For those unfamiliar, Hydras are legendary beasts (some might say monsters) known for a unique trait that makes them nigh impossible to slay for a typical warrior. With a long, exposed neck, one would assume that this would be its weakest point, something to strike with fury before the battle grows out of hand. One would be wrong, though, as unlike other creatures, Hydras regrow their heads, a matter made worse when you find that two crop up from the singular wound.

Now one problem becomes two, two four, four eight, and so on. The cascading effect creates a giant issue that cannot be easily resolved, which is ironic, in a sense, because by going after something so seemingly small and simple one inadvertently creates a much worse problem than the one they initially faced.

While not many of us will likely have to face off against such foes, as a metaphor we do all face Hydras of our own. Perhaps you’re coding something and notice a glitch. You correct it, but then more unexpected functions pop up, you grip your head trying not to rip hair follicles out by the root as you suppress a scream.

Or maybe you’re working on a portrait and you notice a line looks weird. When you erase it and redo it, another part looks out of place, and after fixing that, the proportions look all sorts of wrong and you wonder if you should just give up and shift to being an abstract-only artist. No one would blame you for feeling that, it is completely valid. And yet, that does not mean we should abandon all hope of success. If you keep pulling at these threads, eventually you will break through to something that is functional.

Last year, we were introduced to Cross-Data Center Travel, allowing travelers from previously isolated sections of the world to meet and interact. Prior to this, limited travel was possible, though only within a Data Center (DC), effectively opening things from seeing others from 8 possible homes to 24, with an additional four in the newly added Dynamis.

For those of us keen on the strictly social side, this was a massive blessing as groups could really open up their options in terms of visiting places that would be otherwise difficult to see. No more were we forced to jump through flaming hoops to check out a concert or a play, no, we only had to take a step out and a new world would be available to us. Despite the boon to the casual crowd, though, cracks would appear quickly that would begin to spiral out of control.

Prior to the shift towards a more unified Regional Center, the three DCs had their own cultures and identities, with some cross-over in terms of things to do. Still, people knew that Crystal was king of roleplay, while raiders commanded Aether. Primal was also there, doing a bit of both, but not as extensively as the others. Being from Aether myself, the deciding factor for my home world was that I thought Jenova sounded neat, occasionally I felt I had made a mistake as I was more drawn to venues, meaningless conversations for fun, and other nonsense that Aether was just a little behind on.

Still, I stuck with it, and the community, though small, was fairly close and engaging. At least enough to keep me from jumping to Couerl.

Once the DCs opened, though, things shifted drastically. The worst hit in this was the newly created Dynamis. Boasting only four worlds instead of the standard eight, many thought it would be a place to start fresh, one where they could live out their venue fantasies while building up a new type of adventurer in a small and safe environment.

Unfortunately, this idea ended up being much more minuscule than expected. House sales for large plots were intense and soon the market was just as inaccessible as any of the primary DCs. Worse, though, it was painfully lonely. Many of the early complaints of Dynamis still ring true today. There are rarely people there, with the streets of Limsa Lominsa often having so few people you can count them on a single hand.

When looking at Dynamis’ Party Finder, even today, it is unusual to see more than five at any given time, and this includes both for adventures and social activities. For those with experience, the obvious answer is to head for greener pastures when a group is necessary. For those who come in fresh, this is a much less obvious solution, but we will get into why a little later.

Dynamis was not the only DC to have issues, though. As mentioned, each DC had a reputation before cross-travel went live. In particular, Aether’s draw of being the place to be for raiders meant that those who had been working out of Crystal or Primal would make the trek to see for themselves just how different Aether raiding could be. And evidently, it was all it was cracked up to be as more and more migrants flooded over to take part in an endless supply of Alliance runs.

The cascading effect created a strange anomaly. Simultaneously, we were seeing stories of raid groups made entirely out of people on Primal operating in Aether while still, others would bemoan the lack of adventurers in Primal. While the needs of the communities in other DCs could be met, they were being left in the dust as the tales of how fantastic other worlds were spread. It has been over a year and while things are becoming slightly more stable, the problems still rear their heads for people daily.

As a frequent traveler myself, returning to Aether is also so jarring when I see flooded streets and indicators showing how many are from another realm.

Pointing all these issues out is not very helpful though, is it? For those who care, these are all glaringly obvious. So what solutions do we have? These too may be obvious but if we do not discuss then no one will ever hear us.

The most pertinent issue would be to solve the excessively lopsided adventuring pool. Tackling this would alleviate some other issues as well, but something as simple as a Cross-DC Party System can drastically reduce the strain on balance in populations. One of the draws of being able to travel to other areas is the ability to interact with more people. Still, when everything is cut off somewhat, the number of others is limited to whatever DC one makes the journey.

This solution would also tackle an issue I am sure many other travelers have faced in the difficulties associated with homeworld restrictions. As I spend most of my time on the road, I rarely have access to things such as my retainers. This means planning ahead if I want to do anything while out. And while this is a small complaint, the ability to not have to leave home would greatly reduce the lack of motivation to take on certain tasks requiring an expanded inventory such as crafting and gathering.

