Highlights

  • AFK players will be disconnected after 30 minutes to combat congestion upon the release of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, a precaution also taken during Endwalker's chaotic release.
  • Free trial users will have lower priority in login queues, with paying players having priority.
  • Restrictions on cross-Data Center and World travel aim to alleviate server congestion during Dawntrail's launch.

Square Enix has announced its plans to combat player congestion in Final Fantasy 14 when its new expansion Dawntrail releases on July 2, 2024, including disconnecting players who are idle. The hype for the newest Final Fantasy 14 expansion is ramping up ahead of its first expansion in over two and a half years, and players who were around for the release of Endwalker remember - and dread - how chaotic a new major release can be.

Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail marks a major milestone in the nearly 11-year-old MMO as it's the first major chapter in the story that doesn't involve the gods Hydaelyn and Zodiark, who figured prominently in the plot since the ill-fated original iteration of the MMORPG. Dawntrail will be set on the new continent of Tural, and the story promises to introduce many new elements to the game, such as the new Viper and Pictomancer job classes and an increased level cap of 100.

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Related
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail Will Make Playing The Main Story Easier

The upcoming Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail expansion will give players some quality-of-life changes to make the main story a smoother experience.

In an official update released on June 18, the Final Fantasy 14 team outlined the specific measures it will take to ensure that players get to enjoy the smoothest possible online experience at Dawntrail's release. In addition to new Probationary Worlds in Final Fantasy 14, the biggest move the team will make is to automatically disconnect players who have been idling for more than 30 minutes, something they also did during the launch of the last expansion Endwalker — normally, the game allows people to go AFK for much longer.

Measures The Final Fantasy 14 Team Will Take To Minimize Server Congestion

  • Players idling for more than 30 minutes will be disconnected
  • Free trial players will be pushed to the end of the login queue in favor of paying subscribers
  • Some cross-Data Center and cross-World travel will be disabled until Patch 7.05 at the latest
  • Some World Visits will be limited
  • New characters cannot be created in a congested World until player count drops

Along with kicking off AFK players, those who are playing on a free trial subscription will be moved down the priority list in login queues in favor of paying Final Fantasy 14 players. Players who like traveling across different Final Fantasy 14 Data Centers and Worlds will see their access to some of them restricted during this peak season, and players are also encouraged to play in Worlds that have smaller populations.

Meanwhile, players who are jumping into Final Fantasy 14 for the first time will need to properly plan their start. Character creation will be disabled in over-congested Worlds during peak hours; new players can switch to a lesser-populated server, but those who choose to stay with a specific one will have to wait until the player count goes down.

Fans who want to play Dawntrail at launch will likely still have to endure a bit of congestion, and longtime players know exactly what to expect. While it's bearable, those who can wait until the frenzy dies down should probably do so for a smoother experience.