Lag spikes of 1 second every 1-3 minutes.

While helping a mate I noticed we both get these at the exact same time. We run different GPUs, he runs Nvidia, I run AMD. We are 30 miles apart. He is on the newer BT lines in the UK, and I am on the virginmedia dedicated lines. So nothing links the two systems as a possible cause.
WinMTR shows issues at your end.

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| WinMTR statistics |
| Host - % | Sent | Recv | Best | Avrg | Wrst | Last |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|------|------|------|------|------|------|
| 192.168.0.1 - 0 | 3107 | 3107 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 10.53.33.129 - 0 | 3107 | 3107 | 4 | 9 | 720 | 10 |
| 80.255.199.120 - 0 | 3107 | 3107 | 4 | 11 | 654 | 10 |
| No response from host - 100 | 626 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No response from host - 100 | 626 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|86.85-254-62.static.virginmediabusiness.co.uk - 0 | 3107 | 3107 | 17 | 24 | 813 | 24 |
| No response from host - 100 | 626 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| uk-lon01b-ri1-ae-25-0.aorta.net - 0 | 3107 | 3107 | 17 | 24 | 734 | 24 |
| ldn-b3-link.ip.twelve99.net - 28 | 1490 | 1080 | 0 | 23 | 62 | 23 |
| ldn-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net - 1 | 3103 | 3102 | 20 | 24 | 93 | 25 |
| prs-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net - 62 | 911 | 355 | 27 | 31 | 40 | 30 |
| ffm-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net - 0 | 3107 | 3107 | 33 | 38 | 749 | 39 |
| ffm-b11-link.ip.twelve99.net - 85 | 716 | 112 | 36 | 41 | 108 | 38 |
|squareenix-ic-369631.ip.twelve99-cust.net - 0 | 3107 | 3107 | 33 | 39 | 703 | 38 |
| 80.239.145.241 - 11 | 2227 | 2001 | 34 | 38 | 50 | 39 |
| 80.239.145.96 - 0 | 3107 | 3107 | 33 | 39 | 797 | 39 |
|________________________________________________|______|______|______|______|______|______|
WinMTR v0.92 GPL V2 by Appnor MSP - Fully Managed Hosting & Cloud Provider

Mostly from twelve99.net onwards.

More and more recently, even PS5 has been patchy at times.

Which is strange because it was perfect on DT launch.

Something they did recently is to blame I know it.

Extra: players have been disappearing far away sometimes almost like a render distance, which again never used to happen...

Seems a shame FF never used to be like this.

I don't think it is cheap skating on the server, as it runs fine for fairly lengthy periods before the spike hits (3 minutes sometimes). It seems to be a coding bottle neck, as if the system stalls for a second. This can not be related to the client side as it shows up with a ping check.

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

We apologize for any inconvenience experienced when trying to play Final Fantasy XIV. 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?
What Platform are you using? (Steam/Windows/Mac/PS4 etc.)
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?

Internet Service Provider:
Region/State:

All steps taken to resolve the issue:

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

I've been experiencing this same issue for the past 3 nights and it is making it very frustrating to play, no matter the content.

No, I'm not using a VPN.
I use a wired connection.
I play on Windows.
This happens on multiple characters.
Occasionally I'll get DC'd, but very very rarely.
This issue occurs in random intervals every 1-3 minutes.

ISP - Spectrum
Region - NA

I've restarted my PC multiple times, I've restarted my router multiple times, I've closed other programs on my computer to see if it was a memory issue, none of these have affected this issue whatsoever.

I have also been getting this issue since last Tuesday/Wednesday. I have also tried many steps to fix this and nothing has worked so far. The most common thing that I have seen amongst others having this issue is that we use Charter Spectrum. They said it was related to network traffic getting congested in a server node in LA or something.

I've also had the same issues since Wednesday last week. I thought it was related to utilities work outside but no, only FFXIV is acting weird. It's making it impossible for me to play well when everyone stops moving for 2-5 seconds while I'm pushing buttons and seeing nothing happen. I'm still able to move normally during these spikes but then the game catches up and either me or the party's dead. As a healer in my group for The Omega Protocol this is getting extremely frustrating.

