The dev team is such a tease, no? All kidding aside, this is an actual official event, and you can read all the details about it below.

UPDATE #6 – 5/19/12 – 12:49 AM PST
All of the English forum questions have been answered, and most of the panels for all of the artwork have been revealed. As far as the other language forums go, all but Question 9 in the French language forums have been answered.

Some time yesterday, Community Rep Bayohne issued an apology due to outcry over the fact that all of the concept art pieces weren’t brand new. He stated that there was a “mixup”, and that it was not their intention to mislead anyone. It was also revealed that when all pieces of artwork are revealed across all regions, that they would include an “extra surprise” for everyone.

UPDATE #5 – 5/18/12 – 4:32 AM PST
We’re running into the last stretch here. 6 questions answered in total on the NA side and panels have been revealed for NA, German, and Japanese concept arts. This should be the last day and the last round of questions, so we expect to see the full images by the end of the day.

UPDATE #4 – 5/17/12 – 6:53 PM PST
5th question answered in the NA forums, while the other forums each have 6 questions uncovered. NA concept art has now been updated again, revealing another panel. Others had been claiming before that it looked like a sahagin but it doesn’t look very much like one now.

UPDATE #3 – 5/17/12 – 11:43 AM PST
The Japanese, French, and German concept art pictures have been updated and more questions have been answered for each version of the event There’s been a bit of a fuss on the official forums, however, as many players have complained that the Japanese concept art shown is actually old concept art included in the Collector’s Edition of the game. Not long after that, the announcement on the front page of the Lodestone about the event was quietly changed so that instead of describing it as “all-new concept art”, the event was instead promised to reward “intriguing concept art”. As of now there hasn’t been any comment about the issue from the community reps.

UPDATE #2 – 5/16/12 – 3:00 PM PST – All three questions for May 16 have been answered for the NA side, and one more panel has been revealed for a total of 3.

UPDATE #1 – 5/16/12 – 11:35 AM PST – They’ve updated the concept art picture on the NA side by revealing at least 2 panels. They’ve also revealing more panels for the French and German versions as well. See above to view the updated concept art.

Event Details

Event Schedule
Wednesday, May 16, 2012, to Monday, May 21, 2012, at 3:00 (PDT) / 10:00 (GMT).

How to Participate
The quiz will be held here on the forums. All you need to do is post the answer to the question in the corresponding thread.

Rules

• The concept art will be hidden behind nine panels.
• Three (3) quiz questions will be released per day.
• A panel will be removed from the concept art for each question answered correctly.
• When all of the questions have been answered, special wallpapers bearing the concept art will become available for download as a reward.
• There is no limit to how many times you are allowed to post answers.
• Posts cannot be edited.

List of Questions
Thread name / Question release date

• Hidden Artifacts: Question 1 / May 16th
• Hidden Artifacts: Question 2 / May 16th
• Hidden Artifacts: Question 3 / May 16th
• Hidden Artifacts: Question 4 / May 17th
• Hidden Artifacts: Question 5 / May 17th
• Hidden Artifacts: Question 6 / May 17th
• Hidden Artifacts: Question 7 / May 18th
• Hidden Artifacts: Question 8 / May 18th
• Hidden Artifacts: Question 9 / May 18th

It’s not just the NA forums that are getting in on this event. There are separate events for each of the Japanese, German, and French language forums, and each forum will get their own piece revealed concept art at the end of the event.

• 

• Japanese Forum Concept Art

  Hidden Artifacts
  ～新生コンセプトアートクイズ～

• 

• French Forum Concept Art

  Questions pour un Eorzéen

• 

• German Forum Concept Art

  Verborgene ARTefakte

We’ll keep this post updated as more questions are answered and each piece of concept art has more panels revealed.

The FFXIV Dev Team is currently hiring English Localization Team Members for the development of Final Fantasy XIV. More or less a dream job for most players, localization involves the translation of the game content into other languages. With the release of the beta version of FFXIV 2.0 right around the corner, it makes sense that the Dev Team is ramping up their pace in order to get the game’s relaunch out on time. Additional localization team members could be a part of this push.

So for those of you whose only wish was the chance to rub elbows with the saviors of FFXIV, here’s your chance. Of course, the job doesn’t come without requirements:

The important thing to take away from this job posting is that you need a fairly high level of Japanese language skill by NA player standards and you have to be able to pick up and move to Japan in order to be considered for the position. That probably knocks out about 95% of you NA players alone. To those of you who actually qualify, here’s the original job posting on the Square Enix website. Don’t expect to be able to read it if you don’t know how to read Japanese. Why bother posting it in English if you’re looking for a Japanese translator anyway?

If you’re applying for the position, good luck and god speed. The future of our game is in your hands. Well, not really, but do a good job anyway.

* Updated on 05/11/2012 at 0:00 a.m. PST / 7:00 GMT

Event

• [dev1403] Hamlet defense battles have been added to the following locations.

  View the details.

  Hamlet	Location
  Aleport	Western La Noscea (12,23)
  The Golden Bazaar	Eastern Thanalan (38,19)

  

  The NPCs below serve as militia quartermasters and captains for the above hamlets.

  Hamlet	Militia Quartermaster	Militia Captain
  Aleport	B’davzzi	Rhotblaet
  The Golden Bazaar	P’lhabgo	Carmine

• [dev1404] The following requirement has been added for party members entering the Howling Eye:
  

  Accepted the quest “In for Garuda Awakening” and defeated Garuda.
  * This revision allows players who have defeated Garuda to participate in the Howling Eye even if they have not completed the abovementioned quest.

• [dev1405] Alchemists can now accept the sidequest “Waking the Spirit.”

• [dev1406] Parties with one or more members synthesizing, gathering, mounted, seated, or in active mode can no longer commence content such as instanced raids, primal battles, and hamlet defense.

Item

• [dev1407] Several new items have been added.View the details.

  * The soiled promissory note item will be used in a quest scheduled for release in 1.22b or later.

• [dev1408] New synthesis recipes have been added.
  • The following alchemy recipes have been added:
    

    Item	Material	Crystal
    Maddening Dagger	Brass Dagger Maddening Potion Clove Oil	Water Shard x4 Lightning Shard x3

  • New high-difficulty recipes have been added.
    View the details.
• [dev1409] Additions have been made to the list of items available in exchange for company seals.
  

  Name	Category	Description
  On the Properties of Beastmen	Key Item	A text distributed by the Grand Companies of Eorzea explaining the various physical and physiological properties of the realm’s beastmen.

• [dev1410] Vendor NPCs have been added.
  

  Hamlet	NPC	Location
  Aleport	Uchtred	Western La Noscea (12,23)
  The Golden Bazaar	Seserikku	Eastern Thanalan (38,19)

• [dev1421] The following hamlet defense items have been renamed to alleviate confusion:
  

  Before	After
  Indigo Herring	Young Indigo Herring
  Kidney Ore	Light Kidney Ore
  Spruce Branch	Supple Spruce Branch

System

• [dev1411] The new method for indicating which gear types can be enhanced by certain materia, introduced in patch 1.22, is now supported by the item search feature.

  * Updated on 05/11/2012 at 0:00 a.m. PST / 7:00 GMT

  The icons for each type of gear are as follows:

  Head	Body	Hands	Waist	Legs	Feet

  Gladiator’s Arm	Pugilist’s Arm	Marauder’s Arm	Archer’s Arm	Lancer’s Arm	Shield

  Conjurer’s Arm	Two–Handed Conjurer’s Arm	Thaumaturge’s Arm	Two–Handed Thaumaturge’s Arm

  Carpenter’s Primary Tool	Blacksmith’s Primary Tool	Armorer’s Primary Tool	Goldsmith’s Primary Tool	Leatherworker’s Primary Tool	Weaver’s Primary Tool
  Carpenter’s Secondary Tool	Blacksmith’s Secondary Tool	Armorer’s Secondary Tool	Goldsmith’s Secondary Tool	Leatherworker’s Secondary Tool	Weaver’s Secondary Tool

  Alchemist’s Primary Tool	Culinarian’s Primary Tool
  Alchemist’s Secondary Tool	Culinarian’s Secondary Tool

  Miner’s Primary Tool	Botanist’s Primary Tool	Fisher’s Primary Tool
  Miner’s Secondary Tool	Botanist’s Secondary Tool	Fisher’s Secondary Tool

• [dev1412] Actions set in the action bar layout interface will now appear underscored in the following manner:
  

  Current class/job: orange underscore
  Additional actions: blue underscore

• [dev1413] The following configuration options have been added:
  • Display Names
    • Display/hide settings for each category.
      • NPCs
        HP Bar
    • Macros
      • “Cut” button
        Cut information in the selected macro.
      • “Clear” button
        Delete information in the selected macro.

• [dev1414] The sort button has been added to the expeditionary mission and hamlet provisioning interfaces.

• [dev1415] The query prompt that appears when attempting to leave an airship landing has been revised.

• [dev1416] Hamlet vendor NPCs are now marked as shops on the map.

• [dev1417] Battle music has been changed for the following areas:

  Mistbeard Cove / Cassiopeia Hollow / The Mun-Tuy Cellars / The Tam-Tara Deepcroft / Nanawa Mines / Copperbell Mines

• [dev1418] The activation and cancellation sound effects for the following actions have been changed:
  

  Swiftsong / Minuet of Rigor / Ballad of Magi / Paeon of War

• [dev1419] Players who qualify for the Legacy Campaign will now see the Legacy logo at the upper left corner of the character selection screen.View the details of the Legacy Campaign.
  
• [dev1420] Players can now specify the destination directory for screenshots in FINAL FANTASY XIV Config » General Settings » Graphics.
  

Fixed Bugs

• The following bugs have been fixed:
  • An issue with the Howling Eye (Hard) wherein Garuda did not perform her Aerial Blast attack even when her HP had fallen to a certain level.
  • An issue wherein certain graphics were incorrect for the quest “In for Garuda Awakening (Gridania).”
  • An issue with hamlet defense wherein players were not being recognized as top-twenty provisioners.
  • An issue wherein certain hamlet defense messages were incorrect.
  • An issue with hamlet defense wherein examining a pot of humours with no inventory space led to a reduction in points.
  • An issue with hamlet defense evaluation wherein the condition “All Three Disciples of the Land Present” was not recognized unless all participants were Disciples of the Land.
    * Only one of each of the three classes need be present for the condition to be fulfilled.
  • An issue wherein the dialog for certain hamlet defense NPCs was incorrect.
  • An issue with hamlet defense wherein the background graphic for certain notification interfaces was not displaying as intended.
  • An issue wherein players need only wait five minutes to reattempt hamlet defense after abandoning their duty.
    * The correct waiting time is 15 minutes.
  • An issue with hamlet defense wherein the sleep ability employed by Disciples of the Land was affecting the beastman leader.
  • An issue with hamlet defense battles wherein Disciples of the Hand/Land would involuntarily switch to active mode when they use Stone Throw against an enemy.
  • An issue with hamlet defense battles wherein Disciple of the Hand/Land abilities that lift enmity did not take effect until the enemy NPC Sazel Ciloc the Divine appeared.
  • An issue wherein monsters in certain areas did not behave as intended.
  • An issue wherein targeted characters would appear highlighted even when the Target Highlight option is toggled off.
  • An issue wherein the display names of certain NPCs would be shown even though display is toggled off in the configuration menu.
  • An issue wherein the HP bar was not appearing on the display names of certain characters such as caravan security chocobos.
  • An issue wherein the confirmation box would not appear when attempting to convert an untradable item into materia.
  • An issue wherein pop-up help was not showing for the materia melding icon in the micro menu.
  • An issue wherein the rested status icon was accompanied by a countdown timer.
  • An issue wherein materia melding requests could not be made within an inn room.
  • An issue wherein an item would appear to still be in the armoire even though it had already been retrieved.
  • An issue wherein materia melding requests could not be made while mounted.
  • An issue with the input prompt for the Double Down command wherein waiting too long caused the Finish command to be carried out regardless of what option is chosen.
  • An issue wherein players did not receive an error message when attempting to dispatch a retainer to an area that has already reached capacity.
  • An issue wherein certain text commands did not function as intended.
  • An issue wherein examining certain aetherial gates caused the client to crash.
  • An issue wherein logging out via the inn bed while switched to first-person camera resulted in graphics showing incorrectly upon logging back in.
  • An issue wherein there were no sound effects for doors and lifts in Ul’dah.
  • An issue wherein there were no sound effects for campfires in the East Shroud.
  • An issue wherein incorrect items were being sold by the Ul’dah NPC W’nhalki.

Known Issues

• An issue with the Target Highlight configuration option wherein highlight brightness is incorrect.
• An issue wherein the recast timer may not function correctly when an action is performed.

* The HQ names of certain items synthesized via these recipes may differ from those of their NQ counterparts.

• Carpenter

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Sarnga	Flawless Sarnga Limb Darksteel Nugget Spruce Lumber Spruce Lumber Spruce Lumber	Wind Cluster x1 Ice Cluster x1
  Sarnga Limb HQ: Flawless Sarnga Limb	Treated Spruce Lumber Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget	Wind Crystal x6 Ice Crystal x6
  Treated Spruce Lumber	Spruce Lumber Spruce Lumber Hardened Sap	Wind Crystal x3 Ice Crystal x3
  Spruce Lumber	Sarnga Limb	Wind Shard x6 Ice Shard x6

• Goldsmith

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Radiant Astral Eye	Astral Eye Astral Eye Aqueous Whetstone	Wind Crystal x3 Fire Crystal x3
  Astrolabe Clinometer HQ: Flawless Astrolabe Clinometer	Radiant Astral Eye Rose Gold Nugget Rose Gold Nugget	Wind Crystal x6 Fire Crystal x6
  Astral Eye	Astrolabe Clinometer	Wind Shard x6 Fire Shard x6

• Leatherworker

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Gryphonskin Jerkin	Flawless Gryphonskin Shoulder Guards Coeurl Fur Raptor Sinew Undyed Felt Rose Gold Nugget	Wind Cluster x1 Earth Cluster x1
  Gryphonskin Jerkin (White)	Gryphonskin Jerkin All-purpose White Dye
  Gryphonskin Jerkin (Black)	Gryphonskin Jerkin All-purpose Black Dye
  Gryphonskin Jerkin (Red)	Gryphonskin Jerkin All-purpose Red Dye
  Gryphonskin Jerkin (Yellow)	Gryphonskin Jerkin All-purpose Yellow Dye
  Gryphonskin Trousers	Flawless Gryphonskin Shin Guards Coeurl Fur Raptor Sinew Undyed Felt	Wind Cluster x1 Earth Cluster x1
  Gryphonskin Trousers (White)	Gryphonskin Trousers All-purpose White Dye
  Gryphonskin Trousers (Black)	Gryphonskin Trousers All-purpose Black Dye
  Gryphonskin Trousers (Red)	Gryphonskin Trousers All-purpose Red Dye
  Gryphonskin Trousers (Yellow)	Gryphonskin Trousers All-purpose Yellow Dye
  Gryphonskin Gloves	Flawless Gryphonskin Elbow Pads Coeurl Fur Raptor Sinew Rose Gold Nugget	Wind Cluster x1 Earth Cluster x1
  Gryphonskin Gloves (White)	Gryphonskin Gloves All-purpose White Dye
  Gryphonskin Gloves (Black)	Gryphonskin Gloves All-purpose Black Dye
  Gryphonskin Gloves (Red)	Gryphonskin Gloves All-purpose Red Dye
  Gryphonskin Gloves (Yellow)	Gryphonskin Gloves All-purpose Yellow Dye
  Gryphonskin Thighboots	Flawless Gryphonskin Knee Pads Coeurl Fur Raptor Sinew Rose Gold Nugget Coeurl Fur	Wind Cluster x1 Earth Cluster x1
  Gryphonskin Thighboots (White)	Gryphonskin Thighboots All-purpose White Dye
  Gryphonskin Thighboots (Black)	Gryphonskin Thighboots All-purpose Black Dye
  Gryphonskin Thighboots (Red)	Gryphonskin Thighboots All-purpose Red Dye
  Gryphonskin Thighboots (Yellow)	Gryphonskin Thighboots All-purpose Yellow Dye
  Hard Hippogryph Leather	Hippogryph Leather Hippogryph Leather Animal Fat	Wind Crystal x3 Earth Crystal x3
  Coeurl Fur	Coeurl Skin Alumen	Wind Crystal x1 Earth Crystal x1
  Gryphonskin Shoulder Guards HQ: Flawless Gryphonskin Shoulder Guards	Hard Hippogryph Leather Hippogryph Leather Raptor Sinew	Wind Crystal x6 Earth Crystal x6
  Gryphonskin Shin Guards HQ: Flawless Gryphonskin Shin Guards	Hard Hippogryph Leather Hippogryph Leather Raptor Sinew	Wind Crystal x6 Earth Crystal x6
  Gryphonskin Elbow Pads HQ: Flawless Gryphonskin Elbow Pads	Hard Hippogryph Leather Hippogryph Leather Raptor Sinew	Wind Crystal x6 Earth Crystal x6
  Gryphonskin Knee Pads HQ: Flawless Gryphonskin Knee Pads	Hard Hippogryph Leather Hippogryph Leather Raptor Sinew	Wind Crystal x6 Earth Crystal x6
  Hippogryph Leather	Gryphonskin Shoulder Guards	Wind Shard x6 Earth Shard x6
  Hippogryph Leather	Gryphonskin Shin Guards	Wind Shard x6 Earth Shard x6
  Hippogryph Leather	Gryphonskin Elbow Pads	Wind Shard x6 Earth Shard x6
  Hippogryph Leather	Gryphonskin Knee Pads	Wind Shard x6 Earth Shard x6

