Final Fantasy 14 Director and Producer Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida, alongside Global Community Producer Toshio ‘Foxclon’ Murouchi, recently hosted Live Letter 87, offering players a comprehensive look at the upcoming Patch 7.3, officially titled “The Promise of Tomorrow.” The livestream provided key details on a wealth of new content arriving in early August and directly addressed significant player feedback from recent updates like Patch 7.25 and 7.2.
While this was the first deep dive into Patch 7.3, offering more general information than the subsequent Live Letter 88 (expected roughly two weeks before release), it set the stage for an exciting update focused on both expansion and refinement.
Addressing Eorzea’s Concerns: Patch 7.3 Quality-of-Life
A notable shift in this Live Letter was the upfront focus on player feedback. Yoshida and the team acknowledged several pain points within content introduced in previous patches.
Occult Crescent (Patch 7.25) Updates:
Concerns surrounding access to the 48-player Forked Tower content were paramount. Players had dubbed the instance queuing method “Island Gacha” due to its reliance on chance. Patch 7.3 will directly address this by allowing premade alliances of 48 players to queue into the same instance together, significantly easing coordinated efforts.
Improvements are coming to the UI related to Cyphers, the items needed to initiate Forked Tower.
The development team is also looking into adjustments for Occult Crescent rewards.
The frustrating speed at which FATEs were completed, making participation difficult, was acknowledged. While acknowledging the challenge of balancing this for instances with few players, adjustments are being explored.
However, for those hoping for changes to Soul Shard and Demiatma drop rates from Critical Engagements (20%) and FATEs (5%), Yoshi-P confirmed these rates will not change in Patch 7.3.
Cosmic Exploration (Patch 7.2) Improvements:
A highly requested feature for Cosmic Exploration missions: Mount usage will be enabled from the start in Patch 7.31.
Various mission adjustments include time tweaks, automatic mission report windows, GP used being returned after gatherer missions, and cordial cast times resetting post-gatherer missions.
Smaller tweaks address sequential mission visibility, follow-ups for failed projects, and increased rewards for players who continue content after completing their relic weapons.
What’s Coming in “The Promise of Tomorrow”
Patch 7.3 introduces a substantial amount of new content for players to dive into across Dawntrail.
Adventures Across Eorzea (and Beyond):
New Main Scenario Quests continue the Dawntrail saga.
Additional Side Quests will be added, although Yoshi-P noted not many would be heavily story-focused outside the main content and recurring series.
New Allied Society Quests will arrive, featuring the Yok Huy and offering crafter-specific quests, following the Mamool Ja gatherer quests from 7.25.
The ever-popular Hildibrand Adventures questline receives another hilarious installment.
Explore the new dungeon, The Meso Terminal, showcasing diverse visual themes including high-tech, hospital, and ruined areas.
A new, currently unnamed Trial is on the way, with details remaining a mystery until the patch launches.
The second iteration of the current Alliance Raid series arrives with San d’Oria: The Second Walk. Players can expect rich Final Fantasy 11 references, art, and characters, set against stunning icy, Aurora Borealis-inspired visuals.
The new Unreal Trial will be The Wreath of Snakes, challenging players with a level 100 version of the Seiryu trial from Stormblood’s Patch 4.5.
A new Treasure Dungeon, Vault Oneiron, offers rewards within a striking tech-heavy arena, featuring unique bosses like a high-tech golden Mandragora.
PvP Evolution:
Patch 7.3 brings PvP Series 9, alongside action adjustments and new Crystalline Conflict tiers.
A new Crystalline Conflict arena, The Bayside Battleground, will be added.
Crucially for many, players will finally be able to duo queue in casual Crystalline Conflict, addressing feedback from those who felt “scared of going alone” in the current solo-only casual queue.
Expanding the Horizon:
Cosmic Exploration is expanded with the next tier of the Dawntrail Relic Weapon grind. Players will travel via the nearly complete Moongate Hub to a brand new planet: Star of Glass – Phaenna, offering new rewards and Cosmic Tool tiers.
The next step for Phantom Weapons within Occult Crescent is coming, though specific details remain scarce for this patch.
A new Deep Dungeon, Pilgrim’s Traverse, makes its debut. With scenery reminiscent of Shadowbringers (Il Mheg), it’s described as having a unique ‘sliding’ traversal rather than traditional “deep” levels and includes an outdoor area. Access requires completing Endwalker, reaching floor 50 of Palace of the Dead, and being level 91 or higher. Players can speak with an NPC in Il Mheg to start. A harder version of the level 99 boss will be available post-completion for level 100 parties.
Note: While a new Ultimate raid is confirmed for a future Dawntrail patch, no new Ultimate will be added in Patch 7.3.
Highly Anticipated System Updates
Some of the most exciting reveals often come from quality-of-life system updates, and Patch 7.3 delivers on some long-requested features.
Chat Bubbles are Here! (Finally!): After years of player requests, chat bubbles are actively being developed for Patch 7.3. They will be off by default but can be optionally enabled. Text will still appear in the chat log, and customization options for color, line count, and enabling/disabling based on chat mode are planned, with further enhancements based on player feedback.
Headgear & Hair Fixes: Patch 7.3 brings expanded support for Hrothgar and Viera characters to wear more headgear. While skepticism is understandable given past limitations, the developers plan ongoing support in future updates. Players will also have the option to hide Viera ears on certain headgear (framed as “folding” them). Additionally, character bangs will now display correctly with hooded headgear, preventing the “bald hood” look.
Looking Ahead: The previously teased Raid-Planning Feature (Whiteboard) is confirmed but slated for Patch 7.4 or later, likely coinciding with future Savage Raids or Ultimates. Housing enthusiasts received a brief tease regarding potential future updates like increased indoor decoration slots and the possibility of scaling interior house sizes (e.g., a small plot with a large interior), with more details promised for a future Live Letter.
The stream concluded with various announcements regarding merchandise and upcoming events like the FF14 Summer Festival of Light in Japan and Anime Expo. Notably absent was any update on wider regional releases for FF14 mobile.
With “The Promise of Tomorrow” set for early August, Eorzea has plenty to look forward to, from significant quality-of-life improvements based on direct feedback to exciting new adventures and long-awaited system features. Stay tuned for Live Letter 88 for even more detailed information closer to the patch release.
