Today Square Enix hosted the 76th Letter from the Producer Live dedicated to Final Fantasy XIV, introducing the next major update.
As usual, the information was provided on Twitch by producer and director Naoki Yoshida and global community producer Toshio Murouchi. At the beginning of the livestream, we also got the farewell of former CEO Yosuke Matsuda, who was very active in supporting Final Fantasy XIV, even participating in a variety of events.
The new CEO Takashi Kiryu also made an appearance, showing just how relevant Final Fantasy XIV is for Square Enix. Interestingly, we learn that he actually purchased one of the limited edition Fender guitars dedicated to the game. He plays the game actively together with his wife.
Fiorst of all, we take a look at what is coming with update 6.38, which is coming on April 4, 2023.
Moving on to Update 6.4, it'll be titled "The Dark Throne" and it'll release in late May.
It'll include new main scenario quests, and below you can take a look at a couple of screenshots.
We're also getting a new chapter of the Tataru's Grand Endeavor quests.
Update 6.45 will bring more quests for the Somehow Further Hildibrand Adventurers chain, of which we see a screenshot below.
The Further Manderville Weapons questchain will also get a new chapter, alongside the Splendorous Tools quests for crafters and gatherers. These will also come in update 6.45.
Back to 6.4, the inevitable new dungeon is coming, named The Aetherfront.
New Trials are coming, The Voidcast Dais and its extreme version, featuring Golbez. the new Unreal Trial will be Containment Bay Z1T9.
A new raid is coming, Pandaemonium: Anabaseios, alongside its Savage version. As usual, the savage version will release one week after update 6.4.
Patch 6.45 will also bring the second Variant & Criterion Dungeon, Mount Rokkon. It'll have three levels of difficulty, Normal, Criterion, and Criterion (Savage). Completing Sil'dihn Subterrane won't be required to unlock it.
Duty support will be added to the dungeons included in the Stormblood expansion as follows.
We're getting new job adjustments for PvE and updated for PvP, including the PvP Series four and Season 7 of Crystalline Conflict. Frontline will also be adjusted with new UI elements displaying match time and score, and tweaked rules for The Fields of Glory (Shatter). The Borderlands Ruin (Secure) will become temporarily unavailable.
Update 6.45 will also bring an update to Blue Mage. The level cap will be raised to 80 from 70, and new spells and gear will be added, alongside new enemies for the Masked Carnivale.
Ocean fishing is getting an update with a new route toward Kugane. You can see a couple of screenshots below showing a new perspective on the city.
The Island Sanctuary feature is getting updated as well, including new sanctuary ranks and visions, a new gathering area in the wilds, new construction plots in the hideaway, new item rewards, new materials, craftable items, crops, animals, and isleworks handicrafts.
New structures will also be added alongside support for outdoor furnishings added to the hideaway. Players will have up to 90 slots unlockable via Island Sanctuary progress to place the furnishings near their structures. That being said, special furnishings like striking dummies and gardens will not be available for this feature.
Miscellaneous updates include the addition of Allagan Tomestones of Comedy as the new main token. The maximum number of gear sets will be increased to 100 and they'll be unlocked by default, removing the need to unlock them by unlocking new jobs.
A change to the UI will display a job icon in the chat log and player nameplates.
The transaction fee for marketplace sales will be incorporated under the total price.
Glasses and wing fashion accessories will be displayed when in battle in the overworld. More improvements to fashion items will be implemented in the future.
Speaking of fashion, items stored in a variety of locations will be selectable when casting glamors in an inn room. Scholars are getting fairy glamors from Eos, Selene, and Carbuncle.
More information on update 6.4 will come with the next Letter from the Producer Live.
Speaking of upcoming goodies, pre-orders are opening today for the merchandise linked to the upcoming Fan Festival. While pre-orders are available in all regions, some items are exclusive to North America. Pre-orders will be available until April 21 and shipping will begin on July 14 for North America and July 28 in Europe and Japan.
A Loporrit Flocked Figurine will be priced at $64.99
A "Portly Porxie Plushie" is also coming for $34.99.
Am Azem's Crystal Silver Pendant will be released for $249.99.
The Hydaeliyn and Zodiark embroidered jacket is coming for $184.99. Below you can see two designs because the jacket is reversible.
A series of acrylic stands featuring a variety of characters will be coming, starting at $20.99.
A laptop case portraying Amaurot will be priced at $34.99.
An Endwalker gaming mousepad will also be priced at $34.99, featuring the artwork of the jobs wearing their AF gear.
A series of plushie keychains is coming for $14.99 portraying the Fat Cat, the Great Serpent of Ronka, and an Ancient One.
We're also getting a series of neck pillow plushies for $39.99.
A series of acrylic blocks featuring the covers artwork by Yoshitaka Amano is priced at $44.99 each.
An Old Sharlayan mug is priced at $32.99.
Sages and Reapers are getting their own acrylic job magnets for $5.50 each.
Three new kinds of masking tape are priced at $6.99 each.
The following merch will be available only in North Ameriuca, including T-shirts for $32.99 each.
A hoodie is priced at $52.99.
Lastly, a tote bag will be priced at $24.99.
A 10th Anniversary Fireworks and music show will be hosted in Osaka, Japan on August 26.
If you're not familiar with Final Fantasy XIV, it's currently available for PS5, PS4, and PC both on Steam and via stand-alone client. The game is one of the most popular MMORPGs on currently available the planet, having pulled a basically miraculous recovery with its relaunch as "A Realm Reborn" in 2013 after its original release in 2010.
After its fourth expansion "Endwalker," it currently counts 27 million registered accounts worldwide. The game just received its update 6.35 with plenty of new content for players to enjoy, while 6.38 is coming soon after an extended maintenance. The English localization of the Final Fantasy XIV: Eorzea Academy Manga by Esora Amaichi has also been announced by Square Enix a few days ago.
Square Enix also just made the Stormblood expansion accessible for a limited time with no additional purchase required to those who own the Starter Edition, while producer and director Naoki Yoshida shared his ambitions for the future of the game during a recent event at PAX East.