During the fifty-second Letter from the Producer Live broadcast, the Final Fantasy XIV team detailed more information about the upcoming Shadowbringers expansion set to release on July 2nd, 2019. This time we got a peek at the Twintania trial, the new Trust system, and more updates and features coming to the game.

You can check out our summary of the major information below:

Dungeon Trailer

— This time the dungeon trailer was cut shorter due to the amount of potential spoilers.
— During the media tour, the team talked about “charged actions.” They noticed fans had questions about losing the charges if you wipe and the answer is no — the charges will reset if you wipe.

The Dancing Plague — Titania

— The trial versus Titania is in The Dancing Plague and was available at the E3 2019 showfloor. The floor’s win rate was 30%.
— In video footage the team shows off an “amaro” mount that looks like a black-feathered camel. They are tied into the main scenario quest.
— The team showed off the Titania encounter which takes place in a square-shaped arena.
— Titania is the ruler of the Pixies and a lot of her attacks utilize their help. She can be challenged at Level 73.

The Trust System

— The Trust System will allow you to challenge main scenario dungeons with allied NPCs. Fight alongside NPCs to progress through dungeons solo. Fill the role of your choice in the party — tank, healer, or DPS — and then select the Trust NPCs to fill the other roles.
— A variety of NPC allies will have specialized AI and unique actions. You won’t be directly commanding Trust NPCs yourself. They’ll react differently to different situations and have unique dialogue and banter.
— Playing with other players will remain a more effective strategy than using Trust NPCs. Roughly speaking, using them, you can expect a dungeon to last 30 minutes if you do not wipe. If you, the player, are incapacitated, you will restart the dungeon.
— You will see Trust NPCs standing outside the entrance to a dungeon which signifies that they are ready to join you. When you approach and talk to them, a menu will be called to set up a Trust Party. This can also be accessed from the Trust section in the Duty menu.
— The roster of characters you see in the Trust menu will vary depending on how far you progress in the story.
— Minfilia’s job title is “Oracle of Light” despite wielding daggers like a rogue.
— When the party is organized, you will queue for the duty.
— In Trust dungeons, gear will drop at 1/4 the rate of normal rates due to the lack of rolling on gear.
— When you approach a pack of mobs, your tank will jump out and attempt to gain enmity.
— When enemies use AOE tells, your Trust NPC party will attempt to avoid them.
— For example, enemies may cast multiple AOEs where Trust NPCs may not be able to attack for a while — there has been compensation for this by having the AI use more powerful attacks after downtime.
— The first boss of the dungeon is a frog named Aenc Thon, Lord of the Lingering Gaze.
— The tank AI will attempt turn the enemies away from the party and the AI will stack together on stack indicators.
— The team wanted to make the encounters based on the places you’re in which resulted in a large variety of environments.
— AI will differ based on the personality of your trusts. Minfilia will hesitate and let you use a Limit Break and Alisaie will use the Limit Break when it’s available.

Gatherer and Crafter Adjustments

Gatherers

— New actions and and traits will be added. New information will be added to the gathering and fishing logs via tomes of regional folklore.
— Regarding Unspoiled/Legendary/Ephemeral gathering point appearance timing — for items that have been obtained via gathering at least once. Alarms for gathering point timing can be enabled via subcommands.
— The world of the First doesn’t operate “Eorzean” time but they’ll have the same value. No time zone difference.
— New tackles for catching various fish in 2.0 areas will be added — Boilies. The team feels its about time to consolidate tackles in the form of Boilies that will let you catch a variety of fish. Eventually these will be added to Heavensward and Stormblood areas.
— The difficulty of obtaining tomes of regional folklore will be reduced.

