This morning, Square Enix’s official Final Fantasy XIV channels livestreamed the final “Letter from the Producer LIVE!” broadcast before the launch of the game’s next expansion, Dawntrail. The stream began with the expansion’s launch trailer, which is available in multiple languages (the stream showed the Japanese version, but the English one can be found below). Additionally, Producer Naoki Yoshida gave a final confirmation that Patch 7.0 would be arriving as scheduled, two weeks from today on June 28th. (The expansion content will also be available on that day for all pre-orders, with the “full launch” of the game coming on July 2nd.)
Afterwards, a series of updated screenshots were shared for the already-revealed locations in Dawntrail, though not much additional information was shared here as the team felt they could not divulge anything further without spoiling the game’s story. In response to player demand for more motorcycle-type mounts (currently the only ones available are Cloud Strife’s Fenrir motorcycle, from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and the Garlond Ironworks GL-IS, both of which are premium “cash shop” items), the hosts of the stream stated that there was a mount that transforms.
As is typical for the game’s more recent expansions, Dawntrail‘s “Role Quests” (mini-stories that are unlocked as the player levels jobs from specific categories) will start two levels above the previous cap, in this case 92. Once again, the five questlines are Melee, Tank, Healer, Physical Ranged DPS, and Magical Ranged DPS, and an additional quest for completing all five Role Quest lines will be added in a later patch.
Going along with this are new Delivery quests for crafters and gatherers, also split into five categories which could broadly be defined as “heavy equipment” (blacksmiths, armorers, and goldsmiths), “light equipment” (leatherworkers, carpenters, and weavers), “consumables” (culinarians and alchemists), “gatherers” (botanists and miners), and fishers with their own quest line. As with the combat jobs, there will be an additional quest for completing all of these added later.
More details were also shown regarding some of the dungeons players can find in Patch 7.0, the first of which we already know well – the game’s first dungeon that starts with a boat ride. This was the dungeon that was open to those participating in the Media Tour (including myself), so there’s not much news to be shared regarding it, but we also got screenshots for the previously-seen cave dungeon, and a futuristic-looking one that looks like it might be connected to “Solution Nine”, the modern-looking city we’ve seen glimpses of.
Additionally, we got our first in-person look at the stage for the already-revealed Valigarmanda trial, a singular boss fight that appears to take place at level 94 (making it likely the first big boss fight of the expansion). It takes place on a huge platform high in the sky, with open sides, as demonstrated by Yoshida creeping up to the edge and then leaping off to his character’s death. Also demonstrated was a new pop-in for mid-fight information that could indicate an upcoming boss action.
There was a brief break, and when the stream resumed, the team began to discuss the upcoming Raid series, which was already announced under the title “The Arcadion”. We got a look at the stage for the first fight, which appears to be a huge stadium filled with spectators. (Visually, it reminded me of the concert at the beginning of Final Fantasy X-2, with an abundance of colored spotlights and a blue hard-light platform). The first wave of The Arcadion will be added in Patch 7.01 (coming July 16th), with its Savage difficulty tier coming in 7.05, which will launch on July 30th.
Patch 7.05 will also add a new Level 100 Treasure Dungeon, called “Cenote Ja Ja Gural”. Treasure Dungeons are sources of valuable loot that can be discovered through the use of treasure maps found through high-level Gathering, with progression achieved through a combination of combat and luck. It was also noted that the shiny surfaces in the second screenshot below are indicative of the graphical update.
Following this, the team shared details about adjustments coming to gatherers and crafters, with the usual additional actions, traits, and recipes, regional folklore, and a new color of the high-level scrip currency (orange this time). Also, two adjustments have been made to gatherer job UI that will be easier to show than explain, so have a look at the screenshots below.
As always with a new expansion, the Allagan Tomestones (exchangeable for max-level gear) are being cycled, with all Endwalker-era Tomestones now being exchangeable for generic Poetry stones. The new currencies will be Allagan Tomestones of Aesthetics, and (for best-in-slot gear) Allagan Tomestones of Heliometry, the latter of which will come with Savage raids in Patch 7.05. Some of the gear was also shown off, seen below and split between the tomestone categories. Additionally, the cap on bicolor gemstones has been increased from 1000 to 1500.
Based on popular request, an option will be added to hide players standing nearby quest NPCs. Frequently (particularly on patch days), there would be such a large number of players standing near quest NPCs and watching cutscenes that actually clicking on the NPC to trigger a quest flag or dialogue would be difficult, so this option should make the experience much smoother.
Another quality-of-life change, shortcuts for emotes and recipes for quests will be added right to the duty list, meaning players will no longer have to take multiple steps to search for the action they’re meant to perform. (This was already implemented for “key items”, which could be clicked right from the quest tracker).
Regarding the previously-announced update to the game’s dye system, where equipment will now have two different parts that can be recolored by dyes instead of just one, the team confirmed that while all new equipment in Patch 7.0 will already have this feature, it will not be available immediately for all legacy equipment. Existing gear will be updated in phases in each patch, with the team selecting specific “glamour” items as high-priority. By Patch 7.4, the team is looking to have all gear in the game updated with a second dye channel. Also, new options will be added to “favor” specific colors and save previous color sets.
Patch 7.0 will also add a “Facewear” slot for characters, which will allow them to wear pieces like eyeglasses or masks without sacrificing the ability to wear hats or other headgear (helmets notwithstanding). Additionally, the default glasses will be available in multiple colors that can be switched between without expending dyes, and these will be saved to gear sets and glamour plates like any other equipment.
The team showed off a series of new mounts and minions, with the highlight being the new rewards for Dawntrail‘s Trials, a set of wings that attach directly to your character’s back.
The effects of the “Fantasia” item (which is a cash shop item used to change your character’s base appearance, including race and gender) have been adjusted. Rather than a one-time use, now players will have sixty minutes of play time to make as many changes to their character as they’d like, decreasing pressure to get your look right on the first try or end up wasting $10 for another try. (As a reminder, all players will receive a Fantasia on release of Patch 7.0).
The companion app will be updated to allow the assignment of retainer ventures, which allow them to automatically search for crafting materials. (This will require the “kupo nut” in-app currency, which is gained by logging into the game.)
A new house model is being introduced that looks like a Ghibli-esque cottage, seen below. Additionally, the team is still working on updates to the game’s housing system, including resuming the housing timers that were suspended during the pandemic to take pressure off of players to pay for their subs or risk losing their in-game homes.
The post-launch patch schedule was confirmed, with Early Access beginning on June 28th for all pre-orders and Patch 7.0 launching the same day, Dawntrail‘s official launch on July 2nd, Patch 7.01 (with the first tier of The Arcadion) on the 16th, and Patch 7.05 (with the Savage tier) on July 30th. It was also announced that a 48-hour maintenance would occur prior to Patch 7.0, with the patch clocking in at around 55 gigabytes on Windows. The final game size will be around 90 gigabytes on PC, 75 gigabytes on PlayStation 5, 80 gigabytes on PlayStation 4, and 100 gigabytes on Xbox Series consoles (as essentially the entire game is being overwritten).
The rest of the information shared during this Live Letter was regarding various brand collaborations, including the previously-revealed Secretlab chair and Dollfie Dream Sister dolls for the twins, Alphinaud and Alisaie.
Finally, there will be a live reading of the Patch 7.0 patch notes, streamed on June 27th at 3:00 AM PDT, however this stream will only feature Japanese audio. The broadcast will also feature special guest Yoshino Nanjo, the Japanese actress for Krile.