Are you using a VPN? No.
Are you using a wired or wireless connection? Wired, ethernet cable.
What Platform are you using? (Steam/Windows/Mac/PS4 etc.) I play on Steam.
Does the issue occur with one character or multiple characters? I only play one character and it happens in every bit of instanced content/gathering node/NPC dialogue.
At what point do you get disconnected and/or are unable to connect? Haven't disconnected yet.
How often does the issue occur? The lag spikes occur just about every minute or two. Very frequent, multiple times during any instanced content.

Internet Service Provider: Cox Communications
Region/State: North America/Florida

All steps taken to resolve the issue: Tried restarting and rolling back my PC, fresh install of game, checked temps/memory usage, unplugged and reset router as well as tried Wi-fi (Same results).

I am having this same issue, and have been for several days as well. I am also on Charter Spectrum, and I live in Tennessee. It is getting extremely frustrating. I have tried all the same methods mentioned here, but to no avail. Nothing else seems to be having this issue. I stream all my TV and work from home and have not had any troubles, it is only FF14 that seems to have this sudden lag spike issue where everyone else in the game suddenly stops moving, then 2-5 seconds later they teleport to where they actually are.

My spouse and I are having the same issue, we have tried the fixes and nothing has completely fixed it. It's becoming more random, either happening to a few seconds longer or having more time in between spikes..

Are you using a VPN? No for both
Are you using a wired or wireless connection? Wired for Spouses comp, Wireless for mine
What Platform are you using? (Steam/Windows/Mac/PS4 etc.) Windows for both
Does the issue occur with one character or multiple characters? Multiple characters for both
At what point do you get disconnected and/or are unable to connect? Never disconnected for both, lag spikes every 1-3 minutes but times are random and lag can last longer than 2 seconds. It is inconsistent but almost only happens in instances.
How often does the issue occur? Been happening since last week, happens constantly with only few breaks

Internet Service Provider: Google Fiber
Region/State: NA/Texas

All steps taken to resolve the issue: Done everything everyone else has done before this post

Hello,
I bit the bullet and created a forum account for this, apologies for hijacking the topic if it is not the correct procedure. I have been encountering the issue described by OP since the release of 7.25, with freezes for 1-3 seconds every couple of minutes.

Are you using a VPN? No, but tried with one and it did not resolve the issue

Are you using a wired or wireless connection? Mostly wireless but tried wired with no success

What Platform are you using? (Steam/Windows/Mac/PS4 etc.) Windows launcher

Does the issue occur with one character or multiple characters? Multiple characters from Chaos and Materia DC

At what point do you get disconnected and/or are unable to connect? The issue does not disconnect me, but prevents me from performing any action or moving. The connection issue logo rarely appears on top of my character and friends mention they just see me not moving as if I simply did not enter any input.

How often does the issue occur? Inconsistent, usually every few minutes, but sometimes does not happen for ~30 min.

Internet Service Provider: Mercury NZ
Region/State: Auckland (New Zealand)

All steps taken to resolve the issue:
Tried both ethernet-wired or wireless connection
Reset router
Activated VPN (then went back to no VPN)
Reset wifi adapter on pc
Fresh installation of FFXIV
Lower settings
Rolled back GPU drivers to pre-7.25 release version (I thought it was a graphical issue, reinstalled newest drivers as rollback did not resolve the issue)
DC travel to OCE with Chaos character, or play on OCE character (both experience the freeze)
Close every other programme

Coming in here to say I started having issues on Thursday last week. Exactly as described here. I have found it's 100% packet loss causing it coming from SE's side as speedtests have yielded 0 Packet Loss with and without a VPN.

