Square Enix says it’s fixing the long loading times in the new Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy 14
Players have been reporting lengthy waits during certain transitions
Square Enix has acknowledged that the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy 14 has long loading times in certain situations, and is working on a fix.
The Switch 2 version of the game launched on Tuesday, bringing the MMORPG to Nintendo players for the first time.
While the general feedback from players trying out the Switch 2 version has been positive, some have also noted that in some situations loading times are unusually long.
Square Enix has now confirmed that it’s aware of this, and has listed some of the specific situations in which this happens, including:
- “When the screen fades to black during a battle phase transition or when teleporting to a different map in an instanced duty”
- “When the screen fades to black upon reviving after being K.O.’d in an instanced duty”
- “When the screen fades to black upon using Return or a shortcut in an instanced duty”
The publisher says it’s pinpointed the reason for the problem and is testing a fix for it now, with the aim being to release an update fixing it as soon as it’s able to.
“We have confirmed that in the Nintendo Switch 2 version, the loading time may take longer than usual when the screen fades to black in instanced duties,” a statement on the official Final Fantasy 14 site reads.
“Our investigation has confirmed that, when a player enters an instanced duty while surrounded by many characters, loading data will take longer than usual, which lasts until the player leaves the instance.
“We have identified certain cases in which the data reloading and cache clearing processes required for safe rendering are taking an extended amount of time. As such, these processes have been optimized to ensure faster data loading even under similar conditions, and the updated version is currently in testing.
“We are working to release an update as soon as possible to address this and several other issues. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding in the meantime.”
As with other formats, the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy 14 includes a lengthy Free Trial version – which is around 117 GB in size – as well as Starter Edition and Complete Edition versions.
The Free Trial has some restrictions, which mainly involve interacting with other players, and also has a level 80 cap (instead of level 100) and a limit on the amount of currency can be held.
Other than this, however, it does let players play through the entirety of the base game A Realm Reborn as well as its first three story expansions – Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers – entirely free with no subscription cost.
