The European Data Center titled Shadow on FFXIV will officially close on August 27. This was a probationary data center created before the release of FFXIV: Dawntrail. The Data Center named Shadow will now close on August 27, as it has served its purpose of easing congestion with the release of Dawntrail.
In addition to the Shadow Data Center being closed, the probationary worlds released during this time will be shut down. Instead, players will have to return to their home Data Centers, which may now cause a slight influx in congestion, but it shouldn't be as bad as the congestion levels during Endwalker.
Dawntrail had a relatively smooth launch compared to previous expansions, with minimal queue times across the board. This surprised most FFXIV players, especially those who experienced the queue times of FFXIV: Endwalker.
For those who have been using the Shadow Data Center, Square Enix is now urging all players who are using it to go back to their home Data Center before August 27. Travel to the Shadow Data Center will no longer be available after August 16, so ensure all your characters are back in time.
Don't panic if you forget to return your characters to your original Data Center. You won't lose your character should you forget. Your character will automatically be returned to your home Data Center.
When Shadow and the probationary worlds close, characters will be sent back to their home Data Center. The following worlds are the probationary worlds that will be closing.
- Innocence
- Pixie
- Titania
- Tycoon
In addition to the closing of the Shadow Data Center, there will be a maintenance period, meaning you won't be able to access FFXIV during this period. This will happen on August 27, and the game will be inaccessible. The Lodestone website has all the information you might need regarding the maintenance.
They haven't released the maintenance schedule for the upcoming removal of the Shadow Data Center and the probationary worlds, so there is no telling at the moment how long the maintenance period will last. However, they have said to keep an eye on the Lodestone website for the upcoming announcement regarding the maintenance period.
