Dawntrail launch log-in queues

[Jojoya]

Here's some information about launch log-in queues for those that didn't experience the mess at Endwalker's release or have forgotten just how bad it was.

We don't know for certain that Dawntrail will be just as bad. The additions of the Dynamis data center for NA and the soon to open Shadow data center for EU are intended to help mitigate the wait times but that will be dependent on the number of players in those regions who choose to use those new data centers at launch.

To better understand what happens as you log in and what causes the hours long queues to form, here are links to messages from YoshiP that were posted during the Endwalker launch issues:

(initial acknowledgement of the ongoing problems)
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...fa3e81cf20dccf

(discussion of a specific log-in error code, auto-kick of AFK characters, and other issues)
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...9cad782363f25b

(discussions of additional log-in error codes and what steps SE was taking to try to prevent them from recurring)
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...24153ef4405c13

Note that YoshiP states in the last message that the best solution to log-in queues is the addition of new worlds for players to use to reduce the number of concurrent log-ins happening on individual worlds. We have those worlds now but it's wasted effort if there aren't enough players willing to use them.

Don't expect others on your home world to decide to use data center travel so you'll have the convenience of having a shorter wait for your home world. If you want a shorter wait time, it will be up to you to use data center travel to get it. World visit might also get you a slightly shorter wait time depending on the online population variance between your home world and the rest of the worlds in your home data center but it is unlikely get you to your home world any faster as you'd still have a wait time using world visit to get there.

Remember that when you are not on your home world, you will not have access to your retainers, FC buffs and local linkshells. You'll want to make certain you have your character inventory and chocobo saddlebags prepared with the things you'll need while doing the MSQ and other content.

When you are off your home data center, you will also lose access to FC chat and home data center cross-world linkshells (though you'll be able to join cross-world linkshells on the data center you visit without deleting any of your normal ones).

Regardless of your choice, go into Dawntrail with realistic expectations for the launch based on past expansions releases. Better to expect small problems than a smooth experience (I miss you, Shadowbringer's launch).

I hope you enjoy the adventure waiting for us.

[LianaThorne]

Best advice I have: Stay off Aether and potentially Crystal unless you want hour long queues. It happened last expansion and I would hard bet on it happening again this time.

[Reinha]

Note that YoshiP states in the last message that the best solution to log-in queues is the addition of new worlds for players to use to reduce the number of concurrent log-ins happening on individual worlds. We have those worlds now

Just bolding this for people who are wondering why we are getting more new servers even though previous new servers are still dead, and why the devs aren't going to disable data center travel. You all will thank them when your queue number is 8956.

[Heh]

I predict it might be just as bad as the Endwalker launch. Considering we've also been getting DDOS attack, and those attack could be just a test run before the real one?

[Graveyardprincess]

they are going to be long regardless of what they do, anyone who expect them to not be isnt very smart even if the game is really really really bad at the time the seconds something new comes out any qs to get into it will be long because its "new" so you might well order pizza/asain etc while you are trying to get into the game

[ryouma17]

this is why i always wait a week or so on new expansion launches i'll let everyone else have fun pulling out their hair trying to login then i'll pop on once everything has calmed down

[Dysvalence]

World visit might also get you a slightly shorter wait time depending on the online population variance between your home world and the rest of the worlds in your home data center but it is unlikely get you to your home world any faster as you'd still have a wait time using world visit to get there.

Pretty sure the option to world visit from the login screen exists for this specific scenario, that's why you can't pick where it sends you.

Remember that when you are not on your home world, you will not have access to your retainers, FC buffs and local linkshells. You'll want to make certain you have your character inventory and chocobo saddlebags prepared with the things you'll need while doing the MSQ and other content.

Also worth noting that the post on cross region overflow mentioned that it might be a while before DC travelers can get back to their home DC.

[justausername]

It is also worth noting that it might not ALL be doom and gloom though. If you remember, during EW they had really rough servers that they had planned to update, but could not get the hardware for because of pandemic backlogs. Since then, every single region (except OCE) has had an update to the physical servers with the intention of being able to handle more people online at once. Combined with the additions of Dynamis and Shadow to NA and EU, so long as people are willing to try it, I think with perhaps the exception of day one, it might have a good chance of going better over all.
We can't really do much other then just wait and see, and have a backup plan.

[Boblawblah]

this is why i always wait a week or so on new expansion launches i'll let everyone else have fun pulling out their hair trying to login then i'll pop on once everything has calmed down

Yep, have a couple of days book off the middle of July, I'm not in a rush.

[Kes13a]

kinda disappointed.

I thought this was a pre-emptive "SE DO SOMETHING!" rant about the wait to get in to the new content.

I'll just do what I usually do, cook something nice, have a book handy and keep an eye on my position. gaming over the years has shown the benefits of patience. (especially on launches)