Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LI Shadowbringers Preview - 1:30pm PDT/4:30pm EDT

[Yoshiyuki]

Begins in a little less than five hours from the time of this post. Yoshi-P and team are currently in San Francisco for the NA leg of the Shadowbringers media tour. This live letter will have a live English translation.

First half of the LL will be overall Shadowbringers changes and battle system changes. Second half will be for job balance/changes. The whole thing will be 3-4 hours total.

You can find the stream links here:
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...414644138f63b2
https://www.twitch.tv/finalfantasyxiv
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYvz...ature=youtu.be

You can download the NA benchmark here. Click the flag icons in the upper-right to find your region outside of NA.
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/benchmark/

"Live Letter Savage"
-Some audio/video issues. Still doing a test stream. Lalafell and Hrothgar doing the Manderville dance together in Lakeland during testing.
-@4:40pm EDT, stream is still down. Technical difficulties. RIP.
-Stream is sort of working now.
-@4:50 EDT, still experiencing technical difficulties.
-An emotional rollercoaster with maybe finding a fix and then not.
-@5:05 EDT, they are trying one last fix, then moving on.
-@5:15 EDT, last fix did not work. They are moving on to outputting the game sound through the mic.
-Yoshi-P and co. apologize for the delay. They will be back shortly.
-@5:25 EDT, actual stream begins.
-@6:25 EDT, job action trailer has no sound. The team is cursed.
-@6:40 EDT, job action trailer again. It's working this time.
-@6:55 EDT, stream is back.
-@8:35 EDT, wrapping up the stream. Benchmark will be released tonight.
-@8:45 EDT, the team apologizes profusely for the technical problems. Showing off the new benchmark trailer with the WoL as Dark Knight.
-Stream is over!

Live Updates
FATE system in 5.0
-New rewards other than EXP.
-Unique tokens to exchange at NPCs for crafting mats, orchestrion rolls, etc.

Side quests in 5.0
-Will be level synced, enemies will sync to player level.

New Role Quests
-Four sets will be added (tank/healer/physical DPS/magical DPS).
-Retrace the journeys of the First's fallen heroes.
-You must follow one quest line for MSQ completion.
-Traditional job quests will shift to role quests.
-Dancer/Gunbreaker will have the usual quests from 60-70.
-For crafters/gatherers, five new sets of quests will be at the Crystarium - three types of quests for crafters and two types for gatherers.
-Progresses the story of the Crystalline Mean to learn more about the world and lore of the First. Similar to custom delivery quests.

UI Update
-Light Skin for a new, lighter theme.
-Dark skin is the existing default.
-You will have to log out and log back in to apply changes.
-All UI elements will be expanded.
-Cross-world LSs expanded to eight channels.
-HP bars will show more info: (i.e. 0.8% HP display).
-Updates to party list information.
-Housing furniture placement previews available.

Charged Action System
-Certain actions will gain a set maximum of charges for later use.
-Shows an example of Dancer, with an ability called Ev Avant, that lets you dash forward by ten yalms. You can gain three charges. Able to use all three charges to use the ability three times back to back.
-Charges will continue to stack/accumulate even while out of combat. Not every job has these.

Casting Interruption System
-You can interrupt enemy actions.
-Actions that can be interrupted have a highlighted cast bar.
-Tanks and ranged DPS will receive role actions to handle interruptions.

Removal of Role Action Customization
-New actions will be attained while naturally leveling up.
-Cutting down on the bloat.
-Some of these actions will be removed entirely.

MP and TP Systems
-MP will be capped and TP will be eliminated.
-Max MP will be 10k for all jobs/roles.
-Piety will stay but will be adjusted - it is now the rate at which you regain MP in combat.
-No more TP management; able to use weaponskills freely.

Main Attributes and Materia
-Main attributes on accessories will be adjusted.
-Tanks will have STR and VIT on their accessories already.
-Main attribute materia will no longer be meldable.
-Existing main attribute materia on gear will be invalidated @5.0.
-Main attribute materia will no longer be obtainable.
-From now on, for weekly token gear and Savage raid drops, the belts and accessories will have two materia slots.

Pet System
-Pets will no longer take damage.
-Can't target pets anymore.
-Pet hotbar removed.
-You can add pet actions to your own hotbars.
-Tank pets will be changed.
-Pet actions will be consolidated, such as "Egi Assault" for the egis' main moves.