• Weaver

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Vanya Hat	Flawless Vanya Silk Hat Lining Twinthread Rose Gold Nugget	Wind Cluster x1 Lightning Cluster x1
  Vanya Hat (Yellow)	Vanya Hat All-purpose Yellow Dye
  Vanya Hat (Black)	Vanya Hat All-purpose Black Dye
  Vanya Hat (Purple)	Vanya Hat All-purpose Purple Dye
  Vanya Hat (Red)	Vanya Hat All-purpose Red Dye
  Vanya Robe	Flawless Vanya Silk Robe Lining Twinthread Twinthread Rose Gold Nugget Silver Ingot	Wind Cluster x1 Lightning Cluster x1
  Vanya Robe (Yellow)	Vanya Robe All-purpose Yellow Dye
  Vanya Robe (Black)	Vanya Robe All-purpose Black Dye
  Vanya Robe (Purple)	Vanya Robe All-purpose Purple Dye
  Vanya Robe (Red)	Vanya Robe All-purpose Red Dye
  Vanya Gloves	Flawless Vanya Silk Glove Lining Twinthread Rose Gold Nugget Silver Ingot	Wind Cluster x1 Lightning Cluster x1
  Vanya Gloves (Yellow)	Vanya Gloves All-purpose Yellow Dye
  Vanya Gloves (Black)	Vanya Gloves All-purpose Black Dye
  Vanya Gloves (Purple)	Vanya Gloves All-purpose Purple Dye
  Vanya Gloves (Red)	Vanya Gloves All-purpose Red Dye
  Vanya Crakows	Flawless Vanya Silk Crakow Lining Twinthread Rose Gold Nugget Rubber	Wind Cluster x1 Lightning Cluster x1
  Vanya Crakows (Yellow)	Vanya Crakows All-purpose Yellow Dye
  Vanya Crakows (Black)	Vanya Crakows All-purpose Black Dye
  Vanya Crakows (Purple)	Vanya Crakows All-purpose Purple Dye
  Vanya Crakows (Red)	Vanya Crakows All-purpose Red Dye
  Vanya Silk	Twinthread Twinthread Potash	Wind Crystal x3 Lightning Crystal x3
  Twinthread	Crawler Cocoon Crawler Cocoon Effervescent Water	Wind Crystal x1 Lightning Crystal x1
  Vanya Silk Hat Lining HQ: Flawless Vanya Silk Hat Lining	Vanya Silk Twinthread Twinthread	Wind Crystal x6 Lightning Crystal x6
  Vanya Silk Robe Lining HQ: Flawless Vanya Silk Robe Lining	Vanya Silk Twinthread Twinthread	Wind Crystal x6 Lightning Crystal x6
  Vanya Silk Glove Lining HQ: Flawless Vanya Silk Glove Lining	Vanya Silk Twinthread Twinthread	Wind Crystal x6 Lightning Crystal x6
  Vanya Silk Crakow Lining HQ: Flawless Vanya Silk Crakow Lining	Vanya Silk Twinthread Twinthread	Wind Crystal x6 Lightning Crystal x6
  Twinthread	Vanya Silk Hat Lining	Wind Shard x6 Lightning Shard x6
  Twinthread	Vanya Silk Robe Lining	Wind Shard x6 Lightning Shard x6
  Twinthread	Vanya Silk Glove Lining	Wind Shard x6 Lightning Shard x6
  Twinthread	Vanya Silk Crakow Lining	Wind Shard x6 Lightning Shard x6

• Alchemist

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Alkalurops	Flawless Suspended Trillium Flower Darksteel Nugget Spruce Lumber Spruce Lumber	Water Cluster x1 Lightning Cluster x1
  Growth Formula Delta Concentrate	Growth Formula Delta Growth Formula Delta Lime Sulfur	Water Crystal x3 Lightning Crystal x3
  Growth Formula Delta	Trillium Bulb Quicksilver Rock Salt	Water Crystal x1 Lightning Crystal x1
  Suspended Trillium Flower HQ: Flawless Suspended Trillium Flower	Growth Formula Delta Concentrate Trillium Growth Formula Delta	Water Crystal x6 Lightning Crystal x6
  Growth Formula Delta	Suspended Trillium Flower	Water Shard x6 Lightning Shard x6

Calaera is hosting today and as a special surprise Rubicon has returned! He was lured in by the Welcome Back campaign and after doing an episode with us, he’s probably regretting it.

THE BIG STORY

Patch 1.22a went live last week, adding some additional content, bug fixes, new items, and new recipes. We go over the important bits.

OTHER NEWS

To Our Players Returning Through The Welcome Back Campaign
For people taking advantage of the Welcome Back Campaign, SE has put together a mini-guide with information about the changes to the game up to this point. It covers configuration menu changes and some “must-have” settings for mouse and keyboard users. There is also a list of links for all of the patch notes since Patch 1.19 so players can check out all the latest changes to the game.

The English Localization Team Wants YOU!
SE is looking to hire individuals for the EN Localization Team. But if you had thoughts about hanging out in your bedroom in your jammies at the computer, socializing with the likes of Bayohne and Rukkiri on a level that no one else has ever seen or even heard of before, then you might want to think again. The job does come with a few requirements.

THE RUMOR MILL

On The Properties Of Beastmen
There’s a rumor going around that a new Grand Company-purchased key item, “On the Properties of Beastmen”, has something to do with the upcoming AF weapons. But is this good news or bad news?

DEV TRACKING

• Notification of Party Invitation
• A few answers on Hamlet Defense Battles
• Suspension of character creation: how long?
• Retainer Linkpearl Notifications
• SE: Please tone it down a hair

We have forums now! So if you’d like to sign up and check them out, you’re more than welcome to do so. At the moment, we’re still trying to set things up and make everything pretty, so there’s not a link on the front page, yet. But we plan to have things looking nice by May. We also have a Google+ page. Be sure to go there and add us to your circles! As always, if you want to contact us, you can email us at podcast@zantetsuken.net.

Orophen is hosting today and we have a special guest! Fusionx from Aetheryte Radio is here and he means business. Well, not really. There weren’t any briefcases or quarterly reports or anything. There was no news, either, this week, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have plenty to talk about.

PATCH 1.22 – OUR IMPRESSIONS

So we’ve all had a chance to experience a bit of Patch 1.22 right? Last week we promised to go more in depth about what we think about the patch and that’s just what we did this episode. We’ll be talking about our impressions of the newest patch and what we think of the direction of the game thus far.

RANDOM ROUNDTABLE

Roundtable this week is about elemental spell reform. And don’t get it wrong, this doesn’t have anything to do with what the developers are planning to do next. This is strictly player mandated. But the question is: Did BLM/THM get the shaft when it came to elemental spells? Is the elemental system screwed up to high heaven now? You’ll find out our take on this.

DEV TRACKING

• Make night time scary
• Fix Garuda!
• Sanctions disappearing upon death
• Happy Birthday Yoshida!

AETHERYTE CAMP: Your Thoughts on 1.22!

We didn’t get very many responses for Aetheryte Camp this week, but that doesn’t mean that you missed your chance. We still want to know what you guys think about Patch 1.22. So let us know about it! We’ll read your responses on the show!

We have forums now! So if you’d like to sign up and check them out, you’re more than welcome to do so. At the moment, we’re still trying to set things up and make everything pretty, so there’s not a link on the front page, yet. But we plan to have things looking nice by May. We also have a Google+ page. Be sure to go there and add us to your circles! As always, if you want to contact us, you can email us at podcast@zantetsuken.net.

Been awhile since I’ve done one of these, eh? Welp, that’s cause I’m procrastinating on Chem homework, but don’t tell my homework on that! Shh! Instead I’d like for you to tell me what you think about the latest patch. You can talk about Hamlet Defense, Garuda, or even the little things like your dreams or nightmares from the inn! Say as much or as little as you want! This is your chance of being heard on the podcast! I’ll be telling you my thoughts on the patch during the next podcast, so look forward to that episode!

Also, if you are interested in being a guest on the show, consider meandering to the forum and check this thread out. Or you can answer it for fun. I would like to know if anyone would let me be a monster so I can totally nom on Yelta’s head, gnaw on Orophen’s and Frei’s, and maybe eat your face while I’m at it. Raaaaaawr!

Frei is hosting today, but the big news is that Patch 1.22 is here! Expect us to go into more detail about our impressions of the patch next week, after we’ve had a chance to experience the patch first hand.

NEWS:

Late Wednesday night, Patch 1.22 dropped with a lot of new changes and additions, including the new Hamlet defense and the Garuda Primal Battle. Then, the results are in! We let you know about the culprits behind Garuda’s defeat, and who the winners are in the Predict the Fall of Garuda contest. Yoshida gives us some info on future job adjustments. And finally we discuss a recent problem dealing with the patch as players are suddenly finding items missing from their inventories.

DEV TRACKING:

• New Hat? New Hat!
• Music Preview for 1.22
• LFG gripe
• Empty maps in 2.0(and new maps in general)
• Maps redesing (redesign) for 2.0… cities too?!
• Chocobo Sculpture
• Where (did) will you log out?

We have forums now! So if you’d like to sign up and check them out, you’re more than welcome to do so. At the moment, we’re still trying to set things up and make everything pretty, so there’s not a link on the front page, yet. But we plan to have things looking nice by May. We also have a Google+ page. Be sure to go there and add us to your circles! As always, if you want to contact us, you can email us at podcast@zantetsuken.net.

It’s a confirmed kill! Garuda has officially been toppled from atop her roost in the Howling Eye, her wings clipped and her plumage plucked! The time of death has been released, and we are happy to announce the winners of the Predict the Fall of Garuda contest!

Results

Garuda, primal of wind and fury of the storm, was bested in battle 7 hours 59 minutes and 44 seconds after her descent to Eorzea by the cunning and valiant adventurers of Durandal!

And so the correct answer to the Predict the Fall of Garuda contest is 7 hours and 59 minutes! Due to the three-hour emergency maintenance that occurred, we are also recognizing 10 hours and 59 minutes as a perfect prediction.

Winners

★Perfect prediction winners:

Cannelle	7:59
Tarupu	10:59
Bigbosshenry	10:59
Leetoo	10:59
Sengoku	10:59

Prizes:
Choice of any Garuda weapon, a scarf of wondrous wit, and five vortex headdresses.

★Near-perfect prediction winners:

Festia	7:58
Destain	7:58
Listiar	8:00
Jinko	8:00
Rupno	8:00
Luneane	8:00
Luuuuuuuuuu	8:00
Burusuco	8:00
Shuten	8:00
LaharaZoni	8:00
Poteito	8:00
nimnim	8:00
SakimeCat	8:00
Nintendo_Wii	8:00
Marcellus_Cassius	7:57
Benoist	7:57
Leepk	7:57
bobbygunz	8:01
magenta_taco	8:01
Tenji	8:01

* When the same time was predicted by more than one player, precedence was given to the player who posted first.

Prizes:
A scarf of wondrous wit and five vortex headdresses.

To all contest winners:
Prizes will be delivered directly by Game Masters (GM), so please make a GM call after Apr. 28, 2012 6:00 pm PDT / Apr. 29, 2012 1:00 GMT. When placing your GM call, please enter “Predict the Fall of Garuda Winner Prize” as the subject. Please be aware that GMs may require some time to respond.

We would like to offer hearty congratulations to the intrepid adventurers of Durandal who defeated Garuda, as well as to all contest winners! Also, a big “thank you” to all of the players who took part!

Very special congratulations go out to Verily Vale, Carraway Author, Sirius Taco, Twentytwo Obv, Adiyah Tulika, Tyrith Peng, Twenty Two and Devils Advocate from the ever loyal and always intrepid North American fan site Order of the Blue Garter on the world-first hard-mode Garuda kill!

Patch 1.22 is here and as we’re marching ever closer to the release of version 2.0, the dev team is still hard at work producing new content for the current game and making adjustments to make life just that much more easier for adventurers in Eorzea. This patch brings the long awaited Garuda Primal Battle, as well the first battlefield related to the much anticipated Hamlet Defense battles, Hyrstmill.

Hamlet Defense already seems like a rather involved undertaking, having a role for virtually every class in the game, including DoL and DoH classes.

In addition to that, there are adjustments to crafting and loads of new items added to the game. Check out the menu below to go to a particular section of the patch notes and view the particulars.

* The following adjustments, scheduled for patch 1.22, are in development and subject to change.

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

• [dev1001][dev1002] New sidequests have been added.
  

  Quest Name	Quest NPC	NPC Location
  Taming the Tempest	Louisoix	Gridania (6,2)

• [dev1003] New Grand Company Quests have been added.
  

  Quest Name	Quest NPC	NPC Location
  Deus ex Machina	First Storm Lieutenant Guincum	Limsa Lominsa, Maelstrom Command (1,1)
  Shadow of the Raven	First Serpent Lieutenant Fulke	Gridania, Adders’ Nest (1,1)
  Careless Whispers	First Flame Lieutenant Aubrey	Ul’dah, Hall of Flames (1,1)
  In for Garuda Wakening (Limsa Lomina)	Louisoix	Gridania (6,2)
  In for Garuda Wakening (Gridania)	Louisoix	Gridania (6,2)
  In for Garuda Wakening (Ul’dah)	Louisoix	Gridania (6,2)
  It’s a Piece of Cake to Bake a Poison Cake	R’sushmo	Limsa Lominsa, Upper Decks (7,3)
  Woes of the Botanist	Enie	Gridania (4,3)
  A Weaver and a Mummer	Cahernaut	Ul’dah, Merchant Strip (7,6)

• [dev1361] The following three Grand Company ranks have been made available. Rising in rank increases the number of company seals you can hold.
  

  Commission	Maelstrom		Order of the Twin Adder		Immortal Flames		Maximum Company Seals
  	Rank	Insignia	Rank	Insignia	Rank	Insignia
  Petty Officer	Storm Sergeant Second Class		Serpent Sergeant Second Class		Flame Sergeant Second Class		35,000
  	Storm Sergeant First Class		Serpent Sergeant First Class		Flame Sergeant First Class		40,000
  	Chief Storm Sergean		Chief Serpent Sergeant		Chief Flame Sergeant		45,000

• [dev1362] Party size restrictions for the following raids have been changed.
  

  	Before		After
  Aurum Vale	8 members	→	4–8 members
  Cutter’s Cry	8 members	→	4–8 members

  * The difficulty of these raids has not been adjusted and remains at the original level designed for a full party of 8 members.

• [dev1363] New battles against the primal Garuda entitled “The Howling Eye” and “The Howling Eye (Hard)” have been added.
  These battles can be engaged in by undertaking newly released quests. Combat takes place within an instanced area, and defeating Garuda yields rewards for party members.
  

  	The Howling Eye	The Howling Eye (Hard)
  Class & Level Requirements	Disciples of War or Magic level 40 and above	Disciples of War or Magic level 45 and above
  Party Size Requirements	4–8 members	8 members
  Party Member Requirements	All party members must be Disciples of War or Magic level 40 or above and fulfill one of the following: ・Accepted the “In for Garuda Wakening” quest and advanced to the same point ・Completed the “In for Garuda Wakening” quest	All party members must be Disciples of War or Magic level 45 or above
  Time Limit	30 minutes	30 minutes
  Cooldown Before Reentry (following a victory)	15 minutes	15 minutes
  Cooldown Before Reentry (following a defeat)	5 minutes	5 minutes
  Quest Names	In for Garuda Wakening (Limsa Lominsa) In for Garuda Wakening (Gridania) In for Garuda Wakening (Ul’dah)	Taming the Tempest
  Quest Requirements	Completed either “Deus ex Machina,” “Shadow of the Raven,” or “Careless Whispers”	Completed “In for Garuda Wakening”

  * “Taming the Tempest” is a repeatable quest.
  *Players who exit the Howling Eye after a victory without claiming their rewards may enter again without restarting the quest.

