Editor’s Note (July 22, 2020): This article originally appeared on April 24, 2020 and was updated to reflect the latest news on FFXIV patch 5.3.
The next update for Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG comes in the form of Patch 5.3, subtitled Reflections in Crystal. It was first detailed by director / producer Naoki Yoshida and community manager Toshio Murouchi in April’s Letter From The Producer live stream, and the latest live stream revealed trailer 5.3 while delving into the upcoming content. . The new main-stage quests will serve as a closure to Shadowbringers’ narrative arc with the Crystal Exarch at the center of what appears to be a dramatic conclusion. You can watch the trailer below, but be careful, May spoil some aspects of Shadowbringers story.
A new instantiated four-player dungeon, called The Heroes’ Gauntlet, will be included, which will work with the Trust system, which allows you to run it alongside the NPCs of history as AI partners to fulfill the necessary roles. There will be another test boss fight linked to the main story as well, but it wasn’t revealed that it won’t spoil the surprise.
The next patch includes early streamlining for the base game A Realm Reborn, in which approximately 13% of its main quest line has been removed or condensed. One of the notable criticisms of the base game was the amount of filler the story did not advance. Quest EXP earnings have been adjusted so players can meet level requirements accordingly. Another coming addition is that players will be able to fly mounts in these ancient zones once they finish the base game quest line.
If you’ve considered giving the game a try, patch 5.3 sweetens FFXIV’s free trial offer in a big way. Free trial players will be able to play A Realm Reborn and the first Heavensward expansion; This includes all post-launch content via patch 3.56 leading directly to the Stormblood follow-up expansion. You’ll be able to level up to 60, access Machinist, Astrologer and Dark Knight classes / jobs, and also play as an Au Ra character. This is a huge leap from the current level 35 free trial limit, which only takes you through part of the base game.
All players who have not completed The Crystal Tower 24 Player Alliance Raid Series will be required to do so sometime before proceeding to the main storyline in Update 5.3, and the game will notify players of this. Regardless, that raid series will be a must for those looking to finish the base game for the first time when the patch arrives, as it is directly related to the Shadowbringers story arc.
The other major addition coming to patch 5.3 of FFXIV is the next installment in the Nier Automata YoRHa crossover series: Dark Apocalypse – these are 24 player level 80 alliance raids. This new dungeon is called The Puppet’s Bunker and the trailer showed parts of the raid, and the live stream took a first look at one of the boss fights in it. You will venture through a YoRHa space bunker, fight against familiar enemies of Nier Automata and continue with the 2P story.
Nier Automata’s first foray, The Copied Factory, came with patch 5.1 and brought many of the things you recognize from that game to FFXIV for its own contained story. If you follow the traditional cadence, you can look forward to the third and final chapter for the foray series in the future patch 5.5, whenever possible.
Various other changes and additions are set out in 5.3, including class / work adjustments and new PvP content. Secondary content abounds in this update, including more on the search lines for Save The Queen, Weapons of Resistance, Sorrow Of Werlyt, and Tribes. The latest live stream gave much more detail on the 72-player Bozjan Southern Front instance. Crafter and Gatherer classes will get quality of life improvements, such as changes to the collectibles system, a custom delivery client, trial synthesis, and recipe searches in their inventory. New Ishgardian Restore content and Skysteel Tools enhancements also come with patch 5.3.
There are many more changes, additions, and new pieces of content included in this upcoming patch, and you can get more details about FFXIV 5.3 on the Square Enix official site for the update.
Trials of Unreal for a limited time are scheduled with each new patch, which syncs previous primal boss fights to level 80 while increasing its difficulty. Patch 5.3 will feature Shiva in the Akh Afah Amphitheater fight. Winning these boss battles gives you a chance to play the Faux Hollows minigame, but it wasn’t much more detailed.
Due to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, companies around the world have adjusted their working conditions, including Square Enix. Patch 5.3 was originally scheduled for mid-June, but will now be released on August 11. To learn more about FFXIV, be sure to read my last interview with director and producer Naoki Yoshida, where we talked about transitioning to a new story. , the creation of the Crystal Exarch character and the status of the character’s butts in the game (yes).
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