FFXIV’s meatiest patch since Endwalker’s release, 6.1, will be released in mid-April. In a three-hour long FFXIV Live Letter, director Naoki Yoshida and global community manager Toshio Murouchi shared the details of what’s new in the 6.1 Patch, dubbed the Newfound Adventure.
This Live Letter did not have real-time Japanese to English translations, but most of the important info was shared in English in slides. Many thanks FFXIV Discord’s translations-and-liveletters channel for sharing the untranslated spoken bits with the community. All quotes below were translated by Discord users Miuna and lluna.
New Main Scenario Quests, 6.1
We got a teaser image of WoL sitting with Tataru and Estinien handing us a rolled up piece of document. Actual in-game footage will be shown in the next Live Letter, which will be before the mid-April patch release.
New Side Quests, 6.1
Tataru’s Grand Endeavor Series will start. Yoshida commented, “At the end of 6.0, we had everyone that the WoL saved and helped throughout their adventures. So this side quest line will somewhat focus on showing them appreciation for showing up in the end to support us.”
New Tribal Quests, 6.1
Arkasodara Beast Tribe will be added. Players must first complete the following Thavnair quests: Steppe Child and What’s in a Parent. In Patch 6.2, Beast Tribe quests will be renamed to Tribal Quests.
New Hildibrand Adventures, 6.15
More info will be revealed in next Live Letter, but from the images, it looks like we’ll be traipsing to Lakeland with Hildibrand. The Hildibrand quests are a fan-favorite due to their ridiculously funny nature, and the last Hildibrand quest expansion was for Level 70 players in Stormblood. Shadowbringers did not include Hildibrand and his shenanigans. “We got asked a lot during the 6.0 interviews, especially by oversea media, ‘When is Hildibrand coming back'” Murouchi said. Yoshida added, “I feel like I was asked about [Hildibrand] at every opportunity.” In a fun piece of info, Yoshida said, “Hildibrand cutscenes are very heavy on our budget.”
New Omega Beyond The Rift, 6.1x
As for what the new story will be, Yoshida said, “Once you clear the Omega Raid story and you play through the Ultima Thule story from 6.0, we felt like we could add a quest that clarifies a little more on the connections made there.”
ARR MSQ improvements, 6.1
As previously mentioned, certain ARR main scenario quests are getting a makeover.
- Trust System for Main Scenario duties: “Four-player dungeons from patch 2.0 will be clearable with NPCs, so you can do them solo,” Yoshida said. As for whether we’ll see Trust systems for larger party duties, Yoshida commented, “Alliance raids and eight-player content is too much to cover. We will try to get 8 player content done for 7.0, but alliance raids won’t be happening.”
- Hakkue Manor–There is a teleporter now! “In Haukke, once you’re done with the boss in the basement, it is normal to use ‘return’, but how is a sprout supposed to know that… so we put a teleporter there,” Yoshida said.
- Cape Westwind–From an eight-player duty, this trial will now be a one-play instanced duty.
- Castrum Meridianum–This won’t be an eight-player duty either, anymore. It will now be a four-player dungeon.
- The Praetorium–It will turn into three separate duties. From the start to the Gaius battle, Prae will become a four-person dungeon. The Ultima battle will be an eight-player trial, and the final Lahabrea battle will be a solo quest battle.
- MSQ Duty Roulette will stay–“We were thinking of removing MSQ roulette, but we’re keeping it, compared to other dungeons they are still longer,” Yoshida said. The reward will, however, be adjusted.
New Dungeon, 6.1
There will be a new dungeon, but the name is a secret for now. “If we tell you the name it might give away too much already, so we’re not giving you the dungeon name,” Yoshida said.
New Trial Endsinger’s Aria, 6.1
This will be the Extreme version of the Endsinger trial, so expect planets thrown at you on a more extreme and violent level.
New Alliance Raid Myths of the Realm 1, 6.1
In this new set of Alliance Raids, “We’re going to finally begin ‘investigating’ the secrets of the Twelve gods in Eorzea,” Yoshida said.
New Ultimate Duty Dragonsong’s Reprise, 6.11
“Mr. Ozma [FFXIV’s Battle Content Director Masaki Nakagawa] designed this fight,” Yoshida said. “I have tested each phases alone already. It was scary. I think we’re starting the eight-people play testing next week. I know there will be many progression streams, so I hope everyone can somehow enjoy this content.”
New PVP Changes, 6.1
PVP is getting quite a few adjustments: These include small-scale PVP mode Crystalline Conflict, “PVP action improvements and adrenaline rush actions for each job,” and new PVP reward system. Feast will end with 6.1. The nitty gritty details will be shared in the next Live letter.
New Character Profile Feature Adventurer Plates, 6.1
Previously called “Calling Cards,” this feature sounds like you can show off your character build and outfits. “Originally I wanted to show you today what you could do with these features, but they all looked like they weren’t finished,” Yoshida said. “You can have a gear set to which you assign a glam plate and additionally you can assign an Adventurer Plate. So your introduction can be different for every job.”
New UI Unending System, 6.1
This new UI is like an encyclopedia of the FFXIV world. “[It’s] a glossary so you can keep up with the characters and terms that were introduced so far in the story. New entries will be added when you progress further in the story. We won’t be in time with the implementation of everything for this patch, but we will keep updating it,” Yoshida commented.
More Glamour Plates, 6.1
This was put in the Live Letter’s miscellaneous category, but I think this deserves a section of its own. Players have bemoaned the limited number of plates for a long time, and it’s exciting to get five extra plates. Players will also be able to equip plates in every Sanctuary now. “We’re trying to double the Glam Dresser from 400 slots to 800, but that will be in patch 6.2,” Yoshida said.
Below are more new content getting added in Patch 6.1:
- New Role Quests, 6.1
- New Job Adjustments, 6.1
- New Unreal Trial Ultima’s Bane, 6.1
- New Custom Deliveries, 6.1
- New Housing in Ishgard, 6.1
- Data Travel Center, 6.1
- New Hairstyles for Hrothgar and Viera
- New Game+ Additions, 6.1
- Data Center Travel changes, 6.1
- New Marketboard improvements, 6.1
- Mogstation Update, 6.1–You can try on outfits before purchasing now.
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