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Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.4 "The Dark Throne" update launches May 2023, buffs Blue Mage

by Josh Tolentino on 01 April, 2023

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker players won't have long to wait for the next major update. Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.4 "The Dark Throne" will launch in late May 2023. The news, and a preview of the upcoming content, arrived via the latest Letter from the Producer Live streaming event held on March 31, 2023. Planned changes for Patch 6.4 and related updates include a new dungeon, new main scenario quests, updates to ongoing sidequest chains, additional Relic Weapon and Tool enhancement quests, and adjustments to playable classes.

Read on for a roundup of what to expect in Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.4. The actual live stream was the first of two planned streams previewing Patch 6.4 content. The second one is set to debut closer to the live date of the patch itself.

Patch 6.4 content preview - New Quests

  • The patch's official title is "The Dark Throne". For reference, Patch 6.3's title was "Gods Revel, Lands Tremble."
  • New main scenario quests will be added, following the Warrior of Light and their journey alongside Zero.
  • New chapters for the "Tataru's Grand Endeavor" quest series.
  • A continuation of the Hildibrand quest line will also add a new phase to the Manderville Weapon enhancement series. Similarly, enhancement quests for the Splendorous Tools will be added. They'll involve characters from Shadowbringers.

Patch 6.4 content preview - New Dungeons and Duties

  • A new dungeon called "The Aetherfront". Pictures from the location featured polar bears and Sharlayan-style architecture.
  • "The Voidcast Dais" will be added as a new Trial, along with an extreme version. It'll feature Golbez, who appeared as a major antagonist in Final Fantasy IV.
  • Heavensward's "Containment Bay Z1T9" (a.k.a. Zurvan) will be the next Unreal Trial. Unreal Trials are level-adjusted versions of the Extreme Trials from previous expansions, with stats upgraded to challenge high-level players.
  • The third and last tier of the Pandaemonium Raid series will be added. It's called Pandaemonium: Anabaseios, and its Savage Difficulty version will launch a week after Patch 6.4 debuts.
  • A new Variant and Criterion Dungeon will be added with Patch 6.45 (midway through 6.4's roadmap). It's called "Mount Rokkon" and is themed after the Japan-like environs of Hingashi and Doma. Variant and Criterion dungeons are special dungeons with multiple routes and are designed to be tackled multiple times, with dynamic difficulty based on the number of party members present.

Patch 6.4 content preview - New Features and Quality-of-Life adjustments

  • The Duty Support system, which allows solo players to tackle certain dungeons with a party of NPCs, has been expanded to include Stormblood dungeons. Players can take characters like Gosetsu and Hien into dungeons like The Sirensong Sea, Bardam's Mettle, Doma Castle, Castrum Abania, and Ala Mhigo.
  • Series 4 of PVP and Season 7 of Crystalline Conflict will begin in Patch 6.4. The Frontline PVP mode will have some new UI elements to track score and match time.
  • Ocean Fishing will be expanded to waters near Kugane and the Ruby Sea.
  • Additional ranks and visions will be added to the Island Sanctuary player space, alongside gathering areas and construction plots. There will also be new rewards, materials, crops, and structures.
  • Players will be able to place outdoor furniture in their Island Sanctuary Hideaway for additional customization. However, gardens and striking dummies won't be supported.
  • Players will be able to farm for yet more Allagan Tomestone currencies to buy gear with. The new set is called "Allagan Tomestones of Comedy".
  • Job icons will show up next to player nameplates and in the chat log, when in dungeons or other content (rather than in the open world).
  • Players can now incorporate the price of a transaction fee into the total price of a Market Board sale.
  • Scholars will be able to alter the appearance of their Fairy, via Fairy Glamours. They'll be able to choose from Eos, Carbuncle, and Selene.

Patch 6.4 content preview - Job Adjustments

  • Minor PVP-related adjustments will go live with Patch 6.38, which launches on April 4, 2023.
  • Blue Mages can level up to Level 80 when Patch 6.45 hits. New spells and exclusive gear will be added, along with enemies for the Masked Carnivale.
  • Other Job adjustments are planned and will likely be detailed in the second livestream later.

For every detail, check out the archive of the livestream below.

Final Fantasy XIV is available on PC, PS4, and PS5. Patch 6.4 launches late in May 2023. The Stormblood expansion is free to acquire for a limited time.