This may be a known issue but here goes. MUCH more common lately - the Potential Network Problem icon pops up at random intervals. Usually lasts for some seconds and goes away. Associated with this is disturbing visuals with combat. For instance as an archer I can fire an aimed shot then rapid fire. Nothing happens at the target end. Then a couple or few seconds later they all arrive at once (obviously when the client hears back from the server) a whole bunch of numbers bursts from the target and it may be dead (or not). This messes with the flow of combat - I'm never sure what is working. Could this issue be looked at PLEASE?
This sounds like something to do with your network connection, have you tried restarting your networking gear? Could also just be the nature of the Internet in general, or something specific with your ISP.
Well, my two cents is I am having the same issue. This started for me a month or two ago, usually when entering Owls head, strangely. Only lasts a couple of seconds, but has become a regular thing throughout the game. I am located in California, USA. Have not had these issues except with SOTA.
I'm located in Thailand and I've been having connection issues for quite a while now, off and on for 3 months. Thus far I've turned off "aggressive decoration loading", but I'm not sure if it helps or I'm just fooling myself, because it still happens, yet lately not as often as it once was, which could also be due to my spacing out my mega-farm planters as well as cutting way back on the amount of planters. "but I still encounter the same connection issues while hunting sometimes". My mega-farm I believe has issues due to it wrapping around an underground Stalagnate in the POT's entrance chamber. Most of my connection issues are within and around my way over the top animation decorated properties, but to a much lesser degree, even while hunting. Thus far living with it ~TL~
In the Hudson Valley area of NY, seen it pop up a couple of times the last few weeks, but never stayed long or affected me, at least never noticed anything.
I have observed the network connection issue icon more recently also from Southern California. When it has been frequent I start a continuous ping to Google DNS (8.8.8.8) to validate my local connection to internet. After observing the ping timing results during SOTA Network timing issues there are many times that the congestion is not occurring locally but somewhere more in the core of the internet. Next time it happens I can try to execute traceroute to isolate the congestion area. It would help to have the defined addresses of the authentication server and the game servers, as these are not obvious and not the same as www.shroudoftheavatar.com.