Another year, another extremely lengthy broadcast from the team behind the massively-popular MMO Final Fantasy XIV. Naoki Yoshida, the director and producer of the title, and community director Toshio Murouchi (in full Loporrit cosplay) served as hosts, welcoming a number of high-profile guests to the fray, including the creator of the Final Fantasy series as a whole Hironobu Sakaguchi.
This 8th annual 14-hour stream was packed with information and plenty of glimpses behind-the-scenes, starting with the newest Live Letter. Yoshida gave his thoughts about the recently-released 6.2 patch, while also giving players a date for 6.25. Expect this to hit the title on October 18, just over one week away. While Yoshida didn’t offer much information, fans can expect the inclusion of the Omicron Tribal Quests and some slick new spy-themed glamours. New Hildibrand Quests, Manderville relic weapons, and the first Variant and Criterion Dungeons will also be added.
Variant Dungeons will be variable-difficulty dungeons designed for one to four people. There will be no role restrictions and job changes will be permitted during play. Enemy strength will be determined by party size, and these casual dungeons will be more story-heavy. Variant Dungeons will have different paths depending on the choices players make, and multiple runs will be required to uncover everything.
Criterion Dungeons, on the other hand, will be extremely difficult. Pre-formed parties of four will take part in these high-difficulty versions of normal Variant Dungeons, in which resurrection is completely prohibited. If a party wipes, all defeated enemies will be revived. Criterion Dungeons will also have a time limit.
North America can expect a new data center, Dynamis, on November 1. This will house four new servers: Halicarnassus, Maduin, Marilith, and Seraph. While the team is starting off with just four servers, more are expected to be added to the Dynamis data center as the game gets closer to 7.0. For those planning on moving to Dynamis, the first housing lottery will start on November 5.
Following the fallout from the pandemic, FFXIV Fan Fest will be making a return in 2023 and 2024. The North American Fan Fest will be held from July 28-29, 2023 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, while the London, UK Fan Fest will be held at ExCel London on October 21 and 22, 2023. Japan’s Fan Fest will be held in early 2024, though a specific venue has not yet been announced.
The Final Fantasy series is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2022, and fans have been treated to many new announcements in recent months, including the Crisis Core remake and the second installment of the Final Fantasy VII Remake. More information about the next mainline title, Final Fantasy XVI, is expected later this month.
Final Fantasy XIV is available to play on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. The game is also Steam Deck verified. Patch 6.25 is expected to be released on October 18, while Patch 6.28 can be expected on November 1.
