Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter 81 Summary; Dawntrail Job Updates Detailed - Nova Crystallis (2024)

The team had an update regarding feedback on how characters appear in the recently-released Dawntrail benchmark, particularly how its lighting settings was creating an erroneous impression of how characters would appear in the full game. The benchmark will be updated before launch (they’re shooting for May 30-31 but could not confirm) which will fix these issues.

They are also planning to adjust a lot of features based on player feeback – one of which is the miqo’te Keeper of the Moon canines appearing shorter. Yoshida asked for further comments on their plans going forward. Lalafell teeth have also been adjusted. Some characters have had to have their face mapping adjusted based on lines that would appear on the face in certain conditions.

Overview & Action Change Settings
• New actions added to all jobs in accordance with the level cap increase to 100.
• The team has made adjustments based on feedback received throughout the 6.x series and proceeded with he goal of improving ease of use and not change things dramatically but make things smoother or more comfortable to play.
• Overall there are increases to defensive role actions which may be a hint on how enemy encounters may be designed.
• Some of the jobs will have changes in their rotations with the new actions being added.
• Job actions have been streamlined and “cleaned up” a bit for the burst damage phase for 7.0 to improve player strategies for encounters. The team is working on a plan for 8.0 (the next expansion following Dawntrail) to add more drastic changes and bring out more job individuality, and this is part of the long-term process to get there.

• Action Change Settings will be added, which will allow players to take actions that change into other actions, split them apart, and set them to individual hotbar slots. On a per action basis in the Actions & Traits menu, you can set whether they will change. This is to prevent situations where activating a changed skill is undesired.

Role: Tank
• Rampart and job-exlucisve 30% damage reduction abilities will be upgraded in the 90s level range.
• Reprisal‘s duration will be increased to 15 seconds in the 90s level range.

Job: Paladin
• The second and third executions of Atonement have been changed to new actions with separate animations (Atonement will change to these actions, so input execution will remain the same)
• A new action that can be executed after Blade of Valor will be added.
* Goring Blade will require the Fight or Flight buff to activate.

Job: Warrior
• A new action, which can be executed after three executions of Fell Cleave or Decimate while Inner Release is active, will be added.
• A new action that can be executed after Primal Rend will be added.
* Effects and animation for Inner Chaos have been adjusted.

Job: Dark Knight
• To reduce the number of inputs during burst damage phases, Blood Weapon will upgrade into Delirium, and the effects of Blood Weapon will be added to Delirium.
• A new action that can be executed after Living Shadow will be added.

Job: Gunbreaker
• A new action that can be executed after Fated Circle (via Continuation) will be added.
• A new three-step combo that can be executed after Bloodfest will be added (no cartridge cost).
* End of Heart (Lion Heart) is the name of the new job action seen in the trailer.
* Sonic Break will need No Mercy to activate.

Role: Melee DPS
• Second Wind‘s healing potency will be increased in the 90s level range.
• Feint’s duration will be increased to 15 seconds in the 90s level range.
* This change is to improve ease of use on the player but also to accommodate some of the boss design changes they are creating.

Job: Monk
• Basic combo mechanics will no longer center around maintaining a buff or damage over time; instead, performing actions in a certain order will increase the next action’s potency. (The feel of the job will remain largely the same, while alleviating uncertainty about which action to use when rotation is interrupted.)
• Can accumulate up to a total of ten chakra while Brotherhood is active (to prevent chakra overflow).
* The Job UI update for monk looks complicated, but it’s intended to communicate more information instead of looking at the buff/debuff bar and the Job UI.
* When Six-sided Star is activated, an action will be available based on how much chakra you have stacked and the action’s potency will be increased.

Job: Dragoon
• To reduce positional requirements for the single-target combo, the fifth combo action has been changed to a new non-directional action, Drakesbane. (Fang and Claw/Wheeling Thrust will change to Drakesbane, so input execution will remain the same.
• To facilitate maximum damage output at the beginning of a battle Life of the Dragon will be available without accumulating Dragon Gauge.
• To reduce the number of inputs during burst damage phases, certain actions will be removed or adjusted.
* The team wanted to maintain the feel of the job but minimize pain points.
* Animations for Vorpal Thrust and Disembowl have been adjusted.
* Spineshatter Dive has been changed or removed where it will move your character.

Job: Ninja
• Huton‘s effect has been moved to a trait and will always be active. (Huton will be changed to an AoE attack which grants the effect of Hidden).
• Actions which extend the duration of Huton’s effect will be adjusted in accordance with the above change.
* The Job UI will change accordingly to reflect another change with the job.

Job: Samurai
• To simplify recast management Tsubame-gaeshi will be changed to be executable after Meikyo Shisui.
• Hakaze, Tenka Goken, and Midare Setsugekka will be upgraded into new actions.
* Traits will lower the recast time for Hissatsu: Guren and Hissatsu: Senei.

Job: Reaper
• Plentiful Harvest‘s effect will no longer increase the Shroud Gauge by 50, and instead will allow execution of Enshroud (now can be used when gauge is at 51 or more without waste).
• A new action that can be executed while Enshrouded will be added.
* With Enhanced Harpe, Hells Ingress and Hells Egress will be affected in an unspecified way.

