Details on FFXIV 5.3 ARR Revamp (13% of quests removed from 2.0 ~ 2.5, increased exp from MSQ, flying in base zones, Crystal Tower Raid now required)

Kalentan · Apr 24, 2020

Edit: Official Translation:

Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LVIII Digest (05/01/2020)

We are pleased to present the full digest of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LVIII! If you missed the live stream, or if you just want to watch it again (and again), check it out below! <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/03Hj3apJ4aQ" frameborder="0"...

forum.square-enix.com

The A Realm Reborn main scenario has been streamlined overall, while maintaining scenes featuring important characters who are relevant later on.

Roughly 13% of the quests will be removed in this revamp, which may not seem like a lot. In addition to this, however, we've greatly reduced the number of steps featured in many quests (such as going to a specified location, or talking to certain NPCs several times), making the story experience much smoother.

The content that was added in between Patch 2.1 and 2.2 was being developed before we received player feedback, and the quantity of quests was determined based on the time it would take to complete them all. This resulted in many tedious and roundabout quests in the 2.1 and 2.2 main scenario. For this section, we cut out anything that wasn't directly relevant to the story.

If you're progressing through A Realm Reborn when Patch 5.3 is released, you may run into a situation where a main scenario quest you'd accepted is no longer available. Should this happen, the next step in the main scenario will be displayed for you.

The amount of EXP gained during the main scenario will be increased so that you won't have to do side quests in order to progress. We plan on eventually applying this change to quests in Heavensward and beyond. As a note, if you use the Tales of Adventure: A Realm Reborn optional item to complete the main scenario, all Crystal Tower-related content will be unlocked but not marked as complete, so you'll still need to complete them.

So the live letter will go on and I thought I'd create topic focused on the one element I know a lot of people are wondering about.

Translations of the dev's additional comments via FFXIV Subreddit Discord:

"About 13% of the quests we completely took away, but there are a lot of quests that introduce NPCs that are reappearing in the later story, so those had to stay. BUT we took away a lot of the steps in those quests that are required to complete them"
"So you will be completing these a lot faster now"
"So less quests and the ones that remained got easier to complete"
Y "A lot of players get stuck in this part of ARR and then quit the game"
"Surprisingly most players that quit do this after 2.1"
"So from now, new players will be able to run through while they are still deep inside the story without having to do all those fetch quests that seem unnecessary"

"If you have accepted a quest that got changed or deleted, it will show what to do instead, so those got updated as well"
"EXP and rewards for MSQ was increased, you will reach or even go further than 50 just by doing the MSQ"
"You do not have to do any side quests"
"We plan to do this as well for HW, SB and ShB, so that you can use side quests for your alt jobs"

"As we discussed earlier, you will have to obtain your chocobo and complete the Crystal Tower quest line"
"Unlocking won't be enough, you have to complete it"

"starting in 5.3, you will be able to fly in ARR areas"
"We thought the costs for these updates would be sky high, but the dev team said "We won't be able to ever change it if you argue like that" so we are doing it now"

"You do NOT have to gather aether currents, complete the msq "The Ultima Weapon" and you will unlock flying"
"Your chocobo will be able to fly once you complete the MSQ quest, so the "I believe I can fly" quest that originally made your chocobo fly is getting deleted"

"We didn't add any underwater areas in the ARR areas though"
"People were rumoring on the internet if we were planning to add flying to old areas because of changed collisions and they were right"
"Something additional from Soken: They have to change all of the environment sounds, how they were implemented because the sound was made under the assumption that you can't fly there, so if something sounds wrong, please forgive us, we are going to fix them later on"
"If some environment sounds are wrong, please let us know"

13% of quests were removed from 2.0 to 2.5. Only MSQ is required for 2.0 due to exp gains increased. The Crystal Tower Raid is no longer optional. They plan on making the MSQ also only required to level in HW/SB/ShB at some point. Side Quests will be purely for leveling Alt Classes (Which hopefully in the case of ShB means increased exp from them)

No release date (although we already know it's been delayed a few weeks (edit: On top of an already 1 month day)) given at this time, but the live letter is still going.

Deleted member 2791 · Apr 24, 2020

There's no excuse now. Get on XIV folks.

Cenauru · Apr 24, 2020

I can't wait to finally be able to recommend FFXIV to my friends.

