Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVII (05/22/2023)

We are pleased to present the full digest of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVII!
If you missed the live stream, or if you just want to watch it again (and again), check it out below!

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* Don't forget to select the 1080p option to watch the video in HD!

Patch 6.4 Preview Part 2

The Dark Throne Trailer

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We began the broadcast by revealing the trailer for Patch 6.4—The Dark Throne, scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 23.

What’s to Come in Patch 6.4

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Excitement awaits in the upcoming main scenario, one of them being the much-anticipated confrontation with Golbez.

Tataru’s Grand Endeavor will give us yet another opportunity to catch up with familiar faces from our journeys thus far. The latest update will require completion of the Sorrow of Werlyt sidequests up to “Forever at Your Side.”

Somehow Even Further Hildibrand Adventures will be back with more antics in Patch 6.45. We didn’t want to spoil them in the trailer, but we hope you’ll look forward to it nonetheless!

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Manderville weapons and Splendorous tools will be upgradable in Patch 6.45. As before, you’ll be able to enhance the Manderville weapons by participating in a variety of content, as well as create multiple weapons.

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The Aetherfont is a dungeon we’ll be visiting during the course of the main scenario. Our first glimpse through the trailer reveals a curious diversity of scenery, from Sharlayan-style structures to abundant wildlife.

In terms of difficulty, the normal version of the Voidcast Dais should be a rowdy good time, while the Extreme version may be moderately difficult.

The upcoming Unreal trial will feature Zurvan, the Demon; third and final member of the Warring Triad. It may have been some time since you last faced Zurvan, in which case you could revisit Containment Bay Z1T9 (Extreme) to refresh your memory.

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The Pandæmonium series will be wrapping up with its final chapter, Anabaseios. The story serves as a sort of epilogue to Endwalker, and the connections between the two narratives may be more noticeable after rewatching the tail end of the main scenario.

The Savage raids will be released one week after Patch 6.4, so we hope you’ll enjoy the story in the normal version first.

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The second Variant & Criterion Dungeon, Mount Rokkon, will be coming in Patch 6.45. Do note that Mount Rokkon will be accessible even if you haven’t entered the Sil’dihn Subterrane.

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Duty Support will be added for main scenario dungeons up to Ala Mhigo, allowing players to experience them with NPCs from the story. Having them along for the ride can enhance the narrative experience, so even if you’ve already completed Stormblood, perhaps it’s time for another playthrough with New Game+.

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Updates for blue mage and Ocean Fishing are on their way, as noted in the images above.

A new type of tomestone, Allagan tomestones of comedy, will be added; the name “comedy” being a reference to the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.

Job icons will now be displayed in the chat log (in parties and alliances only) and on player nameplates, which we hope you’ll find useful.

Glasses and wing fashion accessories will be displayed when engaged in battle in the overworld, such as during FATEs.

Job Adjustments

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This time around, there won’t be major overhauls to damage rotations; instead, the primary focus will be reinforcing certain jobs to balance damage output within each role. For example, tank jobs other than dark knight will be adjusted for balance; other roles will be adjusted in a similar manner.

Additionally, several party buffs will have their radius extended to 30 yalms, improving their usability.

We also went over specific adjustments to paladin and dragoon. For paladin, Atonement will be changed to no longer interrupt combos. As for dragoon, Jump and High Jump will no longer shift the character’s position, removing the risk of leaping forward when using them. The two abilities will also be performable while bound, bringing them in line with other jobs’ damage abilities which can be used in the same situations.

PvP Updates

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A new reward token will be added to Crystalline Conflict for those who place within the top 100 rankings or Diamond tier and above; the higher your ranking, the more tokens you’ll receive. After accumulating a certain quantity of the new token, they can be exchanged to apply a visual effect to Hellhound weapons. The tokens will persist across PvP seasons, so you’ll be able to collect them over time, as well as work towards obtaining enough for multiple weapons.

During the broadcast, we showed gameplay footage of the weapon with visual effects. We worked hard on the weapons for each job and are hoping you’ll be look forward to it!

Frontline Adjustments

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A new dedicated UI will display the scores and remaining time in Frontline matches. There will also be an option to switch back to the old UI for those who prefer it.

