SQUARE ENIX has revealed details on the final two-part conclusion for the award-winning Endwalker expansion for FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. Called Patch 6.5 Growing Light, the new patch will be the epic conclusion to the Endwalker saga before the arrival of the brand-new expansion Dawntrail for FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. Growing Light will pave the way for new adventures lying ahead of fans of the franchise. The first part of Growing Light will arrive in October 2023 while the second and final part will arrive in January 2024 ahead of the official release of Dawntrail expansion.
Announced during the Producer LIVE broadcast at the FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival 2023 in Las Vegas, Producer, and Director Naoki Yoshida shared a special letter detailing that the main scenario for Patch 6.5 is set to arrive in two parts. Part One with Patch 6.5 will arrive in early October while Part Two will arrive with Patch 6.55 in mid-January 2024. The full replay of the event is linked below for you if you are interested in it:
Apart from adding new story elements, Patch 6.5 will also mark the culmination of work to expand the Duty Support system within FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. It is a feature that enables tackling content with a party of NPC allies as opposed to other players. With the patch’s release, it will be possible to complete all main scenarios dungeons from A Realm Reborn through Endwalker using the system which will enable the players to comfortably experience the stories of Eorzea on their own.
Yoshida also shared the upcoming collaboration with Mediatonic’s Fall Guys. The Warriors of Light Flame Pass is releasing in Fall Guys on August 22, 2023, and with a new Fall Guys-inspired Gold Saucer attraction arriving in FINAL FANTASY XIV Online as part of the Patch 6.5x series. Additional details on the collaboration are present on the official website.
Additional features announced for the Patch 6.5x series include:
- Patch 6.5 – Early October 2023
- New Main Scenario Quests (Part 1) – The next chapter in the story of the Warrior of Light.
- New Dungeon – New challenges await in The Lunar Subterrane.
- New Trial – A challenging new battle against Zeromus awaits in both Normal and Extreme difficulties.
- New Unreal Trial – Fight in The Singularity Reactor (Unreal) against the fearsome Thordan.
- New Alliance Raid: Myths of the Realm #3 – Explore the mysteries of Thaleia.
- Duty Support Expansion – With the addition of Duty Support to The Drowned City of Skalla, The Burn, and The Ghimlyt Dark dungeons, it is now possible to play through all main scenario dungeons from A Realm Reborn to Endwalker solo.
- Various Job Adjustments
- Player Versus Player Updates
- PvP Series 5 Begins
- Crystalline Conflict Minimap and UI Updates, New Arena: The Red Sands
- There will be no new Crystalline Conflict season at the time of Patch 6.5. Season 8 will begin with Patch 6.48, scheduled for release on Tuesday, 8 August, and continue through the release of Patch 6.51.
- Island Sanctuary Updates – New sanctuary ranks and visions, new gathering area, new materials, craftable items, crops, animals, isleworks handicrafts, structures, and more.
- Miscellaneous Updates – New Custom Deliveries: Margrat, Aetherial Reduction Update, Fishing Log update, Armoire update, and more.
- Patch 6.51 – Late October 2023
- Splendorous Tools
- New Variant Dungeon: Aloalo Island – Players can enjoy a new variable-difficulty dungeon designed for 1-4 players, with the difficulty of enemies scaling depending on party size.
- New Criterion Dungeon: Aloalo Island – High difficulty four-player content featuring a visually similar area to the Variant Dungeon, but with a set route. Criterion dungeons will feature two options of difficulties, “Criterion” and “Criterion (Savage),” each with their own unique set of rules and characteristics.
- Patch 6.55 – Mid-January 2024
- New Main Scenario Quests (Part 2)
- Endwalker Tribal Alliance Quests
- Tataru’s Grand Endeavour Continues
- Somehow Further Hildibrand Adventures
- Further Manderville Weapons
- Patch 6.5x Series
- Fall Guys Collaboration – Experience the fun of the Blunderdome with a FFXIV twist, as select courses come to the Manderville Gold Saucer.
At the FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival 2023 in Las Vegas, a new expansion FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrial was announced which will be the first graphical update along with an abundance of new content when it releases in Summer 2024. This includes an increased level cap, multiple new jobs, sprawling new areas, new allied tribes, new dungeons, and new core battle content such as FATEs, Hunts, Treasure Hunts, side quests, and much more.
Additional details about FINAL FANTASY XIV Online: Dawntrial will be announced at the upcoming FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival 2023 in London which is taking place in London on from October 21 to 22, 2023, and also during the Fan Festival 2024 in Tokyo which is taking place from January 7 to 8, 2024.
FINAL FANTASY XIV Online has surpassed over 27 million registered players and currently offers an expanded Free Trial which includes all content from A Realm Reborn and the Heavensward expansion and updates through Patch 3.56. Three additional playable races and three additional playable jobs are also part of the Free Trial.
All Free Trial players now have access to over hundreds of hours of content and story experiences equivalent to two full FINAL FANTASY titles without any limit on playtime so if you are interested in trying it out, now is the best time to do so without spending a single penny. Previously, SQUARE ENIX released The Dark Thone Update for FINAL FANTASY XIV Online: Endwalker.
What are your thoughts on the final update Patch 6.5: Growing Light revealed for FINAL FANTASY XIV: Online? Will you be jumping back into the game to try it out? Let us know in the comments section below.