Kalentan · Apr 24, 2020

Not related to revamp but still funny:

Rotobit · Apr 24, 2020

Very excited about this and makes it a lot easier to recommend the game

Also glad they're making the Crystal Tower mandatory. Only shame is I imagine they aren't redoing the English voice acting to be more in-line with the later expansions.

Are they folding this into NG+ too?

Brazil · Apr 24, 2020

Flying mounts in ARR areas #bless

Micro · Apr 24, 2020

I stopped playing when the game started forcing me to redo instances on different difficulties. Anyone know if that is gone? (or ever even was a thing lol, maybe I just missed something). I never even got to Heavensward because of it.

Deleted member 1102 · Apr 24, 2020

"EXP and rewards for MSQ was increased, you will reach or even go further than 50 just by doing the MSQ"
"You do not have to do any side quests"
"We plan to do this as well for HW, SB and ShB, so that you can use side quests for your alt jobs"

pog

The Last One · Apr 24, 2020

Flying in base zones? Fucking finally.

GamingRobioto · Apr 24, 2020

So tempted to start a fresh new character.

Relix · Apr 24, 2020

I want to get my fiancée into this game. This is the chance.

HMD · Apr 24, 2020

The fact I finished Shadowbringers without ever touching the Crystal Tower raid... I need to get on that.

Kalentan · Apr 24, 2020

Micro said:
I stopped playing when the game started forcing me to redo instances on different difficulties. Anyone know if that is gone? (or ever even was a thing lol, maybe I just missed something). I never even got to Heavensward because of it.

Hard Mode dungeons? Some will likely still be required. But Hard Mode dungeons weren't just the original dungeons but harder, they had unique layout and bosses. They were only called "Hard Mode" due to being the current max at the time (therefore by extension being harder than the original ver).

RROCKMAN · Apr 24, 2020

Damn base game flying makes me super jealous

Finally, the death of the horizon run

Fatmanp · Apr 24, 2020

I played about 15 hours of this last year and really enjoyed my time with it but fell off as a realised just how far behind I was. I will resub when this releases.

Chasing · Apr 24, 2020

Oh my god flying in ARR zones.

ZeroDS · Apr 24, 2020

It's currently on sale too on PS4 so perfect time for anyone wanting to jump in!

Soulflarz · Apr 24, 2020

HMD said:
The fact I finished Shadowbringers without ever touching the Crystal Tower raid... I need to get on that.

B-but

Kalentan · Apr 24, 2020

Ah, just seeing it now in regards to the release date:

"We are still not sure on the release date, looking at how the situations develops, I will keep you guys updated and once we have a date for releasing the patch, we will announce the next live letter"

GasProblem · Apr 24, 2020

The complete edition is €28 on the PS Store. Wonder if I should get it...

Sandfox · Apr 24, 2020

Micro said:
I stopped playing when the game started forcing me to redo instances on different difficulties. Anyone know if that is gone? (or ever even was a thing lol, maybe I just missed something). I never even got to Heavensward because of it.

I'm pretty sure all the higher difficulties of older content are optional through side quests unless I'm forgetting about something.

Micro · Apr 24, 2020

Kalentan said:
Hard Mode dungeons? Some will likely still be required. But Hard Mode dungeons weren't just the original dungeons but harder, they had unique layout and bosses. They were only called "Hard Mode" due to being the current max at the time (therefore by extension being harder than the original ver).

Hard Mode dungeons, that was it. Also the ones that were just boss fights. That really felt like a roadblock to me, and stopped me from continuing a few years back. I want to push through to get to Heavensward and beyond, but I haven't brought myself to that point yet.

Moara · Apr 24, 2020

Isn't 2.0 base ARR? So doesn't that imply that some of the base MSQ is getting revamped as well?

Kalentan · Apr 24, 2020

Micro said:
Hard Mode dungeons, that was it. Also the ones that were just boss fights. That really felt like a roadblock to me, and stopped me from continuing a few years back. I want to push through to get to Heavensward and beyond, but I haven't brought myself to that point yet.

Oh... Well, yeah a lot of that stuff will still be there. All of the Primal/Big Bosses in 2.1 - 2.5 are unlikely to be removed as requirements since they're needed for the overall story.

You're talking just main story stuff, right?

JetmanJay · Apr 24, 2020

Passing Assassin said:
There's no excuse now. Get on XIV folks.

is there still a monthly sub to play? Because that's my only excuse. Loved the game, but I can't justify paying a monthly fee for an MMO while I have a ton of other console games to play.

