Patch 6.1 releases April 12 with the highly anticipated fourth Ultimate Encounter.
Encore for the Dragonsong (Ultimate)
With patch 6.11 we’ll see the release of the Dragonsong’s Reprise. Final Fantasy XIV’s fourth Ultimate which had originally been set to release in Shadowbringers. But had to be delayed as other content became more important. For those not in the know, Ultimate’s are considered Final Fantasy XIV’s hardest raid content. They are a merciless gauntlet of foes past that takes even the most experienced players well over 80+ hours to clear once. They are the ultimate test of skill and endurance that requires a team of 8 players to play almost perfect. For glory, a weapon and the title of Legend.
Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida previously stated that the team has been extra cruel with this one. Promising that mechanics from all of XIV’s raid’s would show up in some shape or form. For reference, the fight will be closest to the Bahamut ultimate encounter. While also being like nothing that is in the game already. Which also means we’ll have another race to world first to look forward to. While it’s still up in the air who’s gonna organize it after community figurehead FrostyTV stepped down to focus on his family. We’ll be sure to keep to updated on this.
The last ultimate, the Epic of Alexander was released in November of 2019. It took team Thoughts Per Seconds (TPS) an impressive 3 days, 21 hours, and 26 minutes to clear first.
Creations Requiem
As previously announced, we’ll also get to see Endwalker’s third extreme encounter with the release of 6.1. Dubbed the Endsinger’s Aria, it’s a dramatic recreation of our encounter in the Final Day. Asking the question if the hopes and prayers of our comrades hadn’t reached us. Would our own determination be enough to stand against despair itself? Like any X.1 extreme encounter, we expect it to be tough. Naoki Yoshida said it would be on the same difficulty scale as a savage encounter and that it took the team two full lock outs to get a clear.
The song of creation’s end rings once more
Since the encounter is so hard, it will reward two tokens with every single clear. With also a chance to get an ilvl 595 weapon. Otherwise you’ll be able to exchange it for 10 tokens at the vendor in Radz-at-han. Additionally, the encounter will randomly drop a triple triad card, the mount and the orchestrion roll (Hopefully for both phases).
Ultima Unreal and A Realm Reborn’s Facelift
Final Fantasy XIV’s Unreal trials are a great way to experience older content, adjusted to current values. After Shiva and Leviathan, we’ll now get 2.1’s extreme trial Ultima’s Bane with the return of the Faux Hollow minigame. After clearing an unreal trial, once a week players can play the minigame for cosmetic’s and other rewards. Yoshida promised that some of the new rewards, introduced with 6.1 should definitely be looked at.
While we’ve talked extensively about it already, Final Fantasy XIV’s older content is getting a facelift. Not only will 2.0’s final encounters be adjusted but all the main scenario dungeons receive a general overhaul. You’ll also be able to play all of 2.0’s story content with AI companions. With more the rest of XIV’s content up to Stormblood being adjusted as 6.X runs its course. We’ve already done a summary of all of this here. Yoshida also showed off some of the dungeon changes, new lighting, some added foliage and a revamped map. We’ll have a list of changes after 6.1 goes live!
Combat Adjustments (So far)
Allow us to preface this, non of these changes are final and by a long shot they are not all the combat adjustments coming in 6.1. The team has previously stated that due to the release of the ultimate this patch, they couldn’t implement all the changes and adjustments. Since it would mess up the balance for the encounter, and it would need further revisions. That being said..
Tank Changes
Dark Knight’s Living Dead ability will now regenerate significantly more HP while doing damage to be less punishing for healers.
DPS Changes
Machinist will see an overall potency increase in alot of its skills. While it was never outright bad, for it being the physical ranged DPS with no utility whatsoever. It lacked the DPS on its own to make up for it, hopefully a healthy potency increase will fix that. As currently most parties seem to be running with either Bards or Dancers.
Samurai will see adjustments in its DPS with signature abilities by guaranteeing a critical hit. Removing the current inconsistency with the job’s DPS output. The ability Hissatsu: Kaiten will also be removed. Currently you’d have to weave this ability in-between your heavy hitters to hit even heavier. To adjust for that, potencies will be adjusted to make up for the change.
Ninja, besides its animation lock being reduced. Trick Attack’s function has been changed, it now provided only an individual DPS buff to the Ninja. Of course that removed all the synergy it has with other jobs, so now Mug’s recast time has been changed to 120s and it will now apply a debuff that increases damage from party members. This change comes likely to have the party-wide buff not be reliant with your ninjutsu being back up in time.
Dragoon’s as well as some other job’s will see their animation lock shortened.
Summoner will now be able to cast Searing Light independently from their pet.
Healer Changes
White Mage’s Cure III and Asylum’s range has been expended. Liturgy of the Bell can now be ended at will and will heal according to how many stacks are still left, making it a more consistent tool to heal.
Scholar’s Sacred Soil ability’s range has also been extended to match White Mage’s Asylum. And the buff granted by Expedient has been reduced to last only 10 seconds, because the team considered it too strong.
Yoshida also promised that some jobs have been nerfed to fit into this current balance. The team currently considers Astrologian and Dragoon too busy, but couldn’t adjust them yet for the current content. There’s also been talk of adjusting some abilities to make Job’s less boring to play at lower levels. Changes to Warrior and some changes to Tank AoE’s because they’re hard to use that most likely means Overpower. Again, those are by far not all change’s to come in 6.1 so stay tuned for more. Here on ESTNN