  ≪Claiming Treasure Chest Rewards>≫
  Players who clear The Howling Eye (Hard) while in possession of the vortex fletchingsitem will be eligible to claim rewards from the treasure chest that appears.

  Party members other than those starting The Howling Eye (Hard) can participate in the battle without having vortex fletchings, but will be unable to claim rewards from the treasure chest that appears following victory.

  Rewards for completing The Howling Eye (Hard) include an item called a vortex headdress. Vortex headdresses can be collected and exchanged for the new Garuda weapons.

  Vortex headdresses are not automatically placed in player inventories, but rather will first appear in the loot list of the player receiving it. Though the items are untradeable, because they first appear in the loot list, players who have no need of them can opt to pass them on to other players.

  * Vortex headdresses will not appear as rewards for players who are not in possession of vortex fletchings.

  After collecting the required number of vortex headdresses, they can be exchanged by Rowena in the Merchant Strip of Ul’dah (5,4) for the Garuda weapon of your choice.

• [dev1216] New hamlet defense battles have been added.
  Hamlet defense battles bring numerous players together to combat threats posed by the beast tribes to the safety of the realm. There are two phases to this new content: a 50-hour non-combat phase where Disciples of the Hand and Land can enhance hamlet readiness for battle, and a 25-hour combat phase where Disciples of War and Magic can join the local militia and fight beastmen directly, while Disciples of the Hand and Land can aid in the effort in other ways.
  

  ≪Preparing for Battle≫
  During the non-combat phase of hamlet defense, players will be asked to contribute to the hamlet’s stockpiles by crafting and delivering several different items. Hamlets begin the phase with a “supply rating” of zero. Each donation to the hamlet militia is converted into points, which are added to the hamlet’s cumulative total. When this total reaches a certain amount, the hamlet’s supply rating will increase. This rating not only determines the strength of the beastmen forces, but also the type of rewards offered during the combat phase. Currently, level 2 is the highest achievable rating.

  • Individual Contributions
    Players of all four disciplines can contribute to a hamlet militia’s supply caches, with rewards given based on the type of contribution.
    • Disciples of War and Magic
      Completing level 45 caravan escort duty will benefit the corresponding hamlet’s supply rating.
    • Disciples of the Land and Hand
      Delivering items requested by the hamlet militia quartermaster, or any materia-enhanced weapon or piece of gear, will not only contribute to the hamlet’s supply rating, but will also earn you an anima boost based on the type of item donated.
      • Disciples of the Land
        

        Item	Class	Location
        Kidney Ore	Miner	Nanawa Mines
        Spruce Branch	Botanist	East Shroud
        Young Indigo Herring	Fisher	Western La Noscea

      • Disciples of the Hand
        

        Militia Bow / Militia Sword / Militia Helm / Militia Gorget / Militia Longboots / Militia Leggings / Militia Poultice / Militia Rations

        View the details.

      • Delivering Items
        Items are to be delivered directly to the militia quartermaster.

        Hamlet	Name	Location
        Hyrstmill	Dhebi Polaali	North Shroud (25,13)

        

  ≪Defending the Hamlet≫
  After the non-combat phase ends and the hamlet’s supply rating is set, the beast tribes will begin their march. For the next 25 hours, players of all jobs and classes will have multiple opportunities to join the local militia in fending off the invading forces.

  All battles are fought within instanced areas. A battle is won by either defeating the beast tribe leader, or protecting the hamlet’s four supply caches for the duration of the raid.

  *Currently, hamlet defense is only available in Hyrstmill. Similar content for two additional hamlets is set for release with patch 1.22a.

  

  Players can join the local militia by speaking with the following militia captains:

  Hamlet	Name	Location
  Hyrstmill	Rontremont	North Shroud (25,13)

  
  • Conditions
    

    Registration Period	25 Hours (every 50 hours)
    Level Restrictions	All Jobs/Classes Lv. 45–50
    Required Party Size	Full (8 members)
    Wait Between Battles	15 Minutes After Victory / 5 Minutes After Defeat

  • Battle Details
    Tasks are assigned to players based on their discipline.
    • Land: Enfeebling enemy forces via item delivery
    • Hand: Enhancing allied forces via item synthesis
    • War & Magic: Engaging the enemy in direct combat
  • Battle Flow
    1. If the 50-hour preparation period is over and the call-to-arms has been sounded, form a party of 8 members and speak with the militia captain to enter the instanced area. Once the instance has been entered, jobs and classes will be locked and players will not be allowed to change their weapons or soul crystals.
    2. Disciples of the Land can help weaken the invading beastmen by collecting alchemical pots stored throughout the hamlet and delivering them, intact, to the militia quartermaster. Different pot combinations result in different enfeeblements, so communication with the front lines will be important when determining which type of enfeeblement is required when.Disciples of the Hand can help enhance the militia allies by crafting instruments of warfare with parts found in the hamlet, and then delivering the completed items to the militia quartermaster.
       

       Disciples of War and Magic must engage the enemy in direct combat, drawing the invaders’ attention away from the unarmed Disciples of the Hand and Land, as well as the lightly guarded supply carts.

    3. After a certain amount of time, a powerful beast tribe leader will enter the fray. The leader will actively give orders to his soldiers, changing their current focus of attack.
    4. Protecting the hamlet’s four supply carts is the militia’s prime objective. The mission is deemed a failure if all four carts are lost.
       
    5. If the militia is successful in defeating the beast tribe leader or protecting at least one of the carts for the duration of the invasion, the mission is deemed a success and a score based on overall performance is tallied.
       
    6. Speak with the militia captain before leaving the instance to receive payment for services rendered. Rewards are not only based on performance during the battle, but also on individual contributions to the hamlet’s supply caches during the non-combat phase.
    7. During the 25-hour combat phase, the beast tribes will launch continued waves of attack on the hamlet. Players can join the militia as many times as they wish during this phase, as long as the aforementioned conditions for participation have been met.
• [dev1364] tems crafted as part of local guildleves have undergone a complete overhaul. Together with these changes, the names and descriptions of certain levequests has been changed.* Following the release of patch 1.22, it may no longer be possible to complete certain local guildleves undertaken prior to the patch’s release. Players who find this to be the case are asked to please abandon any such levequests.
• [dev1365] Performance-based rewards for local levequests have been altered in the following ways:
  • Successful completion of local levequests now yields one item regardless of performance.
  • Reaching a performance rating of 100 now yields one additional item.
  • Reaching a performance rating of 300 now grants the possibility of yet another additional item.

  In addition, the amount of crystals awarded has also been adjusted.

• [dev1357] New features have been added to inns.
  • A private armoire capable of holding untradable items has been added.
    

    Armoires are available in the inn of each city. The items listed below can be placed in the armoire and later removed at the time of your choice.

    • Job artifacts
      

      Gallant Coronet / Gallant Surcoat / Gallant Cuisses / Gallant Gauntlets / Gallant Sollerets / Temple Circlet / Temple Cyclas / Temple Gaskins / Temple Gloves / Temple Boots / Fighter’s Burgeonet / Fighter’s Cuirass / Fighter’s Breeches / Fighter’s Gauntlets / Fighter’s Jackboots / Drachen Armet / Drachen Mail / Drachen Breeches / Drachen Gauntlets / Drachen Greaves / Choral Chapeau / Choral Shirt / Choral Tights / Choral Ringband / Choral Sandals / Healer’s Circlet / Healer’s Robe / Healer’s Culottes / Healer’s Gloves / Healer’s Boots / Wizard’s Petasos / Wizard’s Coat / Wizard’s Tonban / Wizard’s Gloves / Wizard’s Crakows

    • Seasonal events
      

      Dragon Kabuto / Crimson Dragon Kabuto / Golden Dragon Kabuto / Black Dragon Kabuto / Paramour’s Pendant / Platinum Paramour’s Pendant / Band of Eternal Passion / Peach Blossom / Pristine Egg Cap / Vibrant Egg Cap / Brilliant Egg Cap / Midnight Egg Cap / Chocobo Egg Cap / Pristine Egg Ring / Vibrant Egg Ring / Brilliant Egg Ring / Midnight Egg Ring / Chocobo Egg Ring / Red Summer Top / Green Summer Top / Blue Summer Top / Solar Summer Top / Lunar Summer Top / Red Summer Halter / Green Summer Halter / Blue Summer Halter / Solar Summer Halter / Lunar Summer Halter / Red Summer Trunks / Green Summer Trunks / Blue Summer Trunks / Solar Summer Trunks / Lunar Summer Trunks / Red Summer Tanga / Green Summer Tanga / Blue Summer Tanga / Solar Summer Tanga / Lunar Summer Tanga / Pumpkin Head / Unripened Pumpkin Head / White Pumpkin Head / Ripened Pumpkin Head / Reindeer Antlers / Reindeer Suit / Moonlet / Patriot’s Choker

    • Achievement rewards
      

      Butcher’s Crown / Chronicler’s Crown / Paragon’s Crown / Gambler’s Crown / Saw of the Luminary / Hammer of the Luminary / Mallet of the Luminary / Gavel of the Luminary / Knife of the Luminary / Needle of the Luminary / Alembic of the Luminary / Pan of the Luminary / Pick of the Luminary / Axe of the Luminary / Rod of the Luminary / Maelstrom Escutcheon / Immortal Flames Escutcheon / Twin Adder Escutcheon / Crimson Standard Earring / Tipping Scales Earring / Lily and Serpent Earring / Crimson Standard Ring / Tipping Scales Ring / Lily and Serpent Ring

    • Bonus items
      

      Garlond Goggles / Onion Helm / Asuran Armguards / Hermes’ Shoes

    Though use of the armoire is free, the following restrictions apply:

    • Only items in 100% condition can be stored.
    • Multiple items of the same name cannot be stored.
    • Stored items will have their spiritbond values reset to 0.
    • Hermes’ Shoes cannot be stored for a fixed period (approx. one day, Earth time) following use.

    The same storage is accessible from the armoires in all three city inns. For example, an item stored using the armoire at the Mizzenmast in Limsa Lominsa can be retrieved using the armoire at the Roost in Gridania.

  • Beds located in inn rooms can now be targeted. Selecting a bed now presents the following options:
    • Do nothing
    • Log out
    • Return to the character selection screen
    • heck the bed
  • Inns can now be set as Return destinations.
    Speak to the NPC found at an inn entrance to set that inn as a secondary home point. Only one of the three inns can be set at a time. This is in addition to the one aetheryte destination setting that is also available as a primary home point.Setting an inn as a secondary home point becomes available upon completion of the following quests: “Waste Not Want Not” for the Roost in Gridania, “The Ink Thief” for the Mizzenmast in Limsa Lominsa, and “Ring of Deceit” for the Hourglass in Ul’dah.
  • The entrance to the Hourglass inn in Ul’dah has been moved to the Merchant Strip (6,5)
• [dev1366] The following changes have been made to the Ul’dahn NPC Rowena:
  • The number of Kupo Nut Charms required to exchange for an item has been reduced from 20 to 10.
  • New items that can be exchanged for primal oblations have been added.
• [dev1367] The imperial stronghold Castrum Novum can now be seen in the Mor Dhona area (6,12)
  
  

  * Castrum Novum cannot be entered as of patch 1.22.

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

The following issues have been resolved:

• An issue wherein players could not progress in the job quest “Always Bet on Black.”
• An issue with the job quest “Always Bet on Black” wherein party members are immediately forced out from an instance upon teleporting there from certain areas.
• An issue with the class quest “Hide and Seek Shenanigans” wherein the map was not displaying as intended when accessed from the journal entry.
• An issue with Cutter’s Cry wherein an instance would continue to exist even though no characters are present.
• An issue with Cutter’s Cry wherein moving your character before the commencement of certain cutscenes would lead to enmity being incurred.
• An issue with macros wherein command lines that follow /job would not function unless preceded with the /wait command. For instance, the following set of instructions used to reequip gear now functions correctly:
  

  /equip main [weapon name]
  /job on
  /equip body [armor name]

• An issue wherein log messages were incorrect when placeholders were used.
• An issue wherein log messages regarding gil obtainment appeared for parties without obtainment rights.
• An issue wherein status icons lingered even after being KO’d.
• An issue wherein the recast time for actions appeared to be a few seconds longer than in actuality.
• An issue wherein certain actions remained grayed out and unusable even when the cooldown period had elapsed.
• An issue with bards wherein performing a song when party members are near caused sound effects to playback incorrectly.
• An issue wherein spellcasting under certain circumstances, or attempting to sit while spellcasting, would render the character uncontrollable for a certain period of time.
• An issue wherein certain graphics were not showing correctly when performing Elusive Jump.
• An issue wherein the sound effects when performing Spirits Within would not change according to distance.
• An issue wherein the client would crash when attempting to Seek Repairs.
• An issue wherein the client would crash when attempting to mount a chocobo after cancelling spellcasting.
• An issue wherein the client would crash when attempting to mount a chocobo after cancelling spellcasting.
• An issue wherein the graphic for certain chocobo barding was not showing as intended.
• An issue wherein the graphic for certain areas was not showing as intended.
• An issue wherein the graphic for certain monsters was not showing as intended.
• An issue wherein monsters in certain areas were not behaving as intended.
• An issue wherein monsters in certain areas did not fight back even when attacked.
• An issue wherein incorrect background music was playing in certain levequests.
• An issue wherein certain NPC messages were incorrect.
• An issue wherein certain journal entries were incorrect.

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

• [dev1369] Adjustments have been made to the manner in which damage reduction from shields is calculated.
  With this, it is now easier for blocks to take effect when fighting enemies of a level higher than your own.
• [dev1370] Casting effects of the following actions have been changed:
  

  Ballad of Magi / Minuet of Rigor / Paeon of War

  
• [dev1030] Enemy distribution in the following areas has been adjusted:
  • Dragonhead, Coerthas Central Highlands
  • Brittlebark, Mor Dhona

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

• [dev1371] Several new items have been added.
  View the details.

• [dev1358] New materia varieties have been added:
  View the details.

• [dev1358] The attributes of the following materia have been adjusted:
  

  Name	Before	→	After
  Touch of Rage Materia I	Enmity: +1 — 2	→	Enmity: +1 — 10
  Touch of Rage Materia II	Enmity: +3 — 4	→	Enmity: +11 — 15
  Touch of Rage Materia III	Enmity: +5 — 8	→	Enmity: +16 — 20
  Touch of Rage Materia IV	Enmity: +9 — 12	→	Enmity: +21 — 25
  Touch of Serenity Materia I	Enmity: -1	→	Enmity: -1 — 4
  Touch of Serenity Materia II	Enmity: -2 — 3	→	Enmity: -5 — 8
  Touch of Serenity Materia III	Enmity: -3 — 4	→	Enmity: -9 — 12
  Touch of Serenity Materia IV	Enmity: -5 — 8	→	Enmity: -13 — 16

  * The attributes of materia already existing in-game will automatically change to reflect the above following release of patch 1.22.

• [dev1358] The following unique/untradable items have been made convertible into materia:
  

  Claret Coif / Claret Breeches / Helm of the Lone Knight / Mitts of the Lone Knight / Verdant Hora / Astaroth Cane / Canopus Bill / Canopus Shield / Templar’s Falchion / Verdant Shortbow / Canopus Guisarme / Verdant Scepter / Alpine War Jacket / Warlock’s Buckler / Solid Scale Mail / Revolutionary’s Bliaud / Bladedancer’s Jackboots / Warlock’s Pattens / Ifrit’s Claws / Ifrit’s Blade / Ifrit’s Battleaxe / Ifrit’s Harpoon / Ifrit’s Bow / Ifrit’s Cane / Ifrit’s Cudgel / Murderous Mogfists / Morbid Mogblade / Malignant Mogaxe / Melancholy Mogfork / Mischievous Mogbow / Malevolent Mogwand / Maleficent Mogstaff / Torturer’s Monocle / Torturer’s Duckbills / Warden’s Barbut / Warden’s Gauntlets / Brigand’s Acton / Brigand’s Gloves / Poacher’s Hat / Poacher’s Tunic / Ascetic’s Halfrobe / Ascetic’s Tights / Warden’s Dagger / Charred Axe / Tidesplitter / Joukil’s Guile / Unbreakable Knuckles / Tenfinger Tallstaff / Heart of House d’Arlendre / Waning Sun Pelta

• [dev1358] The method for indicating whether a gear slot supports materia-enhanced items has been changed.
  * The help text shown when an item search is returned will be updated accordingly in patch 1.22a.
  
