Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XC (12/15/2025)

We are pleased to present the full digest of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XC! 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 7.4 Preview Part 2

"Into the Mist" Trailer

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We jump-started the broadcast with an electrifying trailer for Patch 7.4 – Into the Mist. Check it out for a hint of what's to come in the main scenario and final round of the Arcadion series!

Patch 7.4 will be going live on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
The new Savage raids will be released after New Year's, which is later than our usual release timing. Since our service providers will be closed during the year-end holidays, we arranged to release Savage when we would be better equipped to address any issues that might occur during launch.

What's to Come in Patch 7.4

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We went over what's coming in Patch 7.4, including the content we'd announced so far.

• New Main Scenario Quests
  This story update will be foreshadowing our next major adventure. What will become of the "key," and what "fate" awaits our Warrior of Light?
  
  
• New Dungeon - Mistwake
  Mistwake was designed around the theme of "travel," which the Warrior of Light will be doing plenty of in the new main scenario quests.
  
  Starting with Patch 7.4, Duty Support will grant an "auto-revive" buff for each time you restart after wiping to a boss fight. The buff will reset after successfully defeating a boss, but we hope this new feature will encourage those willing to get up and try again!
  
  
• New Trial – Hell on Rails (Normal/Extreme)
  Not our first time tusslin' with a train (somehow!), but even so, this encounter is sure to deliver a freight-ful new experience!
  
  Don't get too spooked by its hideous face; a wary eye is the key to kicking this terrifying locomotive's caboose! Some phases will test your memory, but the overall fight might not be too hard once you're on track. With that said, we still expect early attempts will be a hectic and wild ride!
  
  Hell on Rails (Extreme) will drop two tokens per clear. We previously mentioned wanting to reevaluate the token exchange rate at some point; until that's done, there remains a huge difference between yielding one token or two, so we decided to have this Extreme trial drop two for now.
  
  
• New Raid - The Arcadion: Heavyweight Tier (Normal/Savage)
  The final showdown approaches as we face off with the Arcadion's finest. Don't miss out on our third round of opponents, with awesome battles that bring out the best of their personalities and feral souls!
  
  Check out "The Arcadion: Heavyweight Tier" section below for an early look at the exhilarating matches to come!
  
  
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• Tsukuyomi's Pain (Unreal)
  Tsukuyomi returns from Stormblood as the latest Unreal trial. Revisit the encounter's beautiful transitions and scenery for an aesthetic experience, when you have time between your adventures!
  
  
• New Frontline New Map/Campaign - Worqor Chirteh (Triumph)
  We showcased Worqor Chirteh in the next section along with in-game footage, so be sure to check that out!
  
  
• Gold Saucer Update – Air Force One (The Cieldalaes)
  Three new routes will be added to the Air Force One GATE, so give them a fly-through when you're in the Gold Saucer! Since they wouldn't be much of a mini-game if perfect scores could be achieved too easily, the difficulty level has been tweaked a tiny bit.
  
  
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• Glamour Update
  
• Strategy Board
  
• Command Panel
  
  We went over these exciting new updates later in the broadcast, with in-game footage!
  
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• Occult Crescent Update
  The second installment of Forked Tower will be added in Patch 7.5, featuring a normal and harder version. With that in mind, you may want to prepare with the three new phantom jobs and beneficial accessories that will be coming in 7.4!
  
  
• Duty Support
  The Dzemael Darkhold and Aurum Vale dungeons, notorious as the first major hurdles for many beginners, will be added to Duty Support for those who want to undertake the challenge with NPC allies.
  
  
• New UI Color Themes
  New UI themes have been steadily added over time; we hope you find one that suits you!
  
  
• Deep Dungeon Update
  DDoS attacks have been more frequent lately, and while we've implemented countermeasures against them, we're aware that players can still get disconnected during the brief window before our defenses activate. Considering how Deep Dungeon has been popular with many players, we decided our specifications needed a grace period to reconnect after an untimely disconnect.
  
  
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  We also shared an overview of what's coming in patches 7.41 and 7.45.
  
  
• New Cosmic Exploration Star – Oizys
  Exploring this new star will involve investigating the traces and artifacts of an enigmatic civilization.
  
  
• Weapon Enhancement Quests – Phantom Weapons
  This upcoming enhancement step will involve engaging with various content. We hope you'll look forward to the weapons' new visual effects!
  
  
• New Variant Dungeon - The Merchant's Tale
  Like previous variant dungeons, the Merchant's Tale is designed for one to four players. Check out the "New Variant Dungeon" section below for a detailed in-game preview!
  
  
• Inconceivably Further Hildibrand Adventures
  As usual, we've made a lot of small nuances in the animations and other aspects of these latest quests. When you have a moment to unwind, go check out what new wackiness Hildibrand has been up to!

The Arcadion: Heavyweight Tier

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We went in-game to preview the entry cutscene and mechanics of AAC Heavyweight M2 (or "M10" if you prefer). We also introduced the gear that can be obtained from the Heavyweight Tier, which you can see in the video.

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(01:19:36)

The Heavyweight Tier features an original track composed by Tom Morello, who had a video message for our players!

Mr. Morello is board game buddies with Jason Charles Miller (vocalist for "Shadowbringers" and other FFXIV songs) who told him about FFXIV and how Sound Director Soken is a huge fan of Rage Against the Machine. Hearing that, Mr. Morello composed "Everything Burns" and reached out to the FFXIV team, explaining the circumstances and giving us permission to use the track in FFXIV.

For the FFXIV team, this happened completely out of the blue, and we were absolutely awestruck by his generous offer (especially Soken, of course!). We were determined to feature the track in the right content; although it took time, we finally found the perfect opportunity in the Heavyweight Tier!

