For fans ofFinal Fantasy XIV, there’s good news from today’s Live Letter 84 — the 7.1 Crossroads patch will be released on November 12, and it brings a whole new range of content to dive into, as well as some much-needed updates.
As always, additional translations from today’s Live Letter are provided by Miuna over on theFFXIVDiscord server.
As the Live Letter did, let’s kick this off with the latest trailer for patch 7.1:
Obviously one of the most awaited additions with Patch 7.1 is the continuation of theDawntrailMSQ, which will continue until patch 7.3 according to Yoshida. The ongoing story will see us learn more about Sphene and Zoraal Ja, his son, and possibly the identity of his biological mother.
There will also be a new dungeon added as part of the MSQ — Yuweyawata Field Station. Although not much was said about the dungeon itself, Yoshida said that it would be less challenging than the current Expert dungeons. However, they’ve done “something different” with the last boss which may come as a surprise. Exactly what they’ve done remains to be seen, but this definitely sounds ominous, to say the least.
Coming in patch 7.1
Along with the additional MSQ quests, we’ll also have a lot of new content to dive into. Here’s everything that’s coming in 7.1, and what we know about it thanks to today’s Live Letter:
Echoes of Vana’deil: Jeuno – The First Walk
We were given some in-game glimpses of Echoes of Vana’diel: Jeuno – The First Walk during the Live Letter, including some sneak peeks of the first boss, Prishe of the Distant Chains. Armed with huge fists and some interesting new mechanics, she’ll definitely be a challenge to take down, at least to begin with.
We were also told that while the area is an Alliance Raid Dungeon, it will also serve as an event map, so players will be able to explore and take in everything. This means that we’ll also be able to use the area for screenshots, which is definitely much appreciated because it looks stunning.
The gear drops from the dungeon are pleasingly black, although they can also be dyed quite nicely. Yoshida said that they worked closely with theFFXIteam to decide which job got which gear.
As someone who never playedFinal Fantasy XI, it was reassuring to hear Yoshida say that while they were remaining true to the source, they also went out of their way to not leave players behind who aren’t so familiar with it. Another small detail that pays homage toFFXIis the fact that all enemy names will be displayed in English, even for Japanese players or others who use a non-English alphabet.
Hall of the Novice: Training
We were shown a very in-depth demonstration of how the new Hall of the Novice: Training will work, and it comes with detailed descriptions of mechanics and the opportunity to take part in instanced battles to put your knowledge to the test. This is incredibly useful for new players, and some old ones who might be a bit rusty.
PvP update
PvP will be undergoing something of an overhaul, with each job (except Pictomancer and Viper) losing actions and gaining new ones. Effects have also been updated so that damage will be dealt when the effect goes off, rather than when the attack is executed.
Crystalline Conflict maps are also undergoing an update, with both Cloud Nine and Red Sands getting more clutter and objects. Yoshi did mention that this makes the paths more narrow, so obstacles and attacks may not be so easily avoided in the future.
PvP Series 7 will also begin with the implementation of patch 7.1 as well, bringing new rewards on offer.
Other content
For patch 7.1 itself, there are also a couple of other things that will be added:
Coming in further patches
Although the following things won’t be added as part of the main 7.1 patch, they will be added in smaller patches before 7.2. This does mean a little bit of a longer wait, but it also means we can spread out the experience and focus on one thing at a time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by content sometimes, so this is a good way to prevent that from happening.
Futures Rewritten (Ultimate)
The Ultimate Raid forDawntrail, featuring both Ryne and Gaia all over again, will be added in patch 7.11. Yoshida did mention that players might enjoy the Ultimate more if they give themselves a refresher of the Eden storyline, so if you’ve not played those raids through in a while, now might be a good time.
The Cloud of Darkness (Chaotic)
The Cloud of Darkness (Chaotic) will be the first savage level difficulty 24-player content ever introduced toFFXIV, and it will be arriving one week after the implementation of patch 7.15. We were given some in-game footage featuring Yoshida taking on the boss solo. Although he didn’t get far, and died pretty quickly to one of the newly revealed mechanics, it’s clear to see that the fight will definitely be a fun one.
The Inconceivably Further Hildibrand Adventures
Serving as something of a prologue to a brand new story arc for Hildibrand and co., the first Hildibrand quests forDawntrailwill be coming as part of patch 7.15. There’s no telling what Hildibrand will be getting up to this time around, but commenters on the livestream commented that he looks too “handsome” and that it doesn’t suit him. Not sure if I agree, but to each their own.
The following content will also be coming as part of future patches:
Other updates coming from patch 7.1
Updates
While these are perhaps not the most exciting of updates, there will also be various features either added or tweaked:
Weapon Design Contest designs revealed
The winners from a previous Weapon Design Contest were revealed, although details of where we’ll be able to get these from were not included. These weapons are all adorable in different unique ways, there’s a staggering variety of kitchen utensils on offer, and I’m suddenly feeling the urge to turn my main Dark Knight into a pretty pink princess:
