The release date of FFXIV 6.1 is April, 2022. Here we introduced updates that are planned for Patch 6.1, which is scheduled to be released in April.
A new series of sidequests, Tataru’s Grand Endeavor, will unfold across multiple patches. We hope you’ll look forward to what kind of story it’ll be!
We’ve finished the balance evaluations for Ultima’s Bane (Unreal), which we believe is tuned to be quite difficult. The original Ultima’s Bane trial was added very early on, and it was possible to ignore a lot of the mechanics with high item level equipment. But it’s become quite the interesting trial after adjustments were made to bring it up to level 90 standards.
The new Ultimate duty, Dragonsong’s Reprise, is scheduled for Patch 6.11, which will be about two weeks after new main scenario quests and housing areas are added in Patch 6.1. Brace yourself if you plan on giving it a try; it’ll be a tough one!
The new PvP content is planned for Patch 6.1, and though we ran out of space to mention it on the slide, we are also planning to add more glamour plates.
We also shared what we could regarding updates planned for Patches 6.2 through 6.5.
Island Sanctuary is planned for release in Patch 6.2, and its overall evaluation has been completed. It’s become quite the large-scale content, and we hope you’ll look forward to it as we reveal more at a later opportunity. You can generally expect to be able to clear all the content with just this island.
Criterion dungeons are also scheduled for Patch 6.2 and can be challenged with anywhere between 1 to 4 players. Their difficulty will be adjusted based on the number of participating members. This will also be featured in a preview at a closer timing to Patch 6.2’s release.
Note that updates such as a level cap increase for blue mage and Gold Saucer-related updates may not be mentioned in the slides but are still being adjusted and will be implemented at an appropriate timing.
To conclude the first half of the broadcast, we explained the major patch cycle moving forward.
So far, we’ve maintained the same patch schedule even after the increasing amount of content per patch and playable jobs, and part of that relied on the development team’s motivation. By allowing our team members to continue development in a healthier manner with a more suitable schedule, we hope to improve the quality of what we deliver to all of our players.
Of course, the number of developers has increased, and the team has grown larger. However, FFXIV is not something that can be created through a simple production process, and simply increasing the number of staff members doesn’t immediately result in an improved pace of development, as training and gaining experience is also necessary. If we were to describe the development team as a pyramid, although it’s possible to increase the size of the pyramid itself, the very tip will always be the producer or director.
We would like to change the patch cycle to allow the direction side of things to continue making evaluations and adjustments without compromise, and we would like to ask for your understanding regarding this point. And as we continue for the next ten years, we will continue to deliver new enjoyment and surprises to all of our players.
Due to how the lottery purchase system works, free companies with many members will have an advantage in terms of the likelihood of winning. Although opinions regarding this functionality may vary, it seems more natural for those working hard to maintain large communities to have the ability to fully utilize the benefits of a free company. However, do note that even if a free company wins the lottery for multiple plots, they can only purchase one plot and will have to pay the cancellation-related fees for the remaining plots.
Additionally, certain requirements will be added to the free company permissions for purchasing a plot. Members with the permission to purchase or relinquish a plot that do not fulfill the requirements will only be able to relinquish a plot. Recruiting temporary members for the sole purpose of purchasing a plot will likely be rather difficult.
Wards can be individually designated as first come, first serve/lottery or free company/personal housing. It’s also possible, for instance, to change leftover plots in a free company-only ward to allow them to be purchased as personal estates.
In Patch 6.1, only purchases via lottery will be available. Should it be highly requested by players, it’d be possible for us to change a few wards to first come, first serve. However, we believe designating even a single ward as first come, first serve will cause a login rush and affect the entire player community at large, and those who are unable to purchase a plot in this manner will end up entering the lotteries anyway. As such, our concern is that doing so would instill a sense of futility for many players. As such, we believe it might be better to allow housing to be purchased first come, first serve after more plots have been added and there is some leeway.
Producer & Director Yoshida answered questions regarding Patch 6.0, which were collected beforehand.
Q: I’m wondering what Azem was up to during the Final Days. Did they hear about what was going on from Venat, and how did they end up parting ways with Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus? Will we learn more about Azem in the future?
A: What Venat’s successor to the seat of Azem was doing during the Final Days is a secret, one that may or may not be revealed in the future. However, we do have some idea of what they were up to. Whatever you imagine you would’ve done if you were Azem is probably the closest we can get to the truth. (laughs)
Q: Why did Zenos dream of Amaurot’s Final Days? Also, how did he come to be a reaper and learn to manipulate his avatar in time for 6.0?
A: Zenos’s sire is Varis, whose grandsire is Solus. Solus is Emet-Selch, which makes Zenos a direct descendant of Emet-Selch; his great-grandson to be more precise. When you think about how hereditary traits can suddenly manifest in certain generations, it may bring something to mind. There also might be a hint in Tales from the Shadows, which you may want to reread.
