Constant error 2002 and unable to connect to game since mid March

[vonRavenstein]

Been getting constant 2002 errors and been unable to connect to the game normally at all since mid March.
And would be good to know if other's are still experiencing this same issue(as there were several back in March).
I made a post about it once already but it eventually just got moved and buried but hopefully now is a better time to see if there's something that can be done.
I contacted my ISP when these issues first started and they(the people at yok.fi) had not done any changes that would be causing the issues.
They were also able to replicate issues on a separate network they administer/maintain.
They also confirmed no other games, at least based on reports they'd gotten were affected apart from FF14.
They also noted that when running the traceroute to the DC the felt some hops seemed odd, and that some hops at the end of the string of hops over NTTs network and the hops(likely) within the DC would only respond every second time.
They also contacted CSC who run the wider network that both are part of and they confirmed no changes had been made.
I'd also asked around and several people around here were having the same issue and are still having it.
I've repeatedly gone though support and all the steps provided but it changes nothing and I've also repeatedly submitted the lag/connection isses report.
The only way I am able to connect at all is using either using my mobile internet or while using Cloudflare warp.
And as I'm playing on an NA server from the EU these methods only add latency and make that worse as well. I play on Crystal but it will also give the same error trying to swap from one DC to another.

Edit: As with a lot of people at the moment the I'm seeing quite a lot of packet loss on the NTT hops, but the packet loss on those have often been quite bad but it's not stopped anything working.
What is abnormal and what I've seen since these issues started is a higher than normal packet loss on the final jump before the server. Currently the hop is 204.2.29.241 and I'm seeing a packet loss of almost 90% and occasionally jumping to 100%. While before the issues appeared it would always stay at 50% at most for the second to last hop. When pinging either Balmung directly or neolobby08.ffxiv.com.

Edit2: It appears also that the other people around here are also still having the same issue and are also unable to connect to the game. But it does not affect everyone around where I live and use the same network. But as we've exhausted any and all suggestions from support how to fix it I'm quite convinced it's not an issue on our end. Especially as the issues first appeared withouth at least myself making any changes whatsoever. Only wild guesses we and the ISP have is that SE is blocking something.

Below are also some of the bits of the original bug report:

Date & Time: Since March 15th
ISP: Kyläverkko - yok.fi /FUNET CSC
Type of Internet Connection: WAN/Ethernet, Fibre
Internet Connection Speed: 1Gbit/s / 1Gbit/s
Frequency: Always
World name: All worlds and all datacenters

Steps:
1. When selecting either start to get to the character selection, or swapping datacenter, it after a brief moment gives the 2002 error and closes the game.

[Ceanora]

Yes, still having the issue. The same network, the same problem and the same start date. Didn't change anything on my end before this all started.

Appreciate the effort you've gone through to narrow things down!

I'd love to see the issue fixed since using vpn brings it's own problems. But an issue this isolated and rare... Well, hopefully someone can take a look into it. Just wanted to bump the thread so it can get more attention.

[Tachita]

Here to BUMP this post.

I have friends and some family who have this exact same issue with the same network down to every detail provided by OP. Only way for them to get around this error 2002 was to try and see if connecting their phone and sharing internet through it works (which it did.)

I have never had any issues regarding this error and I have different ISP. Therefore their problem seems to be localized between Kyläverkko - yok.fi /FUNET CSC and whatever servers this Data Center connection happens. It does NOT matter if you change Data Center from EU to NA to JP. My friend played last year and earlier this year with no issues and noticed this problem on 15th of March, the day he resubbed back to FF14.

I do not think it acceptable that using phone internet/VPN/Cloudware or other 3rd party programs would be requirement to play the game due to this particular issue.

[A_Asterius]

Hello! Same error here since today.
I still have game time (23 days), and everything was OK until today.
I can log into my account and click PLAY on the launcher.
Once the game is launched, when I choose the "PLAY" option, I have the message "connecting to the data center...", then after a minute, the error 2002: "The data-center connection has encountered an error." and I can only close the game.


What I tried:
Checking my connection speed; in Wi-Fi and in Ethernet, everything is OK. Any other app using internet connection works properly.
Authorizing FFXIV in my firewall: it already was the case
Emptying the DNS cache with the /flushdns command
Changing my DNS
Moving from Wi-Fi to Ethernet
moving from Chaos to Light: I have no issues connecting to Light (though I have no character on it and I'd like to not have to create a character to play just due to this bug). When I come back to Chaos, the bug is back.
Restarting my PC.
Closing any other game firewall (Riot Games' one, for example).



I opened a support ticket because I have no idea what I could do to fix this now.
I am on Windows 11, if that changes anything.


