When can I realistically expect to create a character?

I bought this game to play with my friends, and they're already established, so I'm not going to go the selfish route and demand that they severe friendships and communities to jump to a new server with me. However, since my purchase of the game, I've been unable to play with my friends because a character creation restriction has been put in place. While I was able to make a character on a server where none of my RL friends are, I have no incentive to actually play on there because I wouldn't be sticking with the character, and I don't want to get burned out doing the same new player content twice in a row.

I've been checking back every hour (at least) to refresh the server selection, and I've been checking at 2 am, 3 am, 4 am, 5 am, 6 am, etc. More servers were available at those times, but not the one that I needed. As the day progresses, less and less servers become available, and I have no hope that something that wasn't available at 3 am is going to become available in prime time in the evening. So, realistically, I can't expect to create a character today, and if 3 am this morning the server was unavailable, it might be again tomorrow.

I know this likely won't help your issue, but I can give you the experience I have had with trying to create characters on my server, Exodus.
Exodus has been closed for character creation since maybe a day after the head start began. After watching all of the "updates" on the character creation restrictions and seeing it taken off the list repeatedly, I began to just not pay attention to them. Exodus was not available to create characters even when it seemed like SE was saying it was.

VERY late last night (about 2am EST) I found that I was finally able to create a character on it. I created the character I had been waiting a week to make, and even deleted excess characters that I knew I would not use and narrowed it down to the 4 characters I knew I wanted to have on the server. This all took me about an hour and a half to do, and it was open for character creation the entire time.

I have been seeing servers pop in and out as far as if you can make characters on it, but this was the first time I had seen Exodus available for it. I have my doubts that when I get home today I would be able to make a new character on it again - I get the feeling that they are watching the number of characters and slowly increasing the number that are allowed on each server, and once they become full again they close them off again. This is all speculation as the communication from SE has been pretty dismal.

Anyway, again - I realize this isn't an answer, but I figured you may be able to glean something from what I've been going through. If you can, try watching later at night, as I saw a lot of servers open up for character creation late last night. I hope you can get on your friends' server soon!

Same... It's a little frustrating. I've had the game for a good bit now, but I'm not even able to enjoy it. Apparently the server I'm trying to get into had a very short gap for open character creation after the patch, while I was at school Q_Q, but then went straight back to being locked.

Same here, I know a bunch of people who started on an EU server in Early Access but I've been unable to join then even though I bought the game 5 days ago now.

Just some sort of indication as to a likely timescale would be nice, waiting a few more days is no biggie but if we're potentially talking weeks it would be good to know.

Thanks for the input. I'm going to keep checking back in repeatedly (and especially in the 1 am - 6 am hours as much as I hate to lose sleep over a game), but it's kind of annoying that it's locking down the PS3. Unless the servers that all of us specifically want to get on become available, I don't think it's going to improve much until next week when they implement an AFK kick timer.

I guess what's particularly insulting about it is when I made a character on a server that I didn't want to play on (and consequently didn't stay on it long as I didn't want to prevent someone who was actually invested in the server from getting on), I got spammed by an RMT / gil-seller within 20 seconds of landing on the server, and frequently after that. So, yeah, there are these jerks taking up server spots making things worse.

You can update the world list every three minutes during character creation. Have seen some people have good luck just clicking refresh.

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Originally Posted by Zozorozo

You can update the world list every three minutes during character creation. Have seen some people have good luck just clicking refresh.

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Yeah, I know about that. I think I've refreshed it nearing 100 times now.

If it's one of the more populated servers, then it is probably going to be another week.

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Originally Posted by PsychicKoala

If it's one of the more populated servers, then it is probably going to be another week.

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Is there any way that I can tell which are more populated than others? Like specific amounts?

The Cactuar server is the one I'm trying to get onto. I have RL friends there and a linkshell / guild already established for an online community that has existed prior to FFXIV's initial creation that I'm a member of.

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Originally Posted by NovaLevossida

Is there any way that I can tell which are more populated than others? Like specific amounts?

