Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter 55 Summary; Patch 5.1 Arrives October 29

In the 55th Letter from the Producer Live broadcast, Final Fantasy XIV director/producer Naoki Yoshida and global community manager Toshio Murouchi shared the latest information about Shadowbringers’ first post-release patch: Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty — releasing on October 29th, 2019.

We’ve included a summary below, but let’s kick it off with the new trailer:

Patch 5.1 Trailer:

Patch 5.1 Content & Updates

  • Patch 5.1 “Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty” arrives on October 29th, 2019.
  • New main scenario quests will continue the story after the conclusion in Shadowbringers.
  • The Pixies will offer beast tribe quests with their own storyline
  • A new side story featuring the NieR: Automata collaboration will debut in 5.1.
  • A new Level 80 dungeon “The Grand Cosmos” will be available through the main scenario quest. It’s compatible with the Trust system.
  • Extreme-mode difficulty of the final Shadowbringers trial: The Minstrel’s Ballad: Hades’s Elegy.
  • Various job adjustments will be implemented.
  • New Game Plus feature will be added.
  • Crafting and gathering will get big system updates.
  • Gold Saucer GATE mini-game “The Slice is Right” arrives in Patch 5.1 as well as a new layout for Doman Mahjong.
  • Performance update includes Ensemble feature, new brass instruments, and a performance assist feature.
  • The game’s launcher will be updated with a new interface.
  • New housing wards (19 and 21) will be added and subdivisions of those wards will be available. Initially, they’ll only be available for purchase by free companies. Private estates in wards 1 through 18 will be made available on Spriggan and Twintania worlds.
  • Players who wish to continue as mentors must meet the new mentor requirements and renew their certification within the specified period.

Patch 5.11

  • Releasing on November 12, two weeks after 5.1,
  • The Epic of Alexander, an Ultimate-difficulty challenge, will arrive in Patch 5.11.
  • Ishgard Restoration (crafting and gathering content) will arrive in Patch 5.11.
  • Fellowships (expanded linkshells) arrive in Patch 5.11.

Patch 5.15

  • Blue Mage update will land 5.15 and include a new level cap of 60, new job quests, Masked Carnivale stages, and a Blue Mage Log.
  • Substantial adjustments are coming to PvP actions and a new map Onsal Hakair (Danshig Naadam) will come in Patch 5.15.

The Minstrel’s Ballad: Hades’s Elegy

This trial is an “Extreme” level difficulty.

Job Adjustments

Ninja

  • Mudra and ninjutsu now share a global cooldown with weaponskills, with a fixed recast time of 0.5 and 1.5 seconds respectively. In accordance with this change, ninjutsu potencies have been increased.
  • The Vulnerability Up effect of Trick Attack no longer requires execution from an enemy’s rear. Increase to enemy damage taken has been reduced, and the duration has been increased.
  • Ninki Guage cost for Hellfrog Medium, Bhavacakra, and Bunshin has been reduced from 80 to 50. In accordance with this change, Ninki gained from weaponskills has been adjusted.
  • Yoshida’s comments: Ninjutsu has two charges, Ten Chi Jin no longer requires you to press the Ninjutsu button for each action. Bunshin lasts for exactly 5 GCDs (Ninjutsu doesn’t count). Trick Attack is not longer required from the rear position and the Ninki Gauge cost is gone. Shadow Fang is also no longer part of a combo, it’s instead a weapon skill with a recast time.
  • You can check out footage here.

Samurai

  • The Meditation status effect now stacks up to 3 but no longer expires.
  • Shoha now requires 3 stacks of Meditation.
  • Meditate, Iaijutsu, and Tsubame-gaeshi now grant stacks of Meditation, allowing Shoha to be more readily used in rotations.
  • Skill speed now affects the cooldown of Tsubame-gaeshi.

Summoner

  • Egi Assualt and Egi Assault II are categorized as spells, and are now affected by the global cooldown. In accordance with this change, action potencies have been increased.
  • Tri-disaster will no longer inflict enemies with Ruination, but directly damages them.
  • The Enhanced Bane trait now extends Bio and Miasma effects to their full duration.

Other Jobs

  • Bard’s songs will provide a buff for the party again, but they won’t be as strong as they were in Stormblood. However, you’ll wan’t to have a song active as often as you can to get the best synergy. Apex Arrow’s sound effects have been adjusted.
  • For tanks, Reprisal will have an AOE effect around you and the duration has been increased. Sentinel and Vengeance will have a 15 second duration, up from 10.
  • Monks will have Mantra nerfed a bit and Dragoons will be adjusted so that they are easier to use. Yoshida says he thinks players will like the changes they make.
  • Red Mage’s Acceleration will changed to have three stacks to improve building mana and reduce some of the stress by reducing the reliance on procs. Black Mage will be able to see the remaining stacks of Triple Cast.
  • White Mage’s Asylum range will be increased.
  • Astrologian’s Minor Arcana doesn’t turn into Lord of Crowns nor Lady of Crowns, just transposes the effect. The job has been adjusted for better MP management and Collective Unconscious changes mainly for Nocturnal Stance.

Crafting & Gathering Revamp

  • The UI has been adjusted to more easily track recipe requirements and includes a recipe tree that will allow you to view a material list for everything required.
  • Many abilities have been merged or reworked due to similarity/redundancy.
  • The team says that a lot of people who leveled gatherer and crafter jobs and still don’t know how to use them properly. They overly rely on macros, so they wanted to adjust the system to be easier for those players to learn.
  • Desynthesis and Byregot’s Blessing are adjusted to have a 100% success rate. A lot of people turn in their unused gear to grand companies for seals, but desynthesis may offer a worthwhile alternative option.

Ishgard Restoration

  • This content is designed for crafters and gatherers.
  • Players must work together to rebuilt the Firmament.
  • Contribute through a number of tasks including item deliveries.
  • Progress of restoration will differ between Worlds.
  • The first step will be building a base camp of sorts, so that further restoration can be brought about.
  • The first step is to check the Skybuilder’s Board for tasks. The black bar at the top will fill up when you hand in collectibles. When full, you can participate in “concerted works” which will feel similar to a FATE. You’ll work with other players. Progress on these may differ from World to World, and they have the possibility to fail.
  • Future updates will allow for contributions via gatherer collectables and there will be a ranking system implemented.

New Items

New hairstyles, mounts, and furnishings will be added in Patch 5.1.

GATE: The Slice is Right

A new Gold Saucer Active Time Event will have you take the stage and attempt to dodge Yojimbo and Daigoro’s many mechanics.

Tribe Quests: Pixies

The Pixies will offer level-synced quests, which will help you level secondary jobs. Here’s a look at their special area:

PVP Updates

  • Major adjustments to PvP Actions and Traits are incoming in 5.1.
  • Frontline’s 24-player battles will be removed. Notifications will now indicate the appearance of icebound tomeliths and drones. Recast time for Return has been removed. Waiting time to return to battle after incapacitation has been fixed at 5 seconds. Party size when registering for a duty is now limited to 4 players.
  • Each player will now have a separate battle high gauge. This gauge increases for each KO or assist. The gauge is reduced by half when incapacitated. Damage dealt and potency of healing actions increases with the gauge in five stages. Tactical rating bonus for defeating player affected by Battle High has been removed.
  • Onsal Hakair (Danshig Nadaam) A new front line battle between three teams of players. Each team must fight to claim the ovoo that appear on the field. Once the gauge displayed over the ovoo is filled it is claimed by your team. Once claimed your team’s tactical rating will gradually increase over time. An ovoo that has been claimed will be rendered inaccessible.

New Game Plus

You’ll be able to switch between your current progression and New Game Plus progression with ease. Story battles will be level synced and you’ll have the option of Normal, Easy, and Very Easy difficulty.

A Realm Reborn chapters are currently pending due to a revamp that will happen later in the Shadowbringers patch series.

YoRHA: Dark Apocalypse – The Copied Factory

The team showed a sneak peak of the first alliance raid in the YoRHA: Dark Apocalypse collaboration: The Copied Factory.

The Epic of Alexander (Ultimate)

Arriving two weeks after 5.1’s launch, this challenge is the hardest difficulty encounter in Final Fantasy XIV and will reward weapons and a title like previous Ultimates. The team showed the opening cutscene and revealed the boss’s first form…

Announcements

  • 5.1 Patch Note reading will air on October 29 at 1500 JST.
  • Final Fantasy XIV will be at the Kitakyushu Pop Culture Festival on November 30 through December 1.
  • Final Fantasy XIV is nominated for two Golden Joystick Awards: Best Game Expansion and PlayStation Game of the Year. Voting ends October 24.
  • Final Fantasy XIV is nominated for PlayStation Game Music Grand Prize Award. Voting ends October 31.
  • Eorzean Symphony Final Fantasy XIV Orchestral Album Vol. 2 releases on December 11 for $59.99 USD.
  • Hydaelyn Kick t-shirt available November 30. NA/EU TBD.
  • Giant Beaver Plush on sale November 30 for 3000 yen, includes Giant Beaver Plush in-game furnishing as gift. NA/EU TBD.
  • Shadowbringers acrylic character stands available for 1800-2300 yen each. NA/EU TBD.
  • Disciples of the Land and Hand Class Pins available in Japan on November 30 for 600 yen each, NA/EU TBD.
  • The sixth 14 Hour broadcast is scheduled for December 14.

About the Author

Tony Garsow Tony joined Nova Crystallis in 2015, and has spent more than a decade writing in the Final Fantasy community. He also contributes to the Nova Crystallis Twitch and YouTube channels, where you can watch select gameplay highlights, previews, and streams.

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