Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LIX Digest (08/03/2020)

[Zhexos]

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



* Don't forget to select the 720p option to watch the video in a higher resolution!

Patch 5.3 Special Part 2
We covered some of the upcoming content that will be implemented in Patch 5.3 alongside some gameplay.

Reflections in Crystal Trailer



We began the show by revealing the trailer for Patch 5.3, Reflections in Crystal.
Patch 5.3 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, August 11.

Upcoming Content and Features in Patch 5.3





(00:10:20)
After an overview of upcoming content, we showed gameplay footage of new features to be added to group pose.

One such feature is the Sticker Mode, which allows you place stickers of minion illustrations and names of locales on your screenshots. Stickers are separated into different layers, and you’ll be able to save sticker/frame combinations, allowing you to enjoy quite a lot of freedom with these convenient new features!

We also showcased new equipment items and minions, as well as flying in A Realm Reborn areas. The areas in A Realm Reborn weren’t designed with flying in mind, so you may find that there aren’t as many locations where you can dismount compared to areas that were added in Heavensward and onward.

Additionally, as we mentioned in the previous Letter from the Producer LIVE, although the Sound Team did their best to find any inconsistencies with the ambient sounds while flying, a fully detailed check wasn’t possible due to immense development manpower cost it would’ve needed. If you notice any unexpected sounds while flying in certain areas, we’d be grateful if you could let us know through a bug report.

A Realm Reborn will be revamped in Patch 5.3, and in tandem with this we’ve also adjusted the amount of EXP gained from completing the main scenario quests in Heavensward/Stormblood/Shadowbringers. This will make it easier to meet main scenario quest level requirements by simply completing main scenario quests.

We also made various minor additions and changes, such as adding new varieties of gear around level 40.


Free Trial Expansion



(00:55:15)

With the release of Patch 5.3, we’re also significantly increasing the amount of content that can be played using the free trial.

We believe it’ll be more exciting for new players who complete A Realm Reborn to be able to dive right into Heavensward.

It’ll be a great opportunity to invite any family or friends to join you in FFXIV!

Job Adjustments



(01:02:07)
Several jobs will be receiving adjustments in this patch.
For now we’d like to share a general overview and direction for some of the jobs, and further details can be found in the upcoming patch notes.

Monk
We received many comments on how Greased Lightning doesn’t mesh well with content, so we’re currently considering changing Greased Lightning into a trait. However, this would require adjustments for almost all monk actions and would be very expensive in terms of development manpower cost, so our earliest estimate for these changes would be Patch 5.4.

As for Patch 5.3, we’ve reduced the recast time of Perfect Balance and changed Form Shift to extend Greased Lightning to its full duration regardless of form, which will make it easier to maintain Greased Lightning.

Bard
The potency of several actions will be increased to raise its overall damage.

Astrologian
The MP costs of healing spells will be reduced, and a number of actions will now have MP restoration effects, making it easier to manage MP. As for Lightspeed, the desired timings for its cast time reduction and MP restoration effects sometimes conflicted with each other, so we’ve changed it to only reduce cast times.

Other adjustments, such as a change to Sleeve Draw, will be made as well.

Summoner
Taking the balance with other jobs into consideration, we’ve reduced the potency of Tri-disaster.

YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse Chapter 02: The Puppets’ Bunker



(01:08:31)
We showed some gameplay footage of the new content, though we refrained from showing too much to avoid spoilers. We hope you’ll look forward to experiencing it yourself!

In the new battles, you may want to pay attention to not only the enemies’ cast bars, but their movements as well. After the gameplay, we also took a sneak peek at the new equipment and furnishing items, which can be seen in the video.

Tribe Quests: Dwarves



(01:41:13)
We showed in-game footage of the tribe settlement, which is included in the video.


Crafter and Gatherer Updates




(01:46:09)
Patch 5.3 will bring additional quality-of-life features, which you can read more about in the images above. We also demonstrated Quick Desynthesis through gameplay footage.

The Raw Materials List calculates the total amount of materials required based on the number of items you’d like to craft. Any leftovers produced from crafting intermediate materials are also included in the calculation.

The image above uses woolen dress gloves as an example to explain this calculation feature. With that said, you won’t need to understand how the calculation works; if you obtain the quantity of items calculated by the Raw Materials List, you’ll have enough materials to craft the exact number of items and won’t end up making more than necessary.


Ishgardian Restoration Updates



(01:59:52)
The achievement and title rewards for the upcoming Skybuilder Rankings will be slightly different from those awarded to the winners of the previous ranking season.

