OCE horrible server performance/lag post 5.6

Have checked with my ISP, have done speed tests (Im on 928mbs), have checked other MMO's and everything is fine, But in FFXIV since the 6.5 patch when i enter an instanced area such as dungeons, trials, (Especially savages and EX'S) and as of tonight Fall guys, the performance of the connection is terrible.
I watch players move, stop, move, stop when they have just been running in a straight line.
Mechanics that should happen dont, and then a few seconds later all happen at the same time.

Something is seriously screwy server side on OCE. I have seen other players complaining about the same issues.
At this stage the connections worse than i was seeing on US, i know were just a small data center, but we still deserve a smooth gaming experience too.

*Edit* just did a ping test to Materia servers and got 87ms, so i guess its not connection related, everything's showing as fine related to the game at my end.

Processor 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-11600KF @ 3.90GHz 3.91 GHz
Installed RAM 32.0 GB (31.9 GB usable)
Card: Nvidia Geforce RTX3080

Greetings Sililos,

I'm really sorry to hear that it you've been experiencing issues.

We would like to ask for the following information to get a better idea of the issue:

- Error messages (If any):
- Type of connection (wired or wireless):
- Has this been a long on-going issue or has this only been occurring very recently:
- Frequency at which error occurs (If this occurs during specific hours, please provide the date(s), time and timezone):
- Are there other programs being used when running FFXIV?:
- What data center and server/world were you trying to connect to?:
- What is the ISP and what region/country are you connecting from?:

We would also like to ask what you have tried so far to alleviate the issue:

Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums

Hi Eenkalzet I've also had extremely bad lag since the patch.

Other characters keep freezing periodically and my spells aren't registered sometimes. It's very frustrating. Pretty much the same thing that Sililos is describing.

- There's no error message
- I'm playing wired ethernet
- This has only been happening recently after the patch
- I play around 7pm to 11pm NZ GMT+13 time. It is currently 9:10pm here
The lag seems to dissipate around 10:30pm
- There are no other programs while running FF14
- I'm connecting to Materia Data center (oceania)
- My ISP is Spark and I live in New Zealand, Auckland

In order to alleviate the problem I attempted to use a VPN and reset my connection to no avail.

Sorry for the delayed response, i got side tracked from this a day or two.

- Error messages (If any): None
- Type of connection (wired or wireless): Wired, Ethernet. ping came back 1ms between my comp and router. I registered 89ms ping to Materia and roughly the same with a Tracert (It looks like im connecting to the Sydney servers as i should and not being directed to the US like some report happening).
- Has this been a long on-going issue or has this only been occurring very recently: This started with Patch 6.5 for myself a number of people from New Zealand i have spoken too.
- Frequency at which error occurs (If this occurs during specific hours, please provide the date(s), time and timezone): 24 hours a day. It doesnt happen outside of instances, only when i enter a dungeon, Trial, Alliance Raid, Normal Raid, Guildheist, Fallguys run, essentially any group based content in an instance but not the outside world. My time zone is NZST (I think +13GMT).
- Are there other programs being used when running FFXIV?: No, Im not about to risk my account, unless you mean external, then only Discord and Google chrome.
- What data center and server/world were you trying to connect to?: Materia: Sophia
- What is the ISP and what region/country are you connecting from?: Spark, New Zealand, South Island, Nelson

We would also like to ask what you have tried so far to alleviate the issue: I first monitored my system resources to make sure it wasnt an issue with my PC including scanning my RAM and SSD for errors/faults. No issues.
I then ran a PING to the Materia Datacenter followed by a Tracert, both came back sub 90ms with no issue.
I tried a VPN, It did not fix the issue.
I Managed to ping Materia during a particularly long mechanic freeze and it came back as 78ms ping. No computer resource issues showed.

As mentioned it only happens inside instanced group content though i have not checked Solo dutys, It does not happen in any of the housing wards nor any open world zone. It also doesnt happen during hunt trains with large numbers of players present. Only instanced group content.
It appears in 3 forms, First when i watch other players move, they will move for a moment, then stop, then move again, then stop, then move again etc, while im seeing that, they are seeing themselves running smoothly.
In the newest Alliance Raid it takes on the form of all other players no longer moving and bosses no longer doing mechanics, i can still do my rotation as normal, after a few moments to a minute I will see every enemy's attack happen all at once alongside other players, this version only happens in Thaleia and nowhere else, not even other Alliance Raids.
Finally in instances such as Fall guys, all instance mechanics will stop and then suddenly I will get hit by mechanics i never even approached like the game is anticipating i was there even though i never moved into the mechanic. If I keep moving then nothing will happen as i move, but suddenly I will be hit by multiple stuns and knockbacks all at once. I find i get snapshotted by mechanics I was nowhere near as well.
In dungeons all enemy's stop moving for a moment then all at once their attacks go off.
While all of this is happening my Ping, CPU, RAM and Hard drive usage register no issues showing they are working the same as they would in the outside world.