• [dev1385]The help text of the following job-exclusive gear has been revised to better indicate their actual benefits:
  

  Item	Before		After
  Gallant Surcoat	Enhances Cover	→	Recovers MP during Cover
  Gallant Gauntlets	Enhances Holy Succor	→	Increases HP recovery of Holy Succor
  Gallant Cuisses	Enhances Divine Veil	→	Increases HP recovery of Divine Veil
  Fighter’s Cuirass	Enhances Vengeance	→	Redirects magic damage during Vengeance
  Drachen Mail	Enhances Invigorate	→	Increases TP during Invigorate

• [dev1372] The attribute bonuses offered by the following gear have been changed:
  • Woolen Trousers / Woolen Trousers (Purple)
    

    STR:+2 → STR:+3

• [dev1373] The recast time for the bonus effect granted by Hermes’ Shoes is now displayed.
• [dev1374] The effect of certain medicines has been adjusted.
  • Recast time has been revised for the following:
    

    Item	Before (seconds)		After (seconds)
    Throat Drops	300	→	240
    Dawn Drops	270	→	210
    Spine Drops	300	→	240
    Blood Drops	240	→	180
    Lung Drops	300	→	240
    Heart Drops	300	→	240
    Gold Needle	300	→	240

  • Effect duration has been extended for the following:
    

    Item	Before (seconds)		After (seconds)
    Potion of Mind	40	→	60
    Hi-potion of Mind	40	→	60
    Mega-potion of Mind	40	→	60
    Potion of Vitality	40	→	60
    Hi-potion of Vitality	40	→	60
    Mega-potion of Vitality	40	→	60
    Potion of Piety	40	→	60
    Hi-potion of Piety	40	→	60
    Mega-potion of Piety	40	→	60

• [dev1375] New recipes have been added.
  • The following alchemy recipes have been added:
    

    Item	Materials	Crystals
    Natron(x3)	Effervescent Water Effervescent Water Effervescent Water Rock Salt	Lightning Shard x3
    Clear Glass Lens(x3)	Silex Silex Silex Natron	Lightning Shard x6
    Rubber(x3)	Latex Latex Latex	Lightning Shard x6
    Lanolin(x3)	Sheepskin Sheepskin Sheepskin	Lightning Shard x6
    Lanolin(x3)	Karakul Skin Karakul Skin Karakul Skin	Lightning Shard x6

  • Recipes relating to hamlet defense have been added.
    View the details.
  • High-difficulty recipes have been added.
    * The HQ names of certain items synthesized via these recipes may differ from those of their NQ counterparts.
    View the details.
• [dev1386] The difficulty level of the following recipes has been alleviated:
  

  Bronze Dagger / Bronze Gladius / Bronze Rivets (armorcraft only)

• [dev1376] The following changes have been made to synthesis:
  • The colored lights indicating synthesis status are now accompanied by log messages.
    
  • A time limit is no longer imposed upon synthesis. Based on this change, the synthesis timer has been phased out.
  • Characters now perform synthesis motions more quickly, and the waiting time between command inputs has been shortened.
  • Elemental instability in synthesis is now limited to those of the crystals used in a given recipe.
    

    Ex.) In the case of a recipe requiring fire and wind shards, only these two elements will potentially become unstable.

    Based on this change, the classes required to learn certain “Brand of” abilities have been changed.
    * Elemental instability will be random in the case of recipes that do not require crystals.

  • The likelihood of elemental instability has been increased slightly.
    Failing synthesis will, at a certain probability, cause the harnessed element(s) to become unstable.
    * There is no risk of elemental instability if synthesis is carried out successfully.
  • The penalty for elemental instability has been unified to a halving of the progress gauge for the duration of instability.
• [dev1377] The following reforms have been made to abilities:
  • Certain “Brand of” abilities are now learned through different classes.
    

    Armorer: Brand of Earth → Brand of Ice
    Goldsmith: Brand of Ice → Brand of Wind
    Leatherworker: Brand of Lightning → Brand of Earth
    Weaver: Brand of Wind → Brand of Lightning

  • Certain abilities have been renamed:
    

    Class	Before		After
    Woodworking	Assemble	→	Unerring Hand
    	Comfort Zone	→	Byregot’s Blessing
    Armorcraft	Blinding Speed	→	Sure and Steady
    	Preemptive Measures	→	Great Strides
    	Ease the Burden	→	Eye for Detail
    Goldsmithing	Epiphany	→	Pride of Labor
    	Close Inspection	→	Meticulous Mind
    	Pride of Labor	→	By the Book
    Leatherworking	Supplement	→	Determination
    Clothcraft	Immersion	→	Good Measure
    	Determination	→	Fit for Kings
    Alchemy	Preserve	→	Aspect Balance
    	Mass Production	→	Tricks of the Trade
    	Hand of the Gods	→	Comfort Zone
    	Extrapolation	→	Purification
    	Aspect Balance	→	Master’s Mend
    Cooking	Less is More	→	Waste Not
    	Devotion	→	Heart and Soul
    	Recollection	→	Magnum Opus

  • The effect of abilities have been changed:
    View the complete list of ability adjustments.

    ≪Reform Objective≫
    Till now, the utility of many abilities has been questionable due to poorly defined purpose and lackluster potency. This is especially true when it comes to those abilities learned at lower levels.

    The reform aims to make the benefits of abilities more tangible across the board by revising both effect and potency. The revisions will make it easier to achieve target quality at low and middle levels, while keeping things mostly unchanged at higher levels.

    ≪Making Abilities Unique≫
    The reform aims to enhance the uniqueness of abilities in the following ways:

    • Abilities that increase progress such as By the Book have been adjusted as follows:
      • Progress is no longer affected by elemental instability.
      • They are no longer affected by abilities that increase progress such as Determination.
    • Abilities that increase quality such as Eye for Detail have been adjusted as follows:
      • The amount of quality that increases through all types of synthesis gradually decreases based upon how much quality has risen while crafting. The abilities in question, however, are no longer subject to this restriction.
      • They are no longer affected by abilities that increase quality such as Byregot’s Blessing.
    • The Wait command is unaffected by abilities.
  • Types of synthesis such as materials, parts, and completed items no longer influence the efficacy of abilities.
  • Based on the ability reform, the effects of standard and rapid syntheses have been adjusted as follows:
    • Greatly successful standard synthesis attempts now grant more quality.
    • Successful rapid synthesis attempts now grant less progress
  • No more than five abilities can be used during synthesis. In the event that the number of abilities equipped exceeds this limit, five will be chosen at random.
• [dev1378] The variety of items obtainable via gathering has been changed.
  View the details.

  Based on this change, the following items can now be obtained:

  Darksteel Ore / Gold Ore / Spruce Log / Astral Rock / Crawler Cocoon / Trillium / Trillium Bulb

• [dev1379] When EXP is obtained during synthesis and gathering, log messages will now appear for bonuses granted by the following game elements:
  * EXP yield is unaffected.
  • Rested Bonus
  • Gear
  • Well Fed Effects
  • Engineering and Survival Manuals
  • Abilities

  Log messages relating to gains in quality during synthesis will appear in the same manner as before.

• [dev1380] The average amount of damage a weapon is capable of dealing per second (DPS) has been added to help text.
  

  The DPS of a bow is calculated in the following manner:
  DPS = (Damage + Damage value of the strongest ammunition at the bow’s required level [excluding HQ]) / Delay

• [dev1381] Sanction-ready gear can now be obtained in exchange for company seals.

  “Sanction” is the name given to a process of gear enhancement which involves the casting of any one of a range of enhancing spells on equipment specially crafted to harbor enchantments. The sanction status can be received at the headquarters of each Grand Company, and for the duration of its effect (three hours Earth time) grants a bonus to the efficacy of certain gear. Such gear can be identified by viewing their help text.

  Bonuses granted include:
  Vitality: +40 / Accuracy: +30 / Attack Power: +45 / Piety: +35

  
• [dev1382] Set bonuses have been added to gear exchangeable for company seals.

  New gear will be added that offer various bonuses when equipped as a set. Such gear can be identified by viewing their help text.

  Ex.) Maelstrom gear (3 or more pieces): HP: +15

  In the above instance, the bonus indicated will take effect if the player equips three or more pieces of Maelstrom gear. In the case that four or more pieces is the requirement, the player must equip four or more pieces of gear to benefit from the stated bonus.
  * Existing Grand Company gear and achievement reward gear both count towards the bonus requirement.

  
• [dev1383]Additions have been made to the list of items available in exchange for company seals.
  View the details.
• [dev1384] The vendor NPC Oscarlet has been added to the Gridanian hamlet of Hyrstmill in the North Shroud (23,13).

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

• [dev1359] The following changes and additions have been made to market areas:
  • New areas have been added:
    • Lominsan Mercantile House
    • Gridanian Mercantile House
    • Ul’dahn Mercantile House

    Based on this addition, the item search feature has been moved to the abovementioned locations. This change will allow players to directly purchase items from any city’s market area. For example, a player in Gridania will be able to search for and purchase items from the Ul’dah market area by speaking with an NPC in the Ul’dahn Mercantile House.
    * While players can still perform an item search within market areas, they can no longer do so from the query prompt at market entrances.
    * While you are inside a mercantile house, your current location in player search will appear as the associated city-state. The same applies when you log out of the game while inside a mercantile house.

    
  • It is now possible to search retainer wares by typing item names into the search field.
    • Search results will show all items that start with the entered term.
    • Searches are performed in the language set in FINAL FANTASY Config.
    • Searches can be performed through the auto-translate function.
    • Alphabet searches are not case-sensitive.
  • Market Guide NPCs have been added.
    In addition to using the existing market area entrances, players can now travel directly to each mercantile house by speaking with “market guides.”

    City	NPC	Location
    Limsa Lominsa	M’septha	Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (7,5)
    Gridania	Torsefers	Gridania (6,6)
    Ul’dah	Edine	U’dah Merchant Strip (6,5)

    These NPCs will be indicated on the map as entrances to their respective market areas.

• [dev1359] Players now have the option of dispatching their retainers to the market wards.
  Upon summoning your retainer, you will be given the option to dispatch him or her to the ward of your choice. Please note, however, that your retainer will automatically return home in the case that the area specified has already reached capacity.
• [dev1358] Players are now able to request others to meld materia on their behalf in the same manner as seeking repairs.
  Upon selecting either a piece of gear or materia in the inventory interface, you will be presented with the option to request this service. Making the request incurs a fee commensurate with the required level of the item to which materia will be melded, payable in gil to the player who accepts the request.

  * In addition to the abovementioned fee, players must also provide a suitable catalyst.
  * This method allows only the melding of the first piece of materia to any given item.
  * Only players who possess a materia assimilator can make a melding request.

  
• [dev1387] The specifications for discarding materia-enhanced items have been changed.
  Players are now required to first check a confirmation box before they are able to discard materia-enhanced items.
• [dev1389] The following actions can now be performed upon online linkshell members in the Linkshell interface: Send /Tell, Invite, Promote, Demote, Exile
• [dev1390] Map markers have been introduced for the following:
  

  Shop (for beginners) / Achievement NPC / Aethernet Gate / Inn / Upper Floor Access / Lower Floor Access / Aetheryte / Aetherial Gate / Dungeon Entrance / Hamlet

• [dev1391] The following configuration options have been added:
  • System
    • Action Reselect Cancel
      Enable canceling of actions by selecting them again from the action bar while they are being cast or channeled.
      * Can also be performed via the text command /actioncancel, (/acan).

      /actioncancel [subcommand]
      >>Subcommands
      on　Enable canceling via the action bar.
      off　Disable canceling via the action bar.
      Toggle between on and off when no subcommand is specified.
      * Default is off.

      The setting will be defaulted to off for all characters. The setting must be enabled if you wish to be able to cancel actions via the action bar as before.

  • Display Names
    • Display/hide settings for each category.
      • Player
        Name/Icon, HP Bar
      • Party Members
        Name/Icon, HP Bar
      • Other Players
        Name/Icon, HP Bar
      • NPCs
        Name/Icon
      • Enemies
        Name, HP Bar, Level, Aggression, Enmity
        * Based on these changes, the text command /hpbar has been phased out.
    • Display Name Position
      Set display position for all characters (up or down).
  • Target Settings
    • Display Name Zoom
      When toggled on, placing the mouse cursor over a character will cause that character’s display name to appear enlarged.
    • Target Highlight
      When toggled on, placing the mouse cursor over a character will cause that character to flash. Targeted characters will appear bordered in yellow.
  • Keyboard
    Other
    • Action Bar Pop-up Help
      Assign a key for toggling the display of action bar help text.
      * Can also be performed via the text command /actionbarhelp, (/abarhelp).

      /actionbarhelp [subcommand]
      >>Subcommands:
      on　Display help text.
      off　Hide help text.
      Toggle between on and off when no subcommand is specified.
      * Default is on.

    • Cycle Active Linkshell
    • Activate Linkshell 1
    • Activate Linkshell 2
    • Activate Linkshell 3
    • Activate Linkshell 4
    • Activate Linkshell 5
    • Activate Linkshell 6
    • Activate Linkshell 7
    • Activate Linkshell 8
    • Deactivate Linkshell
• [dev1392] New macro icons have been added.
• [dev1393] The text command /equiplinkshell, used to activate the designated linkshell, has been added.
  

  /equiplinkshell [subcommand]
  >>Subcommands:
  LS name Equip linkshell of the designated name.
  LS number Equip linkshell corresponding to designated number.
  Unequip active linkshell when no subcommand is specified.
  * Linkshell names containing spaces must be enclosed in double quotation marks.

  * The command can be used during synthesis, gathering, and NPC conversations.

• [dev1394] When using an item, only valid subtargets can now be selected. Likewise, when the player is the only valid target, the item can be used without needing to specify a subtarget.
• [dev1395] The dialog interface will no longer linger on the screen when a cutscene is commenced by an NPC conversation.
• [dev1396] When receiving a teleport invitation from a party member, the name of the destination aetheryte will now appear as a micro menu pop-up as well as in the confirmation prompt.
• [dev1397] Placing the mouse cursor over a character will cause that character to flash.
• [dev1398] Ferries are now boarded by speaking to the NPC posted at the dock entrance.
• [dev1400] The following terms have been added to the Auto-translation Dictionary:
  

  Category	Term
  Game Terms	Garuda
  Game Terms	Hamlet Defense
  Game Terms	Aethernet
  Game Terms	Primal
  Game Terms	Sanction
  Places	Aleport
  Places	Hyrstmill
  Places	Golden Bazaar
  Text Commands	/equiplinkshell
  Text Commands	/actionbarhelp

• [dev1401] The Emotes & Signs list has been divided into the following categories:
  • Special
  • Salutations
  • Expressions of Will
  • Actions & Movements
  • Signals & Instructions
  • Positive Reactions
  • Negative Reactions
• [dev1402] New background music has been added.

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

≪Maelstrom – Storm Sergeant Second Class≫

≪Maelstrom – Storm Sergeant First Class≫

≪Maelstrom – Chief Storm Sergeant≫

≪Order of the Twin Adder – Serpent Sergeant Second Class≫

≪Order of the Twin Adder – Serpent Sergeant First Class≫

≪Order of the Twin Adder – Chief Serpent Sergeant≫

≪Immortal Flames – Flame Sergeant Second Class≫

≪Immortal Flames – Flame Sergeant First Class≫

≪Immortal Flames – Chief Flame Sergeant≫

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

• Carpenter
  

  Item	material	crystal
  Militia Bow	Stiperstone Cobalt Ingot Rosewood Branch	Wind Shard x6 Ice Shard x6

• Blacksmith
  

  Item	material	crystal
  Militia Sword	Stiperstone Cobalt Ingot Rosewood Lumber	Fire Shard x6 Earth Shard x6

• Armorer
  

  Item	material	crystal
  Militia Helm	Resin Cobalt Plate Boar Leather	Earth Shard x6 Ice Shard x6

• Goldsmith
  

  Item	material	crystal
  Militia Gorget	Stiperstone Electrum Ingot Raptor Leather	Wind Shard x6 Fire Shard x6

• Leatherworker
  

  Item	material	crystal
  Militia Longboots	Resin Raptor Leather Raptor Sinew	Wind Shard x6 Earth Shard x6

• Weaver
  

  Item	material	crystal
  Militia Leggings	Resin Undyed Felt Raptor Leather	Wind Shard x6 Lightning Shard x6

• Alchemist
  

  Item	material	crystal
  Militia Poultice	Navigator’s Ear Hawksbill Shell Matron’s Mistletoe	Water Shard x6 Lightning Shard x6

• Culinarian
  

  Item	material	crystal
  Militia Rations	Navigator’s Ear Rosewood Branch Sagolii Sage	Fire Shard x6 Water Shard x6

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

* The HQ names of certain items synthesized via these recipes may differ from those of their NQ counterparts.