As for how Zenos became a reaper and learned to manipulate his avatar… that’s a very good question, but I’m bound to silence on this matter!
Q: I’d be interested to know how the unsundered Ascians (Lahabrea, Elidibus, and Emet-Selch) avoided being kicked into fourteen pieces by Hydaelyn.
A: As Emet-Selch implied towards the end of the 6.0 main scenario (“So, here I am Venat. I suppose you needed me to tie it all together…”), Venat had purposefully allowed him to survive. The attack intentionally left something like an opening which Emet-Selch could just barely wriggle through. With that said, with the limit of Hydaelyn’s full power behind the attack, fine-tuning wasn’t possible and whether or not he would actually survive was somewhat of a gamble. In the end, Emet-Selch, with the help of Lahabrea (who happened to be nearby) and Elidibus (who had fallen from Zodiark’s core), was able to evade the attack by temporarily escaping to a rift between dimensions.
Q: Are there sundered Ascians (other than Fandaniel) or black-masked Ascians of lower ranks still around? I’d also like to know which Ascians those two red masks that Gaius carries around belonged to.
A: Perhaps a few of the sundered Ascians are still around, though it’s unclear whether they would be on the Source or one of the Reflections.
The masks Gaius carries around once belonged to Altima and Deudalaphon. However, Gaius simply had their masks, and whether or not he truly vanquished them has yet to be clarified. A point you may want to consider in your theories is what it takes to vanquish an Ascian.
Q: In your mind, how much time has passed during the story panning from FFXIV 1.0 through Endwalker? I want to know how many years older the Warrior of Light is now.
A: I don’t have a particular timeframe in mind. When we’re making the trailers, I kind of just have the WoL look older based on how many years have passed in real life. As such, the trailers don’t really reflect the story itself and I’d appreciate it if you could consider them as separate things.
As for the story, I only have a vague idea that a few years have passed. Once we start asking questions like, “What’s Y’shtola’s real age?” there would be no end to it, so I’d like to leave them up to your own imaginations…!
Q: As I understand, Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus returned to the aetherial sea, so they can now be reborn. If their souls are reincarnated, will the people they become be able to use creation magicks, like the Ancients?
A: When souls are cleansed in the aetherial sea and reincarnated, it simply means the souls are being reborn into new bodies in the Source. We don’t know if this process will be any different for unsundered beings compared to others, since there’s almost no precedent.
This is just my personal take, but if they had accomplished what they had set out to do before returning to the aetherial sea, I don’t think they’d reincarnate with lingering memories.
Q: Please tell us whether the star will be named “Etheirys” going forward, or if we are sticking with “Hydaelyn.” Also, does everyone know the name “Etheirys,” or just the Warrior of Light and their allies?
A: I believe the Warrior of Light (the players), those close to them, and those familiar with the details of the Final Days will refer to the star as “Etheirys.” On the other hand, I think the general populace of Eorzea will continue to refer to the star as “Hydaelyn.” Furthermore, civilizations in the East and New World, with their vastly different cultures, may not have referred to it as “Hydaelyn” to begin with and may have entirely different names for the star.
Perhaps the people that are going to be struggling with this the most are the members of the promo team. (laughs)
Q: Will Zenos come back to life again?
A: His physical body has been abandoned in a dimension separated from the universe and all of its laws. Zenos’s ultimate fate was depicted at length through cutscenes, which tell the whole story.
Q: If you look at the Source and its Reflections today, they are inhabited by various races such as Miqo’te, Au Ra, and Lalafells, and the like. However, all the Ancients seemed to be of a Hyur-like race. Is there lore regarding how mankind came to have such varied appearances?
A: When the Sundering occurred, all lifeforms became “incomplete.” But that very incompleteness allowed for strengths and weaknesses, which over generations became distinct racial traits.
Q: The “ruins beneath the waters,” “treasure islands,” and “fabled golden cities” mentioned by Emet-Selch haunt my daydreams. Can we expect to be able to loot them someday?
A: We’ve looted our stash of previously mentioned locations to make new areas for adventuring plenty of times, so your hopes probably wouldn’t be misplaced…
Q: In Elpis, Emet-Selch adjusted our Warriors of Light to be closer to the Ancients’ height. Given how tall Meteion was compared to us then versus in the present day, I feel like she shrank. Did something happen to her in the intervening time, or is there another reason for this?
A: First and foremost, the area around Ultima Thule is a space where “emotions dictate reality.” As we experienced in our adventures there, reality is not exactly what it appears to be; instead your internal perceptions are reflected in the surrounding space. Through the Warrior of Light’s will to reach Meteion’s location, her appearance was affected by the Warrior of Light’s memories of her in Elpis. This includes her size, which was a reflection of her height from the Warrior of Light’s perspective. This also affected Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus, who were called upon later on.
