Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker players to get 14 days of free time
Amid unprecedented server congestion issues, the Final Fantasy XIV developers have announced that players will be given 14 days of Endwalker free time on top of the seven days that were initially given last week. Furthermore, Square Enix has temporarily suspended sales of FFXIV Endwalker, as well as free trial registrations.
These measures are intended to stem the overwhelming volume of users during FFXIV Endwalker‘s Early Access period and will be rolled out gradually in the coming days.
As always, the explanation by FFXIV head honcho Naoki Yoshida is comprehensive, detailing the exact reasons behind these measures, as well as further steps they are taking to alleviate the issues. For one, the Endwalker team acknowledged an Error 2002 bug that could kick you out of the login queue, and they plan to introduce the fix in Patch 6.01, which should release on Dec. 21 (Tuesday).
Yoshida, aka Yoshi-P, once again laments the semiconductor shortage that has prevented the acquisition of FFXIV Endwalker servers to build new logical data centers, which in turn allows for new Worlds. He mentions that progress has been made through coordination with international IT equipment vendors, but it will invariably take more time before new additions can be made. They hope to “provide some sort of roadmap by January 2022.” (READ: Intel says chip shortage to last until 2023)
FFXIV Endwalker players who are concerned that the congestion issues could lead to content delays can rest easy, as the release of Pandæmonium: Asphodelos (Savage) in Patch 6.05 remains scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.
Yoshi-P says, “We understand that there are concerns about World First races and first week progression, but Patch 6.05 will add a number of new elements, such as the addition of a new Allagan tomestone, new crafting recipes, as well as the new treasure hunt dungeon, the Excitatron 6000.”
In any case, those hoping that the issues plaguing FFXIV FFXIV Endwalker right now would soon be resolved may be disappointed. It’s rare that a game is so crushingly popular that its publisher needs to gate new players, but such is the fate for the most popular MMO in the world. Yoshi-P and Square Enix are suffering from success, and I hope that, at least, all paying customers get to enjoy the granted FFXIV Endwalker free time. (READ: The Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker launch will prioritize paying players)
If you like reading our content, why not show your appreciation by treating us to a cup of coffee? (or two, if you’re feeling generous)