Crafters

— New actions will be added. Steady Hand II an Byregot’s Blessing will be added to all classes. This was made with new players in mind for whatever crafter they decide to pick up.
— Recipe aspects will be removed, and all related actions consolidated into one. The team felt this was a hassle and decided to clean it up.
— The crafting UI will be updated with more information on screen so that the crafting process is easier to grasp. Durability and condition will be displayed more clearly. When active, the Collectable Synthesis status will be clearly displayed in the window. Active crafting statuses, as well as the resulting increases from actions (assuming a base of 100% efficiency) will be displayed during synthesis. It’ll be easier to visualize and calculate your progress.
— A the bottom of the window, you can see two upward pointing lines. For each action you take, the text above will display the results.
— The resulting increases from actions (assuming a base of 100% efficiency) will be displayed in the Crafting Log. Crafters can therefor confirm the increase in progress and quality from actions (assuming a base of 100% efficiency) prior to synthesis.
— The maximum initial quality limit will be raised from 50% to 75% for many 5.0 and later recipes (to allow for easier HQ item synthesis with HQ materials. The maximum initial quality for each recipe can be confirmed prior to synthesis.
— The difficulty of obtaining master recipe books IV, V and VI will be reduced. The team thinks there are too many and they need to be reduced. Other finer adjustments are being made internally.
— The team didn’t directly comment on the existence of a new tier of materia, but teased that Shadowbringers was only two weeks away where you’ll find out for yourself.

System Updates

Currency

— New tomestone currency includes Allagan Tomestones of Goeta and Phantasmagoria. Tomestone of phantasmagoria will be added four weeks after the official release of Shadowbringers — it is the weekly capped currency.
— White crafters’ and gatherers’ scrip will be added.

Glamour

— Glamour dressers capacity will be increased from 200 to 400 items, and glamour plates will be increased from 10 to 15.

Housing

— Furnishing preview will be added so you can preview furnishing items in your estate before you use them. However, certain seasonal rewards and optional items will be exempted. Most of the items in the game will be preview-able.
— You’ll be able to preview indoor and outdoor furnishings.
— A design chosen from a contest includes a fallen log you can place outside your estate that you can sit on.
— The team hopes that the preview system will provide more ease and depth in playing with the furnishing system.
— A cash register furnishing has been added for those who may want to use their estate as a shop for roleplaying.
— New gear sets have been added based on the Ronkan civilization and frog.

The Hunt

— The Centurio seal limit will be increased from 1,000 to 4,000.
— When in possession of the requisite bill, the direction and status of a rank B mark will be displayed when nearby. “You sense your mark to the north.”, “You no longer sense the presence of your mark.”
— When a rank S mark spawns in the region, a message will be displayed: “You sense the presence of a powerful mark…”

Miscellaneous

— The retainer window will be updated and a sort function will be added.
— Materia melding requests can be sent in succession.
— A robotic frog mount has been created.
— Gunbreaker mount will be based on a saber-tooth tiger. The initial version has no armor but higher achievements will have armor.
— All mounts will have flying enabled (including coeurls and warlions).
— Achievement filters will be added. Select from Unfinished/Complete/Item Rewards/Title Rewards.
— An achievement watchlist can be added where progress for up to 30 achievements can be tracked.

Mentoring

— The requirements to become a mentor following the release of 5.0 will be revised. Players who obtained certification prior to the release of 5.0 but do not meet the new requirements will retain their current status for the duriation of 5.0. However, as of 5.1, to ensure all mentors are held to the same standard, changes will be implemented ton courage mentors who qualified under the old system to obtain recertification (please note that mentors who do not do this during 5.1 will lose certification in 5.2.)

New Gear Sets

Eden

— The new raid takes places in a barren white area and it seems that we need to restore life to a fallen object in the distance. The team says that if they show more it will spoil the main scenario and they want you to use your imagination until it is revealed.