• Carpenter
  

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Spruce Lumber	Spruce Log	Wind Crystal x1 Ice Crystal x1

• Blacksmith
  

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Mailbreaker	Flawless Mailbreaker Blade Darksteel Nugget Rose Gold Nugget Hippogryph Leather	Fire Cluster x1 Earth Cluster x1
  Avengers	Flawless Avenger Grips Darksteel Nugget Rose Gold Nugget Spruce Lumber	Fire Cluster x1 Earth Cluster x1
  Rampager	Flawless Rampager Head Darksteel Plate Darksteel Plate Spruce Lumber	Fire Cluster x1 Earth Cluster x1
  Obelisk	Flawless Obelisk Head Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget Spruce Lumber	Fire Cluster x1 Earth Cluster x1
  Mailbreaker Blade HQ:Flawless Mailbreaker Blade	Darksteel Ingot Rose Gold Nugget Rose Gold Nugget	Fire Crystal x6 Earth Crystal x6
  Avenger Grips HQ:Flawless Avenger Grips	Darksteel Ingot Rose Gold Nugget Rose Gold Nugget	Fire Crystal x6 Earth Crystal x6
  Rampager Head HQ:Flawless Rampager Head	Darksteel Ingot Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget	Fire Crystal x6 Earth Crystal x6
  Obelisk Head HQ:Flawless Obelisk Head	Darksteel Ingot Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget	Fire Crystal x6 Earth Crystal x6
  Darksteel Ingot	Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget Coke	Fire Crystal x3 Earth Crystal x3
  Darksteel Nugget	Darksteel Ore Darksteel Ore Iron Ore	Fire Crystal x1 Earth Crystal x1
  Darksteel Rivets	Darksteel Nugget	Fire Crystal x1 Earth Crystal x1
  Darksteel Nugget	Mailbreaker Blade	Fire Shard x6 Earth Shard x6
  Darksteel Nugget	Avenger Grips	Fire Shard x6 Earth Shard x6
  Darksteel Nugget	Rampager Head	Fire Shard x6 Earth Shard x6
  Darksteel Nugget	Obelisk Head	Fire Shard x6 Earth Shard x6

• Armorer
  

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Heavy Darksteel Armor	Flawless Darksteel Breastplate Darksteel Plate Darksteel Plate Rose Gold Nugget Silver Ingot	Earth Cluster x1 Ice Cluster x1
  Heavy Darksteel Armor (White)	Heavy Darksteel Armor All-purpose White Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Armor (Red)	Heavy Darksteel Armor All-purpose Red Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Armor (Green)	Heavy Darksteel Armor All-purpose Green Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Armor (Blue)	Heavy Darksteel Armor All-purpose Blue Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Flanchard	Flawless Darksteel Couters Darksteel Plate Rose Gold Nugget Silver Ingot	Earth Cluster x1 Ice Cluster x1
  Heavy Darksteel Flanchard (White)	Heavy Darksteel Flanchard All-purpose White Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Flanchard (Red)	Heavy Darksteel Flanchard All-purpose Red Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Flanchard (Green)	Heavy Darksteel Flanchard All-purpose Green Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Flanchard (Blue)	Heavy Darksteel Flanchard All-purpose Blue Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Gauntlets	Flawless Darksteel Gauntlet Plates Darksteel Plate Rose Gold Nugget Silver Ingot	Earth Cluster x1 Ice Cluster x1
  Heavy Darksteel Gauntlets (White)	Heavy Darksteel Gauntlets All-purpose White Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Gauntlets (Red)	Heavy Darksteel Gauntlets All-purpose Red Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Gauntlets (Green)	Heavy Darksteel Gauntlets All-purpose Green Dye
  Heavy Darksteel Gauntlets (Blue)	Heavy Darksteel Gauntlets All-purpose Blue Dye
  Darksteel Ingot	Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget Coke	Earth Crystal x3 Ice Crystal x3
  Darksteel Nugget	Darksteel Ore Darksteel Ore Iron Ore	Earth Crystal x1 Ice Crystal x1
  Darksteel Rivets	Darksteel Nugget	Earth Crystal x1 Ice Crystal x1
  Darksteel Plate	Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget	Earth Crystal x1 Ice Crystal x1
  Darksteel Breastplate HQ：Flawless Darksteel Breastplate	Darksteel Ingot Darksteel Rivets Darksteel Rivets	Earth Crystal x6 Ice Crystal x6
  Darksteel Gauntlet Plates HQ：Flawless Darksteel Gauntlet Plates	Darksteel Ingot Darksteel Rivets Darksteel Rivets	Earth Crystal x6 Ice Crystal x6
  Darksteel Couters HQ：Flawless Darksteel Couters	Darksteel Ingot Darksteel Rivets Darksteel Rivets	Earth Crystal x6 Ice Crystal x6
  Darksteel Nugget	Darksteel Breastplate	Earth Shard x6 Ice Shard x6
  Darksteel Nugget	Darksteel Gauntlet Plates	Earth Shard x6 Ice Shard x6
  Darksteel Nugget	Darksteel Couters	Earth Shard x6 Ice Shard x6

• Goldsmith
  

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Astrolabe	Flawless Astrolabe Clinometer Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget Rose Gold Nugget	Wind Cluster x1 Fire Cluster x1
  Rose Gold Earrings	Flawless Rose Gold Clasps Darksteel Plate Rose Gold Nugget	Wind Cluster x1 Fire Cluster x1
  Rose Gold Ingot	Rose Gold Nugget Rose Gold Nugget Peacock Ore	Wind Crystal x3 Fire Crystal x3
  Rose Gold Nugget	Gold Ore Gold Ore Copper Ore	Wind Crystal x1 Fire Crystal x1
  Astral Eye	Astral Rock	Wind Crystal x1 Fire Crystal x1
  Rose Gold Nugget	Rose Gold Clasps	Wind Shard x6 Fire Shard x6
  Rose Gold Clasps HQ:Flawless Rose Gold Clasps	Rose Gold Ingot Darksteel Nugget Darksteel Nugget	Wind Crystal x6 Fire Crystal x6

• Leatherworker
  

  Item	Material	Crystal
  Hippogryph Leather	Hippogryph Skin Alumen	Wind Crystal x1 Earth Crystal x1

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

• Event Changes

• Battle Changes

• Item Changes

• System Changes

• Bug Fixes

• New Items

• New Materia

• New Company Seal Exchange Items

• Recipes relating to Hamlet Defense

• High-difficulty Recipes

• Ability List

• Changes to Gatherable Items

Mining

Quarrying

Logging

Harvesting

Spearfishing

High above the Twelveswood, the raven circles, evermore seeking out truth hidden amongst the shadows of the trees. In today’s edition, field correspondent Oliver Goodfellow reports on the threat presented by the appearance of Gridania’s sworn enemy, the primal Garuda.

Garuda, Capricious Empress of Birds

Eyewitness reports of a “great winged monster” haunting the outskirts of Quarrymill have sent the Order of the Twin Adder into a flurry of preparation. It appears that the upper echelons of the Order believe the feathered beast to be none other than Garuda herself, and have placed the Grand Company on high alert.

With the ominous change that has befallen Dalamud, it is tempting to believe rumors heralding the Seventh Umbral Era’s imminent arrival and give in to crippling despair. But no, I cannot indulge such selfish desires while a threat most real and solid exists within arm’s reach. I shall steel my nerves and see for myself just what manner of being this Garuda may be. It must be noted here that this article could not have been penned without the invaluable cooperation of Bowlord Lewin and his extensive knowledge of Ixali history.

Some 550 years in the past, the Ixal chose the forest of Tinolqa* as their homeland. The stories say they built their nests in its trees, and, spreading their wings to the wind, were able to soar among the branches. Even in this ancient time, the Ixal, feeling kinship with the creatures of the sky, revered Garuda as the Empress of Birds. During this age of prosperity the feathered beastmen flourished and multiplied, overflowing the borders of their territory. Their unchecked growth, however, angered the elementals, and the Ixal were cast out of the forest. The exiled birdmen, in search of a new place to roost, migrated en masse to the great canyon known as Xelphatol.

But the trials of the Ixal did not end with the loss of their home. Inexplicably, the young that hatched in the land of Xelphatol were born without certain feathers they needed to catch the wind. As generations came and went, the Ixal lost their ability to fly completely. All that remained to them was an insatiable hunger for the sky. The birdmen’s invention of the dirigible 150 years ago is most like the culmination of this tragic history and their undiminished yearning to fly.

This brings us to events of ten years past. Just as the Amalj’aa and the kobolds succeeded in summoning their gods, so too did the Ixal call forth the primal Garuda. Their motivation for doing so, hypothesizes Bowlord Lewin, was to regain the power of flight through the grace of the Empress of Birds. Yet no evidence has been found to suggest that the prayers of the birdmen have been answered. Quite the contrary, the unpredictable and violent Garuda has done naught but tear across the land like an untamed storm, relentless in her quest for blood. Perhaps the Ixal now, too, regret unleashing this unholy terror upon Eorzea.

Oliver Goodfellow

* The Twelveswood. The word “Tinolqa” means “Blessed Forest” in Ixali.

During a recent Final Fantasy XIV contest released by SE for the introduction of Patch 1.22, a big deal was made about the upcoming Garuda Primal Battle not just being your average Primal Battle. Big claims were made and fighting words were spoken. Well, today, we got a taste of what that battle will be like for the adventurers of Eorzea, thanks to a video preview released earlier this morning. The battle is aptly named The Howling Eye and just from looking at the video you can tell that Garuda means business.

That and the fact that Garuda is credited with defeating the Lord of Snakes, consuming his mortal flesh, and now has a taste for land-bound creatures. No wonder she looks at you with those creepy eyes.

This is coming on the heels of a claim by the lead developer of the Primal Battles, stating that “…Garuda is going to be quite a bit stronger than Ifrit and Good King Moggle Mog XII!” This is good news for a number of players in the community that have been complaining that there just isn’t enough challenge in FFXIV to hold their interest. With numerous adds, the need to take cover behind objects, a couple of 2.5K+ damage moves, and the ability to split herself into three different copies that all attack the party at the same time, it certainly looks like the gauntlet has been thrown down by the devs.

The video preview also sports some incredible new BGM music that definitely gives the fight a more epic vibe. It’ll be interesting to see just how long she lasts after the Patch 1.22 release at the end of this month. Check out the video for the Primal Battle and the lore for Garuda below.

The Howling Eye (Hard)

The rewards from this battle were also released earlier this week in a preview video. If you haven’t seen them yet, you can check them out here.

This is an After Show! It’s not a “real” episode, just something intended to cover things we may have missed in a previous episode in a more loose and informal way (if that’s even possible). So be sure you listen to episode 18 first, the actual show, before you listen to this one. After Shows will usually be available on iTunes a few days later than the normal shows, unless there is something pressing.

In this After Show, we talk about the Legacy and Welcome Back Campaigns. Since we recorded episode 18 on Thursday, April 19, the news broke the very next day, leaving us in a bit of a bind. Rather than waiting another whole week, we decided to just talk about it anyway. We’re still a bit later than we intended in getting this up due to real life commitments and such, but hey, it’s here now, so enjoy.

LISTEN TO SBXIV 18.5 – AFTER SHOW

Greetings, fellow adventurers of Eorzea!

Today, the submission period for “Predict the Fall of Garuda!” has come to an end. We would like to thank all of you who have participated.

Since the submission came to an end, we assume that many of you are anxious to know what the actual Garuda weapons will look like. Yes, yes, we know what you want next.

In response to your expectations, we would like to give a special premier on the video footage of Garuda weapons, which you can obatin by slaining the primal Garuda.

Hopefully, we should be able to introduce the battle against primal Garuda in the topics along with the video tomorrow but for now, please see the gallant figure of the seven mighty gales ready to gust through Eorzea.

Some very… unique, all-new weapon designs are set to appear with the release of the upcoming patch 1.22. I say unique because, whoever designed these puppies didn’t spare any of the old imagination juice to create them. The new weapons range from blocks that grow into giant square bricks that glow with molten-colored lines when you put them on your fists, to a long cane with spinning orbs that seem made to resemble the world Hydaelyn and her moons. If you can call these weapon designs anything, they are certainly interesting. All of the designs have at least some sort of extending action or mechanical moving parts when you whip them out. They’ve included just about everything but kung-fu grip.

These weapons are just part of a new batch of new crafting recipes for weapons, armor, and accessories being prepared for patch 1.22. According to the lore released with the announcement, some of the weapons seem as though they will be crafted with materials like darksteel ore and gryphon hide, so Disciples of the Land classes may also get something out of this update too. Although weapons have been planned for all classes, only weapons for gladiator, pugilist, marauder, and lancer are set for the release of Patch 1.22. Weapons for other classes are planned for release sometime after patch 1.22a. As for the weapon designs, well you’ll have to see those for yourself in the preview video below.

Source: The Lodestone

Yelta is hosting her first show today! No the title of this episode doesn’t have anything to do with that. When we recorded this episode, it was right before the big news about the Legacy and Welcome Back Campaigns. Not to worry, we’re covering this in an upcoming After Show so we won’t be behind the loop. We’ll get it up as soon as we can.

NEWS:

Garuda finally makes her appearance in a preview video. Not only that, but the devs want you to guess how long it’s going to take before she bites the big one. In return, you get fabulous prizes! We also talk about addressing server slow down, Market Ward adjustments, and Yoshida gives us a little bit more info on what we can expect from version 2.0 later this year.

RANDOM ROUNDTABLE:

Do We Need To Revamp FFXIV To Be More Like FFXI?
A player in the forums asks if people want the Devs to create a game that will truly challenge the player base. Apparently this means a complete overhaul and return back to what FFXI was. We discuss how we feel about this.

DEV TRACKING:

• Change Parsimony please
• Yoshida strikes again

We have forums now! So if you’d like to sign up and check them out, you’re more than welcome to do so. At the moment, we’re still trying to set things up and make everything pretty, so there’s not a link on the front page, yet. But we plan to have things looking nice by May. We also have a Google+ page. Be sure to go there and add us to your circles! As always, if you want to contact us, you can email us at podcast@zantetsuken.net.

The Legacy Campaign

The Legacy Campaign is all about rewarding the current players who have stood by the game through the various patches. But in order to be eligible for these rewards, you will need to have paid for at least 90 days of consecutive service between January 6, 2012 and the start of Version 2.0 beta testing. Are the rewards worth it? I’d say they are, since the linchpin of the Legacy Campaign is all about the subscription fees. When 2.0 rolls around, subscription plans will be revamped, with an entry level plan that allows for one character per world for $12.99, and a standard plan that allows for 8 characters per world for $14.99.

Here’s the goodness. Those who are eligible for the Legacy Campaign, meaning they’ve paid for the game for 90 days in total game time, get the standard plan at the “Legacy price”. Meaning, your subscription fee is $9.99/8 characters for the entire life of the game. That’s a pretty huge discount/incentive/carrot for those who are actually interested in the game, although I expect there to be some complaints about why SE just doesn’t charge the $9.99 as the normal price. Still, it’s obvious they’re not going to do that, and for those who have been paying so far, this is a bonus.

Post 2.0 Fee Structure

But wait, that’s not all. In addition the to discounted subscription fee, those who are eligible under the Legacy Campaign get a special chocobo mount designed by the FFXIV art director, Akihiko Yoshida. And you’ll also get the chance to have your name in the credits for version 2.0. As far as player appreciation goes, both these additional rewards aren’t too bad.

Welcome Back Campaign

But the FFXIV crew isn’t just targeting current players They’re also looking to grab the attention of players that haven’t returned to Eorzea for a while.

From May 9 to May 20, former FINAL FANTASY XIV players are invited to experience the vast changes made to Eorzea for free!

During this ten-day period, we invite holders of inactive service accounts to experience the once-in-a-lifetime Seventh Umbral Era content and try out new additions like the job system and the inn rooms that were introduced in Patch 1.21.

