Final Fantasy 14 Servers Plagued by Technical Glitches

Final Fantasy XIV North American Servers Suffer Major Outage: Power Outage, Not DDoS

A significant server outage impacting all four North American data centers of Final Fantasy XIV occurred on January 5th, shortly after 8:00 PM Eastern. Initial reports suggest the cause was a localized power outage in Sacramento, California, potentially resulting from a blown transformer. The servers returned to service within an hour.

This incident differs from the numerous distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that plagued the game throughout 2024. DDoS attacks, which flood servers with false information, caused high latency and disconnections. While Square Enix employed mitigation strategies, completely preventing DDoS attacks remains a challenge. Players often utilize VPNs to mitigate the impact of these attacks.

Evidence supporting the power outage theory emerged on the r/ffxiv subreddit. Users reported hearing a loud explosion or popping sound in Sacramento, consistent with a blown transformer, preceding the server disruption. The timing of the outage and subsequent restoration aligns with this account. Square Enix acknowledged the issue via the Lodestone and confirmed an ongoing investigation.

Impact and Recovery:

The outage was geographically isolated, with European, Japanese, and Oceanic data centers remaining operational. Recovery was gradual, with Aether, Crystal, and Primal Data Centers returning to service before Dynamis.

Looking Ahead:

This latest setback comes as Final Fantasy XIV prepares for ambitious plans in 2025, including the highly anticipated mobile release. The long-term consequences of these recurring server issues remain to be seen.