The Mog Log: Patch 2.2 and beyond for Final Fantasy XIV

Supposedly, we're still on track to see patch 2.2 in March. Assuming later March, that would mean we're still on a roughly four-month schedule for updates to Final Fantasy XIV, which feels just a bit slow... especially since what we know right now about patch 2.2 is just a bit thin compared to what we knew about 2.1 at the equivalent point in time.

Admittedly, I'm biased. New turns of Coil? Not really my jam. (Being able to stomp the old ones will be kind of nice, though.) Still, in some ways this update currently feels smaller than its predecessor, even though I'm pretty sure it isn't. We've got a lot of stuff incoming, but between a deluge of in-game events and the PlayStation 4 beta test, less attention has been paid to the update.

So let's shine some light on it. Yes, there's going to be some speculation, but let's start looking at what patch 2.2 is going to mean and what we'll be getting.

More Coil

As mentioned, Coil is not really my thing, but it's good for those who want it. At this point players have been hitting the same parts of Coil for six months; the people who can clear this at totally appropriate challenge levels have done so. So four more turns are coming in, the old turns are being nerfed and stripped of their resets, and item level 90 has never looked so attainable.

Speculation and concept art seems to lend weight to the idea that the new turns will have the usual non-AF set splits: tanking, casting, healing, Dragoon, Monk, Bard. I suspect we'll see item level 110 dropping from these turns; that gives both a substantial increase over the current cap while allowing space for the next stage of the Crystal Tower and keeping turns 1-5 at least somewhat relevant. One wonders if we might not see weapons in this particular runthrough; I suspect not, simply because Leviathan Extreme will be out. More on that below.

More dungeons

Amdapor Township is coming, and it's going to be harder than Pharos Sirius. That could mean several things; I think the community dislike of Pharos has less to do with the numbers and more to do with mechanics, as I stated two weeks ago. The fact is that the Township needs to be tuned higher, since we're going to be walking in with better equipment and more experience. We're also getting two new hard modes: Halatali and Brayflox's Longstop.

We know that AT is going to drop the new tomestones; I suspect that Brayflox and Halatali will do the same, matching the trifecta of the previous patch. I also expect that all will be tuned around the same level and will reward level 65-70 equipment. Yes, Darklight is getting toned down in relevance and worthiness.

More Leviathan

Well, really, any Leviathan is more Leviathan. But I've got a pattern going here with names.

Leviathan is an interesting case to me because the big snake's loot table is going to be very problematic. There aren't many places to go with it. If he's going to be tuned any harder than King Mog, he needs to drop better weapons, but at the same time the next step up from Mog is Titan with his level 80 weapons. So what are the hard mode drops?

There are two options, as I see it. The first is that all of the cosmetic upgrades come from Hard, and the weapons drop from Extreme at iLevel 90-95. The second is that the weapons are actually equivalent to Titan on Hard and Extreme drops even better weapons along with the cosmetic stuff. Extreme could also drop accessories, but that doesn't seem super likely to me.

What the fight will actually entail is still the subject of speculation, although many people have (wisely) guessed that it will play into Leviathan drenching people, since one of the quality-of-life features included in 2.2 is more visible moisture when you get wet. If it's anything like King Mog or Ultima, I am beyond down with it, since both of those fights are an absolute blast without being insanely punishing.

More tomestones

This I have mixed feelings on. I really, really want the first expansion to not feature an enormous item jump a la World of Warcraft; I blame no one for this, but I'd rather have my level 70 characters in level 70 gear barring endgame upgrades and the like. At the same time, this stuff can only go so wide horizontally, and as the endgame keeps expanding, it seems like an inevitability. Plus, I do like getting cute new gear.

Based on concept art, I imagine we'll essentially have Darklight 2 on vendors. I'm also going to guess that the myth cap will be relaxed further, either to 600 a week or removed entirely, and these new tomes will be the bonus reward for roulettes with a hard weekly cap of 300. That ensures that progression into the new tier is still on the slower side while still avoiding the problem at launch of having one dungeon to farm repeatedly; doing a high-level roulette is still rewarding for everyone this way. Locking the new tomes solely behind Coil/Amdapor Township is just asking for (and receiving) trouble.

My biggest question is whether or not we'll be able to upgrade our relics again. I've gone on record as not being a fan of how the relics look; I think they're largely unattractive items except for the screamingly weird Artemis Bow and the functional-if-boring Bravura. Still, I can make the argument both ways about upgrading them. You want a reason for people with relics to get new gear; you also want the relics to feel like an investment. Time will tell.

More beast tribes

Kobolds and Sahagin will get quests, we will get reputation, mounts will be had, yawn and yay. Yawn insofar as I've done this dance, but yay insofar as I really like the lore bits that accompany the tribe quests, and I look forward to learning more. Plus, more dyes and the like. That'll be fun.

Glamour

Oh yes, this is what I like.

What will it involve? No idea. What will be required of crafters? No idea (although I'm glad that I already have both Weaver and Armorsmith at cap). How many restrictions will be in place regarding changing looks? Still no idea.

Do I care? Well, yes, only insofar as I have a vague fear that this is going to be royally mismanaged in the same vein as housing costs. But I am all about cosmetic sets.

The biggest risk here is that there are heavy restrictions in place for what can be worn on the premise of preserving the "look" of classes. This is really silly. Yes, Paladins have an iconic look, but the whole point of these systems is creating an iconic character look, even if it's at odds with the expected appearance. This is a chance for dyes, crafted equipment, vanity pieces, and the like to really come into their own. If people want their PLD AF2 to look like the Reindeer outfit, let 'em go for it. That's half the fun.

Feedback is welcome in the comments down below or via mail to eliot@massively.com, as always. Next week, let's talk a little more about the future, as well as some glaring blind spots still in place.

From Eorzea to Vana'diel, there is a constant: the moogles. And for analysis and opinions about the online portions of the Final Fantasy series, there is also a constant: The Mog Log. Longtime series fan Eliot Lefebvre serves up a new installment of the log every Saturday, covering almost anything related to Square-Enix's vibrant online worlds.