Launcher times out - unable to connect (Australia)

[Bubba_fang61]

Having the same issue, it seems to be an NBN problem as I was able to log in here and my Mogstation on Optus 4G mobile

[Bubba_fang61]

I have been getting the same message in every section, so I just turned off my router and was able to log into the Mogstation and Lodestone using Optus 4G mobile network.
So it maybe an NBN problem as if was Optus I wouldn’t be able to even do that.

[Kentaro27]

I was helping an Australian friend troubleshoot this issue, and it seems like this only affects connections from Optus to Square Enix servers in Japan, such as for the game's launcher/login screen, the Lodestone, and forums.

Doing a traceroute to the lodestone for instance clearly showed the traffic dropping after going from Optus through the Level3 network to Tokyo, whereas connection tests to the NA and EU datacenter worked without a hitch.

Unfortunately it seems that Final Fantasy XIV's login process requires passing through the unreachable Japan-based servers first before you connect to the datacenter servers elsewhere. We worked around that for now by switching to a phone hotspot or VPN to get past the launcher login, then switching back to regular internet before connecting to the datacenter to choose a character. Doing it like that retained the login session from the launcher and prevented a disconnect from the datacenter servers due to changing IP's/routes.

So it mainly seems like Optus needs to figure out why traffic routed to the Japan-based Square Enix servers is not working properly to get this fixed properly...

This is good info, thanks for sharing. So the issue lies in the login screen being based in Japan, and Optus NBN having some sort of issue with the traffic being sent there, before being rerouted to NA or EU.

[Kentaro27]

So I just got a message from Optus saying they have finally put this on high priority and acknowledged the connection error to Tokyo. Fingers crossed this gets fixed today or tomorrow.

[VelKallor]

So I just got a message from Optus saying they have finally put this on high priority and acknowledged the connection error to Tokyo. Fingers crossed this gets fixed today or tomorrow.

Excellent.

All we can do is wait..but great news. Thank you .

[Kentaro27]

Good morning and thank you for visiting the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

When this error message occurs, is the computer connected to the router or is it running off of WiFi? Additionally does the game disconnect when the VPN is turned off?

Thank you for visiting the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums

Hello, can Square Enix technical support look into this as well? This is a very niche problem for Optus and they cant really be blamed for not detecting a very specific loss of connection to a server in Japan, as the general population using their network are having no issues at all with their internet.

[Darneltia]

Greetings fellow Eorzean,

Please reply back with the following information so we may further troubleshoot the issue:

Platform (Steam/Mac/Windows/PlayStation):
Any error message(s) received?
Wired or Wireless connection:
Other programs being used when running FFXIV:
When error occurs/How often:
Techniques used to solve problem:
Internet Service provider:
Location/Region:

We look forward to your reply back.

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

[VelKallor]

Platform (Steam/Mac/Windows/PlayStation): Win 10

Any error message(s) received? A connection issue has occurred please try again later

Wired or Wireless connection: cable

Other programs being used when running FFXIV: None. WTFAST for ping.

When error occurs/How often: All the time since Monday

Techniques used to solve problem: Full reboot / hard reset on modem / ipconfig release / renew

Internet Service provider: Aust NBN - Optus as RSP

Location/Region: Sydney Australia

[VelKallor]

Time: 316pm 25/11/21, call from Dav at Optus , suggested try launcher, connects, try mogstation, connects, try lodestone, connects.

Issue appears to be resolved, but will wait 24 hrs to see if this is the case or if its a temporary fix / respite.

Optus has incident number ( ref:24327977 ) on file as current incident , if issue recurs, he advises call Optus and quote incident number for further investigation. Dav also confirmed issue was due to packet loss / loss of connection level 3 servers in Tokyo ( Gawayne, nailed it, thanks heaps ) , why he didnt say, as I dont think he knows.

He noted that they had received a huge number of calls and had a list of ip ranges affected.

Optus NOC team will continue to monitor for full 24 hr period to ensure issue does not recur and to ensure stability.

Hope this helps.

- Vel.

[Caetie]

Issue appears to be resolved,

This problem has also resolved for me, as of this morning.

For SE support in case it's not a permanent fix:

Platform: Windows 10
Any error message(s) received? A connection error has occured. Please try again later.
Wired or Wireless connection: Wireless
Other programs being used when running FFXIV: I've tried with none, with Brave (browser), ExpressVPN (until game is launched from launcher)
When error occurs/How often: Every time
Techniques used to solve problem: Restarted everything, started using ExpressVPN to login
Internet Service provider: Optus
Location/Region: Melbourne, Australia