There you have it. 10 free days for those of you who thought the game wasn’t worth paying a subscription fee. At the very least you can use the time to see what the whole hubbub is about. The 10 free days do come with a few caveats, though:

All FINAL FANTASY XIV account owners are eligible. 

• Active accounts will not have time added to their subscription length; however, if there are inactive characters on the account, they will become active for the duration of the campaign.If you previously cancelled your FFXIV service account, then you’ll need to reactivate it (and no charges will apply). Once you reactivate your service account, you will not need to reactivate your characters to participate in this campaign.
• Purchasing additional characters will require an additional service fee.
• Deleted characters cannot be revived.
• The campaign start and end dates/time may be subject to change.
• Campaign users will not be able to log into The Lodestone or the official Forums.

All in all a decent start to promoting the game. However, FFXIV will have to do much much more in terms of improving the game and showing those who have shunned it that the game is a whole new bag of potatoes right now. With all the money they’ve pumped into trying to remake and revamp what was once considered a failed property, they’ll have to be willing to shell out just as much, if not more funds in order to properly promote and advertise the game to the rest of the gaming community. I still have high hopes for the future of FFXIV. Let’s hope that the future involves doing whatever it takes to get the game back into the hearts and minds of Final Fantasy fans everywhere.

And with that, I’ll leave you with a few nice images from the Lodestone for the Welcome Back Campaign:

Source: The Lodestone

Hello again, all you FFXIVers out there! Yoshi-P here, back today with my twenty-seventh missive.

To begin with, I’d like to apologize for the server issues that have occurred following the World Merge. The increase in server load caused server memory to deteriorate, which in turn brought down the data cache server. This led to a host of problems, one of them being the rollback of certain data. I’d like to stress how sorry I am for the inconvenience this has caused our players. We understand that higher levels of service are expected of us, and will continue in our efforts to beef up and stabilize our servers. Please bear with us in the meantime.

Next, I’d like to thank all of you who participated in the third FINAL FANTASY XIV Players’ Poll. We received an overwhelming number of responses, which we’re poring through even as work continues on the game. I’m planning to compile your feedback for analysis in the next letter.

Now then, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce two major campaigns.

The first, called the Legacy Campaign, is our way of showing gratitude to those valiant adventurers who are standing their ground in the face of the Seventh Umbral Era.

The campaign recognizes those players who subscribe to FFXIV for 90 or more cumulative days during the period between January 6, 2012, and the commencement of version 2.0 beta testing. I believe many of you out there have already fulfilled this requirement. Those who qualify for the campaign and become Legacy members will:

1. Be able to play FFXIV from version 2.0 at the discounted Legacy price, forever.
2. Receive an exclusive chocobo mount upon the launch of version 2.0.
3. Earn a place in the credits for version 2.0.

This information is also available on the Lodestone, but the fee structure will undergo a revamp when official service begins for version 2.0. I’ve personally reviewed and approved the changes, which are driven by our desire to provide you with a global standard of service. Payments will be made easier to understand, and more payment options will be introduced, such as prepaid time cards.

Under the new fee structure, the basic service fee and the character fee will be consolidated. In the case of a 30-day billing cycle, players will be able to choose from the two payment options below,

Entry Plan – $12.99 USD/£7.69/10.99 €: One character per World
Standard Plan – $14.99 USD/£8.99/12.99 €: Eight characters per World

Players who qualify for the Legacy Campaign will be able to subscribe to the standard plan for the discounted price of $9.99 per month—the same as the current fee—for the entire duration of FFXIV’s service. (Please note that the actual price may vary due to fluctuations in the exchange rate.)

With regards to the chocobo mount gift, players will be pleased to know that it’ll be an original design penned by none other than our very own art director, Akihiko Yoshida. And as the frosting on the cake of our appreciation, players will also be given the chance to have their names appear in the credits for version 2.0. Details such as how to register for this will be announced separately.

To recap, the Legacy Campaign is our little way of saying thanks to those adventurers who have stuck by us even after billing commenced—for standing fast through rain, hail, shine, and the Seventh Umbral Era. Be sure not to miss out on this limited-time opportunity!
http://sqex.to/qtq

Moving on, to commemorate the release of patch 1.22 as well as the announcement of the Legacy Campaign, we’re pleased to bring you the Welcome Back Campaign!

Upon the release of patch 1.22, an invitation will be extended to holders of inactive accounts to return to Eorzea for ten days, completely free of charge. A great many things have changed since the game first launched, in no small part due to player feedback. By hosting this campaign, we hope that those currently taking a break from Eorzea will be enticed into coming back to see the improvements with their own eyes, as well as experience the never-to-be-repeated drama of the Seventh Umbral Era.

By all means, please spread the word to all your friends and encourage them to give FFXIV another look!
http://sqex.to/-EC

Derp, this has turned into quite a lengthy plug for the campaigns. I thought that one of my letters would be a better medium than the Lodestone for explaining the concept behind them. To put it in a single word, it all boils down to gratitude—a little token of our appreciation for all our fans out there. We hope we can continue relying on your support!

So! Spring is finally in full swing here in Tokyo, and the cherry trees are done shedding their blossoms. Work on patch 1.22 enters the final stage, and we’re on track for an April 26 (JST) release.

In order to deliver the patch to you in time for Golden Week, I’m afraid we’ve had to postpone a number of things. These include job-exclusive weapons, chat log reforms, and other content I touched on last time. With regards to hamlet defense, only Hyrstmill will be ready for 1.22; the remaining two hamlets will go live in 1.22a, which is scheduled for May 10. We also have plans for a patch 1.22b, which is expected to follow shortly thereafter. You can rest assured that we will maintain our pace even after 1.22 is released!

Patch 1.22 will see the Empire unleash a new weapon to wreak havoc upon Eorzea, which continues its plunge into chaos. How will the Grand Companies deal with the mounting threat? And as if the advancing imperials alone weren’t bad enough, Garuda, the primal of wind, will also storm into the fray. (The Community Team is hosting a Garuda-inspired event on the official Forums right now!)

Oh, and we mustn’t forget about the lesser moon Dalamud, which seems to grow larger and angrier with each blink of the eyes. And speaking of eyes, you might want to keep one out for the logo we’ve put together for the Legacy Campaign. 

Much about the Seventh Umbral Era will become clear when patch 1.22 comes around. I hope you’re all looking forward to it!

One more thing! I’ve made a post on the official Forums regarding version 2.0. Be sure to take a gander at that as well.

And I think that’ll do it for today. See you next time and/or on the forums! 

An Alliance Actually

When the Garlean Empire first reared its repugnant head in Eorzea, swiftly stripping Ala Mhigo of its sovereignty by way of subterfuge, the surviving city-states were compelled to come together in coalition. Named the Eorzean Alliance, the coalition had ambitious aspirations for the defense of its dominions. Alas, such schemes soon suffered a severe setback—the Holy See of Ishgard withdrew from the treaty, leaving the fledging fraternity to founder and fade into feebleness. Today, the common consensus of the citizenry is that the alliance exists only in name.

Recent developments, however, may well warrant a weighing up anew of that assumption. Of late, the Eorzean Alliance has appreciably accelerated its activities, playing a pivotal part in the production of protectives for man and mount both. Presently, it is in the process of perfecting a progressive new method of enhancing equipment. Referred to by pertinent personnel as simply “sanction,” the method entails etching emblems of empowerment upon arms and armor in order to prime them as containers for conjurations. A custom charm is then cast upon these articles, whose efficacy is ephemerally enhanced thereby. Our sources in the Immortal Flames report that the mass manufacture of such sanctioned supplies is scheduled to commence shortly, with their arrival to the frontlines to follow closely behind.

Some adjustments to the Market Ward system have been announced, mainly the ability to purchase items from any Market Ward from any city. This change will be introduced in Patch 1.22, scheduled for the end of this month. There has been a very sizable and vocal consensus about the need for a proper Auction House system in the game, and although we aren’t there yet, with this change most of the important functionality will be there.

Not only will players be able to directly purchase items from any city’s market area, but a search feature will also be added where players will be able to enter the item’s name instead of searching for things through individual lists in each ward.

All in all a great addition, but only because of the lack of an Auction House to begin with. We’re still expecting a complete Market Ward overall for 2.0, but changes like these should tide us over until the 4th quarter of 2012. You can read the original announcement below for more details.

[dev1359] Market Area Improvements

* The following adjustments, scheduled for patch 1.22, are in development and subject to change.

• Patch 1.22 will introduce a number of improvements to market areas.
  • The following locations will be added to each city’s market area:
    • Limsa Lominsa Mercantile House
    • Gridania Mercantile House
    • Ul’dah Mercantile House

    In addition, the current item search feature will be moved to the locations mentioned above, and will take place through designated NPCs. This change will allow players to directly purchase items from any city’s market area. For example, a player in Gridania would be able to search for and purchase items from the Ul’dah market area by speaking with an NPC in the Ul’dah Mercantile House.

  • “Market Guide” NPCs will be added:

    In addition to using the existing market area entrances, players will be able to speak with “market guides” around town to travel directly to each Mercantile House.

  • It will now be possible to search retainer wares by typing item names into the search field.

    * Search results will show all items that start with the entered term.

Source: The Lodestone

Ever since the World Merger a few weeks ago, Final Fantasy XIV’s server situation hasn’t been looking too steady. Since that time there have been server technical difficulties and an emergency maintenance for just about every one of the new servers. As the populations grew, cue one of the newest features, private player residences, having to be shut down completely in Ul’dah, which just so happens to be the city where anyone who is anyone hangs out to chew the fat and start a party. That’s not even counting the many issues where players simply have been unable to log into the game at all.

With the upcoming Patch 1.22, the FFXIV devs seem to be taking steps to alleviate some of these problems. Apparently one of the culprits behind these issues is server slowdown, since that was the issue they’ve stated they’re addressing. One of the changes consists of moving the entrance to the private player residences to another location entirely, although this only applies to Ul’dah.

In addition to that, there have been some changes to the way that Market Wards work, allowing players to purchase items from all three cities from special NPCs. All signs point to this being a population issue. Since the World Merger, there are just too many people occupying Ul’dah on each server and too many people trying to access Ul’dah’s inn at once. These changes have most likely been made to alleviate congestion and to try to spread the population out to the other cities by finally making other Market Wards viable.

It’s too early to tell whether or not this will be effective. With these changes alone, it’ll be hard for players to move away from Ul’dah, as that place has become more of a makeshift central hub for forming parties and getting things done. The details of the changes are listed below.

[dev1360] Addressing Server Slowdown

* The following adjustments, scheduled for patch 1.22, are in development and subject to change.

The measures outlined below will be implemented in patch 1.22 to address server slowdown.

Market Areas

• It will now be possible to purchase items from all three cities via designated NPCs.
• The location of the item search feature will be changed.
• “Market Guide” NPCs will be added.

  Click here for more details on these, and other, market area improvements.

Inns

• The entrance to the Ul’dah Inn will be relocated to the Gold Court in the Ul’dah Merchant Strip (X:6, Y:5).

  Please note that until these measures are implemented, the current restrictions on entering the Ul’dah Inn will remain in effect.

Source: The Lodestone

Calaera is hosting today and Yelta returns to host with us. And we have a very special announcement regarding Yelta at the start of the podcast, so don’t skip ahead too quickly!

NEWS:

Quite a few worlds are full and as a result, character creation is no longer possible on those worlds. We also run through the newest news about what’s coming up in Patch 1.22, the new Armorie feature and Materia Reform.

THIS WEEK IN LORE:

Hatching-tide: Shell-Shocked
Giant turtles run rampant in the conclusion to the Hatching-Tide event. Well at least it would’ve been nice to see that.

RANDOM ROUNDTABLE:

Gear Swapping: Love It or Hate it?
Huge debate on the forums about whether or not gear swapping is needed in the game again. Is gear swapping a helpful mechanic and engaging mechanic that will add more depth to the game? Or is it just annoying?

Content Finder
Is a Content Finder/Dungeon Finder feature the destroyer of worlds? Or just a nice, happy-go-lucky, helpful way to get things done?

DEV TRACKING:

• No plans to allow the new materia to be purchased using guild marks
• Teleportation – Minor Suggestion
• Multiple linkshells suggestion

We have forums now! So if you’d like to sign up and check them out, you’re more than welcome to do so. At the moment, we’re still trying to set things up and make everything pretty, so there’s not a link on the front page, yet. But we plan to have things looking nice by May. We also have a Google+ page. Be sure to go there and add us to your circles! As always, if you want to contact us, you can email us at podcast@zantetsuken.net.

Producer/Director of Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida, just couldn’t help himself today and spilled the beans with a few tidbits about the upcoming version 2.0 of FFXIV, slated to be released some time in the 4th quarter of this year. Much of it has to do with the when and how they will release more information about the update, with a focus on E3 and beyond. There is even a bit of a troll with some easily decipherable fill-in-the-blank hints.

Producer/Director Yoshida here,
Thanks for everyone’s comment regarding 2.0!

I was originally planning to keep quiet for a little longer until we were ready to release some solid information regarding 2.0, but I have changed my mind. Let me take a moment to release some initial bits of information on the forums (Going to add a link and comment in the next producer letter as well)

As you may all know, you often found the community reps responding with “In 2.0″, or “It will come post 2.0″, or “It will come with the release of 2.0″

To clarify, all of these questions/answers go through my approval before it is released to the public. If a certain topic fits one of the criteria listed below, the reps will respond with “it will be implemented” or “it will be fixed.”

• Content that has already implemented in 2.0′s server/client
• Content that has their specifications finalized and currently being implemented
• Content that has their specifications finalized and planned to be implemented
• Content that is planned to be implemented in updates after the launch of 2.0

We are currently working on the promotional site for 2.0 to prepare for this year’s E3 that will take place on June 5th. Additionally, we are in the final stages of a new video that we have been working on. Everything around me is pretty hectic with tasks related either 2.0 or the Seventh Umbral Era.

We will also be starting a new promotion at the end of the month so please look forward to that as well.

After E3, we will be releasing new information in stages. Please be advised that the promotion will also target new players who have never seen or played FFXIV so it will include content you may all be already familiar with. Don’t worry; I’m planning to include new content for the existing players too. Stay tuned!

There are a lot of features we haven’t talked about yet as well:

• In 2.0’s Character Creation, you can change female character’s bust _____
• You can change the length of a Miqo’te’s ___
• Each race will start with its own starting gear
• Letters and Deliveries will be delivered by the familiar ________
• Benchmark program is being remade for 2.0
• When you first play 2.0, the 2D world map is covered and you will have to actually travel to that part of the map to unlock it
• New characters and primals will be added to the main scenario

I should stop here. If I say any more, I’m going to give Morbol and Kato a heart attack (or they might just kill me). Either way, we will be releasing movies with lots of in-game footage, so for now stay tuned and enjoy the fight against the threat of the Seventh Umbral Era.

Oh, and Dalamud looks even more insane in patch 1.22

By “…the length of a Miqo’te’s ___”, we’re guessing he means tail. And it’s pretty obvious what he means by “…you can change female character’s bust _____”. Could “Letters and Deliveries will be delivered by the familiar ________” be referring to moogles?

The reference to new characters and Primals added to the main scenario makes it seem all but certain that there will be major storyline changes in the works. Well, aside from the fact that there is a giant red moon crashing into Eorzea as we speak. There is also the promise of in-game footage to be released soon, which is something that everyone is definitely looking forward to.

We’ll keep you updated when that happens, so stay tuned in to Zantetsuken! Also, leave a comment and let us know what you think about Yoshida’s plans thus far!

Source: The Lodestone

Primal Garuda is well on it’s way to becoming the next big battle where players are hoping to find a unique and rewarding challenge in Final Fantasy XIV. Slated to appear in the upcoming Patch 1.22, the devs are wasting no time in trying to build up hype for the uencounter. They’ve put together a contest where you can take a stab at guessing just how long Garuda’s going to last before some particularly ambitious linkshell takes her down.

The contests lasts from today, April 13 until April 23 at 1:00 PDT/8:00 GMT. All you have to do to enter is reply to this thread with your guesstimate as to how long it will take for Garuda to be defeated. Prizes include:

For guessing the exact time of her defeat down to the minute:

• Your choice of one Garuda weapon
• Scarf of Wondrous Wit
• Five Vortex Headdresses* (item name pending)

The 20 closest guesses to the actual clear time will get to receive:

• Scarf of Wondrous Wit
• Five Vortex Headdresses* (item name pending)

The Five Votex Headdresses are meant to be items that you can exchange for a Garuda weapon of your choice, similar to Inferno Totems and Kupo Nut Charms, while there is no indication of what exactly the Scarf of Wondrous Wit is. We’re hoping it’s something fashionable.