Are you using a VPN? No
Are you using wired or wireless communication? Wireless
What Platform are you using? (Steam/Windows/Mac/PS4 etc.) Windows
Does this issue occur with one or multiple characters? Multiple
At what point do you get disconnected and/or are unable to connect? Never disconnected. Times are random on when the lag happens making it hard to pinpoint. Sometimes immediately, sometimes minutes into an instance.
How often does the issue occur? Since last week and has continued since. Happens constantly with a few minute breaks in between the next lag spike.

Internet Service Provider: Spectrum
Region/State: NA/Tennessee

All steps taken to resolve the issue: Restarted PC, reinstalled and updated drivers, restarted router, ran a VPN, closed all other programs while running XIV, rolled back on GPU driver, submitted a packet loss report to SE, and all other steps mentioned above

Looks like I'm back with another network issue. This time, rather than difficulties logging in, it's been a consistent problem with rubberbanding, high ping, and dropped packets.

These results are for the NA server. I'm playing from the East Coast on Optimum.

Ping statistics for 204.2.29.78:
Packets: Sent = 969, Received = 891, Lost = 78 (8% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 121ms, Maximum = 150ms, Average = 125ms

While 8% doesn't seem like a lot, they happen in blocks and the effect is most noticeable in-game while running content like dungeons or FATEs. The enemies stutter in their movement or sometimes abilities won't trigger immediately like they're supposed to.

Below is a result of tracert, with the first four hops omitted for privacy concerns:
5 5 ms 5 ms 6 ms 451be068.cst.lightpath.net [65.19.99.104]
6 6 ms 5 ms 4 ms 64.15.1.151
7 6 ms 5 ms 7 ms nyk-b7-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.153.104]
8 6 ms 5 ms 5 ms ewr-bb2-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.143.12]
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 11 ms 5 ms 8 ms ae-17.a02.nycmny17.us.bb.gin.ntt.net [129.250.8.229]
11 6 ms 6 ms 7 ms ae-16.r23.nwrknj03.us.bb.gin.ntt.net [129.250.3.16]
12 25 ms 24 ms 25 ms ae-10.r24.chcgil09.us.bb.gin.ntt.net [129.250.2.166]
13 24 ms 23 ms 23 ms ae-1.r25.chcgil09.us.bb.gin.ntt.net [129.250.5.135]
14 120 ms 120 ms 120 ms ae-7.r26.snjsca04.us.bb.gin.ntt.net [129.250.4.137]
15 124 ms 124 ms 125 ms ae-4.a00.scrmca03.us.bb.gin.ntt.net [129.250.7.57]
16 124 ms 125 ms 124 ms xe-0-0-5-0.a00.scrmca03.us.ce.gin.ntt.net [128.241.2.18]
17 124 ms 123 ms 125 ms 204.2.29.241
18 124 ms 124 ms 124 ms 204.2.29.78

As you can see, the high ping starts when it gets to hop 14, node titled ae-7.r26.snjsca04.us.bb.gin.ntt.net [129.250.4.137]. This could indicate a problem on that node specifically or the one before it. These results are consistent and do not change.

Playing on Windows 64-bit DX11 client. Wired connection with speed tests confirming over 300Mbps download speed. No other pings to any other IP addresses show dropped packets or high ping results.

I have tried network hardware resets, PC reset, and various network troubleshooting on my PC including DNS flush, ipconfig release/renew, netsh winsock reset, updating network drivers and uninstalling/reinstalling the network card.

This is not a local issue, this appears to be on the route to the server or an issue in the datacenter itself

Trying again...

There seems to be quite a lot of packet loss in the twelve99.net network. Here are two separate tracert command rounds to the Chaos DC (high ping is normal since I live in OCE). Tracert to Materia DC does not have this series of packet loss events.

