FFXIV will get support for the next ten years, Square Enix announced in their most recent “Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXVIII” live stream. The team’s goals are to make sure Final Fantasy XIV can be enjoyed by solo players as well as those who prefer multiplayer, as well as upgrading the graphics in the longer term. In the immediate future, the team also revealed the main features of Patch 6.1 through to Patch 6.5, as well as re-opening the Free Trial program for new players.
When will Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.1 be released?
Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.1 will be released in April. The main feature will be the expansion of the Trust Support system so players can tackle more main scenario dungeons with AI NPCs instead of other human players. While this currently allows players to take on select Endwalker and Shadowbringers main scenario dungeons, Patch 6.1 will add A Realm Reborn main scenario dungeons to the list.
Patch 6.1 will also be the start of a new main scenario questline, the “Somehow Further Hildibrand Adventures”, and the “Tataru’s Grand Endeavor” sidequest series. More content will be added to these all the way through to Patch 6.5. Other content to arrive in Patch 6.1 includes:
- Myths of the Realm #1 (Alliance Raid)
- Crystalline Conflict (New PvP)
- Arkasodara Tribe Quests and Dailies
- Dragonsong’s Reprise (New Ultimate Duty)
- Ultima’s Bane (Unreal)
- New Calling Card-Style UI (Name TBD)
- New Hairstyles for Hrothgar
- Empyreum (Ishgard Housing)
- Custom Deliveries: Ameliance
- Plus, New Trials and other assorted updates…
Patch 6.2 will further increase the scope of the Trust Support, this time adding all main scenario dungeons from A Realm Reborn 2.X and two or three dungeons from Heavensward. There will be more weapon enhancements, a new Criterion dungeon that will allow up to four players to adjust the difficulty, “Island Sanctuary” Debuts, Pandæmonium, Faux Hollows, and other trials.
The remaining Heavensward main scenario dungeons will be added to the Trust Support system in Patch 6.3. This will also include Deep Dungeon Series #3, Ultimate Duty #5, Island Sanctuary updates, Myths of the Realm, Faux Hollows, and other trials. The exact content to be released in patches 6.4 and 6.5 isn’t yet finalized, although “Criterion” Dungeons #2 & #3, an additional area for Island Sanctuary, the conclusion to Pandæmonium, further Myths of the Realm, Faux Hollows, and other trials will be introduced at some point. The Stormblood main scenario dungeons will be added to the Trust Support system too.
Square Enix didn’t divulge any details about the next expansion pack, but they did reveal the first graphical update will release alongside it. This will involve character and world visuals like “higher-resolution textures, improved material qualities, and better lighting and shadow effects”. For more details on all of the above, check out the full “Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXVIII” live stream.
Finally, the Free Trial will become available again for new players tomorrow, February 22. The trial will include all content from A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, all content updates up to and including Patch 3.56, the Au Ra playable race, and three extra playable jobs (Dark Knight, Astrologian, and Machinist), all of which can be played without a time limit.
In other news, there are rumors that an Avatar: The Last Airbender RPG is in development for consoles. Elsewhere, the Capcom Fighting Collection has been announced and will include ten classic fighting games complete with Online Rollback Netcode.