I too saw it this morning. Was perfectly fine in the open world, but zoned into island sanctuary and had ~400-500ms of lag on every action while there. After ~10mins of being in there I restarted my client and must have got a different server shard and was fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arclet

Hi Eenkalzet I've also had extremely bad lag since the patch.

Other characters keep freezing periodically and my spells aren't registered sometimes. It's very frustrating. Pretty much the same thing that Sililos is describing.

- There's no error message
- I'm playing wired ethernet
- This has only been happening recently after the patch
- I play around 7pm to 11pm NZ GMT+13 time. It is currently 9:10pm here
The lag seems to dissipate around 10:30pm
- There are no other programs while running FF14
- I'm connecting to Materia Data center (oceania)
- My ISP is Spark and I live in New Zealand, Auckland

In order to alleviate the problem I attempted to use a VPN and reset my connection to no avail.

---

I have this same problem and the same responses other than location (Palmerston North), and it has also started to lag out during weekends. I have been able to temporarily resolve the problem via use of a 3rd party VPN (Mudfish).

I have had no issues at all with latency since moving to Materia DC on Day 1.
Since a week or two after 6.5, I have been having significant latency and packet loss problems in all aspects of the game (Raids, Trials, Crafting randomly in the world, Crystalline Conflict, etc).
This only occurs in the evenings.

I've discussed with Spark ISP and they have confirmed there have been no changes on their end.
SE support has refused to discuss anything past a checklist of solutions, and have declined to provide any further help or discuss further unless I open up a number of ports.

My conclusion is it is a routing problem, most likely with NTT Sydney node 103.13.80.121

If I use Mudfish, my trace (as per these instructions) doesn't go through this node and I have no problems. Otherwise it comes out to 37ms during weekdays and fluctuates between 90+ms during weekends and evening. Resource Monitor network actity confirms this.

I suspect SE will not do anything to assist or confirm the problem, and it will be resolved in the indeterminate future when the hardware at fault is upgraded or replaced.

So i have done some tracerts over the past few days and im getting some strange results.
First attempt a few days ago from the IP address for Materia listed on ARRStatus.com. It went as normal, bounced around a few addresses in Sydney where the servers are hosted, but right before the Sydney address it bounced ONCE to a node registered in CHICARGO! In the USA! Then finally back too the FFXIV server in Sydney.
My ISP (Spark NZ) said its happening through the ISP that handles the Australian side of things and despite requests to fix the routing, is getting no reply nor is the issue being fixed.

*Edit* just now i did another tracert and this time it pinged back to a node registered as being in Chicargo again

*Edit* well got fed up and went to my ISP again. The tech came back with "We do not set the games routing, Your connection rout is set by Square-Enix and its up to them to fix it at their end."

(Just a reminder that this lag/issue also only happens in Dungeons, Trials, Ar's, Normal Raids, Fallguys instances. It has also only started since 6.5.)

Bump, this needs to be looked into asap
People have to resort to 3rd party tools to rereroute their connections

I just experienced lag also after maintenance and this is coming from Tonberry server.

horrible lag / packet loss ever since the patch. Please look into it asap

Still experiencing this as of the lats time i played. (A couple of days ago)

Good morning! Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

The issue you are describing is most associated with interference with game data. Many actions can trigger this error, such as a slow internet connection, certain security/privacy changes on the default Internet browser, an application running in the background causing interference, use of a VPN or an odd connection (EG: schools or cafes), a possible virus detected on the device, many rapid payments at once, and numerous other actions.

We advise clearing the cache/cookies/browsing data from your default web browser, disabling any web browser extensions (EG: ad-blocker) and trying again. We also suggest resetting the connection (router/modem) you are using to connect to the Internet before trying again.

Open the control panel of the PC and go to ‘Network and Internet’. Once there select ‘Internet Options’
- Under the "General" tab, please delete ALL browser history.
- Under the "Security" tab, please move the slider to the lowest possible settings or no higher than "Medium"
- Under the "Privacy" tab, click “Advanced” and select ‘Accept’ under both First Party and Third Party Cookies.
- Under the "Advanced" tab, please make sure that "Allow software to run or install even if signature is invalid" is CHECKED.
- Make sure that all SSL and TLS (EXCEPT SSL 3.0) are CHECKED. [SSL 3.0 should be UNCHECKED]
- Hit "Apply" to save the settings, and then "OK, to close the Internet Options menu.
- Right-Click on the FFXIV launcher icon and select "Properties"
- Hit "Apply", then "OK" to save the changes.
- Please RESTART your PC now. Once your PC has been restarted, Right-Click the FFXIV launcher icon once more and select "Run as Administrator"
*Make sure your fire wall or antivirus program is not interfering with the game

Lastly, check to see if the following port ranges are opened on your router. You can contact your ISP and request they open them for you:
▼TCP
54992 through 54994,
55006 through 55007,
55021 through 55040

Try disabling background applications and do a clean boot by opening the task manager and selecting the “Start up” tab. Disable everything and then restart the PC.
Lastly, we suggest to power cycle the console and router by shutting down the router and leaving the power supply unplugged for 5-10 minutes.

Thank you once again for visiting the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums!