Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter 56 Summary; Patch 5.2 arrives February 2020

In the 56th 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’ second major post-release patch:

We’ve included a summary of the major information below:

Patch 5.18

  • Patch 5.18 arrives Tuesday, December 24th, but there may a small possibility of delay pending review for bugs.
  • The weekly restrictions for Eden’s Gate and Eden’s Gate (Savage) will be lifted.
  • Deepshadow Solvent will be purchasable using Manufactured Coins obtained from The Copied City.
  • Season 14 of The Feast will begin.
  • Some job adjustments will be implemented, including some for Ninja (Edit: PvP actions).

Patch 5.2 Content & Features

  • Patch 5.2 is titled “Echoes of a Fallen Star” and will release in Mid-February 2020.
  • New quests will continue the main scenario after the events of Patch 5.1.
  • A level 80 instanced dungeon will be added named Anamnesis Anyder; it will be compatible with the Trust system. Going forward, the team will add one dungeon with every major patch.
  • New beast tribe quests will be added featuring the Qitari, there will be a focus on gathering. [likely that qitari are the First’s name for qiqirn]
  • A new side story named “The Sorrow of Werlyt” will be added.
  • A new trial against the Ruby Weapon will be added, including an Extreme-difficulty mode.
  • Another trial will be added – but this one’s a secret!
  • The second tier of the Eden raid will be Eden’s Verse, which will also include a Savage-difficulty mode. Concept artwork shows a square platform with lightning striking distant towers in driving rain.
  • A new quest series to upgrade equipment will begin – the title is a secret for now! It will involve a story focused around the Bozja Citadel, home of the Hrothgar.
  • PvE and PvP actions will be adjusted.
  • A new Allagan tomestone will be added.
  • Additional New Game+ chapters will be added.
  • Rank increase for free companies.
  • A new Leap of Faith course in the Gold Saucer will be added.
  • Fellowships can now be viewed in the companion app.
  • Umbrellas will be added.

Ishgardian Restoration & Diadem

  • An update will come to Ishgardian Restoration – high-end content will be added in Patch 5.2 and in later updates.
  • The Diadem will be redesigned to be gatherer-exclusive content. After reaching level 10 with any Disciple of the Land, players can enter the Firmament and ceruleum tanks will no longer be required. Gather items to be used in the restoration of Ishgard. You’ll earn skybuilders’ scrips. You’ll gather while moving from island to island without fear of being attacked by enemies. In addition to gathering non-collectable items for reconstruction, the area is also useful for gaining experience at any level. As you continue gathering in the Diadem, you will charge up a gauge that allows the use of an aetheromatic augur. Use the aetheromatic augur on creatures in the wild to obtain additional items.
  • New collectable items will be added. Exper recipes can be used to earn greater rewards. Expert recipes will trigger status other than “poor,” “good,” and “excellent.” Utilizing these new statuses will be key to increasing item quality.
  • “Kupo of Fortune” are scratch of tickets after contributing a certain number of items; these can be redeemed for rewards.
  • A ranking system will be added to commend those who contributed greatly to the reconstruction effort. Separate rankings for each crafting and gathering class will be added. Earn points for each class when contributing specified items. Class rankings will be tabulated during a 10 day period after the update is released. Results for each World will be announced on the Lodestone.

Crafting/Gathering Revamp

  • Crafting actions will be adjusted as well as a new feature to estimate the effects of your next action. It’ll also be easier to desynthesize stacked items. The party requirement for company crafting will be removed. An in-game UI can be used as a simulation for planning you r next step.
  • Fishing updates will lower the required level for the following fisher actions: Patience, Precision Hookset, and Powerful Hookset. Fish tugging animations will be easier to distinguish and an all-purpose lure will be added.
  • Skysteel Tools will be primary tools that can be upgraded over the course of multiple patches. It’ll begin with a quest in the Firmament and you’ll crat or gather specified items to enhance these tools.
  • Equipment will no longer be lost when creating materia. Crafter class requirements for affixing materia will be removed. Any crafter can affix materia provided they meet the level requirement.
  • Ocean Fishing will be fisher-exclusive content. Board a ship at specified times to enjoy fishing on the high seas. Receive experience and scrips based on fish caught. Meeting certain conditions while aboard will grant all passengers the chance of a big haul.

Miscellaneous

  • Final Fantasy XIV has surpassed 18 million players.
  • The team is planning to review an issue where asses were made flatter in the NieR Automata 2B outfit and y’all are thirsty as hell, damn…

Special Guest: Masayoshi Soken

  • Masayoshi Soken is the sound director of Final Fantasy XIV and composes many of its songs.
  • Soken’s favorite song from the Shadowbringers expansion is “Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” particularly the vocal performance. It was recorded in Los Angeles; he said one of his staff secretly downloaded the recording so they could listen to it. Soken met the vocalist for the song at the Dolby Theater, and it happened to be a chance encounter similar to how Nobuo Uematsu met Susan Calloway. Both Soken and director/producer Yoshida had a strong impression from her performance and arrangements were made immediately.
  • Soken says inspiration comes randomly but he will train by playing instruments like the keyboard and recording melodies on his smartphone so that the inspiration won’t be forgotten. He says it’s good advice to composers to record yourself singing, even if it’s embarrassing.
  • When asked who is his mentor, Soken said his mother taught him to play the keyboard.
  • Soken’s recently been into James Morrison.
  • Main scenario writer Natsuko Ishikawa approached Soken to pitch the music for the Amaurot area. The initial feel was going to be upbeat and tense but it was decided to use a more somber version while the upbeat version would be used in the dungeon.
  • Yoshida says the music in Kholusia didn’t fit his idea of the area, but Ishikawa insisted Soken keep it. They compromised by having this song play after passing a certain section of the main scenario.
  • Soken and the sound and battle team worked hard to arrange the music for The Epic of Alexander. There’s at least three different files involved in the section where time stops. Yoshida adds that he wanted to add the feeling of intensity.
  • Soken won’t just make music for the game that he personally likes, but it has to fit the game and the mood – that’s his job.
  • Soken found it difficult to create different sound effects for the Source and the First, but there are different effects like for the Flood of Light. They wanted to create something that didn’t sound holy, but intense instead.
  • Soken would like a Primals tour in North America; Yoshida says it depends how it’ll impact his work on the game. They’d have to pull Michael Christopher Koji-Fox away from the game too. Seems like Soken was overdoing it on his last tour, so they’d need to pick the right time.
  • Soken is planning to have an orchestrion roll for the Azys Lla zone ready for Patch 5.2.

Announcements

  • Free Login Campaign is back until January 14th. Up to 120 hours of game time are free with an active service account – timer starts when you log back in.
  • Pre-orders are available until December 24th for the Hori Tactical Assault Commander left-handed peripheral. It’s estimated to ship on April 30th, 2020 for $129.99.
  • The Art of Reflection -Histories Forsaken- artbook will release on March 31st 2020 for $39.99. Bonus in-game minion is Wind-up Dulia-Chai.
  • Doman Mahjong tile set will be available to purchase in Japan. Mat sold separately.
  • Final Fantasy XIV’s Fan Festival will return in 2020-2021 in Japan, North America, and Europe.

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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