Rotobit · Apr 24, 2020

Micro said:
I stopped playing when the game started forcing me to redo instances on different difficulties. Anyone know if that is gone? (or ever even was a thing lol, maybe I just missed something). I never even got to Heavensward because of it.

From what I remember those start popping up in The Waking Sands after you beat Realm Reborn and they're optional but at that point you might still be stuck in the mindset of sidequests being required

I remember trying the EXTREME Ramuh fight and there was a dude in the party who had to be like "hey, if you just jumped into this without thinking, please leave the group" which at least tipped me off that it's a common problem people run into

Since then I've ignored the higher difficulty stuff since it's all pretty much set up for when you're playing with people you're familiar with. Otherwise you're heading towards a lot of Heated Gamer Moments.

EDIT: As for Hard dungeons they aren't too bad, they're basically just remixed versions of a couple early dungeons. You won't have much trouble with them if you play DPS or (maybe) Healer. Tanks are expected to research everything beforehand regardless.

Deleted member 2441 · Apr 24, 2020

FYI this likely won't be out til August.

It was originally planned for mid-June, but they expect a month + another week or two of a delay.

So late July at best, but likely early August.

Killthee · Apr 24, 2020

Micro said:
I stopped playing when the game started forcing me to redo instances on different difficulties. Anyone know if that is gone? (or ever even was a thing lol, maybe I just missed something). I never even got to Heavensward because of it.

Thats never been a thing. The closest thing is "Hard" dungeons, but those aren't just 1 to 1 rehashed dungeons on a new difficulty level. They have their own bosses and the maps are always altered in some way so that you usually end up taking a different path compared to the "Normal" dungeon and/or they slap a fresh coat of paint by changing the environment time for the dungeon (day dungeon turning into a night dungeon for example)

Kalentan · Apr 24, 2020

Moara said:
Isn't 2.0 base ARR? So doesn't that imply that some of the base MSQ is getting revamped as well?

From my understanding the 13% of quests removed does include 2.0 (which is ARR).

Though if I had to guess most of the 13% is likely 2.1 - 2.5, with ARR main change just being increased exp/item rewards.

DNAbro · Apr 24, 2020

Moara said:
Isn't 2.0 base ARR? So doesn't that imply that some of the base MSQ is getting revamped as well?

They are removing quest steps I believe.

Ruruja · Apr 24, 2020

RROCKMAN said:
Finally, the death of the horizon run

Probably 10% of my playtime haha.

kurahador · Apr 24, 2020

JetmanJay said:
is there still a monthly sub to play? Because that's my only excuse. Loved the game, but I can't justify paying a monthly fee for an MMO while I have a ton of other console games to play.

There's still monthly sub, but you don't have to keep playing it forever. FFXIV patch cycle is designed to accommodate you playing for a month or two and then taking a break until the next patch arrive. I find FFXIV to be this cozy game I can return to when I feel bored trying to clear my backlog.

I guess the mount speed upgrade remain still? With such small areas of ARR, flying gonna be awkward.

OskarXCI · Apr 24, 2020

My understanding is that 13% of the revamp is 2.0. The remaining 87% will adjust 2.1-2.5

Rotobit said:
Are they folding this into NG+ too?

Crystal Tower can already be done through NG+. A Realm Reborn should be added to NG+ with this revamp.

Micro · Apr 24, 2020

Killthee said:
Thats never been a thing. The closest thing is "Hard" dungeons, but those aren't just 1 to 1 rehashed dungeons on a new difficulty level. They have their own bosses and the maps are always altered in some way so that you usually end up taking a different path compared to the "Normal" dungeon and/or they slap a fresh coat of paint by changing the environment time for the dungeon (day dungeon turning into a night dungeon for example)

Yeah, it is those.

Thinking about it now, they would feel like completely new dungeons if I got into the game again, as it's been YEARS since I last played. Maybe I'll jump back into it if my FF kick continues after completing VII Remake.

seroun · Apr 24, 2020

Costy said:
FYI this likely won't be out til August.

It was originally planned for mid-June, but they expect a month + another week or two of a delay.

So late July at best, but likely early August.

They've said they don't think it's gonna be such a big delay because they had 70% of the patch already completed, including the voice work.

Razgriz417 · Apr 24, 2020

2.0-2.1 was exactly where a got stuck 3 times, this patch cant come soon enough

signal · Apr 24, 2020

Crystal Tower music owns.

