Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXIX (03/30/2022)

[Voltenyne]

We are pleased to present the full digest of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXIX!
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 1080p option to watch the video in HD! 

Patch 6.1 Preview Part 1

Patch 6.1: Newfound Adventure



(00:03:27)

We began the broadcast by revealing the title and artwork for Patch 6.1, which is scheduled for mid-April 2022.

The patch artwork was created with the concept of showing the Warrior of Light return to being an adventurer for now. As always, we’re working on more story for you to enjoy, and its new beginnings will be revealed in Patch 6.1.

New Main Scenario Quests




(00:05:38)

The story continues after the Hydaelyn & Zodiark saga has concluded, so our characters will not be losing their memories and starting over again.

The premise is that this new adventure begins several months after the events of Patch 6.0. At this point, we’re unsure if we’ll be giving this story a grand name like “so-and-so saga,” but we may consider one as the story unfolds if it is well-received.

We also shared two screenshots from the main scenario. For the first time in a while, we’ll have an opportunity to sit down and catch up with Tataru.

New Sidequests



(00:09:38)

The new sidequest series, “Tataru’s Grand Endeavor,” will begin. Near the end of the Patch 6.0 main scenario, people from around the world came together to show their support for the Warrior of Light, and these quests will involve expressing our gratitude to them.

“Tataru’s Grand Endeavor” will also pertain to the side stories of past alliance raids and normal raids. The prerequisites for the quests will be announced in future patches where the series progresses, but you may find it more enjoyable to finish up any uncompleted side stories ahead of time.

New Role Quests




(00:11:21)

Those who complete all Endwalker role quests will be able to take part in an additional story, where the characters you met through the role quests will be coming together. There’s no need to rush through your role quests if you haven’t completed them already, but you may want to go through them at your own pace to see what’s in store for this additional story.

New Tribal Quests



(00:12:22)

We received suggestions during the previous broadcast and on the official forums to rename “beast tribe quests” to something different. Moving forward, we’ll be referring to them as “tribal quests.”

The name change affects an immense number of UI elements and other aspects, so we are planning to address in-game aspects in Patch 6.2 or later. However, character dialogue which mention “beast tribes,” such as those in A Realm Reborn, will remain unchanged as we believe they fit the characters’ perspectives at those points in the story. Although in-game changes will be coming a little later in the future, we’ll be reflecting the name change in our live streams and development resources.

The prerequisite sidequests for unlocking the upcoming Arkasodara tribal quests feature a great story with remarkable characters. These characters will be involved in the tribal quests, so be sure to check out the sidequests if you haven’t already!

New Hildibrand Quests



(00:15:29)

This upcoming installment will be named “Somehow Further Hildibrand Adventures.” It appears the inspector has somehow made his way to the First, where new perils and misadventures await!

The Hildibrand quests aren’t about extravagant rewards and are essentially to be enjoyed just for the story and characters, so we thought they were getting a little stale. As such, we had the inspector and his crew take a break in Shadowbringers, but we received requests from all over the globe asking when Hildibrand would return, and we realized just how beloved his character had become.

We hope to bring you another amusing tale with these quirky characters, so please look forward to it!

Omega: Beyond the Rift

(00:19:01)

This series of sidequests is planned for either Patch 6.15 or 6.18. Story elements pertaining to the Omega raid series appeared towards the end of the 6.0 main scenario, and this series will be an additional story for those who have completed both.

[Voltenyne]

New Dungeon



(00:20:53)

We’d like to keep the new dungeon a secret for now. Even just revealing its name would no doubt lead to plenty of speculation, but it pertains to the main scenario and we’d like for it to be a surprise when you embark on your adventures anew.

New Trial



(00:21:47)

This will be the Extreme version of the final boss encounter of Patch 6.0. The balance adjustments for the trial are complete and we’re hoping to give a sneak peek during our next Letter LIVE.

Because of the lore behind this boss, we were hesitant to make the encounter easier and agonized over its difficulty up to the deadline. It ended up being relatively hard and may be troublesome for those who struggle with certain mechanics. In exchange, you’ll be awarded with multiple totems per clear.

