The Final Fantasy 14 patch notes for Dawntrail and 7.0 are finally here, and they’re suitably stacked. Details on the expansion’s MSQ, new jobs, role quests, and a plethora of new features we’ve all been waiting for are all included, so whether you want to get stuck into the new Viper and Pictomancer jobs, start the story, or get to exploring Tural, Square Enix has detailed it all – there are just over 10,000 words. Trust me, I checked.
With so much crammed into the Final Fantasy 14 7.0 patch notes, I don’t want to spoil any of the new areas or story details. That said, I’ll be diving into most of the MMORPG‘s biggest updates just to help you get started.
Regarding the new jobs, you’ll need a Disciple of War or Magic at level 80, with Viper found in Ul’dah from the Worried Weaver, (X:9.3 Y:9.2), and Pictomancer in Old Gridania from the Cheerless Hearer (X:8.0 Y:10.3). If I can get to level 80 quick enough before the Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail release date, getting the new jobs is what I’ll be doing first.
There are so many new items that Square Enix doesn’t even list them in the patch notes, but expect some new gear throughout the MSQ and in all your vendors. The fashion overhaul for dyes and facewear also arrives, so a whole new world of glamour possibilities is on the way. The Sundry Splendors shop has been added to Old Sharlayan as well, so now you can exchange any leftover Allagan tomestones and scrips for extra gear – you can find the shop to the right of the main Aetheryte.
If you’re still making your way through Endwalker (I’m in Shadowbringers myself) then I’ve got good news: the number of aether currents required to fly in all of the expansion’s areas has been reduced, so you can get to Dawntrail just a little bit faster.
To my absolute delight, the patch notes also make a point of mentioning the change to dungeons in 7.0. The party will now be teleported right back to a boss room instead of having to run all the way there, saving everyone a lot of time.
We’re also finally getting the long-promised graphical update with the 7.0 patch. This means new shadow sources, improved visuals, better textures across the board, and changes to plenty of animations are being added to the game. The core of FF14’s visual style will remain intact, but plenty of subtle differences are on the way.
Square Enix is even making some smaller, but equally welcome changes to a number of FF14 mechanics with 7.0. Side quests in Dawntrail will have an automatic level adjustment system, meaning the difficulty and EXP rewards will match your current level. So if you like to use sidequests to grind alt jobs (I just spent way too long getting my Red Mage up) then it’s about to get even easier.
Other players near quest givers can now be hidden too, which is definitely for the best considering how packed Tural is going to be. Text auto-advance has also changed, so you can make the feature only apply to voiced dialogue, to make sure you don’t accidentally miss out on other conversations with reading. NPCs you need to follow for quests will also have new clearer indicators, and in an incredible move, whenever you need to carry out a quest objective like an emote, it’ll be right there in the duty list.
If you’re a FATE grinder there’s a new system for these activities in Dawntrail, as you’ll be given bicolor gemstones to exchange with Gemstone Trader NPCs for various items. There’s a lot to check out with the Dawntrail and 7.0 patch notes, but Square Enix itself has done a good job of not really spoiling too much.
With Eorzea going dark ahead of Dawntrail, the Final Fantasy 14 server status is worth keeping an eye on, and there are some new Final Fantasy 14 Twitch drops to get by watching streamers.
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