Final Fantasy XIV MGP

Players, FFXIV Patch 7.5 Trail to the Heavens is officially releases on April 28th! This update includes updates to quests, combat, PvP, and the item system, focusing on extensive system optimization. Let's take a look at all the content!

Quest System Updates

Main Story Quests

This update adds five new main story quests, with the new villain Halmarut and his manipulated puppets becoming the main threat.

Players will face off against Shantotto, a well-known character from FFXXI, who will use Black Magic directly and control the entire battlefield.

Echoes of Vana'diel collaboration story finally reaches its final chapter, with players facing off against Shantotto, a well-known character from Final Fantasy XI, who will use Black Magic directly and control the entire battlefield.

In addition, players who collect all seven Extreme Trials mounts can accept a new bonus quest to obtain an additional special mount.

The new Game+ mode adds questlines from Chronicles of a New Era and Echoes of Vana'diel series. Some regular quests are now restricted to specific classes for certain time periods to prevent class incompatibility issues.

Combat Updates

This update adds a new dungeon called The Clyteum, located in Snowfield ruins of Garlemald, showcasing the empire before its destruction.

The new raid Enuo, available in Normal and Extreme difficulties, is now live. Enuo features a faster pace and higher difficulty, but fewer environmental mechanics, and focuses more on the boss's actions. The Extreme difficulty's area-of-effect attacks and pathfinding mechanics are particularly challenging.

Players should note that Chaos dungeon, The Cloud of Darkness (Chaotic), has received a major update. Players can now easily conquer it with higher levels or higher gear grades.

More importantly, when the minimum item level requirement is enabled, all rare rewards, including two Mounts, Pets, and Hairstyles, will drop, significantly lowering the barrier to entry. If you happen to have few Final Fantasy XIV gil, that's even better.

Additionally, the weekly limit for Heavyweight Division in Normal mode has been removed, the number of Holoblades required to exchange for weapons has been reduced to four, and Echo effect of Cruiserweight Savage has been further improved.

PvP Update

Crystalline Conflict has launched series 11, along with a new map called Archieia Harmonias.

This map features Healing Glyphs and checkpoints for charging payloads, and its capture mechanic differs from other maps. The map rotation cycle has been shortened from 90 minutes to 60 minutes, allowing players to experience different terrains more frequently.

Furthermore, PvP scoring system has been adjusted. Character deaths no longer deduct points, and points gained from knockdowns and assists are now affected by morale, significantly speeding up the pace of matches.

Housing & Renovation

The furniture cap for all types of housing has been increased by 50%, and the outdoor furniture cap has been increased by 100%.

Specifically, the number of Apartments and Private Chambers has increased from 100 to 150, Cottages from 200 to 300, Houses from 300 to 450, and Mansions from 400 to 600.

A new Dark Minimalist Style has been added as an interior design theme.

Regarding display, players can adjust the number of furniture items displayed on screen simultaneously within an area, while the PS4 version will reduce system load by decreasing shadow lighting.

The next major housing update will introduce a large-capacity storage feature similar to Tardis, currently in testing and expected to launch before version 8.0.

Major Optimizations to the item System

Dye system has undergone a large-scale consolidation. Hundreds of loose Dyes have been consolidated into three standardized categories, meaning that common Dyes that previously occupied a large amount of warehouse space can now be covered by just three types.

However, high-value dyes such as general-purpose pure black and pure white remain unchanged, so the related market will not be affected.

Armoire system has also been enhanced. From some dungeon gear in version 2.x to dungeon gear from version 3.0 and later, gear can now be converted into set transmogrification, with each set occupying only one Armoire slot. Class-specific gear and dungeon gear from version 7.0 and later can also be stored in Armoire.

In addition, several PvP gear sets, as well as sets like Thaliak and Fury, have gained a second transmogrification slot.

Exploration and Wilderness Content

Occult Crescent has opened the new area North Horn, which includes both Normal and Hard difficulties of Forked Tower (Magic).

Phantom class abilities have also been adjusted. Cannoneer's Shotgun has changed from lightning to neutral. Dark Knight's Pledge now grants immunity to certain debuffs and damage. The drop rate of Rare Soul Crystals has been significantly increased, and Phantom experience and silver rewards have also been comprehensively increased.

Finally, the difficulty calculation method for FATEs has also changed. Players within and around FATEs will have their health added to the enemy's HP, making it less likely for players running towards FATEs to miss the battle due to lack of time.

This update primarily aims to pave the way for 8.0, with significant effort put into convenience and system optimization. Get ready for the April 28th release!

During FFXIV Live Letter 89 on October 31st, official release dates and major updates for Patch 7.38 and Patch 7.4 were announced. Patch 7.38 will be released on November 11th, while Patch 7.4 will be released on December 16th.

Patch 7.38 contains only minor updates, and the focus of this live stream was Patch 7.4, which will unlock a new main storyline and new areas.

Patch 7.38 Main Content

Patch 7.38 removes the weekly acquisition limit for AAC Cruiserweight Tier (Savage), allowing players to exchange Ordelle coins and Montion coins obtained from new Alliance raid for Evercharged Ester, used for weapon upgrades.