So far, Ifrit holds the record at 74 hours 58 minutes and 33 seconds, while Good King Moggle Mog was literally destroyed in just over 6 hours, according to the promo video they’ve put out today. Will Garuda outlast her predecessors? The dev team is clearly banking on this, as the lead developer has already stated that “…Garuda is going to be quite a bit stronger than Ifrit and Good King Moggle Mog XII!” The video also comes with quite a few glances of the approaching Primal, although nothing that lets you get a good, clear view of exactly what she’s going to be like. But it’s a great teaser for what is hopefully going to be a great battle. The contest thread has gotten a huge response so far, as expected, so don’t waste any time in getting your entry in. Check out the thread for more details and a complete list of the contest rules. Meanwhile, you can get a gander at the promo video for the contest below.

If that’s not enough Garuda for you, here’s some concept art released during the announcement of version 2.0:

• 

  Garuda, the Primal

• 

  Garuda Weapons

* The following adjustments, scheduled for patch 1.22, are in development and subject to change.

Patch 1.22 will usher in a wide range of reforms to materia:

• The following materia varieties will be added:
  

  Name	Effect	Body Part
  Swiftwall Materia	Block Rate +	Hands
  Sound of Suffering Materia	Enfeebling Magic Potency +	Hands
  Sanguinary Might Materia	Critical Attack Power + HP +	Waist
  Stellar Might Materia	Magic Critical Potency + MP +	Waist
  Sound of Serenity Materia	Healing Magic Potency + MP +	Feet
  Savage Aim Materia	Critical Rate +	Legs
  Evenflow Materia	Store TP + Accuracy +	Hands
  Sound of Certainty Materia	Enhancement Magic Potency +	Head

• The bonus attributes granted by the following materia will be adjusted:
  

  Name	Before	→	After
  Touch of Rage Materia I	Enmity: +1 — 2	→	Enmity: +1 — 10
  Touch of Rage Materia II	Enmity: +3 — 4	→	Enmity: +11 — 15
  Touch of Rage Materia III	Enmity: +5 — 8	→	Enmity: +16 — 20
  Touch of Rage Materia IV	Enmity: +9 — 12	→	Enmity: +21 — 25
  Touch of Serenity Materia I	Enmity: -1	→	Enmity: -1 — 4
  Touch of Serenity Materia II	Enmity: -2 — 3	→	Enmity: -5 — 8
  Touch of Serenity Materia III	Enmity: -3 — 4	→	Enmity: -9 — 12
  Touch of Serenity Materia IV	Enmity: -5 — 8	→	Enmity: -13 — 16

  * The attributes of materia already existing in-game will automatically change to reflect the above following release of patch 1.22.

• The following unique/untradable items will be made convertible into materia:
  

  Claret Coif / Claret Breeches / Helm of the Lone Knight / Mitts of the Lone Knight / Verdant Hora / Astaroth Cane / Canopus Bill / Canopus Shield / Templar’s Falchion / Verdant Shortbow / Canopus Guisarme / Verdant Scepter / Alpine War Jacket / Warlock’s Buckler / Solid Scale Mail / Revolutionary’s Bliaud / Bladedancer’s Jackboots / Warlock’s Pattens / Ifrit’s Claws / Ifrit’s Blade / Ifrit’s Battleaxe / Ifrit’s Harpoon / Ifrit’s Bow / Ifrit’s Cane / Ifrit’s Cudgel / Murderous Mogfists / Morbid Mogblade / Malignant Mogaxe / Melancholy Mogfork / Mischievous Mogbow / Malevolent Mogwand / Maleficent Mogstaff / Torturer’s Monocle / Torturer’s Duckbills / Warden’s Barbut / Warden’s Gauntlets / Brigand’s Acton / Brigand’s Gloves / Poacher’s Hat / Poacher’s Tunic / Ascetic’s Halfrobe / Ascetic’s Tights / Warden’s Dagger / Charred Axe / Tidesplitter / Joukil’s Guile / Unbreakable Knuckles / Tenfinger Tallstaff / Heart of House d’Arlendre / Waning Sun Pelta

• Players will be able to request others to meld materia on their behalf in the same manner as seeking repairs. Upon selecting either a piece of gear or materia in the inventory interface, you will be presented with the “Materia Request“ option. Making the request incurs a fee commensurate with the required level of the item to which materia will be melded, payable in gil to the player who accepts the request.

  * In addition to the abovementioned fee, players must also provide a suitable catalyst.
  * This method allows only the melding of the first piece of materia to any given item.

High above the Twelveswood, the raven circles, evermore seeking out truth hidden amongst the shadows of the trees. In today’s edition, field correspondent Oliver Goodfellow reports on the rousing conclusion of that quirky new tradition called Hatching-tide.

The Best Laid Plans

This year’s Hatching-tide festival has come to a close in fine fashion, with citizens and adventurers alike having done their part to recover the decorated eggs from the thieving spriggans. Although it would seem that everything unfolded according to script, upon speaking with event organizers, The Raven learned that something came to pass that exceeded the bounds of improvisation.

In preparation for the event, Jihli Aliapoh and her fellow Dreamers had ordered a large shipment of dodo eggs from the Near Eastern city-state of Radz-at-Han. According to the merchant charged with fulfilling the delivery, however, mixed amongst the eggs were ones that resembled those of no cloudkin he knew. In the course of the festivities, word spread of these unusual specimens, and those folk fortunate enough to come into possession of one went to great pains to see it safely stored. Alas, it was to no avail, for when dawn arrived on the final day of Hatching-tide, naught were left of these eggs but broken shells.

Visitors in a Half Shell

So what, precisely, is the true nature of the enigmatic eggs? In seeking to shed light upon the mystery, this reporter tracked down an individual who claims first-hand knowledge of the truth. It is with pleasure that I now present his eyewitness account to you, our dear readers.

Our interviewee is a member of the Wood Wailers, who was on patrol the night before the incident. Upon being relieved of his shift, the man returned to the barracks, where he enjoyed a quiet moment gazing up at the starry night sky while taking swigs of mead. He believes he dozed off at some point, for when next he was aware, the skyline had taken on the gray hue of early morn. It was at that moment that his eyes were treated to a radical sight: a long train of baby turtles waddling amidst the morning mist.

As any forestborn will know, turtles are not native to the Twelveswood. And so it was all the Wailer could do to cry “Turtles!” before staring, shell-shocked, as the little critters continued their leisurely parade, taking their leave of Gridania by way of Black Tree Brook. Regaining his composure, our eyewitness sought out his fellow Wailers, whereupon he recounted to them what he had just beheld. Being rather disheveled from a night out in the open and with drink still heavy upon his breath, however, he made for an unconvincing sight to his comrades, who disregarded the tale as the ramblings of a drunkard. It was not long thereafter that I caught wind of the man and approached him with my questions.

The issue of eyewitness credibility aside, one thing is beyond doubt: Thavnair, the island upon which Radz-at-Han is situated, is indeed home to such turtles as were described. We at The Raven shall leave it to our informed readers to decide for themselves whether the account can be given credence.

Oliver Goodfellow

We covered a few things we missed during episode 16 by doing a new thing we’re calling the After Show. If you don’t know about our After Shows, they aren’t full episodes. They’re just intended to cover the things we missed in a more loose and informal way (if that’s even possible). So be sure you listen to episode 16 first, the actual show, before you listen to this one. After Shows will usually be available on iTunes a few days later than the normal shows, unless there is something pressing.

In this After Show, we talk about PLD vs WAR some more and cover some Dev Tracking we missed.

LISTEN TO SBXIV 16.5 – AFTER SHOW

* The following feature, scheduled for patch 1.22, is in development and subject to change.

• Patch 1.22 will introduce armoires—storage cabinets that can be used to store untradable gear and other similar items. Armoires will be placed in the inns rooms of each city-state, and players will be able to store and reclaim their prized possessions at their leisure. The following kinds of items will be made storable:
  • Job-exclusive gear
  • Seasonal event gear
  • Achievement reward gear
  • Bonus items (Garlond goggles, onion helm, Asuran armguards, Hermes’ shoes)
    * There are certain exceptions.

  While armoires will be free to use, the following conditions apply:

  • Item condition must be 100%
  • Only one of a particular item can be stored.
  • Storing an item resets its spiritbond.

  Armoires are shared across all three city-states; items stored at one location can be reclaimed at another.

  

I have a bit of time (ten minutes, really), and I am going to try to type out as much as I can to cover something I am asked every once in awhile by former players or players who have never touched the game with a yard stick: Is it worth playing FFXIV right now?

The answer to that question is complex, because ultimately the answer is up to the player themselves. What I can and will do is to provide a guideline as to what the pros are of returning now and why you might want to come back, reconsider, hold off, or find an altogether different game. Again, I am typing this with a ten minute limit so I might exclude some things or my wording might be off. Feel free to leave questions and I will address them as soon as I can.

Pros

1. You can experience content before it goes extinct with the arrival of version 2.0. I can’t remember off the top of my head if this includes two particular Primal battles, but if it does then you might want to get on if you are interested in those particular fights or weapons.

2. Leveling is VERY fast right now. Yoshi-P has mentioned that the rate of leveling will be culled back upon the arrival of 2.0. At the moment there are people who are wearing achievement crowns (actual equipment pieces) for completing level 50 on both Disciple of War and Magic classes. You can use a PL’er but its NOT that necessary unless you are struggling with finding a full party of 8. Find that full party and you can seriously go to town with the rate of exp you will be raking in.

3. See what the game looks like before its huge graphical overhaul. Again, it goes hand in hand with #1 and 2.0.

4. There have been GREAT patches coming out. Traditional jobs have been implemented and add a lot more variety and interesting play to the current system. Classes are by no means obsolete and it is up to the player to decide if the use of a job or class will best suit their needs in their solo, light, or full party make up. Two more patches are also being released that will include more content, wide scale PvE called Hamlet Defense, and then the tweaking of previously mentioned jobs.

5. It is CHEAP. Just get a six month subscription and you’ll be paying for the equivalent of a DS/PSP/3DS/Vita game!

Cons

1. The client is still buggy as hell. Be prepared to test your patience.

2. There is still no mailbox or “real” AH. There is a makeshift one, but it still might drive people crazy with the archaic way of having to put things on sale.

3. 2.0 client is coming in six to seven months. You’ll get a preview of it at E3, but before then we have no idea what the client looks like or anything! We have hints here and there, but that’s all we have.

4. There might not be a lot for the super hardcore to sink their teeth into. There is content, but the breadth isn’t as wide as some other games out there. Sure they have been out there longer, but its something to take note of when considering what you want to do. Though most likely getting the Ifrit and Moogle weapons for ALL classes is something many strive to achieve for before they are potentially gone (again, I am not 100% certain).

And there you have it. My quick and nitty guide to the pros and cons of returning. If you do return, hit me up on Gungnir. I don’t play often (curse you studying and work!), but I do try to lend a helping hand when I can if you just give me a poke on Skype or twitter. :)

There is no secret that sometimes I am frustrated with FFXIV. Often my frustrations are directed at the player-base, once in awhile the dev team, and then there is the wait for 2.0 to arrive. Though it is about 6 months (give or take) before the 2.0 client lands, I sometimes feel as though I am going to hyperventilate with anticipation of what the client will bring. Unlike another well known MMO, there is currently no idea of what the client looks like, plays like, or if anyone outside of the Square Enix offices is beta testing it. All we know is that it simply EXISTS and in some ways that is scarier than remembering how Final Fantasy XIV originally launched over a year ago.

In no particular order, here is what I am hoping the promise of 2.0 brings:

1.) A less buggy and more responsive client.
There are instances when I am literally sitting on the edge of my seat: when the system takes too long to recognize something in intense situations, spells and/or abilities not executing properly, easily cancelled skills from moving when I hadn’t intended to move, and when I need to quickly get an item and the client doesn’t want to detect that I am indeed standing in front of the invisible wall to buy items from inside the Market Wards.

2.) Better music.
I talked about this on the latest Sequence Break XIV episode – Black Mages Don’t Wear Pants, and they did promise a mish-mash of new and old music and even music to distinguish day and night. Awesome! But I am still holding my breath that people such Naoshi Mizuta, Masashi Hamauzu, Hitoshi Sakimoto, or even Yoko Shimomura from Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve, and *gasp* Super Mario RPG! The first three genetlemen have worked on previous Final Fantasy titles, and Shimomura is rumored to be working on music for Versus. Don’t get me wrong, Uematsu is great! I love the guy! But there are also FANTASTIC composers that work at Square Enix that don’t get as much recognition as he does and do just as a good a job.

3.) More content (quests, missions, HNMs, instances, etc).
I don’t think this needs much explanation. It IS being added with each patch, but I am hoping we can see a greater increase of this and not just the cleanup of the client we currently have.

4.) Linkshell Administration
I am not making it a secret that I wanted to get rid of someone from my LS to the point of first creating a bounty on his head to have him kicked and then dissolving the LS when the first plan didn’t work out (thankfully we are small enough for this to work out just fine). The thing is… I don’t think I should have to wait for: a.) the person to be online or b.) to be standing directly next to him in order to boot him. In most cases, yes, the leader should be able to talk to the member before booting them. But then you have some vermin who just won’t go or will fight being booted out no matter what. LS Leaders need to have the option to boot people like this and save themselves the headache of having to hunt people down who no longer deserve to be in their LS.

5.) More epic fights.
I know this ties in with #3, but it also deserves its own spot. Because I miss having fights that are a real struggle against and that need more than a bunch of archers, black mages, or what have you thrown at it. Plus, being able to team up with others in greater numbers also has its place and is rather fun at times, too. Yes, I am fond of and am a huge supporter of smaller parties but I also like banding together as an alliance to get things done. Something about that is just satisfying, since it is often many people working together as a team to get something incredible done.

There is probably more, but there is one thing I am hoping won’t change:

The Graphics

Yeah, let me take a moment to duck and hide from the stones being cast. I understand that the graphics, as beautiful as they are, is also a huge part of the problem for people wanting to play the game. They simply cannot play the game because the system specs are too high for their PC to be able to handle, and some will have to drastically reduce their graphics to Commodore 64 levels in order to play. For those of us who are able to handle the game in all (or most of) its glory: the game looks simply breathtakingly awesome. I find that the way my Lalafell looks is so beautiful compared to graphics in most Western MMOs out there. Part of it has to do with the different sets of styles for Eastern and Western studios, but the intricacies of my armor, the environment, and the general look and feel of my character is something I love dearly. I sat for FIVE MINUTES just noticing all the intricate detailing of my WHM AF. Its kinda insane how much work they put in that!

At the end of the day, however, I am still very excited for the arrival of 2.0. It honestly can’t come soon enough…

Orophen is hosting today, and Yelta joins us again for another episode. It’s another slow FFXIV news week, but we do the best we can with what we have and still manage to have a little fun doing it.

NEWS:
Culinary Creation Contest Winners!

THIS WEEK IN LORE:
Grand Companies of Eorzea Page Updated: Dalamud Nigh

RUNNING DARKHOLD:

We talk tactics and techniques about one of the older dungeons, Dzemael Darkhold.

RANDOM ROUNDTABLE:

Should We Remove Classes and Just Have Jobs?
Are classes and jobs redundant? Should the dev team simply have enhanced classes so that they are similar to what we have with jobs today? We discuss this issue during the Random Roundtable.

DEV TRACKING:

• Instanced Raid Congestion

We have forums now! So if you’d like to sign up and check them out, you’re more than welcome to do so. At the moment, we’re still trying to set things up and make everything pretty, so there’s not a link on the front page, yet. But we plan to have things looking nice by May. Also, don’t forget to check out another work in progress, Calaera’s new site, Unimaginative.me. As always, if you want to contact us, you can email us at podcast@zantetsuken.net.

We had to do an After Show to cover the topics for the week that we didn’t get to with this episode! You can check it out here.

Frei is hosting today while Orophen takes a bit of a break. Calaera and Yelta are still around to make things exciting though!

THE BIG STORY:
Letter from the Producer XXVI

Yoshida graces us with another Letter From the Producer, with a preview of what we can expect for the next patch update. We go over the details.

ANOTHER BIG STORY:
Patch 1.21a

Patch 1.21a arrived with some new features, bug fixes, and recipe changes. PLD gets an update also. Orophen isn’t here to give his take on it, but we go over the particulars.

OTHER NEWS:

The world merger has completed, but there’s a bit of snag. Mostly to the tune of unsubscribed characters not being carried over until later. Ul’dah’s inns are broken again. And the new Hatching-Tide event is in full swing.

