCannot Connect to Playonline, Error code:POL-0206
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01-11-2024, 07:32 AMAlhanelemmanual Port Forwarding shouldn't be necessary at all. All you have to do is allow the game through Windows Firewall when prompted. If you're using a third party firewall, disable it and see if the game works with windows firewall.Quote:
I have confirmed that there is no administrator permission issues, no firewall issues, and that the port forwarding is set up to allow access to POL.
Then there is a network related issue somewhere on "your borther's" PC or somewhere long their path to the internet and/or to the servers. I have seen waaaaaaaaaay too many people insist that everything is correct on their end when in fact it isn't, and they refuse to check these things when I advise them to.Quote:
I have also attempted to log in to my borther's PC using my account, and I get the same issue.
There is a basic truth here, according to you:
-You can connect with any account using your PC.
-You cannot connect with any account using their PC.
This rules out any account related issue, and the issue is either one of configuration of playOnline or windows, or one of configuation of the network being used to get to the internet. It could also be a temporary issue caused by forces out of your control, however those sorts of issues generally don't last weeks.
A few quick things.
Make sure that the legacy windows component DirectPlay is enabled.
https://i.imgur.com/i6bsfaU.png
If phsyically possible, try bypassing the router by connecting the PC directly to your cable modem or wherever your internet access comes from. If this works, then there is an issue with the router configuration. If it doesn't work, then we can rule out the router.Quote:
I have attempted resetting my router.
Regardless of what you claim to have confirmed, please disable your software firewall temporarily and see if you can connect with it not enabled. If you can, then the issue is with the firewall.
Try using a VPN service (I recommend mudfish as its extremely cheap, a couple dollars for more bandwidth than the game will ever use and i think you can get a tiny amount of bandwidth as a free trial), and try connecthing through various different nodes, some close to you, some in Japan where the servers are, and see if that helps. Using a VPN and having success would indicate there is problem along the path that your connection is taking to reach SE's servers, as using a VPN will change this path.
Do a traceroute to 202.67.54.128. If there is a failiure along your path to PlayOnline, it will be obvious here. If you are unfamiliar, to do this:
On the PC you're encountering the issue on, hit Windows Key + R, type in cmd and hit enter to open a command prompt.
Type: tracert 202.67.54.128 and hit enter.
Paste your results here. -
01-11-2024, 03:11 PMHegmoSorry maybe I miscommunicated,Quote:
Originally Posted by Alhanelem
From my PC:
I try to connect on my account - Error 0206
My brother connects on his account - Able to log in to the game
From my brother's PC:
I try to connect on my account - Error 0206
My brother connects on his account - able to log in to the game
How would a firewall or any network setting effect connection for a single account accessing POL and not another??
The portforwarding, router reset, etc were all recommendations from square enix support.
Quote:
Tracing route to 202.67.54.128 over a maximum of 30 hops
1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms dsldevice.attlocal.net [192.168.1.254]
2 2 ms 1 ms 1 ms 104-189-112-1.lightspeed.rcsntx.sbcglobal.net [104.189.112.1]
3 3 ms 3 ms 2 ms 71.155.29.62
4 * * * Request timed out.
5 7 ms 7 ms 7 ms 32.130.16.9
6 7 ms 7 ms 7 ms gar25.dlstx.ip.att.net [12.122.85.233]
7 * 3 ms 3 ms 192.205.32.214
8 * * * Request timed out.
9 33 ms 34 ms 35 ms lax-b23-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.123.137]
10 * 145 ms 147 ms tky-b3-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.137.109]
11 * * * Request timed out.
12 169 ms 169 ms 169 ms squareenix-ic-371309.ip.twelve99-cust.net [62.115.38.91]
13 152 ms 152 ms 152 ms 219.117.144.122
14 149 ms 149 ms 149 ms 219.117.144.49
15 152 ms 152 ms 152 ms 219.117.146.129
16 152 ms 152 ms 152 ms 219.117.147.38
17 145 ms 144 ms 144 ms 202.67.54.128
Trace complete.
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01-11-2024, 06:15 PMVoiceMemo
Error 0206 does it say char already logged in? IE are you trying this test on the same network? If so you need to login via a different IP address, easiest way to do this is to use a vpn. There are some free vpns out there if you dont have one, ie windscribe.