Key Characters

— Thancred Waters — Thancred is an Archon in the Scions of the Seventh Dawn who specializes in survival and subterfuge. Espionage missions have taken him deep within Garlean territory, where he acquired the techniques of the gunbreaker–skills he will be forced to perfect if he means to protect those he holds dear.
— Y’shtola Rhul — Her penchant for pragmatism is matched only by her thirst for knowledge. Though she is renowned for her consummate mastery of white magic, she now turns to the dark arts so that she might better content with the challenges that lie ahead.
— Urianger Augureit — An Elezen student of prophecy known for his cryptic utterances, Uianger is considered one of the Scions’ most erudite Archons. In the face of a new threat and precarious future, he has turned to the ancient Sharlayan art of astrology to divine a path forward…
— Alphinaud Leveilleur — A member of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, Alphinaud was the youngest individual in history to be accepted into the Studium, Sharlayan’s premier academic institution. Leaving his homeland with grand dreams of delivering the world from destruction, he has suffered many a humbling experience throughout his journey but bolstered by comrades old and new he forges on toward his life’s goal.
— Alisaie Leveilleur — A woman of action whose dynamic approach is in stark contrast to that of her more diplomatic twin brother, Alphinaud. Inspired by those she has lost in her many travails, she strives to better herself for the sake of those she can yet save.
— Minfilia — Although this young woman has both the name and the piercing blue eyes of the Scion’s erstwhile Antecedent, the nature of their connection is not entirely clear. What does this Minfilia wish to achieve? What hopes are caught withing the tangled skein of her destiny?
— The Crystal Exarch — De facto leader for the people of the Crystarium, the Crystal Exarch gained his title as much for his position as for the crystalline transformation steadily consuming the flesh of his body. This enigmatic figure promises to play a prominent part in the Warrior of Light’s future adventures.
— Solus zos Galvus — The founder of the Garlean Empire, for whom even death presents no obstacle. For centuries he has worked from the shadows, sowing the seeds of war in order to trigger Calamities and thereby rejoin the worlds that were once divided. With Norvrandt on the bring of lucent oblivion, to what end has he chosen to take center stage?
— Vauthry and Ran’jit — are they friend or foe?
— Lyna and Feo Ul will be important characters in the storyline. Like the dragons, the pixies will also have a unique language.
— The Heroes of the First have previously appeared in the main scenario. The Shadowbringers expansion will tell the story of their return to the First after the events of Patch 3.4. These stories will be told through new Role Quests that include battles.

Upcoming Schedule

June 28 — Start of Early Access
July 2 — Start of Official Service
(The team feels that a lot of players will join and play for the Shadowbringers expansion they suggest you utilize the World Visit system to change to a lower-population server to continue playing the main scenario. The team says they will be very attentive to issues regarding population congestion and disseminate information quickly.)
July 16 — Patch 5.01, Eden Normal Opens
July 30 — Patch 5.05, Eden Savage Opens, Tomestones of Phantasmagoria Introduction, and the opening of the Dungeons of Lyhe Ghiah (accessed through treasure maps).

New Worlds

— On June 18th 2019, new worlds will be added to the European Data Centers.
— Spriggan will be added to the Chaos Data Center.
— Twintania will be added to the Light Data Center.

Announcements

— A left-handed gaming device “Tactical Assault Commander F14” will be available today through July 4th and ships November 21, 2019.
— Eorzean Symphony Final Fantasy XIV Orchestra Concert 2019 is set for September 21 and 22.
— A Shadowbringers-themed security token will be available in Japan on July 2nd. North American region launch will be announced later.
— Journeys Final Fantasy XIV Arrangement Album releases on June 19th.
— A patch note reading for 5.0 will take place on Thursday June 27th at 19:00 JST. The special guest will be Thancred’s voice actor Yuichi Nakamura.
— Final Fantasy XIV will be at Japan Expo from July 4th to July 7th at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center. There will be a Titania battle challenge and cosplay contest where Yoshida will judge.
— The movie version of Daddy of Light “Brave Father Online” will release in Japan on June 21st. They hope to release the movie in the West soon.
— In closing, Yoshida says the team has reached a record 16 million users and a record amount of active subscribers and he thanks players from around the would for playing.