Still, other areas would need to be addressed to really make this work. First and foremost, the Party Finder system itself would need to be reworked. There is limited space in Party Finder and there is a good reason for that. Any major hub on a Friday night usually reaches the halfway point strictly with ads for clubs and venues, sometimes filling up entirely.

Combining the DCs into the current Party Finder would be a mess and lead to a lot of headaches for everyone who uses it. To help with the pain, a better filtering system would be helpful. Or, perhaps even two separate Party Finders, one catering to adventure, the other to social.

Additionally, we would need to address limited communication options. As it stands, there is no legitimate way to speak to others while they are abroad. We at the Babbler use Discord to keep in touch, and while that can be nice, it leads to a feeling of disconnect from the world. Obviously, Party and Alliance chatter would need to extend across borders. However, outside of these, a way to keep in contact would also be beneficial as we do not spend all our time locked in parties, do we? A Cross-DC Linkpeal would be an obvious answer to this, allowing greater potential for growing communities.

Next, we would want to consider the ease of access to the system. I said before that I would address the issues new Dynamis folks might not know, and that is HOW to travel across DCs. When I first started, Cross-World travel was fairly commonplace. Still, I did not even know such a thing was possible for my first month, only learning about it when a Free Company member took me by the hand to show me how it worked. Now, being a total expert on travel, it seems so intuitive. Head to a major Grand Company Hub, jump through the Aetheryte, and that is all it takes. Many of the mechanical functions of Eorzea can be annoying. This one works exceptionally well.

When it comes to DC travel, though, the methods we are forced to use make it a challenge even for those of us who do it regularly. First, when you are in your DC, you must make sure you are also on your Home World. This can be confusing because leaving a DC does not require you to be anywhere in particular, you just go.

Second, you have to “log out,” whatever that means, then navigate to the correct menu option. Rather than having a singular button, they have opted for a “Return to your DC” and “Travel to another DC” system. This would not be SO bad, but for some reason, between these options is the choice to move to another World within the DC you are already in. And if you are fast to act and not to read, like me in a rush, you will find yourself taking on a lot of undue stress as you now have to log in again to then return to your Home World, only to log out and try again.

This brings us to another issue, that of forgetting you are in a party before travel. With Cross-World travel, there is no issue with going from, say, Jenova to Faerie as they are both on Aether. If you were to try that with a regular party, though, you would be told you must leave it to continue. A bummer, but not a real issue as it is quick to drop from a group. DC travel, though, does not allow for either of these. So, if you log out on your Home World (or any, really) and forget you are in a party, you must log in yet again to leave it. And this is a necessary step as it will not process your friend, who is still logged in, removing you from the party while you wait. Believe me, I have tried.

As it stands, Cross-DC travel has a lot of steps and requirements that are unintuitive and act as a gatekeeper for newer Eorzeans. On a popular DC, this is not a major issue, but it could lead to sour experiences for those who foolishly opt to live in Dynamis. The solution? Rework the system to function more like Cross-World travel. Singular menus, reduced restrictions, and ideally, allowing someone from Aether to go from Crystal to Primal without having to stop over at home. If these could be done without logging out, then Cross-DC travel could go from an annoying chore to something enjoyable.

These two fixes to the system are not a cure-all, and could likely lead to even more problems down the road, ala the aforementioned Hydra. And yet, like a Hydra, the more we do to solve the problem, the closer we get to something that operates smoothly. So what is the likelihood of this happening? It is hard to say, but it could go either way.

People have been asking for these fixes since Cross-DC Travel burst onto the scene with little official word on any planned tweaks. And yet, that has not stopped speculation on an expansion of the system. Several months ago, code was uncovered that hinted at the possibility of Cross-REGIONAL travel. To explain quickly, Cross-World is anything within a Data Center, Goblin to Balmung, Adamantoise to Midgardsormr, Famfrit to Exodus, etc. Cross-DC travel is from Crystal to Primal, Gaia to Mana, basically anything within one of the “Regional Centers” (Japan, Europe, North America, Oceania).

Cross-Regional travel would allow for those of us in Aether or Crystal to go see what things are like in Light or Elemental. This is an interesting prospect, one that is sure to come with some culture shock, but with the translation options we have available, it could lead to some interesting, if not basic, interactions globally. In my opinion, this is a good thing overall, but a move that is currently misguided.

The concerns of the current system are not being addressed, and with the new direction that, apparently, Yoshi P himself is interested in taking, it seems that we might have to wait a while, at best, to see them addressed.

Still, there is hope. As we have discussed here before, those in charge of fixing concerns are hyper-focused on the problems that arise in the Japan Regional Center, leaving the rest of us shouting into the void at times. It can be frustrating, but by opening these doors to everyone, some of the problems we face here could more easily flow into the area that gets the most attention.

While not a guarantee, if we can connect with this Regional Center, we may have a better shot of having our voices heard when it comes to improving quality of life.

Unfortunately, we are now dealing with a many-headed Hydra that only seems to get more and more out of control. Our ability to do anything about it on our own is non-existent, but we can manage by working together and communicating with one another more. In time, perhaps, we can get the attention of those who have the power to strike it down for good, but until then, let us all do what we can to make the best of things.