Other battle system adjustments
-Battle system calculations will be adjusted/changed; keep this in mind when viewing 5.0 tooltips once the media embargo ends on May 29.
-Chain bonus exp will be removed from dungeons, but you will gain more exp from mobs overall.
-Damage limit increased from 999,999 to 9,999,999 to account for future damage inflation; Foxclon jokes about 6.0 being confirmed.
-Party bonus will be adjusted to account for the number of players filling a role. The rate at which the limit gauge raises will be adjusted for 5.0 content and beyond.
-The HP of a barrier shield will show as a yellow bar on the party list; a down arrow will show next to players who don't have full HP.

Job actions trailer
-Gunbreaker has charged magic bullets to use with weaponskills. Pulling the trigger as you're slashing in FFVIII - main inspiration for this job.
-Bard is complex, so they tried to cut down on this. Should not feel too different. Executing actions as you're moving will be easier.
-Dragoon has less to manage. Jumps will be quicker.
-Black Mage evolved in a straightforward way. Polyglot stacks twice for Foul. Changed MP mechanics when shifting between AF/UI.
-Astrologian has gone through a major change. All cards will increase DPS. Pick which role you will allocate the cards to. Depending on the symbols on the cards, you can execute certain actions.
-Samurai made a simpler evolution. It's clearer when you're using the Iai-Jutsu. Possible to use two Midare Setsugekkas in a row.
-Warriors can buff allies. Tank stances have been changed. Many Fell Cleaves in a row.
-Red Mage will be discussed in more detail later.
-Monk has a fourth Greased Lightning stack. Seems to have a charging move. You can keep up your GL4 easier.
-Paladin has a gap closer. But everything else is familiar.
-Ninja has changed, with Kassatsu shifting to a charged action. You can have a shadow fighting with you, mimicking your abilities.
-White Mage has more stones to throw. Angel wings.
-Scholar has a new fairy, probably Seraph.
-Summoner has a new summon, Phoenix. You can instantly switch your pets in and out of battle.
-Machinist seems to be a completely new job. No more Gauss Barrel. New robot mech to fight alongside you.
-Dancer performs steps in battle. Actively supports other party members; a lot of buffing compared to the other jobs. Will go into more detail in a bit.
-Dark Knight no longer has Dark Arts. New gauge on top of the blood gauge. Summoning your inner shadow, Fray, to fight alongside you.

More detail with job changes
-Re-balancing player roles.
-Discussing job synergy and how certain jobs are "required" for the meta.
-Slashing, piercing, blunt resistances removed. Revised/removed some actions in light of these changes.
-Stressing how much Dancer is a buffing job while DPSing, but will not be required for party comps.



Tank Role Jobs
-Adjusting jobs according to MT/OT roles.
-All four tanks will be viable as MT or OT.
-All jobs can support MT.
-Removing offensive stances. We will just toggle tank stances on and off. Tank stances adjusted.
-Damage received/dealt, max HP from tank stances are gone.
-Tank stances will now only generate more enmity for all abilities used.
-No penalty for applying tank stance. Turn it on for MT and leave it off for OT.
-New trait, Tank Mastery, for damage received/dealt and max HP. All damage received will be reduced by 20%. Max HP bonus and damage dealt increase based on certain attributes.
-Enmity-generating combos removed.
-Skill rotations will not change for MT or OT. Will always be the same.
-For Paladin, no more Sword Oath. New ability to remove casting time for spells. Sheltron duration extended. Rage of Halone effects changed.
-For Warrior, no more Deliverance. You'll get a new ability that's more powerful than Fell Cleave.
-For Dark Knight, no more Dark Arts, as mentioned before.
-For Gunbreaker, you use different magicked ammunition to enhance abilities. You fill up your ammo with attacks. The combo is more fluid, as it will change depending on your ammo. They have a regen effect as their healing ability. Gap closer too.

Healer Role Jobs
-Healers rebalanced to become pure healing jobs. Adding abilities to address gaps in their kits.
-Protect removed.
-White Mage will automatically accumulate lilies; a new black lily opens up new DPS options. They'll get another instant heal.
-Scholar has more direct healing spells. Not automatically relegated to the off-heal role. Eos and Selene are basically the same now; pick your favorite to use in battle. You can summon Seraph briefly for more powerful healing spells.
-Astrologian stances and card effects adjusted. Cards increase DPS. Separated recast timer for Draw and using the card. High-level ability lets you use both Diurnal Sect and Nocturnal Sect.
-Those who attended the media tour gave positive feedback for the new healer changes.
-Offensive abilities adjusted.
-Yoshi-P and co joke about how tired they are after all of the events.