"Everything Burns" will be released one day after Patch 7.4, on Wednesday, December 17. Experience the track in-game first, and it'll be available on streaming services soon after!

The Heavyweight Tier will also have other new tracks to wrap up the Arcadion series with a bang, so we hope you'll look forward to hearing those too!

PvP Updates

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In response to long-standing requests, we will be adding replica versions of Feast ranking reward gear.

Both the original and replica gear will have two dye channels, but we intentionally made the dyeable sections different between the two, in recognition of those who worked hard to earn the original Feast rewards.

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(01:37:36)

We gave a quick rundown of Frontline, then went in-game to introduce the new map, Worqor Chirteh (Triumph).

Having more than one player in a circle won't make the flag go up faster, but you can have each player stand in different circles to raise all the flags in one go!

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Worqor Chirteh is notable for its shifting weather conditions, which can change the tide of battle!

During snow, for instance, snow spirits will build obstacles that provide cover and break line of sight. They also grant helpful buffs near triumphs, in the form of light blue AoEs; try to step in them if you can!

Auroras, on the other hand, have a simple but potent effect. Check out the video to see how quickly it can charge your Limit Gauge!

Glamour Update

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(01:53:53)

The glamour system will be getting a major update in 7.4, so we demonstrated how you'll be able to freely glamour gear regardless of class, job, or level. We know many players consider glamour to be the "true endgame"; whether you agree or not, you'll certainly have a lot more gear variety for your outfits!

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Outfit glamours will be updated, allowing you to store parts of an outfit glamour even if you don't have every piece.

We're aware there's been requests for more glamour dresser slots and glamour plates. In the meantime, we're adding outfit glamour support for more sets, which will hopefully open up some slots in your glamour dresser.

(02:04:25)

We also introduced the designs for the new equipment during the broadcast.

New Variant Dungeon

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(02:24:09)

First, we reviewed the changes and new content that were announced in the previous Letter LIVE.

A new variant dungeon, The Merchant's Tale, will be added in Patch 7.4. The protagonist of the story is a merchant, whom our Warriors of Light will be accompanying into a world inside of a book.

Proceed carefully, observe your surroundings, and help the characters you meet—the actions you take will influence how the story unfolds!

We also showed the advanced version of the Merchant's Tale, which will feature powered-up versions of the bosses.
Use what you learned from the normal version to take them on!

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Variant actions are supplemental duty actions that can only be used in variant dungeons. Variant Eagle Eye Shot is a new one we've added; a powerful single-target attack that can provide extra damage when you're feeling confident about progression.

You can choose up to two variant actions to use at a time; feel free to take the ones that suit you most. For example, Variant Rampart and Variant Cure can help with recovering from mistakes when you're still learning the ropes.

New UI Element: Command Panel

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(03:02:35)

We showed the Command Panel's settings, as well as how to operate it with both mouse/keyboard and gamepad controls.

The Command Panel offers customization options to match your preferences, including the ability to lock actions or automatically hide itself after use. You can also keep the panel display on-screen as an extra hotbar for quick access.

On gamepad, the cursor can be moved one or two spaces at a time. This means you can navigate from the center of the Command Panel to any icon on the same tab within two steps!

We've prepared a variety of settings to ensure comfortable gameplay on various devices. Explore them to find the options that best match your playstyle.

The 7.4 Patch Notes will have further details about the Command Panel's various features, so stay tuned.

Strategy Board

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The Strategy Board feature will be added in Patch 7.4. With this new feature, you can create and share diagrams of raid strategies, and even display them on your screen during combat.

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Diagrams can be created from scratch or started from a premade template. They can be shared directly with party members, or even shared on social media and other platforms via share codes.

We demonstrated the process of creating a new diagram using the Strategy Board.

• Templates
  The Strategy Board offers several templates with various arena shapes and icons. In most cases, these templates are probably a good base to start from.
  
  
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• DPS Icon Display Styles
  The DPS icons can be toggled between the styles used in the Japanese and English communities. Icons with similar meanings (such as D1 and Melee 1) can be swapped, so diagrams can easily switch between the two styles.
  
  If you have a static raid group, you can clarify everyone's assigned positions by having the role icons display specific jobs instead.
  
  
  
• Highlighting
  You can highlight specific player icons to track them easier. This might be useful when you're learning a fight on a new role, or when you need to keep track of certain party members per phase.

There are numerous other features, such as placing AoEs and other objects, a layer feature to determine what displays on top, and using multiple diagrams to illustrate a sequence of mechanics. We hope you'll find them useful in creating diagrams!

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Here are some example diagrams we made based on player strategies for existing encounters. Being able to recreate mainstream strategies directly in the game was one of our main goals for the Strategy Board.

If you have a knack for devising strategies and want to spread your ideas with the community, try using the Strategy Board!

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Having a diagram can be helpful when text isn't enough for explaining a strategy. You can "screen share" a diagram in real time while you edit; only the host can make edits in screen share mode.

In the broadcast, we demonstrated how the screen share mode works for the host and their party members.

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Finally, we went over how to send strategies to other players.

You can send an entire folder all at once when you use the direct sharing feature with your party.

Additionally, you can temporarily save up to 20 strategy boards, which is stored separately from the 50 in your saved list.
Be warned—when your temporary list is full, adding another strategy board will delete the oldest strategy in the list. Any strategy boards you want to keep should be kept in your saved list.

If you want to keep a diagram but won't be using it for a while, you can copy its share code and save it somewhere outside of the game. As long as you have the share code, you can use that to reimport the diagram, even after you've deleted it from your saved list!

Our players have produced many clean and well-written raid diagrams over the years, and we hope this new feature will nurture those endeavors. We look forward to seeing your creations using the Strategy Board, as well as any feedback you may have for us after trying it out!