Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LIV Digest (10/02/2019)

[Voltenyne]

We are pleased to present the full digest of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LIV that was delivered from Tokyo Game Show in Japan! If you missed the live stream, or if you just want to watch it again (and again), check it out below!


https://sqex.to/9Lqvf

* Don't forget to select 720p option to watch the video in HD!

Patch 5.1 Special Part 1



In this broadcast, we covered some of the upcoming content that will be implemented in Patch 5.1!

Patch Title/Release Period

(00:04:20)

Patch 5.1 – Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty is scheduled for release in late October!

New Main Scenario Quests



(00:05:21)

Darkness was restored to the First through your efforts in 5.0, but other problems still remain.
The new main scenario quests will be your first step towards discovering a solution to these problems.

New Tribe Quests



(00:06:19)

The next set of tribe quests will feature the pixies.

New Chronicles of a New Era Quests



(00:06:57)

The highly anticipated new alliance raid, YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse, will be added.
In the second half of the broadcast, we had a special talk session with guest creators Yosuke Saito and YOKO TARO.

New Instanced Dungeon



(00:07:29)

The new instanced dungeon, the Grand Cosmos, will be added.
You’ll be visiting it in the main scenario quests and will able to participate with Trusts.

New Trial

(00:08:32)

The next extreme trial will feature a certain boss. We’ll withhold the name for players who are currently going through Shadowbringers, but those of you who have completed the 5.0 main scenario quests probably have a good idea of who it is.

The Third Ultimate-Difficulty Challenge



(00:09:09)

The next ultimate-difficulty challenge is scheduled to be implemented about two weeks after the release of Patch 5.1.

Job-Related Adjustments

(00:10:12)

As announced in the previous Letter from the Producer LIVE, samurai, ninja, and summoner will receive significant changes.

Samurai will receive changes to Shoha, and ninja’s mudra system will be restructured. Summoner will be adjusted to ease the busyness of its current play style.
We'll also be re-balancing the damage of the DPS role overall.

Regarding healers, we are planning to adjust the effectiveness of astrologian’s Nocturnal Sect.

Aside from those mentioned above, there may be jobs that'll receive other fine adjustment and those that may not receive any. We're making considerations and adjustments based on player feedback, which we'll go over in the future, through Patch 5.1 Special Part 2 and more.

As for bard, we’re currently experimenting with a number of different options in the development environment. We’d like to consider these options carefully based on the feedback we have received regarding the job.

Blue Mage Updates



(00:13:13)

Blue mage is a limited job that can take on the play style of any role. Form a party with fellow blue mages and complete specific duties with the new Blue Mage Log!

PvP Updates



(00:14:30)

We received feedback requesting for more PvP actions, so we made substantial adjustments and additions to PvP actions for each job.

We are also adding a new Frontline ruleset: Onsal Hakair (Danshig Naadam), formerly referred to as “Seal Rock 2” in previous broadcasts!

Crafting and Gathering Revamp



(00:16:03)

Major changes will be made to Disciples of the Hand and Land between Patch 5.1 and 5.2.

We've received praises for the crafting and gathering systems in FFXIV being unique and fun. However, certain aspects of these systems made it difficult for newer players to begin. Therefore, we made adjustments to increase the ease of entry.

Not to worry, we’re also adding new content for avid crafters and gatherers to enjoy! Crafters in particular may currently find that they can easily achieve high quality, and we believe that crafting actions aren’t balanced very well at the moment. We’ll be making overall changes throughout Patch 5.1 and 5.2 to make it worthwhile for players who have put in the effort to optimize the equipment they've prepared.

See the following slides for more details to Disciples of the Hand and Land coming in Patch 5.1.







Ishgard Restoration



(00:22:16)

Ishgard Restoration is a new series of content for Disciples of the Hand/Land that will be continually updated starting in Patch 5.1. Players can contribute through a number of tasks including item deliveries to help rebuild the Firmament!

Patch 5.1 will be a sort of learning period for players to get acquainted with the system, and further updates are planned for Patch 5.2 and later.

[Voltenyne]

Gold Saucer



(00:24:32)

Avoid the falling stalks of bamboo as Yojimbo chops them down in the new GATE!

We’ve also added a new Doman Mahjong layout for high resolution monitors.

Performance Updates



(00:25:48)

The new Ensemble feature coordinates your party’s performance actions together server-side!
It’ll require some practice to get used to the inevitable playback delay, but please try playing together using various instruments with other performers!

We’ve also added a performance assistance feature for aspiring performers. A number of predetermined songs will be available for practice with this feature, which highlights the next button to press and displays when to press it!

Launcher Update



(00:27:56)

The launcher has been redesigned into a cool new look!

Miscellaneous Updates



(00:28:16)

Kai-Shirr will be added as the fifth custom deliveries client!

We’ve also updated a number of features that were commonly requested.

New Game+





(00:31:17)

We introduced the New Game+ system, which allows you to revisit previously completed quests!

Although we wanted to make all main scenario quests replayable in Patch 5.1, we limited it to three series due to the immense amount of debugging required. We ended up making Shadowbringers quests available, while A Realm Reborn’s main scenario will be implemented at a later date.

Please be aware that there is only one save slot, and progression is saved automatically.
For example, if you were to start Shadowbringers [Part 2] while you’re in the middle of progressing Shadowbringers [Part 1], your progress in [Part 1] will be reset.

On the other hand, you can turn off New Game+ to participate in Duty Finder content. The UI makes it easy to tell whether you’re currently in normal mode or New Game+.

[Voltenyne]

Fellowships



(00:36:04)

Fellowships are a new community group that are more loosely knit than free companies and linkshells. For example, you could create a fellowship with other players to watch the Letter from the Producer LIVE together, or use it to keep track of regular customers if you are roleplaying as a bartender in your estate. In order to keep the group loosely knit, fellowships intentionally do not have any chat features.

Please see the following slides or the video for more details on fellowships.









End of GARO Collaboration



(00:41:42)

The GARO collaboration will end at the release of Patch 5.1. If there are any pieces of equipment or mounts you want but haven’t gotten yet, this is your last chance!

Special Talk Session

The second half of the broadcast was a special talk session with Yosuke Saito and YOKO TARO, the guest creators of the upcoming YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse alliance raid series!



(00:45:12)

We showed some details of the first alliance raid in the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse series, The Copied Factory. The video shows some concept art and screenshots of the alliance raid, so take a look!

(00:56:25)

We also previewed the a new song that was composed for YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse! The composer, Keiichi Okabe, joined the talk session as a surprise guest.



(01:46:22)

And finally, the patch artwork for 5.1 was revealed towards the end of the talk session.

Please look forward to Patch 5.1!