Happy All Saints’ Wake, dear Warriors of Light! Today’s a big day for Final Fantasy XIV: it’s our first look on the upcoming Patch 7.4! Perhaps we’ll also get to hear more about the upcoming Fan Festivals throughout 2026 👀.
Today, we’ll be covering the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXXIX. There will be a release date estimate (as always), a look at Dawntrail‘s final Arcadion Savage raids, perhaps a Criterion Dungeon update, and more. Let’s see all the upcoming changes in Patch 7.4!
The Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXXIX is Part 1 of the Patch 7.4 Live Letters. If you’ve missed out since Patch 7.3, we’ve previously covered it back in August. Most Live Letters are in Japanese audio only, so a big thank you to Miuna and Iluna Minori for today’s fan translations over at r/FFXIV Discord!
Is There a Patch 7.4 Release Date Yet?
We know you’ve waited a long time, we’ve been anxiously checking too!
Currently, Patch 7.4 is planned to release Tuesday, December 16th. It’s rare to announce a set date for most Part 1 Live Letters. However, since the patch timing is close to the holidays, they wanted to ensure players can plan accordingly. The community consideration is greatly appreciated, so be sure to play when Patch 7.4 releases!
When is Patch 7.4 Savage Releasing?
ALSO BIG NEWS. Arcadion: Heavyweight Tier (Savage) will NOT release during the holidays. So you can say good bye to Christmas raiding, and hello to more time with your loved ones. ✨
The final Savage Raid tier will release Tuesday, January 6th, 2026. Despite giving players pleeeenty of time to gear up with Allagan Tomestones of Mnemonics (3 weeks!), the developers don’t think it’ll greatly impact raid progression. So enjoy your holidays to the fullest 👍.
What’s Releasing in Patch 7.4?
We did our best to keep this as straightforward as possible! There’s always a lot to cover each Live Letter, so feel free to skip to your favorite sections!
- General Duties (MSQ, Normal/Savage Raids, Unreal, Duty Support)
- New Air Force One GATE for Gold Saucer
- PvP (PvP Season 10, New Frontline Map)
- Occult Crescent (Phantom Jobs, Occult Crescent Accessories, Phantom Weapon)
- Cosmic Exploration (New Star)
- Variant and Criterion Dungeon (New Dungeon, Overall Duty Structure Changes)
- System Updates (Strategy Board, Command Panel)
- Glamour Update (Cross-Class Functionality)
- No Housing Updates Yet 😔
Duty Updates: There’s Something for Everyone!
We’ll be covering the next update to the MSQ, including related duties, as well as Arcadion: Heavyweight Tier, the next Unreal Trial, and Duty Support.
As with every major patch in Final Fantasy XIV, Patch 7.4 will see another update to Dawntrail‘s main story. We’ll likely see the post-MSQ reach a conclusion (or close to it), and Patch 7.5 will begin teasing for the upcoming expansion.
With Patch 7.4, we’ll see a new dungeon Mistwake and a new trial Hell on Rails. The trial duty will feature both a Normal and Extreme mode, so be sure to try them out when you get the chance!
In addition, we’re also heading towards the conclusion of Inconceivably Further Hildibrand Adventures, so be sure to catch up if you haven’t already! Our Hildibrand adventures in Dawntrail are sure to leave a lasting impression. 😎
This patch will also feature the story conclusion of the Arcadion series. Arcadion: Heavyweight Tier features some brand-new faces (love seeing more Elezens), but perhaps some things never change… (Is that another Death Match arena?!)
We’re also getting another Unreal Trial update, this time it’s Tsukuyomi’s Pain. Originally released in Stormblood, so you better study up on how to place meteors correctly. ✨
Quality of Life Update for Duty Support
There’s also a Duty Support update for Dzemael Darkhold and Aurum Vale. Though it may not seem like much, you may appreciate this upcoming Quality of Life change: players can now keep fighting dungeon bosses, even with multiple deaths. This change affects all Duty Support-enabled duties (including in the future), so let’s go over it real quick.
Whenever the player dies in combat, typically it’s counted as a wipe or progression reset in Duty Support. Now, whenever you die to a dungeon boss, you’ll receive revival stacks for your next attempt. For example:
- If you die once and try again, you’ll receive one revival stack.
- This means for your 2nd attempt, you can die up to 2 times. This will allow you to continue progressing, even if you make a deathly mistake.
- If you need a 3rd attempt, you can die up to 3 times.
- Essentially, the number of revives will continue to increase until you clear.
- Once you’ve cleared the dungeon boss, your current stacks will reset to 0.
Air Force One Update in 2025? 👀
This is a (relatively) small update, but not one you’ll see often enough. If you’ve ever participated in GATEs located in the Gold Saucer, you’ll know of Air Force One. This shooter game will see a new area added, featuring The Cieldalaes. Personally, I’m pretty excited to defeat a giant squid monster, or even combat pirates out at sea. 🏴☠️
New PvP Frontlines Map with an Interesting Twist
PvP in Patch 7.4 will feature a new Season and Crystalline Conflict series, as well as various PvP action adjustments. There aren’t any clues as to what rewards will be added to PvP Season 10, but players can look forward to a new Frontlines map called Worqor Chirteh.
Worqor Chirteh will feature weather conditions that affect your gameplay. We’ve seen similar conditions occur in Crystalline Conflict maps (any quicksand or hurricane enjoyers?), so this will be an interesting update. ✨ It will also be added to the daily Frontline roulette for players to enjoy.
Last, but not least, past Feast rewards will be re-added to the game as Replicas. We’re not sure exactly when they’ll be implemented, but this was highly requested by the community. So hopefully soon!
