Square Enix is preparing players for potentially long server queues ahead of Final Fantasy XIV’s upcoming expansion Drawntrail. Despite improvements to its servers, the developer expects queues due to a growing player base – so much so that they will prioritize paid players over those using a free trial.
In detail blog postSquare Enix took time to explain the ins and outs of server queues, imploring players who join a long queue to remain patient and not leave it at the risk of being placed at the end of the queue when they try to rejoin a server.
Most curious, however, is the following paragraph:
When a login queue is in place, players in the full version of the game will be prioritized to login. Free Trial characters will be able to login once the login queue is cleared. This allows us to prioritize our paying customers and will mean longer waiting times for Free Trial users, but we would like to ask for your understanding on this matter.
Square Enix, Blog PostJune 18, 2024
Yes, you read that right – players who have paid for the full version of the game will get priority treatment in server queues, while those on the Free Trial of the game will not. Players who have paid for the full game should note, however, that this doesn’t mean they can skip the queue entirely, as there could still very well be queues of paying customers as well.
Prioritizing paid players is to avoid Endwalker queues
Square Enix’s move to prioritize paid players in the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV Drawntrail queues is likely to ruffle some feathers. But it’s actually done in response to the painfully long server queues the game experienced during its last expansion back in 2021 – Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker.
With all the hype and anticipation surrounding a new expansion for the ever-popular MMORPG, hordes of new players flocked to the game and took advantage of its Free Trial. This resulted in server queues being backed up for days, with thousands being unable to play at all. Square Enix now simply wants to make sure that players who have paid full price for the game can truly enjoy the expansion as quickly and smoothly as possible.
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