DEV TRACKING:

• Update on future UI changes
• Some words about the future direction of FFXIV’s music
• Players ask devs to release a 16 person 4 hour long dungeon

We’d also like the thank KingofCosmos from the FFXIV subreddit for mentioning our podcast there! We appreciate the support! Also, be sure to check out a great Youtube channel from a guy by the name of Kurokikaze01. He has quite a bit of detailed and informative videos about the game, patch updates, and more. You can find it here.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, you can reach us at podcast@zantetsuken.net! We’d love to read your emails on the air, so don’t be bashful! For those of you interested in our Google+ page, you can follow us here!

Event

• [dev1345] Players can now redistribute attribute points. To do so, speak with the guild NPC in charge of exchanging guild marks while in possession of a copy of the Keeper’s Hymn. You will be given the option to undo point allotment for your current class in exchange for the item.

Battle

• [dev1346] Action icons on the action bar will now blink if activation conditions are fulfilled for the following actions:
  

  Haymaker / War Drum / Phalanx / Fracture / Overpower / Feint / Full Thrust

  

  * Based on this change, action icons for combo fulfillment now also blink.

• [dev1352] Changes have been made to the following actions:
  

  Job	Action	Change
  Paladin	Cover	- Recast time reduced from 180 to 60 seconds. - Effect duration reduced from 20 to 15 seconds.
  	Divine Veil	- Recast time reduced from 120 to 60 seconds. - Effect duration reduced from 30 to 20 seconds. - Blocks all physical attacks from the front. - Healing over time effect granted by Cure and Cura now stacks with the white magic spell Regen. * Healing efficacy reduced in exchange for longer effect duration.
  	Spirits Within	- Recast time reduced from 120 to 60 seconds. - Revised effect: Delivers a high-accuracy melee attack at close range. Increased damage with greater current HP. Combo Action: Phalanx Combo Bonus: Increased enmity.

• [dev1353] The following notorious monsters no longer drop dated items.
  

  Prince of Pestilence / Cactuar Jack / Phaia / Unknown Soldier / Spitfire / Kokoroon Quickfingers / Old Six-arms

Item

• [dev1347] Materia that feature the same bonus stats are now stackable.
  

  Ex.)
  Stackable: Heavens’ Fist Materia (Attack Power: +30) and Heavens’ Fist Materia (Attack Power: +30)
  Unstackable: Heavens’ Fist Materia (Attack Power: +30) and Heavens’ Fist Materia (Attack Power: +28)

  

  * Materia put up for sale at a retainer bazaar prior to patch 1.21a cannot be purchased directly via Item Search. Players must take down the item once and put it up for sale once more.

• [dev1348] Untradable items can no longer be sold to NPCs. Such items will be grayed out alongside currently equipped gear in the inventory interface.
  
• [dev1354] The number of shards required for the following recipes have been changed:
  

  Item	Before		After
  Sheepskin Wristbands	3 Earth Shards 3 Wind Shards	→	2 Earth Shards 1 Wind Shard
  Dodoskin Wristbands	4 Earth Shards 4 Wind Shards	→	3 Earth Shards 3 Wind Shards
  Leather Wristbands	5 Earth Shards 5 Wind Shards	→	4 Earth Shards 4 Wind Shards
  Boarskin Wristbands	6 Earth Shards 6 Wind Shards	→	5 Earth Shards 5 Wind Shards
  Raptorskin Wristbands	1 Earth Shards 2 Wind Shards	→	6 Earth Shards 6 Wind Shards
  Sheepskin Choker	3 Earth Shards 2 Wind Shards	→	1 Earth Shards 2 Wind Shards
  Dodoskin Choker	4 Earth Shards 3 Wind Shards	→	3 Earth Shards 2 Wind Shards
  Leather Choker	5 Earth Shards 5 Wind Shards	→	4 Earth Shards 3 Wind Shards
  Boarskin Choker	6 Earth Shards 6 Wind Shards	→	5 Earth Shards 5 Wind Shards
  Raptorskin Choker	6 Earth Shards 5 Wind Shards	→	6 Earth Shards 6 Wind Shards

• [dev1355] The merchandise offered by the Ul’dah Merchant Strip NPC W’nhalki (6,6) has been updated as follows:
  

  Before		After
  Dated Copper Earrings	→	Copper Earrings
  Dated Brass Earrings	→	Brass Earrings
  Dated Copper Choker	→	Copper Choker
  Dated Brass Choker	→	Brass Choker
  Dated Copper Ring	→	Copper Ring
  Dated Brass Ring	→	Brass Ring
  Dated Copper Wristlets	→	Copper Wristlets
  Dated Brass Wristlets	→	Brass Wristlets

System

• [dev1348] The specifications for discarding untradable items have changed. Players are now required to check a box before they are able to click the confirm button.
  
• [dev1356] Players will no longer target KO’d enemies when subtargeting is toggled off.
• [dev1349] After viewing a cutscene via The Unending Journey in a private room, players will now be returned to the cutscene selection interface.
• [dev1350] The /countdown(count) text command has been added, which can be used to aid in timing screenshots.Executing the command initiates a countdown in seconds, starting at the designated value (up to 20 seconds). Countdown length is 5 seconds when no value is specified. Numbers will pop up above your character as the countdown progresses, and the word “Go!” will appear when it falls to zero.
  * Executing the command while another countdown is already in progress restarts the countdown.
  * Countdowns are visible to other players. However, the words and numbers displayed will not appear in screenshots.

  Ex.) /countdown 3
  Initiates a three-second countdown.

  
• [dev1351] When using a placeholder to specify a character in chat, it will automatically be handled as an Auto-translation Dictionary term.

Fixed Bugs

• The following bugs have been fixed:
  • An issue wherein the text command /snowball could be used.
  • An issue wherein recommended level was incorrectly shown when players are asked to deliver beeswax in the local levequest “Exports of Import.”
  • An issue wherein using a flask of blinding potion on an enemy caused its accuracy to increase.
  • An issue wherein the reward message for guildleves and behests did not appear at the correct time.
  • An issue wherein players were able to inflict status ailments upon certain enemies even though they are immune.
  • An issue within the Aurum Vale and Cutter’s Cry wherein obtaining items from a treasure chest did not extend loot possession time.
  • An issue within the Aurum Vale and Cutter’s Cry wherein players could not obtain items from treasure chests when their loot list is full.
  • An issue wherein players could move immediately after performing the lancer action Doom Spike.
  • An issue wherein the casting gauge would disappear if players cast several spells in succession.
  • An issue wherein the recast timer for actions was not functioning as intended.
    * On rare occasions, recast time may still appear to be a few seconds longer than in actuality. This issue will be addressed in the near future.
  • An issue wherein attempting to board Chocobo or Goobbue after canceling the spellcasting may terminate the game client.
  • An issue wherein using /sit emote and canceling the spellcasting at the same time may terminate the game client.
  • An issue wherein under “The Unending Journey,” the title of the cutscenes from certain quests were being incorrect.
  • An issue wherein the game graphics may be displayed improperly by equipping Temple Circlet.
  • An issue wherein while attempting to receive the achievement reward, the name of the achievement may be displayed incorrectly in the log window.
  • An issue wherein certain icons within the achievement were being incorrect.
  • An issue wherein the help message of certain actions were being incorrect.

Hello again, all you FFXIVers out there! It’s my pleasure today to deliver to you the twenty-sixth Letter from the Producer.

Patch 1.21 has finally gone live, and the World Merge is just around the corner. Things are still hectic here on the development team, but seeing how much everyone is enjoying the new content—the jobs chief among them—we’re pressing on towards the coming patches in high spirits.

I was rather finicky when it came to the job quests, and must confess to having put all the people involved to work like a slave-driver (credit to the scenario people, lead by Yaeko Sato, and the quest implementation, cutscene, and SFX teams for rising to the occasion). What’s more, till now I’ve refrained from meddling directly with work on the floor, but this time I couldn’t resist the urge and ended up contributing in-game text. I wonder if players can tell which job quests have my hand in them. 

I’m personally a big fan of the Professor Erik and Widargelt duo in the monk quests, and am also fond of Jehantel of bard quest fame. The latter includes a flashback scene which shows Jehantel the Godsbow as he was in his prime. Though he appears for only the briefest of moments, the scene was a labor of love by all those in charge, and I highly recommend you watch it again by perusing The Unending Journey found in every inn room. 

On the subject of quests, the eccentric detective and his assistant deserve a mention. The people in charge of these two characters are simply ecstatic at the positive fan reception. As a matter of fact, they were in my office just now expressing their excitement. It may be some time after patch 1.22, but rest assured the investigative duo will appear again and embroil themselves in all sorts of incidents. I hope you all look forward to it!

Now then, as I mentioned earlier, work on 1.21a and 1.22 proceeds even as I write. Below is a list of updates scheduled for the latter.

Quests

New Content

Guildleves

Behest

Company System

Enemies and Non-Instanced Areas

Battle System

Items, Synthesis, and Gathering

User Interface (UI)

The Lodestone

Patch 1.22 will see the threat of the Seventh Umbral Era grow ever more apparent. A new primal, Garuda, will descend to offer players the fight of their lives, while swarms of monsters will fall upon hamlets with a vengeance. You’ll also want to keep an eye on the developments between adventurers and entities like the Grand Companies and the Garlean Empire.

Hamlet defense, postponed from 1.21, appears in today’s list. Replenishing supplies in order to expand and fortify hamlets will form part of the content, which can be enjoyed not only by battle classes, but crafters and gatherers as well. We believe that it will be worth the wait!

As for the all-important release date for 1.22, we’re aiming to have it go live at the end of April, ahead of the holiday period in Japan known as Golden Week. The whole team is running full tilt to meet this objective.

Now, I’d like to make an extra mention regarding the job-exclusive weapons listed among the updates. As you can see, there’s a chance that it’ll take until patch 1.22a or later. We’re in the middle of finalizing cost estimation, and so dates are still up in the air. I’ll be sure to keep you in the know on our progress in coming letters.

And that’s about it for now. See you next time and/or on the forums! 

NEWS

Culinary Creation Contest
Can you cook? Can you pretend you can cook? Can you pretend you can cook with pretend ingredients from a fictional world? Then you’ve probably been waiting for this contest. The devs want you to send in a make-believe recipe for their contest and the prize is a virtual item. We don’t even know what’s real anymore.

THIS WEEK IN LORE

Grand Companies of Eorzea Page Updated: Garleans in the Vale
Beware the Goldbile and the Gold Lung. Still no sign of Goldfinger.

RANDOM ROUNDTABLE

A new segment we’re working on (name tentative) where we talk about the hot button topics going on in the FFXIV community. Feel free to write in and let us know what you think.

The Problem with Paladin
There’s a discussion going on about the failings of PLD as a tank. Is it true? We take a look at the discussion in the forums and give our impressions on it.

Powerleveling – Acceptable or Not?
Is powerleveling dragging the game down and making it into something undesirable? Or is it a helpful feature that should not be looked down on?

DEV TRACKING

Information about Free Company primals in 2.0
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/38486?p=600369#post600369

Sequence Break XIV started off as a fun project that myself, Orophen, Frei, and Rubicon wanted to do after three out of four of us had decided to create and work on zantetsuken.net. We enjoyed talking about FFXIV and a lot of other topics regarding Final Fantasy, MMOs, and geek culture in general, and initially brought out the name Go Team Derp! as a nod back to our LS name in FFXI and our subsequent high jinx in that game. We’ve changed and added a few things here and there such as the name change to Sequence Break XIV to separate ourselves from our linkshell, watched as Rubicon went on hiatus, added Yelta to temp for us (and hopefully coerce her to stay longer), and even add the occasional Aetheryte Camp and the tentatively named Random Round Table Discussion.

However, one thing that will not change is the fact that we do this for fun. I know that I curse excessively and that comments have been made on different mediums about this. My response to these people is that I am sorry; not for cursing but for not putting up a clearer warning on the website that our show is EXPLICIT. If you download our episodes via iTunes, the warning is stated clearly that the show is explicit but not so much on the website or on the actual podcast. We may put a warning on the podcast itself to further clarify this, but the excessive cursing will not go away. In fact, when I read comments such as, “There is cursing every 5 seconds”, then it only makes me want to curse THAT much more to be spiteful. Crazy? Childish? Maybe I am, and maybe I do curse to curse for the sake of cursing. Honestly, in my head, I don’t see it that way, and see it more as, “I’m trying to put emphasis on how this affects me and will color it with the most colorful language I can think of when I am speaking.” Hence the spew of curse words.

You might be sitting there and thinking, “But, Calaera, you are so articulate when you write! Why can’t you be that way when you speak!?” I don’t know. The bottom line is: if you do not like the excessive cursing, the lewd remarks, or OUR ranting and raving on particular subjects: feel free to listen to another podcast. It is that simple. Some people hate the excessive cursing and that is fine. I’m ok with that. But to consistently bemoan the fact that there is excessive amounts of cursing or rejoice when there isn’t excessive cursing seems silly to me. After Easter, I may or may not curse as much as before: I am not making promises. If you don’t like that idea, feel free to stop listening. My feelings won’t be hurt, and neither will that of the other hosts if you do. There are currently three other fantastic podcasts on iTunes that are actively pumping out episodes, and even if you are a fan of us- give them a listen and a fair shot. Or if you feel like you want to contribute to the FFXIV podcast community (or the FFXIV community in general) and feel you can give up some free time to do so: I highly encourage people to create their own podcast. Grab a friend or two and sit down and work things out together to create something fun and entertaining that you feel you can be proud of. Creating a podcast, to me, isn’t about internet popularity. It is about having fun and being content with what you create.

Now for the changes:

1. We are in desperate need of a new opening/closing theme to not just fit the title but to also make sure that we don’t get into legal troubles down the line. If you can help us out or point to someone that can help us out, that would be great. One of the hosts is trying to work something out, but it wouldn’t hurt to have options.

2. We noticed a lot of talk about guest hosting and people wanting to guest host. This isn’t being ignored, but I am trying to figure out the best way to get this rolling.We may be able to have something going once we get a section squared away for the podcast itself. Stay tuned?

3. We have a new idea in the works to create supplemental episodes for episodes we wish to expand upon. They are not “full” episodes and will be very basic. It may have all the hosts, a few of the hosts, or maybe just a host. The idea is to be able to expand on what we weren’t able to flesh out on the full episode or go back and add things we weren’t able to touch on. They also won’t always be there even if you feel like it should be. The idea of the supplemental episodes is for any host of SBXIV to go out of their way to record outside our pre-set schedule date. We each have very busy lives and may not always get to creating a supplemental episode, but if we see the need for it and have the time to do it: you can be sure that we will create one and post it on twitter letting you know one is available.

4. Donations/Kickstarter for podcasting equipment. We don’t know if we’ll do it. We would like to, but we’ve kinda just held off on it. Good idea? Bad idea? Let us know.

And, I think that is it. I sincerely thank the people that left generous ratings and reviews on iTunes. You guys seriously rock, and it is a joy creating something out of fun and that becomes well received by the people tuning in. I also want to thank the other hosts: Frei for being more aware of the industry than the rest of us, having solid experience in a variety of MMOs that some of us have never touched with a yard stick, editing the podcast, and being the more calm and rational voice out of the sea of insanity. Rubicon for being intelligent, engaging, and daring to make light of a yelling argument between myself and Orophen. Orophen for putting HOURS of intense work on zantetsuken.net, creating the banners for our website, editing the podcast, being a dork, and trying to flesh out topics even though I am wanting to bounce all over the walls. Also, to Yelta, our intern host: for filling in the spot for Rubicon for the month of March, become willing to cast aside her shyness to speak to a host of crazy people and listeners, and for expanding on ideas that even I couldn’t fully realize myself until she said something (THE WOMAN CAN READ MINDS!!). And finally, because I can’t thank you guys enough, thank you to the listeners and fans of Sequence Break XIV. We never could have imagined more than 1 other listener tuning in, but we’re pleasantly surprised to find a treasure trove of more and really thought provoking people. We’ve exchanged emails with some, talked with some on the website, and in-game and you guys are a wonderful delight to be engaged with. Thank you!

Calaera’s hosting this week, using her destructive powers for good instead of evil.

The Big Story:

FFXIV Player’s Poll the Third starts off the episode, and we take a look at the questions the devs gave us and try to get a handle on what we have to look forward to for 2.0.

Other News:

Update on 2.0 Client, Yoshida posts on the NA forums and causes a stampede, and this time FFXIV is doing it for the ladies.