New Unreal Trial



(00:24:22)

The latest Unreal trial will be a level 90 version of the Minstrel’s Ballad: Ultima’s Bane. Back when the original trial was released, the available item levels allowed players to ignore certain mechanics, but you’ll need to resolve mechanics appropriately in this iteration. We also tried to replicate the speed at which collision mechanics registered back then. When you give this a try, you may want to brush up on your old strategies from back in the day.

New Alliance Raid



(00:25:37)

As we’ve mentioned in the past, this alliance raid series will be delving into the mysteries of the Twelve. You may be wondering how the story leads to this topic in the first place, but we’re quite confident we were able to tie it in smoothly.

New Ultimate Duty




(00:26:59)

After being delayed, Dragonsong’s Reprise (Ultimate) will finally be available two weeks after the release of Patch 6.1. The encounter begins from a certain point in the Dragonsong War and mirrors the events leading up to the end of Patch 3.3.

This battle was designed by Lead Battle Content Designer Masaki Nakagawa, a.k.a. “Mr. Ozma,” who has been around since FFXIV 1.0. According to him, this fight is the culmination of everything he learned from designing battle content over the years. When asked about the difficulty, Nakagawa answered, “Please brace yourself.”

Having inspected how the encounter progresses through each phase, Yoshida’s comment was, “I’m impressed they were able to include all of that!” The encounter will be quite spectacular to watch, so even if you won’t be trying it yourself, you might want to spectate other people’s attempts!

Job Adjustments

(00:31:38)

As we mentioned in the previous Letter LIVE, many jobs will be receiving adjustments.

With Ultimate being released soon, there were some areas where we were hesitant to make changes, but in the end our direction was to address the feedback we received as closely as we could. If possible, we’d like to go over the details in the next Letter LIVE.

PvP Updates



(00:32:30)

In the next Letter LIVE, we’ll be going into more details regarding PvP updates and the new rewards system. We’re often asked if the Feast will return, but we’d like to close it for now and keep an eye on the situation.

New Custom Deliveries




(00:33:45)

Glamouring will be available for the next Custom Deliveries client, Ameliance Leveilleur. We saw an amusing idea on social media where Fourchenault intervenes when you try to glamour her, but it was too late to implement something like that as a feature.

Plots Open for Purchase in Empyreum (Ishgard Housing)

(00:35:30)

Empyreum housing, which is currently available for touring, will be available for purchase starting Patch 6.1. In the next Letter LIVE, we’ll be reviewing how housing purchases will work.

Adventurer Plates



(00:36:07)

Adventurer plates are customizable portraits for your characters.

The day before the broadcast, Yoshida took a peek at how they were coming along and noted just how personalized they can be, so we hope you’ll look forward to it. Although we wanted to show a screenshot of how adventurer plates will look, they were still in development and not ready to be shown. One important aspect is to allow players to make their own with minimal effort, so that’ll be something Yoshida will be keeping in mind during his inspection.

Multiple adventurer plates can be created and registered to different gear sets. For instance, it’ll be possible to use different plates on different jobs. As a note, if you don’t have an adventurer plate, it’ll just be displayed as “unavailable,” so they aren’t something you’re required to have.

The Unending Codex



(00:39:53)

With the Hydaelyn & Zodiark saga concluding in Patch 6.0, we’ll be adding a glossary for players who begin playing from Patch 6.1 or later. Even now, for example, people who used a Tales of Adventure item may be thinking, “Wow, why is Alphinaud so outgoing all of a sudden?” which is the kind of confusion we’d like to avoid. Glossary entries will be added automatically as you progress through the story, so you won’t need to go out of your way to collect them.

The Unending Codex is still in the planning phase, but within the next ten years, we may eventually need something that allows people to play the game without starting from the very beginning, which is what we’re preparing for with this feature. If possible, we’re hoping to include entries on important lore concepts such as aether and the six elements.

Miscellaneous Updates



(00:44:39)

In this segment, we went over a number of other updates.