Additionally, Patch 7.38 will add a new piece of furniture, Ivalice Chronicles poster, which can be used for interior wall decoration in residential areas. This item originates from remastered game Ivalice Chronicles and is obtained through an in-game raid quest.

Patch 7.4 Main Content

Raid And Dungeon

New Trial: Hell On Rails

Hell on Rails includes Normal and Extreme difficulties. Resembling Doom Train, its combat may be similar to Phantom Train from previous Final Fantasy titles, or involve being chased by trains like in Sigmascape.

Arcadian Raid

In Patch 7.4: Into the Mist, Arcadian: Heavyweight (Normal) Raid will conclude Arcadian storyline. It will introduce new Allagan Tomestones of Mnemonics and new craftable gear.

Meanwhile, Arcadian: Heavyweight Tier (Savage) will be delayed until January 6, 2026. This delay is due to player feedback from the release of Cloud of Darkness (Chaotic) during last year's Christmas season, to ensure players can enjoy the holidays with their families rather than focusing on raiding.

New Dungeon

The new dungeon in patch 7.4 is Mistwake, a dark, possibly underground cavern with a structure resembling a reactor or gate. It culminates in a parody of a futuristic city inside a dome, complete with watchtowers and a touch of Fallout style.

New PvP Content

PvP Season 10 will launch with patch 7.4, offering new rewards, and seasonal rankings will also be updated.

The update will also introduce a new Frontline Map, Worqor Chirteh, set in Ul'dah, where weather conditions will affect gameplay.

New Unreal Combat

The new Unreal combat is Tsukuyomi's Pain, a classic from Stormblood, scaled to level 100 as usual and offering new Faux Hollows rewards.

Gameplay Updates

Patch 7.4 increases item level of Phantom weapons to 775. Materials for upgrading can be obtained from various quests, including those within Occult Crescent itself. The developers also stated that system for this weapon series may be completely changed afterward, and this may be the last time the current upgrade system is implemented.

Gold Saucer

A new map called Cildalaes will be added to Air Force One minigame in Gold Saucer, where players will fight sea monsters above Hullbreaker Isle.

Occult Crescent Update

Three new Phantom jobs will be added to Occult Crescent: Mystic Knight, Dancer, and Gladiator. Additionally, new buff items have been added to Occult Crescent. Four new trinkets each will be added to Disciple of War and Disciple of Magic sets. These items only boost stats within Occult Crescent and can be obtained rarely from magic pots, chests, happy bunnies, and other means.

Patch 7.5 will bring a major update to Occult Crescent, including a new island and a tower with multiple difficulty levels, while Patch 7.4 will update the existing southern corner area.

Cosmic Exploration Update

A new planet named Oizys is one with two binary rings, and strange plants. Its backstory involves a civilization that perished due to manipulating gravity, and it also adds cosmic tools at level 765.

Players can excavate ancient records related to planet's history and appraise them for item rewards, including new mounts and spacesuit appearances.

Through participation in events, players can earn new Cosmo Credits, Cosmic Fortune prizes, and a new token for redeeming items. Players can use Cosmo Credits to redeem new mounts and transmog outfits.

Variant Dungeon Update

The new Variant Dungeon is Merchant's Tale, whose main story involves a relative of Y'shtola. Based on player feedback, developers have made significant adjustments to Variant Dungeon:

Variant Mode

Variant Mode remains unchanged, and this mode can be played solo or with up to 4 players, and includes exploration, branching paths, and multiple endings.

Advanced Mode (New)

Players can directly challenge three bosses in any order, and there is no exploration. Slightly more difficult than Variant Mode. Can be played by 2-4 players, with difficulty automatically adjusted and respawns available. Defeating a single boss grants a personal reward, while defeating all three at once grants an additional reward.

Criterion Mode (New)

Criterion Mode is more difficult and also lacks exploration. Boss battles are more challenging. Players have limited respawn options and must defeat bosses in order. It requires a standard team composition of 1 tank, 1 healer, and 2 DPS.

Rewards include, but are not limited to, a new desert-themed Glamour set, a magic carpet mount, and Final Fantasy XIV Gil.

UI & QoL Updates

Finally, there are some miscellaneous updates. A new UI theme is available, offering a choice of crisp green and crisp white. Retainer Interface has also received visual improvements.

In terms of quality of life, strategy board will be officially added to the game, allowing players to plan and share dungeon mechanics. It will be expanded to more flexible templates in the future.

Additionally, any content that can be placed on the hotkey bar, such as emotes, macros, and gear sets, can now be organized into up to four expandable panels, each with 25 slots.

Glamour System received a significant update, removing class and level restrictions for armor transmogrification. This means healers can now transmogrify tank outfits, although weapons still require the corresponding type due to animation limitations.

However, planned removal of housing interior restrictions and increase of land plots will be delayed until patch 7.5 due to technical issues such as CPU and performance limitations.

Overall, Patch 7.4 initially seemed like a routine update, but complete liberation of Glamour System and some quality-of-life updates made it can be the best update since 7.0.