Entry 1
SE announced the next expansion for Final Fantasy XIV was named “Endwalker”(EW). It meant to be the end of the saga between Zodiark and Hydaelyn. In the teaser trailer, WoL became the PLD and walked on the moon. It seems that Garlemald is not the only map we’ll going to visit, but also the moon itself. Alphinaud also revealed his new power from the new shield healer job, Sage. An additional reveal video revealed some Sage moves too. There will be another new DPS job sharing DRG’s maiming gears. Island Sanctuary would be introduced in EW, and we would really “farm”.
The 4 healers would be split into healing-focus and shielding-focus. WHM and AST would become pure healers while the new Sage and SCH would cast more shield. The WHM toolkit gives a lot of GCD and oGCD on healing, like Afflatus spells, Cure 3, and Plenary Indulgence. AST is the flexible healer can use 3 sects and give damage buff. Diurnal Sect, however, is more often used from my experience. It makes sense to me that AST is going to be a pure healer like WHM.
Entry 2 Fanfest
The trailer reveals several more things. First, Estinien and Vrtra are going to be Scion’s Allies. They are fighting against the Voidsent in Thavnair, judging by the destroyed dancer and peacock statue. Second, the new theme song is going to contain the theme from the previous expansions. Third, they might use contract service for the trailer, because Y’shtola and G’raha’s faces differ from the Shadowbringers trailer and in-game models. Fourth, Fandaniel looks like unhappy at the end. Will there be disagreements between Zeno and him?
Endwalker Trailer
The new DPS job is “Reaper”, a scythe wielding job sharing DRG’s maiming gears. It absolutely filled the fantasy of “giant scythe” weapon. It’s “theme color” seems to be cyan and crimson. In the job’s reveal trailer, Reaper can summon a faceless ghost-like creature to help on attacking. I assume it will either be a pet or pure animation.
Reaper Trailer
One of the new City is Old Sharlayan. Greek architecture definitely inspired the building’s design. There is a colossal statue of a maid holding a ewer and the Aetheryte’s design is the “snail” pattern, just like Sharlayan wappen.
The new main singer for the song is Sam Carter. He is a British guitarist and is in a music group called Architects. His own released music material is mostly folk song. It might be me for not listening to many British singer’s songs, because I think his accent is very strong in his own songs. Architects, however, falls in a very different category. Its music contains rage and aggressive emotion. It’s hard core and expresses powerful feelings.
Labyrinthos and Thavnair are two newly added maps. Labyrinthos is an underground faux ecosystem faculty. Sharlayan’s attitude towards the outside world is indifferent. They only want to be the observers of the history and never get involved. Sharing knowledge is also forbidden, according to AST quests. I assume in Endwalker, Sharlayn’s plan is to avoid the war and doom by transferring to the underground. Thavnair is a colourful place. Citizen’s clothing has bright color, and the housing and streets are close to “Islamic” architecture. Magus Sisters are going to show up. My only knowledge to them is that they appeared in Final Fantasy X’s summons, and protagonists in the manga. Mindy, Cindy, and Sandy. One is fat, one is tall, and one is small. Their bright color clothing suggests that I might encounter them in Thavnair.
We are going to Garlemald too! There is not much I can tell from the trailer, though. And the moon, of course, Mare Lamentorum. Mare means “a large, dark plain which may have the appearance of a sea”, while Lamentorum is “the expression of grief, sadness”. Loporrit is the new best tribe. They look like HUmmingways, the cute little bunnies race living on the moon from the Final Fantasy IV.
Speaking of bunny, male Viera is going to be added in 6.0 and female Hrothgar is confirmed! I knew they will! The reveal trailer shows 3 different face/ear options. The walking and running animation is good for me too! The hairstyle and hat are probably limited, like the female Viera. I’ll make an alt first to see how it’s going. I might use the fantasia to transform a bunny in Endwalker.
In the new dungeon trailer, the first one is inside those lunar-primal-creating towers, judging by the organic structures and the ominous purple color. The second one might be inside the Garlemald because of the look of the control panel and the technical mechanisms. It has no sign of magic in it. The third dungeon is definitely Labyrinthos, because different environment area, like winter and spring, are divided in arbitrary zone.
As for the 24 men raid, unlike Ivalice and Nier, Myths of the Realm will be an original raid focusing on the Twelve. Considering 6.0 is the end of Hydaelyn and Zodiark Arc, this raid might reveal the true identity of the Twelve.
The Expansion will arrive on November 23, 2021. If the 3 days early access is counted in, the content will be accessible by November 20. That is about 6 months, 2 patches cycle. There will be new Bozjan area, Moonlight Fair, The Rising, the return of the XV Collaboration Event, and all other minor things. Media Tour will happen around September and October. I’m planning to stop the subscription right after the XV collaboration return or after I’ve finished everything in Bozjan.
Oceania Data center is under development. It looks like it will be near to my geo position. If the ping is good, I think I might transfer to this New Data center. It’s not like I’m having a passion for housing and gardening. It’s better to leave it to a FC or other players.
Entry 3 Producer Live Letter LXV
This update was mostly about the Benchmark. The trailer shown various in-game job action and skills and maps, and the benchmark gave us male Viera character creator. The trailer revealed several new skills, spells, or abilities for most of the jobs. Some of them were upgrades, and some of them were new skills. PLD’s Sheltron, DRK’s The Blackest Night, and DRG’s Full Thrust were obviously upgrades. WAR’s new fist attacking might be an upgrade too. SAM had an AoE “Shoha” probably. DNC’s blue aura looked like one step dance. MNK might get a AoE Tornado Kick. The most interesting skills demonstrated were NIN’s clone attack with wind. I’ve been playing NIN recently and the ninjatsu almost made me a range DPS. Mudras recharged faster than I thought, it was interesting to see more range attack was added to Ninja. AST might have an Aspected Benefic upgrade. She conjured several crystal like vials to create a sphere around the GNB. I’m looking forward to know the AST’s overhaul, since it would align with the WHM’s healing healer role. SMN made a dash attack resembels Ifrit’s dash. It might be a gap-closer too. I assumed that pet still functions as auto-attack with one or two abilities, but SMN could also evoke the primal abilities on themselves.