UPDATE!
I tried to create a character on Light - since it's the only datacenter which works there - and to make her travel to a Chaos server. The transfer has been done within 30sec, but now it is impossible to play with her! The error 2002 comes back and I can't send her back to her home world on Light. In the end I can't do anything *sobs*
Screenshot: https://zupimages.net/viewer.php?id=23/26/2lcl.png

Updated my firmware, it worked ONCE but I got another error when I clicked on my character. Error 10105. And now error 2002 is back.

[vonRavenstein]

Figured would bump myself as well even with the recent activity. Same issues still remain an no closer to figuring out what is going on, and still only able to connect with mobile internet/vpn/cloudflare warp.

[Heartcliff]

I got the same issue at the start of the MGP during the first days of July and like Asterius above, i can with no problem connecting to Light but i only got problem with Chaos...
Already check my ethernet, my firewall, everything seems clean, it must be a problem from the server not us right ?

[A_Asterius]

it seems yes. And in the French forums we've found that it is mainly players who have internet thanks to Orange AND who live in the south of France who has this issue. Also noticed that it affects the download of the game, i get many error messages and the launcher freezes.


Here is what the support proposed me to do, just in case:

Thank you for contacting the Square Enix Support Centre. We are very sorry to hear that you are having connection issues when trying to play the game. Please follow the following steps:
1) Use the Google DNS:

- Go to the Control Panel

- Click Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings

- Rightclick on the connection you are using and select Properties

- Under the Networking tab you will see a long list of available options

- Scroll down and double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) - Select 'Use the following DNS server addresses'
- Preferred DNS server > 8 . 8 . 8 . 8 - Alternate DNS server > 8 . 8 . 4 . 4 - Click OK



2) Renew your IP address and DNS:
- Please press Windows key + R

- Type cmd.exe then hit return

- Type ipconfig /release then hit return

- Type ipconfig /flushdns then hit return

- Type ipconfig /renew then hit return



3) Add the game to the exception rules in your firewall and security software, so that the game is not being blocked by this software. If you are unsure about how to do this, you can alternatively disable this software temporarily.


4) Restart your network equipment:

- Plug off your router from the power outlet on the wall

- Wait 2 minutes

- Plug the router back in Now please try to run the game again.

Didn't work for me at all though.

[Heartcliff]

Goddamn you literally expose me as a French southern which is 100% true haha

I'm also an Orange Customer so yeah i'll also try what the support told you to do and hope for a better result than you, for now i only can play thanks to a VPN which is kinda suboptimal but i guess i can play atleast :')

[Heartcliff]

it seems yes. And in the French forums we've found that it is mainly players who have internet thanks to Orange AND who live in the south of France who has this issue. Also noticed that it affects the download of the game, i get many error messages and the launcher freezes.


Here is what the support proposed me to do, just in case:

Thank you for contacting the Square Enix Support Centre. We are very sorry to hear that you are having connection issues when trying to play the game. Please follow the following steps:
1) Use the Google DNS:

- Go to the Control Panel

- Click Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings

- Rightclick on the connection you are using and select Properties

- Under the Networking tab you will see a long list of available options

- Scroll down and double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) - Select 'Use the following DNS server addresses'
- Preferred DNS server > 8 . 8 . 8 . 8 - Alternate DNS server > 8 . 8 . 4 . 4 - Click OK



2) Renew your IP address and DNS:
- Please press Windows key + R

- Type cmd.exe then hit return

- Type ipconfig /release then hit return

- Type ipconfig /flushdns then hit return

- Type ipconfig /renew then hit return



3) Add the game to the exception rules in your firewall and security software, so that the game is not being blocked by this software. If you are unsure about how to do this, you can alternatively disable this software temporarily.


4) Restart your network equipment:

- Plug off your router from the power outlet on the wall

- Wait 2 minutes

- Plug the router back in Now please try to run the game again.



Didn't work for me at all though.

Yup i did the thing listed by the SE Support Center, nothing change, can't still connect to the game without using a VPN, kinda dissapointed to used a VPN (thanks god it work with a free-one) but if i want to stream the game to my friends i still impossible with the VPN on...


Hope they will find a way to solve this problem cause using a VPN for being able to play my favorite subscription based game it's simply not good

[vonRavenstein]

If it is the same thing that is causing all our issues then at least it'd seem it's not just isolated to one place/country. That said for me as well some hops of course do go via nodes in France on the way to the servers. I realy don't think it's a reasonable solution to be forced to use either a VPN or other software to connect to the game. And at least for me it's meant more frequent disconnects than I'd normally have before these connection issues. It's been almost 4 months and there's been barely any help from SE. Just the same canned instructions from support and being told just to report the connection issues.