The Cactuar server is the one I'm trying to get onto. I have RL friends there and a linkshell / guild already established for an online community that has existed prior to FFXIV's initial creation that I'm a member of.

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I've personally seen cactuar open up many times late at night and early morning back when i was trying to create a character on gilgamesh which seemed permantely locked. The times i've seen Cactuer open up for short periods of time WHEN they are not on the locked server lists are around 11pm to 1pm EST time, and then again aroun 3am to 7am EST time. I've even created characters on there before just to delete them. I decided to roll on the fresh new server yesterday myself though, but i don't have any real life friends playing either

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Originally Posted by AlienWacKo

I've personally seen cactuar open up many times late at night and early morning back when i was trying to create a character on gilgamesh which seemed permantely locked. The times i've seen Cactuer open up for short periods of time WHEN they are not on the locked server lists are around 11pm to 1pm EST time, and then again aroun 3am to 7am EST time. I've even created characters on there before just to delete them. I decided to roll on the fresh new server yesterday myself though, but i don't have any real life friends playing either

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Well, I've been checking since I bought it Tuesday evening. I haven't seen a news update on the server lock list, and it didn't appear to mean much as servers were becoming available and unavailable back and forth that were on that list, with all but three NA/EU servers being available this morning around 3 am. I've been really diligent in checking the server list, but I'm starting to lose my patience about it as unlike a login queue, I have to actively be around to see if I can get on.

i was just trying to be helpful and list times i've seen it available, good luck in trying.

It's also incredibly annoying that block on new character creation applies even if you already have an existing character on that server!

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Originally Posted by Vinge

It's also incredibly annoying that block on new character creation applies even if you already have an existing character on that server!

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I agree, they should allow accounts with current characters on said server to be able to create new ones on same server atleast, the concurrent connections will not change by doing so as said account can only be playing one at a time in the first place. I really doubt though they can even do this with their current setup, it's probably a server wide lock all or nothing toggle at the moment!

Still jamming on the update servers button and periodically logging out and back in hoping that one or the other will eventually lead me to the promised land...

9 days for me now of spamming refresh still cant make a character on the server my friends are on

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Originally Posted by Wolf173

9 days for me now of spamming refresh still cant make a character on the server my friends are on

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Oh, well, okay. I don't think I'm going to care about the game any more if I end up waiting more than a week. I don't suppose there's a way to get a refund if I'm here next week and still not playing?

And SE expects to be able to handle players creating 8 characters per world on the $15 sub? Don't make me laugh. New players to this game can't even start one character.

Aye a friend of mine bought the game today and is unable to create a character on any of the EU servers - character creation is currently blocked on ALL of them. (again).

I'm on Famfrit myself because I can't create a character with my friends on Adamantoise. Someone already invited me to a LS so that was nice to get a group going so early on.

Purchased the game on August 20th to get into the early release. Since then I have been able to successfully log in THREE TIMES, each time having to create a new character.

Absolutely terrible launch of a game, wish I could get my money back but at least it's only 30 dollars wasted.

I had my friends all give me their login info, and I was tasked with the job of making them all characters on my server when character creation was available. It was a pain in the butt, but I finally got them all created right after maintenance ended on the 4th. Hours later character creation was disabled again.

I guess the point is that if you want to have a character on a specific server it takes a lot of dedication and finagling to get it done. So much so to where you might have to trust your login info with someone trustworthy that is awake at hours you are usually not.

I'm in the same boat as you. Have not been able to create a character on Behometh where all my friends play. Been trying since EA. Would be great if I could get an ETA on this.

I am about end of my patience and am seriously considering just dropping this game altogether as it has really left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Eh, it's not that I need to give my login information to my RL best friend (but we've always shared account information for MMOs and never had an issue with it for over ten years now), but I am on vacation this week and sticking around locally instead of taking a trip; I certainly have the time to keep checking, and I am, even at odd times in the middle of the night / early morning. It's just that I've been attempting this since I bought it Tuesday, and when I checked after maintenance was over, the server I needed wasn't available.