New Job: Viper
• A fast-paced job that fluidly shifts between dual blade (a blade in each hand) and double-bladed (connected blades) strikes in their various combos and abilities.
• Has similar total of actions as other jobs, but designed that fewer actions need to be set on the hotbar.
* You will need to pay attention to the type of enhancement or enfeeblement you produce to determine the next action in your combo.
* As you use combo actions, a gauge will accumulate. Once filled with the requisite amount, you can enter ‘Reawakened’ state, which will allow you to enter various double-bladed abilities.
* You need to execute double bladed abilities and not waste the recast as Reawakened lasts.
* It may seem simple with less actions on the hotbar, but you’ll need to be acutely aware of buffs and debuffs to best proceed to your next action.

Role: Physical Ranged DPS
• Second Wind‘s healing potency will be increased in the 90s level range.
• Damage reduction of job-exclusive defensive abilities will be increased to 15% in the 90s level range.

Job: Bard
• Mage’s Ballad, Army’s Paeon, and Wanderer’s Minuet will be changed into buffing actions which do not attack enemies.
• Pitch Perfect will be changed into an AoE attack for ease of use in encounters with multiple enemies.
* Straight Shot Ready and Shadow Bite Ready will be merged, but you’ll still be able to choose wether to proceed with a single target or AoE attack.

Job: Machinist
• Barrel Stabilizer will no longer increase Heat Gauge by 50, and instead will allow execution of Hypercharge (now can be used when gauge is at 51 or more without waste).
• A new trait which accumulates charges for Drill will be added.
* Upper tier actions for Heat Blast, Gauss Round, and Ricochet added with the level cap increase.

Job: Dancer
• A new action that can be executed after Flourish will be added.
• A new action which consumes Esprit can be executed after Technical Finish will be added.
* A new action will allow the effect of Standard Step without having to go through the actions.

Role: Magical Ranged DPS
• Swiftcast‘s recast will be reduced to 40 seconds in the 90s level range.
• Addle‘s duration will be increased to 15 seconds in the 90s level range.

Job: Black Mage
• Various adjustments will be made to streamline certain aspects of the job, such as restoring MP upon landing ice spells while Umbral Ice is active, instead of passively over time.
• A new action which repositions Ley Lines beneath the caster will be added.

Job: Summoner
• Solar Bahamut, a new summon akin to Bahamut and Phoenix will be added.
• A new action that can be executed after Searing Light will be added.
* The current Bahamut looks like the Allagan description, and there is the idea of brining in another Bahamut with a different appearance.
* You would be summoning Solar Bahamut, Bahamut, Solar Bahamut (again), then Phoenix.
* Summoner will keep Resurrection after heated debate, but it’s perhaps not guaranteed for the next expansion.

Job: Red Mage
• Manafication will no longer increase Black Mana and White Mana by 50, and will instead allow the execution of enchanted swordplay actions without cost (can now be executed while mana is at 51 or more without waste).
• The AoE enchanted swordplay combo beginning with Enchanted Moulinet will now consume a total of 50 Black Mana and White Mana, similar to its single-target counterpart.
* Whenever Embolden is executed there will be a new attack ability.

New Job: Pictomancer
• Prepares by painting a variety of motifs, then renders them to life to produce an assortment of effects. Renders multiple motifs to execute high-powered attacks.
• Capable of granting buffs to party and self.
* Pictomancer can use ‘motifs’ in three forms reflected by the job UI: the ‘creature’ motif, the ‘weapon’ motif, and ‘landscape’ motif. By using an action to ‘render’ these motifs, they will execute powerful abilities. The ‘creature’ motif can draw a moogle or a madeen in two actions. The weapon motif can be used to draw a hammer that can be used for a DPS burst, and the landscape motf can be used to apply a party buff.
* Using spells increases the Pictomancer’s Aetherhue, and at requisite levels they can use this to cast White Holy or Black Meteor. Depending on the hue it will affect casting speed and potency.
* Pictomancer has an action that will allow them to dash forward quickly.

Role: Healer
• Swiftcast‘s recast will be reduced to 40 seconds in the 90s level range.

Job: White Mage
• A new action allowing the caster to quickly move forward will be added.
• A new AoE attack, which can be executed to three times after Presence of Mind, will be added.
* A trait will allow for increased stacks of Tetragrammaton.

Job: Scholar
• Seraphism, a new action which changes the caster’s appearance and enhances healing magicks, will be added.
• A new AoE attack that can be executed after Chain Stratagem will be added.
* A trait will allow for a reduced recast time for Recitation.

Job: Astrologian
• The card system will no longer be random, and will instead simultaneously draw cards with offensive, defensive, and curative effects.
• Astrodyne will be removed in accordance with the discontinuation of astrosigns.
* Cards will be divided into 2 groups with 4 cards. Every 60 seconds you will draw 4 cards from 1 group and you can use them when you think they’re appropriate. The four cards will include offensive, defensive abilities.
* A trait will increase the stack number for Essential Dignity.
* Focus on changes was to utilize the cards but eliminate the randomness.

Job: Sage
• Eukrasia will now enhance Dyskrasia II into Eukrasian Dyskrasia, an AoE attack which deals damage over time to enemies within range.
• A new party buff, which heals nearby party members whenever the caster casts a spell, will be added.
* A trait will shorten the time to recast Soteria that will enhance Kardion.

Tony GarsowTony joined Nova Crystallis in 2015, and has spent more than a decade writing in the Final Fantasy community. He also contributes to the Nova Crystallis Twitch and YouTube channels, where you can watch select gameplay highlights, previews, and streams.