FFXIV Live Letter 81 Summary – Dawntrail Job Updates, More

The Live Letter started with a long video featuring the Job Updates going live in Dawntrail. The video showed new moves for each job, which they then planned to discuss afterward. They however prefaced it that they would not go into too much detail, as that would take too long.

Here is a summary of the new job actions coming to each job in FFXIV 7.0 Dawntrail, as well as some Job Adjustments  as per Live Letter 81:

Tanks

• Rampart and job-exclusive 30% damage reduction abilities will be upgraded in the 90s level range
• The above skills (specifically Rampart) will also have other effects that are different for each Tank
• Reprisal’s duration will be increased to 15 seconds in the 90s level range

Paladin

• The second and third executions of Atonement have been changed to new actions within 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 now requires Fight or Flight to be activated before being used

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
• Some effects will be updated as well

Dark Knight

• Blood Weapon will upgrade into Delirium, and the effects of Blood Weapon will be added to Delirium
  • This is to reduce the number of inputs during burst damage phases
• A new action that can be executed after Living Shadow will be added

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)

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

Monk

• Basic combo mechanics will no longer center around maintaining a buff or damage over time
• 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)

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
• Life of the Dragon will be available without accumulating Dragon Gauge to facilitate maximum damage output at the beginning of battle
• To reduce the number of inputs during burst damage phases, certain actions will be removed or adjusted

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

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

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

Viper

As this is a new job, they discussed details about the job itself rather than changes to it.

• A fast-paced job that fluidly shifts between dual blade and double-bladed strikes in their various combos and abilities
• Includes two new bars
  • One bar consists of two swords with three pips under it, the other is a circle with two timers and five pips under it
• Has a similar total number of actions as other jobs, but designed so that fewer actions need to be set on the hotbar

Viper’s basic gameplay revolves around using dual-blade attacks to charge up the job meter. Once the meter reaches 50, the player can then switch over to double-bladed mode, in which they can perform up to five attacks in quick succession. We will go more in-depth regarding Viper in a later article.

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

Bard

• Mage’s Ballad, Army’s Paeon, and the 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 Shadowbite Ready will be merged into one buff, allowing players to execute either action

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

Dancer

• A new action that can be executed after Flourish will be added
• A new action which consumes Espirit and can be executed after Technical Finish will be added
• A new action which gives the effect of Standard Step without needing to input dance steps will be added

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

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

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
• Talks about removing Resurrection from Summoner in 8.0 might happen

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
• A new action that can be executed after Emboldent will be added

Pictomancer

As this is a new job, they discussed details about the job itself rather than changes to it.

• 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

• Players can draw three items over the three canvases:
  • A creature
  • A weapon
  • A landscape
• Each canvas has a dedicated button to draw onto them, with the drawn image changing with each cast
  • Similar to a skill rotation
• Players must first sketch the image onto the canvas, before “rendering” it to cast it
• Sketching outside of combat is instant, while sketching in combat has a cast time
• Casting the basic spell rotation will charge the Aetherhue gauge, as well as give one charge on the pallette.
• The charge allows the use of a quick-cast spell, while the gauge allows players to switch to a different basic spell rotation

Pictomancer’s basic gameplay revolves around using sketching and rendering special attacks, while also casting a basic spell rotation and switching between elements. We will go more in-depth regarding Pictomancer in a later article.

Healer

• Swiftcast’s recast will be reduced to 40 seconds in the 90s level range

White Mage

• A new action allowing the caster to quickly move forward will be added
• A new AoE attack, which can be executed up to three times after Presence of Mind will be added

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

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
• Essential Dignity will now have stacks

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

PvP Update

• Viper and Pictomancer will be added in 7.0
• Both jobs will have their own respective PvP actions and limit break
• New PvP actions, action adjustments, and adjustments to existing maps are planned for 7.1
• Crystalline Conflict ranked matches will be in preseason between 7.0 to 7.1
  • Rankings will not be updated, but tiers and Crystal Credit will be affected by wins and losses

During Live Letter 81, they also brought up that they were making some changes to the Job Actions so that the number of icons on a player’s hot bar would not increase as much as possible. Additionally, they will add a setting that allows players to choose whether or not an action will be automatically replaced by its follow-up counterpart.

Other than the FFXIV 7.0 Dawntrail Job Actions, they also talked about the ongoing DDOS attacks, which they said are the biggest and longest ones they’ve experienced. They brought up that they have a team at Square Enix working 24/7 to alleviate its effects, as well as prevent further attacks in the future.

They also tackled the updates to the FFXIV 7.0 Dawntrail benchmark in Live Letter 81, bringing up the issues players brought up during the initial release. Some updated screenshots were shown, reflecting the changes that they made to the original benchmark software.

In particular, they brought up that the lighting was updated, the fangs of the Miqo’te were adjusted, and the Lalafel teeth were fixed to not look crunched up. As for the replacement benchmark, they did not give a specific date for its release, but that they would announce it once it’s final.

Yoshida then brought up that they would release a quest in Dawntrail that would introduce players to the Fantasia item, allowing them to play around with the new character creator. They also mentioned that players had up to 60 minutes to modify their character upon using a Fantasia.

After talking about the Job updates coming to FFXIV in 7.0, they then introduced some NPCs, the rivals that the Warrior of Light will have to face. One is Bakool Ja Ja, a two-headed Mamool Ja, and the other is Koana, a Miqo’te.

They ended FFXIV Live Letter 81 with a few announcements. First is the return of the Fall Guys Collab, which will run from May 23, 2024, to June 10, 2024. Next is a collab between FFXIV and Mountain Dew, a US-only collaboration that requires players to buy Mountain Dew to get in-game items.

New merchandise was also announced, including a Loporrit PLushie, a Translucent Keychain of Azem’s Crystal, and Cable Clips (Main Scenario Quest, Alpha, Moogle). They also announced the launch of the Immerse Gamepack Version 2.2, with a refreshed free trial for all players.

Next is THE PRIMALS Live in Japan: Darkest Before Dawn, which will run from September 21-22, 2024, with an opt-in period until May 23, 2024. A Japanese Square Enix account is required for players to join the ticket lottery.

The collaboration between KFC and FFXIV will also be making a return, likely to come back in 7.0. More details will be announced at a later time.

That’s all for our summary of the FFXIV Live Letter 81, which contains news for Patch 7.0, the Dawntrail Job Updates, and more. FFXIV 7.0 Dawntrail has a release date of July 2, 2024.

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