Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXIX (10/06/2023)

We are pleased to present the full digest of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXIX, which we recently delivered from Tokyo Game Show 2023! 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 6.5 Preview Part 2

Patch 6.5 Growing Light Trailer

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We kicked off the broadcast with the new trailer for Patch 6.5—Growing Light.
Part 1 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, October 3, and Part 2 in mid-January 2024.

Patch 6.5 is our last major update before the launch of the new expansion, and its main scenario will be presented in two parts. The first part will come with the update on Tuesday, October 3. The second part will be released after new Patch 7.0 information has been announced at the European and Japanese Fan Festivals.

We hope you’ll look forward to the story updates and new information!

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What’s to Come in Patch 6.5

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We went over the various additions that will be coming in Patch 6.5x.

As we mentioned earlier, this is our last major patch before the new expansion, so minor patches will be released a bit differently than usual. Note that Part 2, which will be released in mid-January 2024, will be Patch 6.55. There will also be minor updates between Part 1 and Part 2, including Patch 6.51.

Both the main scenario and Tataru’s Grand Endeavor will be wrapping up storylines that have unfolded throughout the Patch 6.x series. Please look forward to the fate of Zero, a new character who has played an active role in this series, as well as the fate of the 13th Reflection.

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An extra story will be available for those who complete the tribal quests in the 6.x series. Though we were unable to prepare such a finale in Shadowbringers, we received numerous requests from around the world asking for one, so this time around, we were able to adjust our Scenario team’s schedule to deliver a grand finale to the storyline! It’ll be quite the energetic conclusion, so if you haven’t caught up with the Endwalker tribal quests, you may want to work on them beforehand!

This will also be the finale of the Somehow Further Hildibrand Adventures series. What will happen to Brandihild, also known as “Low-Poly Hildy”? How will the story end this time? This is a conclusion to yet another large storyline, so we hope you’ll be looking forward to it.

You will also be able to further enhance your Manderville weapons, and we encourage you to build weapons for a variety of jobs.

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The new dungeon, the Lunar Subterrane, doesn’t appear to belong on the moon of the Source... It is sure to bring a grin to those who like past works. We have also included a few surprises, so please enjoy them along with the main story.

The FFXIV-original story of Myths of the Realm will be coming to a close. Our Warriors of Light have shown their fondness of the Twelve throughout this series and the Development team has responded in kind, going all out with the presentation, characters, and battle mechanics.

The Singularity Reactor (Unreal) has been tuned to a relatively challenging level of difficulty. Whether you’ve experienced the Extreme version or not, we encourage you to give it a try!

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(00:15:28)

In response to feedback, the Criterion (Savage) dungeon coming in Patch 6.51 will feature new rewards. We’d be much obliged if you could try the dungeon and provide input regarding the rewards, which would serve as our reference for future additions to the Variant & Criterion series in the next expansion.

As of Patch 6.5, Duty Support will be available in all dungeons visited in the main scenario from A Realm Reborn to Endwalker. Back when the Drowned City of Skalla was in development, one of the Scenario team’s concepts for the dungeon was a tale of the Warrior of Light’s friendship with Alphinaud, but alas, since Duty Support had yet to be implemented at the time, the Warrior of Light and Alphinaud had to go their separate ways. The scenario has been amended of this unfortunate circumstance, and now even those who’ve completed the dungeon may revisit it for a new experience.

The updates to Island Sanctuary include a replayable activity known as Felicitous Favors for those who’ve maxed out their island prior to Patch 6.5. It’ll have exclusive rewards, so be sure to check it out once you’ve maxed out your sanctuary rank.

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The Fall Guys collaboration is on its way, as announced at the North American Fan Festival. Look forward to seeing FFXIV-specific elements and plenty of exclusive rewards!
A specific date for the collaboration’s launch will be announced at the European Fan Festival and other announcement events.

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In this section, we went over a number of miscellaneous updates.