Another major change to the battle aspects is balancing Frontline modifiers on a per-job basis; namely, limit break gauge fill rate, damage dealt, and damage taken. A job’s limit break gauge fill rate will be balanced based on the effectiveness of their limit break in Frontline, so some jobs will accumulate gauge faster or slower compared to before.

There will also be overall changes to the terrain and ice placement in the Fields of Glory (Shatter). You can see the changes to the terrain in the comparison below.

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Scoring methods will also be adjusted, including the addition of icebound tomeliths. This change is intended to resolve the standstill situations which often occurred when all active objectives were destroyed.

The Voidcast Dais

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We took a sneak peek at the arena for the trial and some of its early mechanics. We also got to hear the background music, which is an arrangement of a track from FFIV, so be sure to check out the video!

Where are we, for what do we fight, and what will be the outcome of this fierce battle? Be sure to check out the main scenario and see for yourself!

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We also took a quick look at the gear that will be obtainable through the new Allagan tomestones of comedy. The weapon designs for each job will be based on the grand-prize winning entries of the Weapon Design Contest. Other grand-prize winning designs will be implemented in the future, so we hope you’ll look forward to them!

* During the broadcast, we showcased an image of a Hrothgar character wearing the dragoon gear obtained through Allagan tomestones of comedy that featured a combination of face type and hair style that is not available outside of the development environment. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused for our viewers. (Updated Tuesday, May 23)

Pandæmonium: Anabaseios

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We took a sneak peek at Anabaseios: The Ninth Circle through gameplay.

During development, once most of the fine-tuning was completed, we held an internal playtest with staff members who were seeing the content for the first time. The participants were noticeably intrigued by the mechanics and eager to figure out how they were meant to be resolved, so we’re quite confident it’ll be enjoyable for our Warriors of Light as well.

Starting with Anabaseios, the treasure coffers awarded in Savage raids will be adjusted. There will only be one treasure coffer as opposed to two, but the actual number of rewards yielded will not be fewer than before. Additionally, the exchange rates of so-called “pages” will be lowered for chest and leg equipment, as well as accessories. Be sure to check out the above images for details.

Island Sanctuary Update

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The Island Sanctuary furnishing system had changed quite a bit since they were announced in the previous Letter LIVE, so we reintroduced them during this segment of the broadcast.

You’ll be able to place furnishings in your inventory as glamours, meaning that as long as you own one of an outdoor furnishing item, you’ll be able to place multiple of that furnishing on your isle. Additionally, items known as “island prisms” can be used to register outdoor furnishings, allowing you to place them even when they’re not in your inventory. Furthermore, you’ll be able to use dyes to change the color of outdoor furnishings that have been placed.

All of this may seem intimidating to read, so it may be helpful to watch the system in action through the timestamp above. We also showed some of the new rewards and furnishing items, so be sure to check those out too!

Variant & Criterion Dungeon #2: Mount Rokkon (6.45)

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We reviewed the basics of variant and criterion dungeons, then showed gameplay footage of Mount Rokkon.

This time, you’ll be accompanied by Hancock as you make your way through the dungeon. As with the previous variant dungeon, there will be numerous branching paths that each reveal a different side to the story.

The dungeon will begin deep in the mountains, which may have been unexpected, considering the images of Mount Rokkon so far have all featured an Eastern-style mansion. But the path leading from the starting point to the mansion is one of the aspects of the scenery that we worked hard on, and it’ll be great for taking screenshots. During the broadcast, we observed the mountain scenery and a hot spring.

NPCs may quip with helpful hints as you make your way through Mount Rokkon. Heeding their guidance may influence the mechanics of boss encounters, so you may want to keep your eyes peeled. During the broadcast, we showed a certain scene where Hancock provides one such hint.

We wrapped our preview of Mount Rokkon with a quick bout against the first boss, which you can watch in the video.

We also showcased a number of new gear and mounts, including gear rewards from Mount Rokkon, fashionable new crafted gear, a new dog minion, and a fancy bed… which is actually a mount.

Fan Festival 2023-2024

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The upcoming North American Fan Festival will be livestreaming the stage events (aside from the concerts), so be sure to check it out! Those attending the Fan Festival will have a chance to participate in a special battle encounter, The Gilded Araya, ahead of its implementation on the live servers.