Game keeps freezing during start up - can't find character essence

[NecrosisDemon]

So I downloaded Istaria yesterday, installed it and then ran the launcher update. Logging into the launcher went fine and the game started up, yet it crashed to desktop when "receiving new character essence" appears and I get the following transport error ID: 11, that I can't connect because either the authentication server is offline or because there's a network error.
I've never had problems installing MMOs before so I did a clean install - without the launcher update this time. I also added the game to my trusted applicants in my firewall.

I get the same problem. I then installed the launcher update following these steps https://support.istaria.com/index.ph...code=view&id=2. Again, I get the same problem: the launcher seems to work fine except for the ridiculous loading times I can't seem to stop, the game just quits because it can't find the character essence.

So I went to character management and tried to make a new character that way. Didn't work because the ActiveX control something won't load - after searching around I found this is because Firefox can't handle it or something, so I tried to do it through IE... ActiveX control loads but I get the message the game isn't installed!
I mean... seriously!

I've tried everything I could think off, updated my things, it just won't work.
Does anyone have any idea how I could fix this?

[AmonGwareth]

Launching through the website isn't supported any longer. Go here (http://community.istaria.com/pg.php/download) and download the Launcher Upgrade.

You should also make sure that you have the necessary ports open if you have a firewall as that can cause network connection problems. Here is an article on Error 11 which you encountered:

https://support.istaria.com/index.ph...ode=view&id=40

[Kyairthwen]

I'm having a similar problem, except that it won't even install properly for me. I have to sit here for a half hour trying to install it, waiting until it tells me that it cannot download yet another file during the install and that I should skip it and it will update with the patcher. So I do this, and twice now I have gone all the way through the install, but it doesn't actually install. I can't find it in my add/remove programs, and when I try to install the Launcher Upgrade, it says I have to have a working installation of Istaria.