Final Fantasy 14: Patch 7.3 Unveiled with Final Fantasy 9 and 11 Callbacks, Setting the Stage for Dawntrails Final Chapter

In the latest Letter From the Producer LIVE Part 87, Final Fantasy 14's producer and director Naoki Yoshida provided a sneak peek of Patch 7.3, titled "The Promise of Tomorrow." This upcoming patch will serve as the climax of the Dawntrail expansion's main story and will feature callbacks to two past Final Fantasy franchise entries, Final Fantasy 9 and Final Fantasy 11. Yoshida started the 87th Live Letter by addressing player feedback on the Occult Crescent and Cosmic Exploration features. He announced that the upcoming Forked Tower raid, scheduled for Patch 7.5, will have both Normal and Savage difficulties, and that players can queue into the Occult Crescent as a 48-player premade alliance starting in Patch 7.3. Other changes to Cosmic Exploration will include mount access and a retainer bell for players to utilize. Yoshida also apologized for the recent drop in quality assurance from the development team, citing hotfixes and server maintenance as issues. Patch 7.3 will be the final chapter of Dawntrail's main story arc and will include a new main story dungeon, The Meso Terminal, as well as a trial battle against a mysterious foe. Crafters will have new allied society quests focused on the gigantic Yok Huy of Urqopacha, which will be available as a way to level up from 90 to 100. Additionally, weeks after Patch 7.3 is released, new side quests like the next Hildibrand and Phantom Relic Weapon chapters will be added. The next chapter of the Echoes of Vana'diel alliance raid series, titled San d'Oria: The Second Walk, will also be added in Patch 7.3. This new Alliance Raid will allow 24 players to face bosses from Final Fantasy 11's story, with the villainous Kam'lanaut teased as a potential foe for players to take down. Other combat-focused activities like The Wreath of Snakes (Unreal) trial, the Vault Oneiron treasure dungeon, and a new Deep Dungeon called Pilgrim's Traverse will also be included in Patch 7.3 and subsequent updates. With callbacks to both Final Fantasy 9 and Final Fantasy 11, Patch 7.3 is shaping up to be one of the largest updates for Final Fantasy 14 so far. It remains to be seen how players will react to the final chapter of Dawntrail's story and what lies ahead for the popular MMO.