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Yoshi-P talks FFXIV 6.2 story pacing and class rework plans

Yoshi-P talks about the FFXIV 6.2 story and the new pacing for the 6.x expansion set, as well as the non-linear Variant Dungeons and upcoming Island Sanctuary

Final Fantasy XIV producer Yoshi-P has been discussing the FFXIV 6.2 story and the new non-linear Variant Dungeons in an interview with Famitsu. Ahead of Live Letter 72 on August 12, Yoshida also spills a few details on what players of the critically acclaimed MMORPG can expect for the remainder of the 6.x patch cycle moving beyond Buried Memory, as well as discussing the new savage raid tier delay and how that affects the release of crafted gear.

In the interview with Famitsu (page in Japanese), the game’s lead Naoki Yoshida talks extensively about the FFXIV 6.2 patch MSQ, the Abyssos raid series, upcoming class rework plans, and how the team has adopted feedback from players for the visual design of future content. First and foremost is the pacing of the entire 6.x expansion arc – which Yoshida says will take longer to transition into the events of the next expansion than normal.

“It’s a bit different this time,” he remarks (via aitaikimochi) of the usual pacing – which normally sees the events of the current expansion coming to a close by the x.3 patch, leaving x.4 and x.5 to set up future storylines. “The story is currently focusing on the ‘newfound adventure,’ but I think patch 6.5 is where you’ll see a glimmer of the next expansion’s story.” Yoshida notes that the team is “developing 7.0 at the same time, and it’s been pretty challenging.”

Addressing the 6.2 title ‘Buried Memory’ (also called ‘A Forbidden Memory’ in Japanese), Yoshida discusses the setting of the Thirteenth Shard, the Void, saying that the title could refer to “memories and feelings of those from the Thirteenth that became monsters, who were once human.” However, he notes that it also relates to the Pandaemonium: Abyssos raid series, and the idea of “wanting to seal something away, wanting to forget something.” Yoshida also teases that “a character that everyone should know will also make an appearance” in the 6.2 raid.

Yoshida says the second tier of Abyssos will be harder than the first, as players are now more familiar with their level 90 skill set and rotations. While he had only tested normal difficulty at the time of the interview, he believes it is relatively challenging. He also addresses concerns around the visual design of fights in FFXIV including P3 (Phoinix), saying that the team has been paying close attention to the visuals and visibility of the design.

FFXIV 6.2 patch interview - a figure with a shield on their back looks at a hooded figure with hands covering its eyes

Asked about the appearance of Final Fantasy IV’s Golbez and the Four Fiends in patch 6.1, Yoshida says that “some of them might even directly approach the Adventurers” over the course of 6.x, and suggests that the four will appear in order from weakest to strongest (suggesting that we are likely to see Scarmiglione first of all, although Yoshida refuses to give any specific confirmation on that).

The FFXIV 6.2 savage trial is set to release one week after normal for the first time in FFXIV’s history, but Yoshida notes that Tomes will not be delayed as the team’s goal was to “change nothing except the release date of savage.” He acknowledges that this means that savage will likely be slightly easier for organised groups due to a higher ilvl, but that the team didn’t want to rebalance things to account for this in this first trial of the new schedule.

Also addressed are the upcoming Astrologian and Dragoon reworks – now expected to come along with the 7.0 expansion release. Yoshida says that the changes shouldn’t be compared to Summoner, but instead points to the Ninja changes during Shadowbringers that acted as a major overhaul but kept the play feel similar.

Yoshida hopes to merge some actions for Dragoon to reduce the number needed, but not change what Dragoon aims to do dramatically. For Astrologian, he comments that they’re planning to make changes to the cards themselves, but admits that there are arguments for and against their random elements.

FFXIV 6.2 patch interview - an underground structure in a rocky cavern

Speaking about the upcoming Variant and Criterion Dungeons, Yoshida notes that the team wanted something a little different from traditional FFXIV dungeons, which are designed to be linear for clarity and consistency. However, in this new dungeon type, players can discover hidden routes with different encounters, and alter boss mechanics by flipping certain “switches” – although Yoshida emphasises that this may not always be a good idea.

Not too many new details were given on FFXIV’s Island Sanctuary, which is looking like it might arrive earlier than expected with the 6.2 release date. Yoshida confirms that players can queue up for Duty Finder while working on their island and that, while the core feature is mostly disconnected from the rest of the game’s systems, players may be able to discover some elements that connect to the outside world when exploring to the fullest.

Finally, Yoshida notes that some new UI features are set to arrive with 6.2, although he doesn’t elaborate on this. He also addresses the Endwalker relic weapons, saying that the team decided to return to the simpler relic weapon model of ARR and Heavensward as it was so busy with all the expansion’s other content. Yoshida hopes people will enjoy seeing “what happens when Godbert and Gerolt stand side by side.”

While we wait for patch 6.2 to arrive, the FFXIV Moonfire Faire 2022 event is live and challenges players with one of its toughest platforming challenges to date. The FFXIV Moogle Treasure Trove 2022 event is also ongoing, and includes some hard-to-get rewards. Elsewhere in the community, some FFXIV fans have paid tribute to one of the most famous Internet meme videos with a Final Fantasy XIV spin.

Thanks to aitaikimochi and MKillerby1 for interview translations. Image credit: Famitsu.