DPS Role Jobs
-Melee jobs and Black Mage and Red Mage have changed in traditional, straightforward ways, such as more Greased Lightning stacks for Monk, more Jumps for Dragoon, etc. Nothing too shocking.
-They hesitated to add a fourth Greased Lightning stack because they worried it would widen the gap between skilled and unskilled players. So they added the stack but made it easier to keep GL up.
-Dragoon no longer has Heavy Thrust. Mirage activation adjusted. New Jumps.
-Samurai is still a selfish DPS. The same, but more. Hagakure adjusted.
-Ninja enmity tools removed. High-level ninjutsu added. Bunshin ability for the shadows.
-Black Mage has a new ability, Umbral Soul, gives you a stack of Umbral Ice. You can keep adding them infinitely; useful for when the boss leaves the field. More instant-cast spells, like Xenoglossy. UI/AF duration increased to 15 seconds. Blizzard III requires no MP to cast.
-No more Mana Shift ability.
-Red Mage has another instant-cast ability.
-Bard, Machinist and Summoner have gone through more significant changes.
-Machinist is pretty much a brand new job. Wanted to cut down on the complex playstyle. They have a Heat Gauge, and a Battery Gauge for summoning the new robot. New abilities let them pull out a flamethrower, a giant drill.
-Summoners' Ruin IV will be easier to use. Instantly swap between different egis depending on the situation. After Bahamut is done attacking, you can bring in Phoenix or vice-versa. Aetherflow accumulation pre-combat will no longer be necessary.
-Bard is not too different. Songs that increase the critical hit rate increase have been adjusted. Soul Voice Gauge lets you use more powerful actions.

Dancer
-The job is a buffing ranged DPS. They can choose to have a dance partner in the party, whom they focus their buffs on.
-As your partner uses actions, they help accumulate one of your gauges.
-Spirit Gauge.
-You'll both get a buff icon indicating who's partnered with whom.
-Two different steps - standard steps and technical steps.
-You have to perform the steps in succession. If you're too slow, you lose the effect of your steps and you have to start over.
-Buffs that you apply to yourself also apply to your dance partner.
-Saber Dance returns from FFXI as a damage buff.
-The job plays like a rhythm game.
-As you perform your steps, things speed up, so you have to keep up!
-Once your Spirit Gauge gets to 50, you can use more powerful dances.

Announcements
-FFXIV will be at E3 this year. Titania battle challenge.
-Letter from the Producer LIVE LII at E3 on Friday, June 14 at 3:00pm PDT.
-Left-handed gaming device specifically for FFXIV, scheduled for late 2019 release. Should be around 10,000 yen or $100 USD.
-Eorzean Symphony 2019 in September.
-Benchmark will release shortly. It shows off Shadowbringers along with the character creator for Viera and Hrothgar.

[Yoshiyuki]

Looks like the other live thread is the placeholder. If no one replies here, I'll just let this go.

[Shougun]

Looks like the other live thread is the placeholder. If no one replies here, I'll just let this go.

So... if I reply to this then you can't let it go? :3? . . .

I imagine when the live letter info gets going we might see new threads like male miqote when they were first released. Everywhere. So uh.. /shrug. Buckle up for the thread-ening.

Also I believe we can expect details on TP removal and other job changes as a whole that have happened uniquely from SB to ShB (beyond just the normal actions shown off).

[Alucard135]

Looks like the other live thread is the placeholder. If no one replies here, I'll just let this go.

I guess you're stuck now.

[Yoshiyuki]

So... if I reply to this then you can't let it go? :3? . . .

I imagine when the live letter info gets going we might see new threads like male miqote when they were first released. Everywhere. So uh.. /shrug. Buckle up for the thread-ening.

Also I believe we can expect details on TP removal and other job changes as a whole that have happened uniquely from SB to ShB (beyond just the normal actions shown off).

We'll see who else joins in lol. I just didn't want this to get buried. It would be nice to have everything in one place, though I'm sure we'll see plenty of other single-issue threads pop up. I don't mind.

Letter's starting in about 45 minutes or so.

[disturbedcobra]

Who's ready to be excited/disappointed?

[Shougun]

We'll see who else joins in lol.

I guess you're stuck now.

Letter's starting in about 45 minutes or so.

HYPE

[Yoshiyuki]

You guys are hilarious lol. Thanks for joining in.

Depending on how the letter goes, I fully expect new threads to pop up like this - https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme..._the_death_of/

[CraftOs]

Please announce something crafting related that’s not generic or boring.. “New recipes” is a big no no

[Yoshiyuki]

Please announce something crafting related that’s not generic or boring.. “New recipes” is a big no no

I'm hoping we get more info on the Ishgard DoH/DoL thing. If it's in 5.0, that would be amazing...but I won't be disappointed too much if it's in 5.1 or something instead.