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01-12-2024, 12:33 AMHegmoIt is while logging in to POL, The account cannot get to the FFXI client to create a character, so there isn’t one logged in. It just says it’s a network issue and to check my connection, which my brother is able to connect on from my computer.Quote:
Originally Posted by VoiceMemo
However, I have tried connecting on my laptop from work on an entirely different network and I get the same error 0206 -
01-12-2024, 06:50 AMDragoy
I don't have much hope of it being of any help (especially considering the other account can log in), but it's one thing to try if it hasn't been tried yet:
On the main menu screen of the PlayOnline Viewer, there is the Network Settings option, and Connection check therein. Could try toggling that to Enable if it's set to Disable, or the other way around.
The detail of the error message showing up immediately seems familiar to me, but I can't quite remember why.
It really does seem like it would be something account related considering what you have tried, though the error message is odd for that. Unfortunately, they do not handle account related issues here at the forums at all; only via the other support channels they do that.
Perhaps there is hope yet that it is something else... can't think of anything at this time though... hmmm... -
01-12-2024, 04:16 PMHegmoYeah, and unfortunately after talking to email support they directed me to chat support, chat support told me to wait a few days, I waited, no change, talked to chat support again, they suggested I wait a few days and asked me to post here for additional support…despite the fact that I can’t actually post here because I can’t log in and create a character - so they asked me to find someone with an account who could post on my behalf. Fortunately my brother has a working account.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragoy
It really is frustrating. I guess I just lost $10 -
01-13-2024, 09:11 AMAlhanelemOkay, well your OP conveyed an entirely different situation, at least to me. My mistake (before other people jump in here to give me a hard time for no reason). Anyways....Quote:
Originally Posted by Hegmo
As far as port forwarding and all that stuff, it normally isn't necesary to mess with those settings. I've not had to open any specific ports for FFXI on any router I've ever used- most routers automatically handle this with settings that block traffic on ports reserved for insecure services while leaving others alone.
well it honestly wouldn't really be likely to (I never say impossible, but highly unlikely). But again, this was borne of a misunderstanding of your description.Quote:
How would a firewall or any network setting effect connection for a single account accessing POL and not another??
You do have multiple hops where timeouts are occuring in that traceroute though. That doesn't necessairly indicate a problem, although if you could actually get into the game, a VPN would probably give you better results.
now, hold on there. If I now udnerstand you correctly and you can't connect from the same PC that someone else can, it probably is account-related. There's some things you can try:Quote:
It really is frustrating. I guess I just lost $10
First: Try creating a new free trial account. This should rule out anything specifically associated with your account data or anything like that if you can't connect with it.
Second:
On the playonline main menu, make sure "Connection Check" is disabled. This can cause problems. I would expect they would affect all acounts but it's worth checking.
Third:
Delete all registered accounts in the POL main menu (select the account and press Delete- this does not delete your playonline account, rather it just removes it from the account list) and recreate them, making sure the settings look like this, with your info in there instead of mine obviously (password must be saved and the SQEX ID must be entered, there is no "if necessary" about it. Only set one time password to Use if you have a security token/app)
https://i.imgur.com/j1vKptM.png -
01-13-2024, 06:08 PMVoiceMemo
Since your brother can login on the computer and on his, to me this points to an account issue. Was the POL id transferred to the SE id?
https://support.na.square-enix.com/f...=20&la=1&pv=20 -
12-20-2024, 03:17 AMHegmo
We are trying this a year later as free login is started back up, and the account is still inaccessible, he still receives error POL-0206 on attempting to log in to this account only on any computer. I am able to log in to my account no problem on the same PCs - we are connected to the internet.
Has anyone ever had any experience with resetting an account like this? -
12-20-2024, 05:22 AMHegmo
Update:
I spoke with Joy from the support team today.
Joy confirmed that the account was registered properly. Joy confirmed that there is no network issue by performing a trace from her end after confirming that my Traceroute showed no network issues. She then suggested that I subscribe to the game despite being served a network error code which I received previously during the free trial period and then abruptly ended the chat when I asked why I was receiving a network error and not an inactive subscription or other error (despite free login being active). -
12-20-2024, 09:20 AMHegmo
I spoke with 5 different agents today, Joy > Alli > Angelo > Dess and eventually Lead Ariana.
I was told that there is no resolution to this issue.
