Today Square Enix broadcasted a new Final Fantasy XIV Letter from the Producer Live, focusing on the next major update.
Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida and Global Community Producer Toshio Murouchi provided a lot of information about the upcoming patch 5.2, titled “Echoes of a Fallen Star.”
First of all, we get to see the trailer of the update, providing a look at the story including Gaia, the new character designed by Kingdom Hearts III Director Tetsuya Nomura.
You can see it below in English with the Japanese version at the bottom of the post.
The patch will come on Tuesday, February 18.
Yoshida-san talked about the use of mods to change the looks of the game locally and post screenshots showing those mods. This is forbidden by Square Enix, and there are places in which some of that content posted is even illegal. Since this can lead to questions directed at Square Enix, Yoshida-san asked players to avoid using mods.
On a similar note, Yoshida-san also talked about the use of external tools made by third-parties. This is also forbidden and like the case described above can lead to action against one’s account.
That being said, it’s difficult to make a clear distinction between problematic tools that affect gameplay and those that don’t influence the game at all and that can be acceptable, like Discord being used for voice chat.
While there is a grey area, Yoshida-san also asked players not to use tools from third-parties. On top of that, speaking of third-party tools, an official damage parser will never be implemented to avoid unwarranted hostility within the game.
There have been cases in which this kind of tool has influenced gameplay on a competitive level, like placing location markers during the competition to beat encounters for the first time. This is bad and should not be done, and Square Enix has taken measures so that it can’t be done in the future. The use of this kind of tool will be dealt with harshly if a player is caught.
With patch 5.2 and on beyond, players won’t be able to place markers during a fight. That being said, the number of markers that can be placed has been increased to 8, and they can be saved so that you don’t need to place them manually. You can even save markers placed by other party members.
You can see how it works in action below.
Moving on to the specific content of update 5.2, on top of new main scenario quests, it will include new tribe quests for the Qitari, focused on gathering.
New Chronicles of a New Era quests will bring “The Sorrow of Werlyt” chain.
A new chain focused on upgradeable equipment is titled Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr and will actually come in update 5.25.
The new dungeon is titled Anamnesis Anyder (if which we see a few screenshots) and new trials include Cinder Drift, Cinder Drift Extreme, and a secret one that will also come in 5.25.
The new Raid Dungein is called Eden’s Verse and will have its own savage version.
There will be new job updates and more content for the Ishgardian Restoration (this one will come in 5.21 three weeks after the release of 5.2).
The crafting system will also be updated (with Skysteel tools coming in patch 5.25) as seen in the slides below.
We then move on to the battle against Ruby Weapon, titled Cinder Drift.
Job adjustment include both PvP and PvE changes, but it won’t involve many jobs.
For PvE, Red Mages will get a buff, while Summoners will get a bit of a nerf. That being said, meditation stacks will be made more visible.
Jobs that will receive tweaks in PvP are warriors and monks, while dancers will be nerfed a bit.
We then take a look at the Qitari tribe quests. They will appear in the Rak’tika Greatwood, and the reason will be explained within the story. Level 70 is required.
We also get to see a cute new mount.
Moving on, Yoshida-san presented a new course for the Leap of Faith minigame in the Gold Saucer, for those who love platforming.
Next in line is the first look at the Eden’s Verse raid, which features a brand new character named Gaia, designed by Tetsuya Nomura.
Yoshida-san mentioned that it’ll be more challenging than the previous raid, Eden’s gate.
Next is Ocean Fishing, which will let players board a ship at specific times in Limsa Lominsa and fish on the high sas. They will receive experience and scips based on the fish they catch.
After meeting certain conditions, a “spectral current” may be discovered, offering a chance for a big haul.
The ship will depart every two hours and the cruise will last 30 minutes. The boarding window will be 15 minutes. Of course, you can leave at any time without penalties.
The feature will be updated in future patches with new routes, locations, and events.
We also get to see Yoshida-san’s traditional papers showcasing upcoming content including housing items and the gear we’ll earn in Eden’s Verse.
We also see some really spiffy craftable gear, a new set of which will come in this update.
Next, is the new content for the Ishgardian Restoration, and specifically the new version of The Diadem that will be used by gatherers.
Gathering lets you fill up a dedicated “Compressed Ether” gauge, then you can use it to fire some sort of ether bazooka at monsters to get bonus materials. We even get to see a flying dhamel mount.
Next is the “Kupo of Fortune” scratch card feature, that lets you win random rewards by participating in the Ishgardian Restoration.
Among those we see a bread eating emote and an Ishgardian prism.
Next, we see a new outfit that can be earned by working on the Ishgardian Restoration that will come in 5.21, before moving to Skysteel Tools.
Those are new primary tools that can be upgraded over multiple patches starting with a quest in the Brume.
Crafting and gathering certain items will be required to enhance them, via the Skysteel Manufactory. Those will come in patch 5.25
Moving on to battle jobs, the Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr is a new series that will reward you with equipment that can be upgraded also starting in patch 5.25.
The story which will be “quite heavy” will be about freeing Bozja from the IVth Imperial Legion led by Legatos Noah van Gabranth. It will be written once more by the original director of Final Fantasy XII, Yasumi Matsuno.
The requirement for starting this quest chain is having completed the Return to Ivalice raids.
Of course, the quest chain will be updated with future patches starting with 5.3.
We then get to see the umbrellas that will come with the update. Two versions are available, one for rain and a parasol, which actually casts a nice shadow on the character holding it. They will also prevent the “wet” effect on your character when it rains.
Additional umbrella designs will be added in future patches.
Last, but not least, we see the new materia conversion mechanic. You won’t lose the item anymore, but simply reset the spiritbond when creating new materia.
Moving on from the update, we learn the locations and dates of the upcoming Fan Festivals, which you can see below.
If you’d like to learn more about Final Fantasy XIV, you can read our recent interview with Naoki Yoshida and Banri Oda, our review of the latest expansion, and our article explaining why it features the best story among all the tales told by the Final Fantasy series.
A few weeks ago we also learned that the game has passed 18 million registered users.
You can also enjoy the report on our latest visit to the Eorzea Cafe in Tokyo, one about the latest orchestra concert, and our look at the recent uniqlo collaboration.
Final Fantasy XIV is currently available for PS4 and PC. Last month, Xbox boss Phil Spencer pledged to help bring the game to Xbox One as well.