Phantom Weapons, New Phantom Jobs, and New Accessories
As always, the next Phantom Weapon upgrade will be added. The final step will be in Patch 7.5, so better keep working at it! This time, you can participate in various duties or Occult Crescent when working on the weapon enhancements. This is pretty similar to how Resistance weapons worked back in Shadowbringers.
Following the final Phantom Weapon upgrade for Dawntrail, the developers may change the upgrade system moving forward. We’re not exactly sure what will be different, but hopefully we won’t revert to how Manderville weapons did it!
Speaking of Occult Crescent, they’ll also add 3 new Phantom Jobs: Mystic Knight, Dancer, and Gladiator! There wasn’t any mention of adding a new Occult Crescent map, but we’ll be getting accessories for Occult Crescent exploration.
Perhaps they’ll prove to be useful when trying out the upcoming Tower difficulties… The next Occult Crescent Tower update will likely be in Patch 7.5, so farming soon is recommended!
Get Ready to Explore the Next Cosmic Star Oizys
We’ve explored two different stars, what’s another one to add to the list? Releasing in Patch 7.4, Disciples of the Hand and Land can begin to explore Oizys. Just like what we saw with Sinus Ardorum and Phaenna, there’s another Cosmic Tool upgrade (Item Level 765) and new Cosmocredit and Cosmic Fortune rewards.
In addition, there’s a new feature on Oizys called Ruin Exploration. Players can uncover ancient records and appraise to receive various items. There’s not much we know right now, but stay tuned for Live Letter Part 2!
A New Variant Dungeon Mode is Coming Soon
Releasing later in Patch 7.4 is the next addition to Variant and Criterion Dungeons: The Merchant’s Tale. There’s quite a bit they’ll add, such as a whole new Dungeon mode on top of a new duty to begin with, so we’ve covered the details in a separate article. Check it out if you want to learn more about the upcoming changes!
This is the first Criterion Dungeon added since Dawntrail released, so there’s a good chance we’ll only have this for a while. Perhaps there’s one hidden in the horizon, but for now, I’m pretty satisfied with the rewards. I mean, check out the glamour folds and details!
What about that flying carpet mount: you can get it in-game without spending a single dime 👀✨. Be sure to unlock Variant and Criterion Dungeons in Old Sharlayan if you haven’t already!
System Updates: Strategy Board and Command Panel
Here are some miscellaneous updates releasing in Patch 7.4. But don’t be fooled: they’re actually all pretty handy in their own ways!
First off, we’ve got new UI color themes. I’ll always approve of more variety: sometimes I just don’t want to use the classic Blue theme anymore!
In addition, the Strategy Board feature will finally release in Patch 7.4. This planner has been in development for so long, we’re excited to see it complete and ready! Players can share Strategy Board codes, allowing them to study in-game together. At the moment, you can only use the default markers provided, but perhaps we can convince the developers to add twister animations. 🌀 I personally want Fat Cat stickers on my Strategy Board! 🐱
And last, but not least, players will also have access to the Command Panel. This feature provides extra hotbar slots without taking up space on your (actual) hotbars! Currently, it seems players have up to 100 extra slots available, and you can put anything you want on there: gear sets, emotes, items, macros, and more.
The primary purpose of a Command Panel is to have access to things you don’t normally need all the time. So for example, you can:
- Open up Maps and Wondrous Tails without going into your Key Items inventory
- Access the Mogpendium quickly, whenever a Mogtome event is happening
- Add Gear Sets so I can swap jobs in a flash! No more clutter on my hotbar!
There’s also a setting where you can keep the Command Panel always open, or automatically close after selecting a slot. Most of these system updates are still a work in progress, or require more testing, so look forward to extra details in Live Letter Part 2.
The BIGGEST Glamour System Update Yet
Square Enix definitely saved the best update for last. 😂
Releasing in Patch 7.4, all classes and jobs at any level can now use ANY gear they want as glamour. Yes, you read that correctly. I wish I was exaggerating, but this update comes as a response from the most recent address on outfit modding. If you’ve been out of the loop, check out the official announcement on the Lodestone. If you need any background history, we’ve covered the topic on Icy Veins!
So even low-level Conjurers can look like a powerful Black Mage if they had the gear available. 🧙 Or better yet, I can wear the perfect Tank armor on jobs like Samurai and Machinist! This frees up so many slots in my Glamour Dresser, where I have the same item stored like, 5 different times (Oops). All because they are still role-exclusive glamours 😰. Well, not anymore!
Just keep in mind that you still can’t wear different job weapons. So a Summoner can’t transform their books into a wicked two-handed sword. Perhaps this will change in the future, who knows…
Do you think this will crash the Market Board? Are you planning to make any space for extra Job Gear now? You’ll still have to work with only 800 Glamour Dresser slots for now, so better get to organizing!
According to the Live Letter, Glamour Plates will also get an update soon. 👀 They’re slowly working down the to-do list, so we just have to be patient a little longer!
What About Housing? 😰
Unfortunately for Housing enthusiasts, you’ll have to wait until Patch 7.5 before the update will arrive. In case you forgot, Housing plans to have:
- Increased number of placed items inside the house (at least 150% more!)
- Interior Upgrades, allowing you to expand/downsize without Exterior changes
However, due to optimization issues related to how the system currently works, they want to ensure everything works out okay. For example, if they implement it too quickly, the servers may take longer to load everything on all the Worlds and houses available.
We’ve had Housing in FFXIV since Patch 2.1 (a long time ago!), and there are plenty of stunning houses players have made over the years. A few months of waiting will surely be worth it in the end. We don’t want to lose any of it, after all. 🏠
And that’s, well, that! We’ve pretty much covered everything that currently planned to release in Patch 7.4. Is there anything you’re personally excited for? For now, it seems there are many things in store for everyone, so better start making plans soon!
