Regarding high latency from Los Angeles/surrounding area

[Squa11_Leonhart]

if you use google dns, you might find the pathing changes and avoids that particular 'hop'

[Rapture]

I do use Google DNS, but that only affects routing when you are dealing with a CDN or similar with multiple IPs servicing the same content.

In this case, the FFXIV world servers have static IPs, with routes determined by advertised BGP tables between core backbone routers and ISP endpoints. I checked the Looking Glass traceroutes, and it seems Telia, Global Crossing, and Sprint always go identical routes through as6453.net to the NA datacenter from my geographical location.

Level3 seems to go through Cogent, but more hops, which is likely why it's not preferred by BGP. This other route which goes through Cogent directly to 192.34.76.2 may be more rarely used for all I know. I'll see what the Looking Glass says regarding latency during peak time.

Worth noting that now that the servers are all down for maintenance and empty of users, the tracert is normal. Definitely suggests S-E may not have purchased enough capacity on the as6453.net backbone to handle the increased active users from their server upgrades these past few weeks:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.254
2 1 ms 1 ms <1 ms 001.131-78-65.ftth.swbr.surewest.net [65.78.131.1]
3 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms 172.22.5.13
4 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 172.21.2.13
5 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 172.21.0.250
6 4 ms 4 ms 4 ms sjo-bb1-link.telia.net [213.248.88.73]
7 4 ms 4 ms 4 ms tata-ic-140123-sjo-bb1.c.telia.net [213.248.95.130]
8 77 ms 77 ms 77 ms if-1-2.tcore2.SQN-SanJose.as6453.net [63.243.205.2]
9 77 ms 77 ms 77 ms if-5-2.tcore2.PDI-PaloAlto.as6453.net [64.86.21.2]
10 78 ms 78 ms 78 ms if-11-3.tcore2.CT8-Chicago.as6453.net [66.198.144.58]
11 79 ms 78 ms 78 ms if-3-2.tcore1.W6C-Montreal.as6453.net [66.198.96.45]
12 81 ms 81 ms 81 ms 66.198.96.50
13 81 ms 81 ms 81 ms 192.34.76.2
14 82 ms 81 ms 81 ms 199.91.189.234
15 81 ms 81 ms 81 ms 199.91.189.36

[whilke]

I do use Google DNS, but that only affects routing when you are dealing with a CDN or similar with multiple IPs servicing the same content.

In this case, the FFXIV world servers have static IPs, with routes determined by advertised BGP tables between core backbone routers and ISP endpoints. I checked the Looking Glass traceroutes, and it seems Telia, Global Crossing, and Sprint always go identical routes through as6453.net to the NA datacenter from my geographical location.

Level3 seems to go through Cogent, but more hops, which is likely why it's not preferred by BGP. This other route which goes through Cogent directly to 192.34.76.2 may be more rarely used for all I know. I'll see what the Looking Glass says regarding latency during peak time.

Worth noting that now that the servers are all down for maintenance and empty of users, the tracert is normal. Definitely suggests S-E may not have purchased enough capacity on the as6453.net backbone to handle the increased active users from their server upgrades these past few weeks:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.254
2 1 ms 1 ms <1 ms 001.131-78-65.ftth.swbr.surewest.net [65.78.131.1]
3 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms 172.22.5.13
4 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 172.21.2.13
5 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 172.21.0.250
6 4 ms 4 ms 4 ms sjo-bb1-link.telia.net [213.248.88.73]
7 4 ms 4 ms 4 ms tata-ic-140123-sjo-bb1.c.telia.net [213.248.95.130]
8 77 ms 77 ms 77 ms if-1-2.tcore2.SQN-SanJose.as6453.net [63.243.205.2]
9 77 ms 77 ms 77 ms if-5-2.tcore2.PDI-PaloAlto.as6453.net [64.86.21.2]
10 78 ms 78 ms 78 ms if-11-3.tcore2.CT8-Chicago.as6453.net [66.198.144.58]
11 79 ms 78 ms 78 ms if-3-2.tcore1.W6C-Montreal.as6453.net [66.198.96.45]
12 81 ms 81 ms 81 ms 66.198.96.50
13 81 ms 81 ms 81 ms 192.34.76.2
14 82 ms 81 ms 81 ms 199.91.189.234
15 81 ms 81 ms 81 ms 199.91.189.36

That trace doesn't really look very good. You're still jumping up 70ms between two telia hops which are both in the SJO area. That's during non prime time as well...

[C-croft]

From Sacramento, California on AT&T U-verse. It also routes through the same way as OP going to Montreal and is getting slammed at San Jose. Switching to AT&T will not help. Their tier 2 tech support is also useless. I can't tell you how many times they suggested changing the wireless channel on my router to avoid the issue.

Just got off with AT&T and I finally spoke to a tech that didn't tell me to change my wireless channel. Either way, they are stating that AT&T is powerless to do anything. I have also contacted Tata Communications and they have advised me to contact AT&T. All around complete run around.

[Avalon_Albrook]

Studio City here and Time Warner Cable. Same issues with every trace I run. We are all in hell.

[Yenn]

This is getting really bad. It's technically not our ISP's fault, either. I think we're pretty much fucked.

The router our traffic leaves our ISP (AT&T, TWC, etc.) at is owned by Tata Communications and located in Los Angeles, and is very healthy.
However, once our traffic is passed off to Tata Communications, it immediately goes to the bad router. From TWC/AT&T's point of view, they're taking the best route.

[Yenn]

This actually appears to be throttling.

If I go to any server other than the FFXIV server, the Palo Alto router responds in 50 ms or less. It's only when I attempt to reach the FFXIV server that this router exhibits dropped packets and high latency.

[Raymeo]

Same issue here. Using Time Warner Cable in Thousand Oaks, CA -- about 40 miles north of Los Angeles.

I was stuck on a JP Legacy server when 2.0 launched. My game played beautifully then, though I didn't realize it at the time. I had some delay issues with AoE -- not consistently, but still noticeable from time to time -- so when transfers opened up I switched to an NA server hoping that my ping would improve. Have only had worse lag ever since. It's not even just AoE delay on the NA servers. I am experiencing terribly consistent lag spikes in which everything freezes for a few seconds and then lurches forward in time.

Thinking of switching back to a JP server while I still have a chance today. I shouldn't have to isolate myself from English speaking players in order to enjoy this game.

[Yenn]

Yeah. At least VPNs can get around it; I managed to do Turn 1 to 4 with zero lag, but it would be nice if I didn't have to go through it for every raid.

[Kellogs4toniee]

Yeah. At least VPNs can get around it; I managed to do Turn 1 to 4 with zero lag, but it would be nice if I didn't have to go through it for every raid.

Hey Yenn, can you pm me and detail how to use a VPN? I am having the exact same issues.