When is FFXIV Data Center Travel? Everything We Know

Last Updated on: 20th July 2021, 06:40 pm

Well, as of today, Final Fantasy XIV has reached Patch 5.58, the last main patch before the release of Endwalker. The game will have minor updates, such as the redo of the XV crossover, but no more major patches. Notably absent from this patch is the implementation of FFXIV Data Center travel, which has been predicted to be tested before Endwalker. Here’s what we know about when the feature may come out based on current information and a new public statement from the producer, Naoki Yoshida.

While Patch 5.58 was never officially given as a release date for the early implementation of Data Center travel, many expected it to be the patch. This is because a recent transcription of Patch Notes on Steam listed 5.58 as the feature’s implementation time. This was notably absent from the official Patch Notes released by the team.

FFXIV has faced unprecedented levels of new players for a variety of reasons such as an expansive free trial which includes the base game and first expansion, poor reception to World of Warcraft’s recent patch, and hugely popular streamers taking up the MMO. Interestingly, this is taking place during when MMOs are usually at their most unpopulated, the last 3-6 months before an expansion when no more patches are coming.

READ MORE: Final Fantasy XIV broke its concurrent players record on Steam

As such, it’s likely that FFXIV Data Center travel was originally supposed to be implemented today but the huge influx of players have left the servers strained. In a statement made today, Yoshida comments that the only real solution besides minor optimizations is simply to buy more server space in a market that makes it near impossible to do so. With servers as congested as they already are, and are likely to be tenfold during the release of Endwalker, it seems the team has to drop near everything else to make the game playable at large.

Considering the difficulty Yoshida expressed in the statement, I would be surprised if we get FFXIV Data Center travel before Endwalker’s release at the earliest. The feature would undoubtedly place extra strain on the servers, and the team needs to get more servers to even handle the current influx of players, let alone the strain DC travel adds. The game already is in a state where it needs to prioritize paid players over free trial users speaks volumes as to just how much strain is already on the game.

I’m certainly disappointed on my own, as most friends play on a different Data Center than me, but on the grand scale this is great for XIV at large. A huge playerbase is a healthy one and tons of people love the feeling of a packed MMO. I’m fine with waiting a bit longer if it means the community continues to grow and the game prospers.

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