Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LIV Summary

15 Sep 2019
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At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, in addition to talking about some of the upcoming features of Patch 5.1, Final Fantasy XIV Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida sat down with several guests involved in the upcoming collaboration Raid YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse: Yosuke Saito, Yoko Taro, and composer Keiichi Okabe.

The title for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers‘ Patch 5.1 will be “Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty” and is set to release late next month (October). The name of the patch seems to be derived from the names of weapons from NieR: Automata, specifically the Virtuous Contract and the Cruel Oath. Will that play into the story behind the upcoming NieR Raid? Will there be weapons like fans have been asking for? We have no idea, but luckily, we won’t have to wait too long to find out.

Patch 5.1 Features

  • New Main Scenario Quests
  • Pixie Beast Tribe Quests
  • YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse (24-man alliance Raid)
  • Dungeon: The Grand Cosmos
    • Trust System Compatible
  • Trial: Secret
  • Third Ultimate fight: Secret

Job Adjustments

Updates to Blue Mage

  • Level cap increased to 60
  • New job quests
  • New masked carnivale stages
  • Blue mage log
  • Form a party with your fellow blue mages to complete specified duties
  • Receive variousrewards including allied seals and allagan tomestones
  • Certain duties offer bonuses that change weekly

PvP updates

  • Substantial adjustments to PvP actions
  • New Frontline rule set: Onsal Hakair (Danshig Naadam)

New Game +

We got a closer look at New Game+ during this Live Letter as well. Upon its implementation in Patch 5.1, Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers MSQ will be available. However, A Realm Reborn, classes and jobs, Chronicles of a new Era, and side story quests will not be available and will instead be available at a later date. In regards to A Realm Reborn, this could be due to the plan to condense the ARR MSQ sometime around Patch 5.3.

After switching to New Game+, you can only progress through quests specific to New Game+.

  • Select a chapter
    • Each chapter must be played from the beginning
    • Heavensward part 1 and 2 (3.0)
    • Dragonsong war (3.1 to 3.3)
    • Post dragonsong war (patch 3.4 to 3.5)
  • Instanced battles will be level synced
  • You will receive no quest rewards
  • You have one auto-save slot to record your progress

Crafting and Gathering revamp

Changes planned for patch 5.1 and 5.2

  • Increasing ease of entry for new players
    • Adjustments to more complex systems and actions
    • UI changes to be more informative and easily accessible
    • New content for avid crafters

Crafting system updates

  • Actions will be adjusted
  • Additional actions will be removed
  • New recipe tree display option
  • The japanese kanji used for collectables has been changed for ease of reading
  • Certain items will be always be gathered as collectables
  • Adjustments to quick synthesis success rates
  • Adjustments to desynthesis

Gathering system updates

  • Actions will be adjusted
  • Actions used to locate unspoiled nodes will be automated
  • Items at unspoiled nodes will not appear as unknown or be out of reach
  • Stealth actions will be replaced by sneak
  • Can be used while mounted and will not affect movement speed
  • Quick gathering will be added
  • The japanese kanji used for collectables has been changed for ease of reading
  • adjustments to gathering rates and item yields
  • Elemental shard yields will be adjusted

Ishgard Restoration

Content designed for crafters and gatherers

  • Players must work together to build the Firmament (listed on shadowbringers website)
  • Contribute through a number of tasks including item deliveries
  • Progress of restoration will differ between worlds

Fellowships

Form casual communities similar to free companies and linkshells

  • Fellowships are loosely knit communities of players who share similar interests, which can accommodate up to 1,000 players
  • A single player and make or join up to 10 fellowships with no world restrictions so long as they’re within the same data center
  • Whether it’s to announce events or seek others to run dungeons, they’re a quick and easy way to exchange information
  • You can specify a Fellowship’s main interests or activities by selecting the icons next to each entry
    • Player events, casual, battle, or housing
  • Recruitment settings
    • You can add a comment, specify the number of players you’re recruiting and the primary language
  • Fellowship finder
    • Once you’ve finalized your settings, a listing will appear in the fellowship finder menu
  • To join a fellowship, you need only pick one and select Yes on the confirmation prompt
  • Fellowship Board
    • Used for notifications to all fellowship members
  • Questionnaire
    • Create polls with up to five options. Votes are anonymous
  • Notices
    • A space to leave brief messages or reminders
  • Message board
    • A space for members to freely communicate only the 100 most recent messages will be saved here

Gold Saucer Updates

  • New GATE: features Yojimbo
  • New high resolution Doman Mahjon layout

Performance updates

  • Ensemble feature will be added
    • Enables you to use performance actions more easily when in a party
  • New horn instrument
  • A performance assistance feature will be added
    • Shows BPM, Beat, performance guide, gamepad guide

Launcher update

Misc updates

  • New custom deliveries client: Kai-Shirr
  • Pet display in the party list
  • Weapon rewards added to completion of level 51 to 59, 61 to 69, and 71 to 79 dungeons
  • Bicolor gemstones cap will be increased to 1,000
  • New group pose features will be added
    • Brightness setting and character display toggle for non-party members
  • Meals can be eaten while sitting

YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse

During the second half of the Live Letter, Naoki Yoshida was joined by members of the NieR team to talk about, and show, some of the new 24-man Alliance Raid coming to Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Patch 5.1.

The first area that players will travel too in this new Raid series will be the “The Copied Factory”. Based on the images shown, players are already speculating that you’ll have to complete the quest “Word about Komra” in order to progress into the new Raid.

After needing to walk off stage because of how hot his mask was getting, Yoko Taro’s chair was filled by Keiichi Okabe. They played some of the new music that players will hear in the upcoming Raid which is a mash-up of NeiR’s “Weight of the World” and Final Fantasy’s “Crystal Prelude” which you can hear below around 1:08:20.