An "okay" run:

7 134 ms 136 ms 134 ms mercurynz-ic-388837.ip.twelve99-cust.net [62.115.45.43]
8 133 ms 135 ms 137 ms sjo-b23-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.45.42]
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 165 ms 165 ms 166 ms den-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.139.105]
11 * * 288 ms chi-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.115.77]
12 219 ms 210 ms 202 ms nyk-bb5-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.139.32]
13 * 276 ms 274 ms ldn-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.139.245]
14 * * * Request timed out.
15 285 ms 287 ms 283 ms ffm-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.123.12]
16 296 ms * 298 ms ffm-b11-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.124.117]
17 292 ms 286 ms 288 ms squareenix-ic-369631.ip.twelve99-cust.net [80.239.195.85]
18 296 ms 296 ms 299 ms 80.239.145.241
19 284 ms 290 ms 288 ms 80.239.145.6

A worse run:

7 136 ms 134 ms 135 ms mercurynz-ic-388837.ip.twelve99-cust.net [62.115.45.43]
8 134 ms 135 ms 135 ms sjo-b23-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.45.42]
9 * * 138 ms sjo-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.139.16]
10 163 ms 162 ms 160 ms den-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.139.105]
11 * * * Request timed out.
12 199 ms * * nyk-bb5-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.139.32]
13 273 ms * 272 ms ldn-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.139.245]
14 * * 278 ms prs-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.135.25]
15 288 ms 283 ms 284 ms ffm-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.123.12]
16 297 ms * * ffm-b11-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.124.117]
17 287 ms 282 ms 284 ms squareenix-ic-369631.ip.twelve99-cust.net [80.239.195.85]
18 295 ms 295 ms 296 ms 80.239.145.241
19 285 ms 282 ms 284 ms 80.239.145.6

Happening to myself and my partner on the same connection. It's all down to NTT's network (yet again).

traceroute to 204.2.29.70 (204.2.29.70), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets
1 _gateway (10.0.0.1) 0.768 ms 2.542 ms 2.688 ms
2 pool-99-238-216-1.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com (99.238.216.1) 16.489 ms 16.608 ms 22.059 ms
3 24.156.135.97 (24.156.135.97) 23.854 ms 24.000 ms 25.597 ms
4 69.63.248.105 (69.63.248.105) 28.414 ms 28.488 ms unallocated-static.rogers.com (72.139.139.217) 28.362 ms
5 209.148.235.214 (209.148.235.214) 28.527 ms 28.628 ms 28.669 ms
6 * * ae58.bar3.Toronto1.Level3.net (4.59.180.41) 14.794 ms
7 ae3.3.bar4.Toronto1.net.lumen.tech (4.69.140.130) 13.275 ms 21.570 ms 23.239 ms
8 2914-3356-tor.sp.lumen.tech (4.68.39.30) 35.157 ms 33.561 ms 35.255 ms
9 ae-2.r24.chcgil09.us.bb.gin.ntt.net (129.250.2.46) 39.775 ms 39.678 ms 41.272 ms
10 ae-1.r25.chcgil09.us.bb.gin.ntt.net (129.250.5.135) 41.393 ms 41.242 ms 41.363 ms
11 ae-7.r26.snjsca04.us.bb.gin.ntt.net (129.250.4.137) 136.327 ms 136.469 ms 129.290 ms
12 ae-4.a00.scrmca03.us.bb.gin.ntt.net (129.250.7.57) 131.180 ms 132.826 ms 129.786 ms
13 * * *
14 * * *
15 * * *
16 * * *
17 * * *
18 * * *
19 * * *
20 * * *
21 * * *
22 * * *
23 * * *
24 * * *
25 * * *
26 * * *
27 * * *
28 * * *
29 * * *
30 * * *

Good morning fellow adventurers and thank you all for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

We would like to suggest the following troubleshooting steps:

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

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.
- Flush DNS: Within the "Command Prompt" of the device, please type the command "ipconfig /flushdns".
- Reset TCP/IP: Also within the Command Prompt, type the command "netsh int ip reset" and then restart the computer.
- Delete the Patch Folder: Navigate to the folder using this path This PC > Docs > My Games> FFXIV ARR > Downloads > FFXIV patch (Use for either the version update error or cannot download patch files error)
Then either rename or remove the folder, the next time FINAL FANTASY XIV is launched, the client will repair the folder.
- Change local DNS: Please try changing the local DNS server to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
- Delete local files with corrupted character data, please note this will not delete the associated characters.

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