Completed everything that Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Patch 5.2 has to offer and looking for what’s to come? While unfortunately it was confirmed last week that COVID-19 would likely cause a delay to the patch going live on servers, the development team at Square Enix have used their most recent Letter from the Producer Live Broadcast with Naoki Yoshida to share initial Patch details on Patch 5.3, which has been subtitled Reflections in Crystal.
The inclusions within this patch are of considerable scale, especially considering it shall serve as the conclusion to the main scenario quest-line of Shadowbringers, and also rework A Realm Reborn’s storyline to provide new players with a streamlined, less grindy, means of progressing to the expansion narratives.
As this is an odd-numbered patch, players can also look forward to the next instalment in the YorHA: Dark Apocalypse 24-player Alliance Raid questline, taking players to the new dungeon titled ‘The Puppets Bunker’. Expect to see players wandering around Eorzea and The First wearing new outfits inspired by NieR: Automata and jamming to a newly remixed track or two.
Other additions confirmed to be included in Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal are:
- New Dungeon: The Heroes’ Gauntlet – Players can tackle this new challenge alongside fellow adventurers, or a party of non-player characters, using the Trust system.
- New Trial: Parties of eight players can challenge this new challenging trial battle in both normal and extreme difficulties.
- Save the Queen Questline Updates – Players can enhance weapons obtained in the first chapter of this ongoing quest series as they explore an all-new area. Additionally, new large-scale battle content will be added as part of the update.
- New “Chronicles of a New Era” Quest: The Sorrow of Welt – Part of the ‘Weapon Series’ questline, players can enjoy a story-focused experience culminating in a special event battle.
- Ishgard Restoration Update – The third phase of restoration begins following the efforts of the Skybuilders. Skybuilder Rankings return, with new items for players to craft and new achievements for top contributors to the restoration.
- New Beast Tribe Quests – A new crafter-focused questline featuring the dwarves.
- New Game+ Updates – The updated A Realm Reborn main scenario and other quests will be available for players to revisit while keeping your current character and level.
- New Battle Content: Unreal Trials – Players will be able to challenge powered-up primals from earlier expansions that are ready to fight against level 80 heroes. Unreal Trials will feature one primal fight which will change with each patch, beginning with Shiva in Patch 5.3. Defeating the primal each week gives players the chance to complete a new mini-game, with those who emerge triumphant receiving tokens to exchange for prizes.
- Crafter and Gatherer Updates – New custom deliveries, updates to Rowena’s House of Splendors, and an update to the Skysteel Tools questline headline several crafter and gatherer updates.
- Job Adjustments for PvE and PvP, System Updates, and more.
The Unreal Trials rotation in particular sounds very exciting, giving players incremental access to classic Final Fantasy-series primals whose content has not been relevant to players for years. On the other hand, cannot say I am looking forward to grinding in what could potentially be Eureka 2.0.