We tested network connectivity using traceroutes in both direction and by connecting to POL and the game from my brothers account to illustrate that the network environment and device can connect to POL and to the game nd the support team confirmed that regardless of receiving an POL-0206 network error, that there was no indication of network configuration issue.
We also confirmed that the account registration appears to be correct and there were no steps missing in creating the POLID, etc.
The only recommendation I received from support was to try purchasing a subscription to the game to see if that would resolve the network issue. This does not make much sense to me as the issue existed while an active subscription was applied to the account, and that the error code received was not an error code associated with account access or subscription, but one specifically with network connectivitiy issues.
When asked what the future steps would be should I subscribe and it does not magically resolve the issue, I was told I could:
1) wait a few days (in excess of the ~342 days since initial issue was reported)
2) Conduct Network Tests (repeat the same network tests we had done moments prior for some reason)
When asked if there were any further escallations we could make or tests we could run I was told that there was absolutely nothing else to do except repeat the same canned responses for eternity.
If anyone else has experienced this issue or something similar, or if there is an official moderator or representative from the dev team that could perhaps provide insight as to why my copy of the game, which I paid for, cannot access the game servers, I would greatly appreciate it some additional support in finding a solution. -
12-20-2024, 09:54 AMDragoy
The error codes are... a suggestion at best. Just as the Windows errors in general are I believe.
I got
Error code: POL-0001
An unexpected problem occurred.
Persistent problems can be reported
from Service & Support.
today or so, when trying to log in on a character that was not paid for, but got freebied for, while I had not been back to the PlayOnline Viewer yet.
If you can log in on one account on a clean install, and not on another, there is something wrong with another.
Not sure how you could escalate it more though. :\
If they can offer a free subscription, only then I would try that option (again).
Still, I'd suggest you keep trying. I have personally had only good experiences with the support (only e-mail, never chat), but I never had too big troubles (one example being un-linking the physical security token which had its battery die after only 13 years... dang). -
12-21-2024, 01:25 AMVotraftur
Good morning and thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XI Technical Forums.
We apologize for any inconvenience experienced when trying to play Final Fantasy XI. For us to better assist you, please respond with the following information:
Are you using a VPN?
Are you using a wired or wireless connection?
Does the issue occur with one character or multiple characters?
At what point do you get disconnected and/or are unable to connect?
How often does the issue occur?
Are you using the standalone launcher?
Where did you download the game files from?
What Drive did you install the game files on?
Internet Service Provider:
Region/State:
If possible, would you be able to test if you may log on using a free trial account instead?
*Please note, Proxy servers and satellite connections do not work correctly with FINAL FANTASY XI.
Thank you for visiting the Final Fantasy XI Technical Support Forums! -
12-21-2024, 05:17 AMHegmo
Hi Votraftur, I've provided responses below in the quote, I've done most of this troubleshooting with the chat supoprt and we have verified that there is not a network issue. To reiterate - my brother plays the game and when he logs in with his credentials he is able to log in to his account on his PC and on my PC, when I try to log on I am immediately disconnected with error 0206. Support has confirmed previously that my account was registered properly and that my network connection is stable via a traceroute and by my brother accessing playonline on my PC (effectively the same process as using a trial account)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Votraftur
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01-04-2025, 01:27 AMVotraftur
Good morning and thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XI Technical Forums.
We apologize for any inconvenience experienced when trying to play Final Fantasy XI. For us to better assist you, please respond with the following information:
What Platform are you using? (Steam/Windows/etc.)
What Platform is your brother using?
At what point does the issue occur?
Have you ever been able to log onto FINAL FANTASY XI?
Are you running any additional programs alongside Final Fantasy XI?
All steps taken to resolve the issue:
If possible, would you be able to try removing the local files to wipe the login details and try again? Please navigate to 'Program Files(x86)' > 'PlayOnline' > 'SQUARE ENIX' > 'FINAL FANTASY XI' > 'USER' and copy this 'USER' folder so it may be stored elsewhere as a backup. Once complete, proceed to remove sub folders out of this main folder one by one (Not the backup) so you may determine if there may be corrupt files.
Alternatively, we may recommend removing the folder completely and performing a file check from the PlayOnline Viewer so the client may recreate/restore this folder. Please be advised that removing the 'USER' folder will also remove any macros that may have been created.
Thank you for visiting the Final Fantasy XI Technical Support Forums! -
01-04-2025, 07:29 AMDragoy
It would appear to me that all of the information requested (again) is already available in this thread.
