I just want to add on a data point for the devs to consider here in favor of region travel for the wider game. Short an implementation of region travel similar to DC travel and world travel, I think some form of a visitable Global DC would also work, like the Guild Wars International District idea suggested a few thread posts ago. Something to allow people from different geographical regions to play the game together should they choose to do so. My biggest takeaway from this cloud DC test was how fun the cultural exchange aspect of this test had been, and the kind of memories it created. Perhaps it might be due to the novelty of the experience, but I think a lot of strong and favorable memories can be made if the devs looked into somehow delivering this kind of experience to the wider subscription base, and it's these kinds of memorable events that tie people to a community.

Also consider drawing inspiration from Everquest progression servers and World of Warcraft Seasons concepts with regards to revisiting/remixing old content--I think this could be a means to experiment with the game in a way that would not make sense in a mainline game patch or expansion, something like a wider implementation of Save the Queen/Eureka with lost actions allowing for player experimentation and actual "character builds". If long term support for such things is a concern then I would say--having experienced the 1-week time limit of the cloud DC test and the explicit understanding of the fate of the characters at the end of the test--any "progression server" style of service could be time-limited in nature. The time limited-ness and ephemeral quality of the cloud DC test really forced players to focus on experiencing the part of the game they enjoy, and seeing how far they could get in the limited amount of time they had. In my case, I set a goal of how many DRS/GD零式 runs I could host to clear (ended up being 5). I saw other players push the DoL/DoH game and try to get max level gatherers/crafters and a few gatherer/crafter relics. Some people focused on clearing Ultimates, others focused on hosting parties. There's a lot of little nuggets here in the player experience of the cloud DC test that the devs and SQEX can look at for potential avenues to expand the service of FFXIV in addition to the straight line that is mainline content development via expansions and patches.

Hope this helps. I saw a lot of people already saying lag and network response was good, so I figured mentioning some qualitative stuff here would help in a different manner. Thanks again for holding the cloud DC test, and I hope you guys got whatever information you needed from the week it was up. As a player who generates content by hosting DRS raids on NA as the main way I enjoy this game, participating in the cloud DC test was a real treat even more than I initially expected.