Kalentan · Apr 24, 2020

OskarXCI said:
My understanding is that 13% of the revamp is 2.0. The remaining 87% will adjust 2.1-2.5

Huh? Nothing in the translation talks about that. The 13% is the number of quests removed overall between 2.0 - 2.5 no distinction was made between it only affecting 2.0.

Leandras · Apr 24, 2020

Wow that will mean some significant changes to the sections of old zones that werent visible from ground level.

RIP going out of bounds in coerthas central and east shroud :(

But looking forward to it

LycanXIII · Apr 24, 2020

I don't feel like removing only 13% of the quests will help people get into it. That still leaves at least 87 patch quests between ARR and HW.

seroun · Apr 24, 2020

LycanXIII said:
I don't feel like removing only 13% of the quests will help people get into it. That still leaves at least 87 patch quests between ARR and HW.

The quests that still are left are because 1. They introduce important NPCs that appear later in the story 2. even without removing them, they have been shortened a great deal.

Feels like some people expected Square Enix to simply remove 2.1 - 2.55. That was never going to happen, they are important to set Heavensward and 3.55 ^^"..

OskarXCI · Apr 24, 2020

Kalentan said:
Huh? Nothing in the translation talks about that. The 13% is the number of quests removed overall between 2.0 - 2.5 no distinction was made between it only affecting 2.0.

What translation? Until we get an official one, it's all up to interpretation.

Deleted member 2441 · Apr 24, 2020

seroun said:
They've said they don't think it's gonna be such a big delay because they had 70% of the patch already completed, including the voice work.

This is not true.

They said they anticipate a 1-2 week extra delay on top of the current month's delay.

This is due to issues with moving their development environment to people's homes.

You should check the information again.

Kalentan · Apr 24, 2020

LycanXIII said:
I don't feel like removing only 13% of the quests will help people get into it. That still leaves at least 87 patch quests between ARR and HW.

The 13% isn't just 2.1 - 2.5, it also includes 2.0. Also doesn't mean that they got rid of specifically 13 quests. Also they adjusted some steps. So it's very possible there might still be almost 90+ quests between ARR and HW but with a lot of those quests made much shorter.

OskarXCI said:
What translation? Until we get a official one, it's all up to interpretation.

Well, the FFXIV subreddit has been doing live translations (they have a dedicated person for it) for awhile now. They haven't exactly built up a rep of being bad translators.

Gamesgbkiller · Apr 24, 2020

I guess I have to go back

Still couldn't finish the trial to 30 LVL. I think I was at about 25. I just want to finish every single quest. it was too much for me.

demosthenes · Apr 24, 2020

LycanXIII said:
I don't feel like removing only 13% of the quests will help people get into it. That still leaves at least 87 patch quests between ARR and HW.

They said they removed steps in the remaining quests. Sounds like to prevent running back and forth.

seroun · Apr 24, 2020

Costy said:
This is not true.

They said they anticipate a 1-2 week extra delay on top of the current month's delay.

This is due to issues with moving their development environment to people's homes.

You should check the information again.

I just checked and you are right, they said that because of the hurdles of accessing the framework at home they've been delayed by a month. My bad and thank you!!

Dreamwriter · Apr 24, 2020

Micro said:
Hard Mode dungeons, that was it. Also the ones that were just boss fights. That really felt like a roadblock to me, and stopped me from continuing a few years back. I want to push through to get to Heavensward and beyond, but I haven't brought myself to that point yet.

Yeah, the "hard mode" dungeons weren't just the same dungeon but with higher hp enemies or something, really they were more like new dungeons made from the old assets, what made them "hard" was they were designed for the higher-level characters that you were by the time the story sent you there the second time, along with the more complicated mechanics that comes with later dungeons. Especially in 2.0, the first bunch of dungeons are super simple the first time you go through them since they are still basically tutorial dungeons, so when the story had you going back to an older dungeon they can now make it more like a real dungeon for a much more fun experience.

LossAversion · Apr 24, 2020

Yay! Flying in ARR is wonderful! I just finished Heavensward and I was REALLY missing flying whenever I went back to ARR areas. Unfortunately, I did every single side quest in ARR these past few months. Saving them for my second class would probably have been the SMART thing to do but I have major OCD and I couldn't leave any exclamation marks on the map!

Buttons · Apr 24, 2020

What's important to mention is that the 2.1-2.5 quests will now also have gear and xp rewards. So new players will no longer be wondering why they suddenly get no more quest xp from these quests. Should help improve the entire flow into Heavensward from a feeling point of view.

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