Downloads failing/timeout errors/missing images
These are all symptoms of an issue contacting Heliosphere's data servers. There is usually nothing I can personally do about this.
TLDR: usually switching on a VPN will let you work around this issue. If you would like a free one, try
1.1.1.1, a VPN from Cloudflare.
If you would like to narrow down the issue, follow these steps.
A. Determine if the issue is local to FFXIV.
This usually indicates a firewall/antivirus issue.
- Make sure you are using the same device you use to play FFXIV.
- Open this link.
- If my profile picture loads, the issue is local to FFXIV, and the game is likely behind a firewall preventing connections to Heliosphere's data servers. If the image does not load, move on to the next part.
B. Determine if the issue is your network.
This usually indicates either a larger firewall/antivirus issue or a network misconfiguration.
- Either use a smartphone connected to mobile data (turn off wifi) or some other device on a separate network.
- Repeat the step 2 from part A.
- If the image loads, the issue is either due to a firewall/antivirus or your network itself. If the image does not load, move on to the next part.
C. Determine if the issue is a routing issue.
This usually indicates an issue with your ISP or Cloudflare or perhaps government interference or just any problem that causes routing issues on the internet. It's a mess of a system.
- Enable a VPN. Any consumer-facing VPN will work, but if you want to test for no money, I recommend using 1.1.1.1, which is provided by Cloudflare.
- Repeat the steps from part A.
- If the image loads, try a mod install in FFXIV. If that works, the issue was a routing issue. If neither the image in browser nor a mod install works at this point, I do not know what the problem is.