Our newest custom deliveries client is Margrat, a researcher with workaholic tendencies. She garnered popularity within the Development team for her fervor towards her job, and she was heartily endorsed for inclusion in custom deliveries. Perhaps Margrat’s story will also seem familiar to those of us who share a similar enthusiasm about what they do for a living!

Starting with Patch 6.5, you will no longer be able to intentionally lower your item level when registering for Duty Roulette: Alliance Raids. In exchange, EXP and Allagan tomestone rewards have been adjusted for each alliance raid based on their difficulty and time required for completion. Should you have any feedback regarding the amount of rewards, we’d like to hear your thoughts.

Upcoming Schedule

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We reviewed the upcoming schedule, which alternates between patches and announcement events. Be on the lookout for new information as you continue your adventures!

Job Adjustments

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The level cap will be raised in Patch 7.0 and rotations will change quite a bit, so Patch 6.5 will focus on balancing DPS within each role. Therefore, there will be few job adjustments and no changes to rotations.
Further details can be found in the 6.5 Patch Notes

The Abyssal Fracture

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Check out the video for a sneak peek at the arena and early mechanics of the encounter against Zeromus! The encounter also features a shift in BGM and other presentation elements you may want to look out for.

The Crystalline Conflict Update

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We went over some fine adjustments to the UI and the new arena, alongside in-game footage.

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The minimap and HUD will receive an option to always display your team on the left side, and a “comeback point” will show how far the losing team must progress to turn the tide of the game. These changes will make it easier to understand the current status of a game at a glance, but will also surely be helpful when providing live commentary.

A large countdown will appear on all players’ screens, making it easier to recognize when the match enters the final ten seconds before overtime. Be sure to hop on the crystal when the countdown appears!

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The progress gauge will be enhanced with the following information for a better overview of the battle situation.

• Background of the progress gauge will flash to indicate the winning team
• Display of “comeback point”
• Increased visibility of checkpoint breakthrough rate
• During overtime, the match time indicator will change to display how long the losing team has to return to the crystal

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In Patch 6.51, the effects of certain actions and pets will indicate if they belong to an enemy or ally, even in the heat of combat. This change will also be reflected in other PvP content as well!

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(00:43:14)

We took a sneak peek at the new arena, the Red Sands, which will be added in Patch 6.51. Its unique mechanics include a scorching heat that deals damage over time, dangerous sabotenders, and more! We also took a closer look at the new additions to the UI.

New Alliance Raid: Thaleia

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The tale of Myths of the Realm and the Twelve will be coming to a close. If you’ve been keeping up with the story, you may have noticed: do we have enough remaining deities to serve as bosses in Thaleia? We have prepared various plans regarding this question, so please look forward to them.

Check out the video for in-game footage of the opening cutscenes, scenery, and the first boss: Thaliak!

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We also previewed the reward equipment from Thaleia along with some new housing items, glamour gear, and mounts. The faerie-like mounts are based on a new character who will be appearing in content to be added sometime during Patch 6.5x.

Planned Improvements to Server Infrastructure

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We have been considering the possibility of a cloud server infrastructure, and now that the concept is taking shape, we are looking to begin testing. Setting up cloud-based data centers would enable us to merge or purge Worlds at a moment’s notice, among other capabilities.

First, we will be holding a public stress test in North America sometime during the 6.5x series. In preparation for this test, the cloud data center will appear on the data center selection screen starting from Patch 6.5 but will be inaccessible until the stress test begins. The stress test period and other details will be announced on the Lodestone at a later date.

For about five years, we’ve been testing to ensure that playing on the cloud servers will provide the same experience as a physical data center, and with the cooperation of various companies, we’ve finally reached a state where that can be achieved. Using cloud data centers would allow us to tackle new endeavors with FFXIV in the future, so we’d appreciate your help during the test.

As a note, we went over upcoming content for Patch 6.5 in this Letter LIVE, but not everything that will be added during 6.5x! We still have more to reveal at the upcoming Fan Festivals, so we hope you’ll keep an eye out for future announcements as you enjoy Patch 6.5!