Few additional observations:
I believe the path referred to here may actually beQuote:
Originally Posted by Votraftur
'Program Files(x86)' > 'SquareEnix' > 'FINAL FANTASY XI' > 'USER'
where
'Program Files(x86)'
could be anything else chosen during the installation process.
Furthermore, per information provided in this topic, the issue already happens when logging in to PlayOnline, so FINAL FANTASY XI probably doesn't even need to be installed and this path would not exist.
Instead, I believe that what might be referred to here and be relevant, is the PlayOnline user information which is stored under the PlayOnlineViewer path.
There was also a mention of logging in as a guest, though I think only for the account that is functional.
I imagine that also fails for the account that is not functional?
As a sidey-note, I thought of something new to try: what happens if that account tries to log in to the Friend List Plus?
You can find this link on the left side of the PlayOnline website:
https://secure.playonline.com/polplusus/friendlist/login.html -
12-19-2025, 12:02 AMHegmoAnother login campaign attempt to access this account - we have tried to access this account multiple times but to no avail and have largely written off the lost $ on the account, but every time free login comes around I am hopeful that maybe it will be fixed and I can convince my brother to play again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Votraftur
I don't believe this is an issue with local files, as it occurs on multiple PCs, but I did try wiping the user folder, and I tried logging in as a guest, and i get the same POL-0206 network issue when we try to log in to this account specifically.
Still inaccessible -
12-19-2025, 12:05 AMHegmoThank you for your input, when we try to log in to this account on Freinds List Plus I get an error:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragoy
Server Error: The server is busy or undergoing maintenance. Please try again later. -
12-19-2025, 09:30 AMDragoy
Welcome back!
If only it was an actual return to Vana'diel as well this time.
Thank you for the update regardless!
So I suppose this should help confirm even more (as if it was not confirmed enough already), that the issue has nothing to do with the game installation at least.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hegmo
It may or may not be interesting that the error message is different. The reason it's being tripped seems potentially unexpected, so the error messages being bogus I could see as expected.
Are you able to test with a working account as well?
It does work for me right now, and I don't believe there was any scheduled (or not) maintenace going on around your post time either. -
12-19-2025, 01:17 PMHegmoYes, I was able to log in with my account no problem (to both POL/FFXI and Friends List Plus and see my friends list), while my brothers gives me the server is busy error. I'm fully convinced there is some account database level issue. I've tried changing the POL password, the SE password, etc, with him and nothing works to clear the account. We're able to log in to SE account management, see the Account info, etc, but whenever trying to log in to any validated service (logging in to POL, friends list plus, etc) it just kicks an error, but logging in on the same network account to my account gives no error.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragoy
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12-19-2025, 01:35 PMAlhanelem
My advice would be to file another ticket (ideally chat support, and politely yet meticulously list all the steps you've taken. However, if you're speaking for someon else, they won't help you. the person with the problem needs to contact them, as they will not act on anyone else's behalf.
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12-19-2025, 01:40 PMHegmolast time my brother contacted them they told him to try paying the subscription despite it being inaccessible in the trial period and admitting that they wouldn't refund the subscription if it didn't work. Then kept going on a feedback loop on it being a network issue even though we went as far as trace routing the SE server and logging in on my account on his PC, then aburptly ended the chat when we tried to clarify.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alhanelem
The time before that they suggested he post in the forums instead and when he explained that he couldn't post in the forums because he can't log in to create a character, they asked if he had a friend that could post for him - hence why I'm posting on his behalf. -
12-19-2025, 01:45 PMAlhanelemWell like most similar such services, there are no refunds of subscriptions except where required by law, so yes, doing so is at your own risk.Quote:
wouldn't refund the subscription if it didn't work.
That said in such circumstances, the action I would take is to (again, politely) request escalation to a senior/lead GM. They will have more discretion in how to handle these situations, and it might be possible to work something out with them on a one-time courtesy/goodwill basis.
But as I said, the general policy is they will not take any actions from a request made by anyone other than the person who owns the account. Even in cases where someone's account is compromised by RMT, for instance, I have done that, they lost all access to the account, but still the original account must contact them, the will not do anything (like disable the account temporarily or any similar such action) otherwise. Their position is this can potentially be abused for harm toward someone else.
This is true across Square Enix, not just FFXI. The policy is the same in FFXIV or online mobile games etc.