We’d like to maintain the rareness of the first season’s title by making slight changes to indicate which season the titles were obtained, but they would be otherwise identical. However, we understand there may be varying opinions regarding the titles, so the titles may end up different from the one featured in the broadcast.

The Restoration quests have some elements that follow Ishgardian events after Ishgard was saved by the Warrior of Light, so you might look forward to the story if you enjoyed Heavensward.

[Zhexos]

Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr



This update is comprised of two major features: a new large-scale encounter—the Bozjan southern front, and an update to further augment the Resistance weapons.

Bozjan Southern Front












(02:09:27)
The Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr quests will take place in the Bozjan southern front, which has been designed so that it can be enjoyed even after completing the quests. The Bozjan southern front involves some unique rules, so be sure to check out the images above!

A Disciple of War or Magic at level 71 or above is required to enter the Bozjan southern front, where you’ll be able to earn experience points and level up your jobs. We haven’t implemented leveling content like Deep Dungeon in Shadowbringers as the resources for that were allocated to this.

Skirmishes are battles that occur frequently in various parts of the battlefield. Critical Engagements are a newly developed battle system, in which only a limited number of players can participate in an intense battle, comparable to those in dungeons and raids. Critical Engagements feature an element where one player is selected for a one-on-one battle against an enemy.

The player who did exceptionally well in the Critical Engagement immediately prior will be requested to deploy for the one-on-one battle (you can also choose to not participate). If multiple players are requested to deploy, one of them will be selected at random. These one-on-one battles require skillfully using Lost Actions in reaction to enemy movements and can be quite tough.

The goal of the Bozjan southern front is to storm the Imperial base. Invading the base is also a Critical Engagement, one that we put a large amount of effort into. The scene in the trailer where the Warrior of Light is climbing a ladder is from this battle.

Well-planned usage of Lost Actions, which are unique to the Bozjan southern front, allow you to influence battles in your favor.

We showed gameplay of the overworld and UI, which you can see in the video.

We put a lot of effort into the Bozjan southern front, so we hope you’ll enjoy it. You’ll also be able to enjoy bits of lore detailing the fascinating NPCs you’ll encounter on the battlefield.


Resistance Weapons Updates



(02:52:29)
We recommend accepting the quest to begin augmenting the Resistance weapons after you unlock the Bozjan southern front, since both can be progressed simultaneously. The items required for augmentations can be found both in and outside of the Bozjan southern front, so you can choose how you want to collect them.

[Zhexos]

Yo-kai Watch: Gather One, Gather All!
We received a video message from Akihiro Hino, the president and CEO of Level-5, commemorating the return of the collaboration event.








(03:01:08)
We worked together with Level-5 to bring back the event with new weapons for gunbreaker, samurai, red mage, and dancer. There’s also a new mount and minions, making this a powered-up version of the event. The event will be available until the release of Patch 5.4, and it’ll be easier to move between FATEs now that you can use flying mounts in A Realm Reborn areas.

We hope that first-timers and veterans alike will enjoy collecting the collaboration items in this event!


Upcoming Seasonal Events



(03:19:19)
We went over our planned schedule for upcoming seasonal events.

The COVID-19 situation delayed our patch development, which in turn affected the development process for seasonal events as well. Unfortunately, this meant that it’d be difficult to have the All Saints’ Wake seasonal event this year.

To take its place, we’re considering extending the Make It Rain Campaign to be held between late October to late November, and reallocating items and other rewards originally planned for All Saints’ Wake to be obtained through the Make It Rain Campaign instead. We apologize to those who were looking forward to All Saints’ Wake, but we ask for your understanding in this matter.


Fan Festival Status Update



(03:25:26)
Similar to the North American Fan Festival, the Japanese Fan Festival have been cancelled considering the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

We regret the disappointment this will cause those of you who were looking forward to the event. After considering the pandemic situation of the event locations, the size and maximum capacity of venues we had prepared, and a variety of other factors, we determined that it’d be difficult to hold the Fan Festival in a way that valued “participation” as we had in previous years.

However, this doesn’t mean that the Fan Festival itself is cancelled. We’re looking into various formats and potential dates for rescheduling the Fan Festival, so that we can have an event that players can truly enjoy. We ask you to please wait for further information.

As for the European Fan Festival, which is currently scheduled for February 2021, we are monitoring the situation as we continue with further considerations. We’ll keep you updated of further developments in a separate announcement.