The Dawntrail era of Final Fantasy 14 is finally coming to an end. While some players will be glad to see the back of the most divisive main story quest since Stormblood, others will find the aptly-named Promise of Tomorrow update bittersweet. The full patch notes have dropped ahead of the MMO’s newest chapter, and it’s not a good day if you’re a Pictomancer or Viper main. If healing is your forte, though, you’re in the money.
PCGamesN’s Final Fantasy 14 aficionado, Ken, has already given an extensive rundown of everything that’s previously been revealed about patch 7.3, both from the livestream and the preliminary patch notes, so I won’t bore you with regurgitated specifics. The tl;dr so far is that there’s new MSQ content for one of the best MMOs, which includes a dungeon and trial, alongside more alliance raid goodness, and even a new treasure dungeon.
The really spicy stuff in the extended patch notes pertains to job balance. Picto and Viper, Dawntrail’s latest inductees into the job pool, have been whacked with the nerf hammer; the former more so than the latter. The potency of a whopping eight Picto actions, including rotation staples Blizzard in Cyan, Stone in Yellow, and Thunder in Magenta, has been reduced. Conversely, big bonkers Hammer Stamp, Hammer Brush, and Polishing Hammer have been brushed up, though the net result is negative for the pummely Picasso.
This isn’t the first time Picto’s been hit with nerfs, but its continued overperformance meant it was only a matter of time before Square Enix came back for a second round. While the Viper nerfs aren’t as substantial, some of the venom has been stripped from its area-of-effect damage across the board. Monk, Dragoon, Reaper, Red Mage, Samurai, and Summoner have received similar nerfs. However, some of these jobs have enjoyed compensatory buffs elsewhere.
While the Dawntrail duo has lost out this time around, the big winners of this patch are FF14’s healers. Astrologian, Sage, Scholar, and White Mage have all had a substantial boost to their healing range. Actions like Medica, Whispering Dawn, and Helios have all had their yalms bolstered from 15 to 20, while longer range abilities Plenary Indulgence and Horoscope have been upped from 20 to 30. This is a cracking quality of life change that should make the task of keeping your team topped up more manageable.
Elsewhere in the patch notes, which you can check out here, Square Enix has made a balance parse on PvP, including a major change to Purify. Originally an action with a long recast time and zero MP cost, Purify now requires you to expend 2,500 MP for its debuff-cleansing effect. Its recast time has been slashed from 24 seconds to just four, but ultimately, you’ll now be faced with a choice between nixing ailments and dropping your DPS output. Much to think about.
FF14 patch 7.3 is out now, so jump in an take some time getting used to the changes. If you’re still nursing your Dawntrail burnout, check out more of the best multiplayer games you can play right now. Alternatively, peep more of the best free PC games you can try out without spending a dime.
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