Q: I wanted to harvest some Thavnairian Onions while I was in Thavnair. Where are they keeping them?
A: Thavnairian Onions have an especially potent effect even among chocobo feed, so like exclusive varieties of vegetables in the real world, perhaps they only grow in a very small area of Thavnair.
The Lore team’s answer was, “Such matters are dictated by the gods known as the ‘Non-combat Content Designers’,” which I now share with you. (laughs)
Q: Were Zodiark and Hydaelyn completely destroyed, or are there still some parts on the other Reflections?
A: Hydaelyn was completely destroyed. Similarly, when Fandaniel crushed Zodiark’s core, Zodiark was also completely destroyed, along with the parts of him that were sealed away on the Reflections.
Q: I don’t really understand why the Warrior of Light messing around in Elpis didn’t create any alternate timelines. Can you explain what happened?
A: First of all, we’ve left that part up to interpretation.
With that said, my personal interpretation is that the past and present were always the part of the same timeline. Although there was still a possibility for the timelines to diverge, the Warrior of Light was unwittingly acting in accordance with Venat’s plans, which unified the past and present. Another interpretation might be that Venat worked really hard behind the scenes to ensure that the timeline wouldn’t go awry.
Seeing how Argos took to us on our first meeting, I’d say that proves that the past and present were already unified.
Q: In the trailers, only the Warrior of Light seems to age, whereas the other characters always look the same. Will we ever get to see a grown-up Alphinaud and Alisaie?
A: From a director’s perspective, depicting an older Alphinaud and Alisaie does sound fun. However, I’m worried that people will be like, “But I liked how the twins looked before!” so it’s really hard to say. Perhaps it could work if we did a sort of “What if?” illustration or something that depicts their older selves.
Q: Venat said that not even her soul would remain, but what does that mean? I’m really fond of her character and want to see her again.
A: Souls are also made of aether, and she had used so much aether that even her soul was gone. Zodiark absorbed those who were sacrificed and was still able to maintain their souls within, whereas Hydaelyn did not have the leeway to preserve the souls of the summoners, including that of Venat herself. This difference was because Venat’s group was a very small minority compared to the group that had summoned Zodiark based on the Convocation’s decision. Venat’s soul, which was the last to remain, was used up in the trial against the Warrior of Light and their allies.
Q: Now that Hydaelyn is gone, will the Warrior of Light no longer have the Blessing of Light? Or will it stick around, like the illusory Amaurot?
A: I believe the Blessing of Light bestowed by Venat won’t disappear, nor would I want it to. Just as Venat said, “My love will be with you forever, my dearest children,” I imagine her blessing will continue to grant protection.
Q: In the cutscene after the level 87 dungeon, we see a red seal appear before Emet-Selch’s face. Does that mean that such seals aren’t an Ascian thing, but rather identify one as belonging to the Convocation of Fourteen? Please explain the lore.
A: The sigil is like a representation of their seat within the Convocation, and it appears when they unleash a large amount of magick. Thus, they won’t appear for anyone outside of the Convocation of Fourteen, such as Venat, who gave up her seat.
Q: In concluding the story, are there any threads you found difficult to wrap up, or bits of lore that you secretly changed or disregarded?
A: I checked with the Lore team and received the following answer.
What we call ”initial setting” or ”background lore” are only perceived as such at that moment in time, and as the story continues to be written, some details are elaborated further while others are faded out. This isn’t limited to just Endwalker, but also applies to the transition between FFXIV 1.0 to A Realm Reborn as well. For instance, the adventurer’s “partner” character is one of the biggest loose ends we were unable to wrap up.
Q: Will we have a chance to learn the identities of the full Convocation of Fourteen?
A: Their true names are already decided, but whether they’ll be revealed or not depends on how the plot develops in the future.
Q: Venat had good intentions and her plan worked out in the end, but as a result, the world was sundered and most of the Ancients suffered for it. Was sundering the star really the only way to save it?
A: At the very least, as Y’shtola theorized, Venat believed the Ancients were too dense in aether to control dynamis and stop the Final Days at its source. Perhaps she also believed the Ancients would be unable to change as a people and were doomed to become their own undoing. Therefore, I believe she chose to sunder the star and dilute mankind’s aether, so that someday they might be capable of fighting against despair.
As she said herself, Venat’s actions are not a simple matter of good or evil, and she agonized over it for eons. In a sense, Venat’s very decision to sunder the star makes me think that she too, was an Ancient herself.
Normally, I think it would be impossible for someone to make that kind of choice, but similar to the ways in which Emet-Selch and Hermes evaluated mankind, this was Venat’s way of passing judgment.