Entry 4 Producer Live Letter
The most exciting thing about this Live Letter is the new job action.
Iteration 1:
Dragoon and Red Mage: I think it’s mostly old skills upgrade and new visual effect. RDM’s Verholy has the same animation like Alisaie’s in the Endwalker Trailer. They both have a new finisher too. Scholar: SCH didn’t seem to have change much. Fairies still displayed the same abilities, but Fey Blessing strangely did not cost the faerie gauge. Dark Knight: Salted Earth was released by pressing the ground. I honestly didn’t remember the accurate animation of this skill, but I assume it is now an area effect expanded from the player as the center. The Blackest Night has a new cool visual effect(that is why the red mage stood in there). By the way, the animation synchronization with the summoned esteem is always cool.
Dancer: It seemed that DNC had an extra step after a step finisher. And they can shoot more feathers by releasing a bird.
Machinest: I thought they upgraded the drill attack, but they did not. The multiple drill-like shooting action is new. MCH changed little. Automaton Queen might have an upgrade.
Bard: New skills were added for sure. I am more interested in the sticker collecting by playing songs. They could play a violin by spending all 3 stickers, and the violin music was some buff.
Astrologian: They certainly had an overhaul since they are now “healing” healer like white mage. Divination did not cost the seals at all. I assume it is an oGCD now. Instead, they consumed all seals by absorbing a celestial orbs. I believe it is a self-beneficial buff. Their job gauge is back to the Stormblood’s one, because manually drawing a Minor Arcane is back. Minor Arcane created certain area effect: Lord is offensive and Lady is supportive. Gravity and Malefic is upgraded.
White Mage: Divine Benision either has a very short cool down or has charges now. They can summon a lily like plant to do some heals. What is strange to me is that most of the skills did not cost the black lily at all. I wond if it was a mistake on making this video or the dev is trying to adjust the job resources.
Black Mage: They are certainly the power house now. A new ice and fire infused spell is added. Fire 6 and Blizzard 6 are added too. Their job resource management seems more fluid now. I noticed that there are multiple ways to manipulate or renew the Astral Fire and Umbral Ice.
Sage: This is the new job so I can not tell much. From what the video shows to us, their job gauge is pretty busy in the combat. Their is a noulith gauge keeps changing the status when Sage make different actions. There is a meter and three light accumulates automatically. There are also, I assume three, light below the meter appear and disappear too. And they have gap closer! I knew they would finally add mobility action to healers!
Summoner: Like AST, SMN definitely had a big overhaul too. Their rotation is actually very long now. First, their summons are carbuncles (Sapphire Carbuncle appeared) now. Egis didn’t show up. Carbuncles act like Alphinaud’s Diamond Carbuncle. They did not attack, but support SMN. After summon the Demi-Bahamut, they would be able to summon Garuda, Titan and Ifrit. Summoner’s action changes correspondingly with different Summon. They still can summon Demi-Phoenix, but I could not tell the summon must follow certain orders.
Entry 4.5 Reddit Leaked Healer Tooltips
Healer: https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/q2bl1v/level_90_healer_tooltips_leaked/
Astrologian’s skills changed little. Most of the skills still function in the same way in Diurnal Sect. Divination is an oGCD now and astrosigns given by playing cards would be used on Astrodyne, a skill that buff self on MP recover, damage dealt, recast speed, and healing potency. Macrocosmos is a powerful healing ability. It essentially is a party wide Benediction as long as the damage taken is enough. By the way, only the single-target and AoE offense spell are upgraded to all three healers. DoT stays the same.
Scholar has Protraction, raising max HP and increase healing potency, and Expedient, increasing move speed in combat and reduce damage taken. By the job action trailer, Protraction is probably the page-tearing action and Expedient is the green-yellow wind. They are not fancy and doesn’t change much Scholar’s current status.
White Mage still has the free cure proc. The 2 new skills are Aquaveil, reducing damage taken, and Lilybell, triggering 5 AoE heal at maximum by any damage taken.
I didn’t check Sage’s move set because I don’t want any spoiler before I try it first hand.
My thoughts to the leak:
As a FFXIV player, I want to see as many leak as I could because of the lack of content and the excessive hype about Endwalker. We waited more time than previous patch and expansion cycle due to the pandemic. There is not enough content to support the fun in the game, even for a casual players. We can take a break, like Yoshida said, to play other games, but I still craving for new game play and information about XIV at the end after the long wait.
As a game developer, I hate to see any leak before the content is ready to release. It means all the surprise and fun we prepared for the players are spoiled. The effort we put on the game is wasted in certain degree.
Entry 5 Job Actions And 2 Weeks Delay
After watching multiple detailed new job action videos, I’ve decided to level SCH/SMN first, since SMN became a “new” job and SCH would have instant queue. Then I would level up other healers and DPS.
The early access was delayed by 2 weeks because Yoshida wanted to ensure the QA would be completed. It was bitter and sweet. I really want to play the new expansion. On the other hand, I’m really out of money to pay the subscription before the next payday.
Before the early access, I’d manage the subscription, create a nice male Viera, and patiently wait, until December 2.