New Hrothgar hairstyles will be added gradually in future patches. Although only Hrothgar are mentioned in the slide, more Viera hairstyles will be added as well.

5 new glamour plates will be added, bringing the total up to 20. They will also be usable in almost all sanctuaries, which was put on high priority, as we imagined it was inconvenient having to return to a city to apply them.

Increasing the glamour dresser’s storage capacity is currently under consideration for Patch 6.2. It can currently store up to 400 items, which we’re looking to double; the final capacity may end up slightly lower than that, but it’s our goal for now.

A new in-game feature for trying on optional items from the FFXIV Online Store will be added. Though the Online Store has screenshots of characters modeling the item on each page, we often received requests for a closer look, so we addressed it in this manner.

In Yoshida’s opinion, the FFXIV Online Store is something that belongs in the real world, and he was very hesitant to introduce it into the in-game world. However, he understood that it was only natural that players would want to try items from the Online Store on their own characters, and decided to implement this feature in a limited form. This previewing feature will only be accessible from the bed in each of the cities’ inn rooms, and the lore explanation behind it is that your characters are trying on these outfits in their dreams. We ask for your understanding regarding this matter.



(00:51:05)

The idle animation for parasols seemed a bit stiff, so a new idle animation will be added where characters can stylishly hold their parasol over their shoulder. In this pose, however, the surface of the parasol is held at an angle to the collision of the rain and the visual effect will be slightly off. Resolving this inconsistency would be incredibly difficult, so we hope you’ll understand.

A check mark will be displayed on items used to obtain minions, orchestrion rolls, etc. that you’ve already acquired. The check mark will also be visible when these items drop from duties.

In addition to what’s been listed, we’re planning on quality-of-life changes for crafting and gathering and more, which we’re hoping to showcase alongside gameplay footage in the next Letter LIVE.

[Voltenyne]

Improvements to A Realm Reborn Main Scenario Quests

　

（01:19:08）

The system where you can be accompanied by NPCs in main scenario duties will be renamed “Duty Support System,” while “Trusts” will refer to the avatar leveling system moving forward.



（01:21:08）

Duty Support will be compatible with A Realm Reborn dungeons that were added in Patch 2.0, allowing players to complete them solo. NPCs will be selected automatically based on your role.

Duty Support to 4-player content associated with 2.x, Heavensward, and beyond, is planned to be added by Patch 6.5. Adding Duty Support to 8-player content is currently being considered for Patch 7.0 or later, due to the high development cost of adjusting mechanics and other related aspects.




（01:23:32）

We showed screenshots of the UI and what Duty Support would look like in an actual duty. The NPCs will be equipped with gear appropriate for their level. Duty Support will only be available for dungeons and trials that are required to progress the main scenario.

Adjustments will be made to lighting and textures in A Realm Reborn dungeons. Sastasha and Toto-Rak, for example, will look noticeably different compared to before.



（01:27:33）

We showed a list of duties that will be compatible with Duty Support in Patch 6.1.

Along with the addition of Duty Support, adjustments will be made to certain boss behaviors, environmental mechanics, and more. These include adding a portal for returning to the entrance after the second boss of Haukke Manor, as well as removing magitek photocells and the floors that reduce movement speed (excluding the boss area) from the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak.



（01:30:00）

Cape Westwind will become a solo instanced battle and won't be available through Duty Finder, but those of you who have already completed it will be able to try the new version through New Game+.

Castrum Meridianum will be redesigned as a 4-player dungeon. The cutscenes throughout the dungeon will be limited to what’s strictly necessary, and adjustments will be made to environmental mechanics and NPC movements.



（01:33:03）

Praetorium will be largely redesigned and divided into three parts.



（01:34:38）

With these major adjustments, we considered removing Duty Roulette: Main Scenario and regrouping the duties to Duty Roulette: Leveling. However, the number of cutscenes would make these duties longer than others, so Duty Roulette: Main Scenario will remain for now. The Ultima Weapon encounter, one of the divided parts, will be added to roulettes.

The time required for this encounter is shorter than many other duties and we’ll be considering balancing the roulette bonus accordingly, but we’re not planning to reduce the rewards by an extreme amount.

