After the successful launch ofDawntrail,Final Fantasy 14is quickly heading towards the first major update to its newest expansion,patch 7.1, which promises new story and raid contentfor players who’ve finished the expansion’s main scenario quests. Unlike the few updates that have already been added toDawntrail, patch 7.1 should see major content additions, along with some revisions to existing content, like balance changes to the game’s various jobs and possible adjustments to existing dungeon or raid content.
Ahead of patch 7.1,Dawntrailhas already received a few small updates shortly after launch — the first, 7.01, added the first tier of theexpansion’s Arcadion eight-person raid seriesand made several balance changes tovariousFFXIVjobs, while the second, 7.05, was much smaller, adding a new treasure map dungeon, some new furnishings for player housing, and yet more balance changes. After the release of those two updates, though, there are no more “in-between” patches planned until after the release of 7.1, making it the next major addition forFF14players to look forward to.
Everything Announced For FF14 Patch 7.1
Dawntrail’s First Major Update Brings New Story And Raid Content
Currently, there are four known major additions coming in patch 7.1 forFinal Fantasy 14—new main story quests with a new dungeon, the Echoes of Vana’diel 24-player Alliance Raid, the Futures Rewritten Ultimate raid, and, for the first time inFF14, aSavage-tier 24-player raid. Alongside these major additions, 7.1 is also set to introduce a new Unreal trial, an update to the game’s PvP modes, and (presumably) an Extreme version ofDawntrail’s final boss trial. Currently, the exact release date of 7.1 is unknown, but from the game’s general release schedule, a November 2024 launch is likely.
Perhaps the most notable addition coming with 7.1,the Echoes of Vana’diel Alliance Raid, will be a collaboration withFinal Fantasy 11, the only other MMO in theFinal Fantasyseries. Currently, not much is known about Echoes of Vana’diel other than its name, but it’s possible that the raid series will be similar to past Alliance Raids that collaborated or referenced other games, likeShadowbringer’s YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse andStormblood’s Return to Ivalice. Notably, it’s also been stated that 7.1 will bring the game’s first Savage 24-person content, which is assumed to be related to the new Alliance Raid.
10 Directions The Story Could Go After FFXIV: Dawntrail
Final Fantasy 14 has explored a lot of content over the last decade, but there are plenty of possible directions it can take in the future.
The other major raid addition coming in 7.1,the Ultimate version of Futures Rewritten, will be an extremely challenging version ofShadowbringer’s 8-player raid seriesinvolving popular characters Ryne and Gaia. It’s unlikely that the Ultimate will be discussed in detail before its actual release, asFF14Ultimate and Savage content is usually left for players to discover themselves, but it’s certain that the raid will be extremely difficult, testing the skills of even the game’s most skilled and well-coordinated raid groups, and that it will spark a new (unofficial) race for a world first clear.
FF14 7.1 Will Be Revealed In More Detail In September
An Upcoming Livestream Will Show Off More Of What’s Coming In Patch 7.1
Unfortunately, until moreFF147.1 news is revealed in September, thefiner details of what the patch will include are currently unknown. A number of quality-of-life features, such as speech bubbles for player messages and an in-game tool for raid strategizing, have been shown, but not specifically announced for 7.1, and may not be added to the game until a later update. Likewise, the exact contents and rewards of the new dungeon, Alliance Raid, Ultimate, and Extreme are not currently known, though some rewards may be shown off ahead of the patch.
In terms of balance changes, it’s unlikely that the patch will include any major reworks of any job and will instead make more minor adjustments to classes that are under- or over-performing. In particular, the new Pictomancer job introduced inDawntrailhas been noted by many players as being an outlier in terms of damage output, and so may have its damage values nerfed slightly. Finally, while an Extreme version ofDawntrail’s Queen Eternal trial hasn’t been explicitly announced, it’s likely to be included in the patch, similar to Endsinger Extreme being added in 6.1 forEndwalker.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail: An Expectation That Still Surprises
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is a change of pace for the popular MMO, but it’s a refreshing expansion at this point in its decade-long lifespan.
So far,Dawntrail’s combat and gameplay content has been highly praised by the playerbase, and the upcoming 7.1 patch looks to make further additions to that aspect of the game. Until the next live presentation in September, the exact contents and release date of the patch remain unknown, but it’s safe to assume that the first major update forFinal Fantasy 14’sDawntrailexpansion will release in relatively short order after the presentation takes place.
