We now have a FFXIV 6.25 release date and plenty more details about what to expect in the next FFXIV update for the critically acclaimed MMORPG, courtesy of Live Letter 73. Final Fantasy XIV patch 6.25 is set to add even more content to the multiplayer game following the huge recent update with FFXIV 6.2 patch Buried Memory. Players can look forward to new adventures with fan-favourite character Inspector Hildibrand, further weapon enhancement quests, more tribal quests, and the exciting non-linear, story-driven Variant and Criterion Dungeons.
Let’s put the biggest news up-front: The FFXIV 6.25 release date is October 18. As usual, game director Naoki Yoshida and community producer Toshio Murouchi – the latter in a quite frankly terrifying Loporrit cosplay – take the lead to talk about their takeaways from the release of patch 6.2 and the team’s plans for the next few updates. Yoshida jokes that the outfit is very distracting, saying that he is trying to give serious responses to the questions posed by Murouchi, but “just can’t when I see you sitting there like this.”
Yoshida says he feels that patch 6.2 “went pretty smoothly,” only raising the need to tweak health values for the final boss of the savage raid as a notable speed bump. He adds that he was pleased with how the Storm’s Crown trial was received, saying that it was very tough to design but that the team wanted “a more fast, execution-based style” of fight after the more puzzle-solving focus of recent previous fights.
Yoshida says the team was pleased to see the returning character in Pandaemonium, explaining that he was glad to dive deeper into the character who the team felt had an “early exit.” He notes that the recent success of Final Fantasy XIV allowed the team slightly more budget, allowing them to include fully voiced lines for the returning character. He also notes that feedback around the delayed release of the savage tier was “very positive” and that the team is “leaning towards having the savage release delayed” in the future, with a few small adjustments.
In terms of job adjustments, Yoshida explains that no adjustments will be made in 6.25, with some numerical adjustments including PvP job tweaks coming in 6.28 and action adjustments being held back until patch 6.3. He does note, however, that Paladin’s Cover will see a PvP change in 6.25. He explains that one central focus with the 6.25 adjustments is to address a balance gap between melee and ranged jobs following the increase in hit box sizes designed to make life easier for melee players.
Turning to the new FFXIV Island Sanctuary mode, Yoshida laughs about how “Players from overseas generally enjoy content at their own pace, but Japanese players have this tendency to do any task if they see it and try to optimise their methods of doing them.” He notes player feedback requesting more freeform island customisation, saying “We knew this would happen, but it is very difficult to implement.” He adds that the team is hoping to allow players to place garden housing items on their islands, but that there is currently no release schedule for when this feature might arrive.
Yoshida also addresses some cosmetic design, saying that the new Titania weapons follow the trend of Ultimate weapons with flashy effects. He remarks that player feedback has begun to include requests to disable visual effects on weapons and gear, although he says “it’s not that simple” to implement. Similarly he explains that emotes still can’t be used while holding fashion accessories because they utilise the same system memory – he says the team is “trying to improve this, but it will take time.”
He also jokes, “I remember when players were happy that they were able to dye gear… Now everyone wants us to allow them to dye only specific parts of gear.” Yoshida promises that the new graphics update in FFXIV patch 7.0 will allow the team to keep improving their design work, while Murouchi says to fans, “Please keep providing feedback, just please be nice about it.”
As for patch 6.25 itself, Yoshida remarks that there isn’t too much to add aside from the release date of October 18. The team shows off two new screenshots as a teaser – one of a giant structure in a field with rainbow circles in the grass underneath it, and the other showing two characters in full black suits and coats with trilby hats that give off a very spy themed vibe. Yoshida jokes about “One spy family that’s very popular lately” in reference to the recent hit manga and anime series Spy X Family.
They also add that the new North American data centre is set to arrive on November 1, with four new worlds to begin with, but a possibility that more worlds will be added in 7.0. The housing lottery for these new worlds is set to begin on November 5. Yoshida says there is a possibility that maintenance for the new data centre could last for 24 hours.
There’s then a lengthy chat with three of the game’s writing leads, which dives deep into their history with FFXIV and the story creation process. Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda also joins the stream briefly early on to announce that Final Fantasy XIV now boasts a total of 27 million registered users, and the team expects to hit 28 million soon. Matsuda laughs with Yoshi-P that he would jokingly pressure Yoshida to hit the 30 million users mark in the past, yet now it seems like a reasonable target. They also note that the team is currently hiring for more people to work on future content.
For more details on patch 6.25, you can check out the feature overview in FFXIV Live Letter 71 and the deep-dive into Variant and Criterion Dungeons, the Omicron tribal quests, and the new Hildibrand adventures during FFXIV Live Letter 72.
Yoshida also recently announced that the team’s FFXIV 7.0 story planning event had concluded. Elsewhere in the MMO, a player solo cleared one of the hardest FFXIV challenges on the game’s base classes. Be sure to check out our FFXIV Island Sanctuary guide if you’re exploring Final Fantasy’s attempt to join the ranks of the best farming games on PC. If you like story-driven adventures in an online world, we’ve also picked out the best single-player MMOs for you.
Thanks to Miuna and Iluna Minori on the FFXIV Discord for live translation (link opens a Discord invite).