New players will be able to solo the 2.0 main scenario all the way until the credits roll, so please spread the word to those who might be interested.

As for dungeons in 3.x and onward, we’d like to have certain characters accompany the Warrior of Light, even if it means making adjustments to the story.

We may also make adjustments to bosses and other aspects unrelated to the implementation of Duty Support.

[Voltenyne]

Data Center Travel



（01:40:54）

Data Center Travel will allow players to socialize and participate in duties with others on different data centers.

Visiting characters who are using this feature will have displayed next to their character name.



（01:42:42）

In addition to restrictions similar to those when using the World Visit System, features such as free company chat, cross-world linkshell (CWLS) chat, and PvP teams will be restricted while visiting another data center.

In Patch 6.2, we plan on enabling players to join CWLSs located in their destination data center when using Data Center Travel.



（01:47:10）

Unlike the World Visit System, the specifications make it difficult to allow characters to initiate Data Center Travel while they are in-game. As such, Data Center Travel will be initiated through the character selection menu.



（01:47:38）

By selecting a character and opening the subcommand list, you will be able to select the Data Center Travel option and choose which data center to visit. From there, returning to the title screen will begin the Data Center Travel process.



（01:48:21）

In order to facilitate a safe data transfer, the transfer process cannot be canceled. Under normal circumstances outside of congestion, the transfer process should take about two to three minutes.

We’d appreciate it if you could consider Data Center Travel as more of “an extended trip” rather than “making a quick stop.”



（01:49:54）

After the transfer process is complete, you will be able to log in by selecting your destination World as well as character. Returning to your Home Data Center will also require the same process.

Data Center Travel will allow you to participate in content and other activities you can do while using World Visit.

Japanese Data Center Expansion



（01:50:58）

We went over the details regarding the Japanese data center expansion.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the heavy congestion during Endwalker’s launch. As we’re looking to continue expanding FFXIV, our eventual goal is to avoid these situations where congestion prevents the ability to play. To this end, we will be increasing the limit of simultaneous logins for the Japanese data center.

The load on each of its logical data centers have been extremely high, and the number of simultaneous logins is limited. As such, we are increasing the number of logical data centers and conducting a World redistribution so that there will be eight Worlds per logical data center, which will increase each World’s simultaneous logins by several thousand.

For the Japanese data center overall, this would increase the number of simultaneous logins by over 50,000.



（01:53:28）

We introduced the upcoming data center, Meteor, and announced which Worlds will be redistributed to the Meteor data center.

When selecting which Worlds will be moved to Meteor, we referenced numbers from multiple angles, such as which countries players are connecting from and the prevalence of certain types of players, to avoid unbalanced matchmaking.

Housing demolition, etc. will not take place with this World redistribution. Our goal is to do the best we can to accommodate the Worlds affected by this redistribution.



（01:56:11）

We went over how cross-world linkshells (CWLSs) will function in cases where some members have been moved to the Meteor data center, as well as the sort of situations where CWLS chat will be available.



（01:56:38）

To prevent CWLS communities from falling apart, CWLSs will be copied to their redistribution destination along with the same member list. However, the ability to chat will be limited to members who are located on the same logical data center.

The CWLS Master permissions will be automatically transferred to a CWLS Leader. If there are multiple CWLS Leaders, the permissions will be transferred to the Leader who joined earliest.



（01:58:43）

When visiting another logical data center using Data Center Travel, you can chat using CWLSs located on that logical data center.

In Patch 6.2, we plan on allowing more members to be added to these CWLSs. We hope this will help with the growth of cross-data center player communities.

Additional Measures Accompanying Japanese DC Expansion



（02:00:05）

The Japanese data center expansion will be accompanied by additional measures, which we included in response to player feedback we received after the previous Letter LIVE. Further details can be found in this announcement, which explains how the Data Center Travel feature and data centers function, as well as reasoning behind the World redistribution. Whether you will be moving to the Meteor data center or not, we recommend giving it a read if you have any questions about the Japanese data center expansion.