Q: The Source’s moon was made to imprison Zodiark after the Sundering, but what about the First’s moon? Was Etheirys the only thing divided among parallel dimensions, or did the Sundering affect the surrounding part of outer space too?
A: There is a reason behind the moons on the Reflections, but we can’t talk about it yet. After the star was sundered along with Zodiark by Hydaelyn’s attack (“Hydaelyn Kick”), the moons on the Source and the Reflections were each created to seal away a part of the sundered Zodiark.
Q: During the development process, what part of Endwalker were you a perfectionist about?
A: I was especially particular about conveying expressions during cutscenes, such as where the characters were looking, pauses between dialogue during conversation, and gestures. Other aspects include preventing misinterpretations when tying up loose ends, replicating Mr. Yoshitaka Amano’s art, the timings of unlocking sidequests, dialogue between Trust characters, The Mothercrystal trial, and more.
I visit Mr. Amano myself when ordering an illustration, and this time I requested him to draw “despair” as the final boss. I’m hoping there will be a chance to show you all the original artwork for the Endsinger sometime soon.
As for the timing of sidequests, I considered how the story moves from region to region, as well as how events progressed around the Final Days. With those points in mind, I made adjustments to when and how many quests were unlocked by playing through them numerous times. Having too many sidequests pop up during a single sequence can be demotivating, but it also would’ve been weird to have easygoing sidequests emerge when the Final Days are bearing down.
Q: Healers are currently putting out too much healing compared to damage taken and have few damage-dealing options and limited flexibility in battle. People are even clearing Pandæmonium with tank-only parties. Are there plans to make healers more vital to parties?
A: We hold back on the difficulty of the initial Savage raids of each expansion to allow more people to clear, which goes for Asphodelos as well.
I imagine a lot of comparisons are being drawn between the current encounters and the Savage encounters added in Patch 5.4, but the difficulty will be gradually increased as players get more comfortable with their jobs again. But should you yearn for more, please look forward to Dragonsong’s Reprise (Ultimate)!
Q: Dark knight’s Living Dead and Blood Weapon are more difficult to use effectively compared to other tank skills. Are there plans to adjust this?
A: Many jobs, including dark knight, will be adjusted in Patch 6.1.
We’re carefully reading through your feedback and will do our best to make adjustments in line with what’s being requested. Other requests regarding machinist and white mage, as well as reducing the animation lock on dragoon’s jumps, will also be addressed as much as possible. Even if a certain job wasn’t mentioned here, that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t receive adjustments, so please wait for future announcements.
Q: Given that we now have sage and reaper, will you be increasing the number of glamour plates?
A: We’ve finished calculating the development costs of glamour-related adjustments, such as adding more glamour plates and enabling their use in more areas, as well as adding more storage space to the glamour dresser. These will be addressed systematically, beginning with Patch 6.1, when more glamour plates will be added and they can be used in more areas. I’m sure the ideal number of glamour plates will vary from player to player, but I believe we’re adding a sufficient amount.
Q: Will we be able to obtain gear such as Imperial officers’ armor and uniforms, Garlean gunblades, Imperial lab coats, and Sharlayan Forum members’ uniforms in the future?
A: We have plans to add the Sharlayan Forum members’ uniforms. As for Garlean attire, we had intentionally refrained from adding them since they belonged to the opposition. With the Hydaelyn & Zodiark storyline showing the Empire’s internal affairs, however, I think we can consider gradually releasing Garlean-themed attire.
Q: Do you plan to implement the song that played on the radio in Garlemald as an orchestrion roll?
A: We plan on adding the version of the song with radio static in Patch 6.1. The song has versions with and without the static, but Sound Director Soken suggested that we first introduce the version that players are familiar with from the story.
Q: Will we able to take up residence in Sharlayan or the lunar facilities that the Loporrits worked so hard to make someday? Even just apartments would be fine.
A: Please, try living in Ishgard first! It’d be nice if you could live in those areas someday…
Q: Will you add minions for Emet-Selch, Hades, and Zenos?
A: We intentionally refrained from adding minions of characters who haven’t finished playing their part in the story, but since 6.0 is over, I hope we can add them little by little.
Q: Do you have any updates regarding female Hrothgar?
A: With Endwalker-related tasks finally calming down, rough sketches are now being made to solidify their design in earnest. It’ll be a long while before they’re implemented, but progress has been steady.
Some may think, “Won’t only a few people play as female Hrothgar?” but my concerns aren’t really about whether female Hrothgar will become as popular as other races. More importantly, expanding the in-game world with a variety of different races and players of varying characteristics is a crucial step towards making FFXIV an RPG that can be played alone or with friends. As such, it’s not about how many people will use them, but rather about implementing female Hrothgar for the people looking forward to them.