Summary
- Final Fantasy 14 is testing Cross-region Data Center Travel from March 24, allowing players from Japan, Europe, and North America to join Oceanic servers.
- Data Center Travel, launched in Patch 6.18, allows movement across Data Centers in the same continent.
- Lag may be experienced traveling to and from the Materia Data Center, but players are encouraged to provide feedback during the limited test period.
Soon, Final Fantasy 14 will test Cross-region Data Center Travel in a limited fashion. Starting on March 24 and ending just before server maintenance for the Dawntrail expansion, Final Fantasy 14 players in Japan, Europe, and North America will be able to travel to and from the Materia Data Center in the Oceanic region as part of a limited global test to see how viable cross-region travel will be in the future.
Introduced in Final Fantasy 14 Patch 6.18, the Data Center Travel system allowed players to travel from one Data Center to another, as long as the two are on the same continent. For example, players in the Aether Data Center can travel to and from the Primal, Crystal, and Dynamis Data Centers, since all of them are located in North America. While the technology for Cross-region Data Center Travel exists, Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida stated his reluctance to enable it and cited cultural and language barriers as the reasons why Cross-region functionality was not implemented alongside Data Center Travel during Endwalker.
Xbox and Final Fantasy 14 Reveal Custom Console and Controller
To celebrate the launch of Final Fantasy 14 on Xbox, Microsoft and Square Enix are giving players a chance to score a custom console and controller.
But after many requests from players, Cross-region Data Center Travel will soon take its first steps. According to Square Enix, Final Fantasy 14 will begin its test of Cross-region Data Center Travel on Sunday, March 24, at 11:00 PM Eastern. The test will conclude once server maintenance for Dawntrail begins in the summer. However, the test will be limited to players from Japan, North America, and Europe, as the Materia Data Center in the Oceanic region will serve as the destination for players to test the new technology and group up with friends from other regions. At the time of writing, the Materia Data Center is home to five realms: Bismark, Ravana, Sephirot, Sophia, and Zurvan.
Final Fantasy 14 Cross-Region Data Center Travel Details
- Starts Sunday, March 24, at 11:00 PM Eastern, and ends when server maintenance for Dawntrail begins.
- Players from Japan, Europe, and North America data centers can travel to and from the Oceanic data center.
- The Oceanic data center is called Materia and has five servers players can visit.
Square Enix stated that, as part of its efforts to ensure Dawntrail has a smoother launch than Endwalker, the Cross-region Data Center Travel would allow it to gather data and consider implementing a limited form of the feature to alleviate queue times during expansion launch. The company further clarified that lag may be experienced by players connecting to the Materia Data Center from other continents and that the travel time to and from Materia may vary depending on how many players use the system. However, Square Enix encouraged players to provide feedback during the test.
The launch of this Cross-region Data Center Travel test will happen just a day after Final Fantasy 14's PAX East panel on Dawntrail. All in all, players looking to pass the time until Dawntrail's release will have one more thing to look forward to.
Final Fantasy 14 (2010)
- Released
- August 27, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
Begin your adventure in FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn
Create your very own Warrior of Light and embark upon a quest to deliver the land from an eternity of Darkness.
Take to the skies in FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward
Take your first steps in the reclusive nation of Ishgard, locked in a seemingly never-ending struggle with dragons.
Rekindle the fires of hope in FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood
Journey to the East and rise up against the might of the Garlean Empire.
Become the darkness in FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers
Travel to a world where light ushers all unto oblivion. But hope is not yet lost, for where there is light there is shadow.
Journey to the very stars above in FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker
A great calamity has been building - a second advent of the Final Days. The Warrior of Light must journey ever higher and stand firm as hope's last bastion.
Set forth for new horizons in FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail
Blue seas, clear skies, and boundless possibilities await! Explore uncharted territories with familiar faces as hope's light dawns once more.
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Crystal Tools
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
- Metascore
- 90
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, PS4 & PS5
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
