Final Fantasy XIV has launched a special website for its 5.3 patch, featuring screenshots and informational posts about what to expect from the update. The 5.3 patch has suffered an almost two-month delay due to COVID-19 but is now scheduled to go live on August 11th.
Patch 5.3 promises the conclusion of Shadowbringers. Moving forward, all story patch updates will be establishing the leadup to the game’s next expansion, although players may not have seen the last of Shadowbringers plot threads’ just yet. New story content will include a new dungeon, mystery trial, the next installment of the crossover YoRHa raids, and more.
The new dungeon is called “The Hero’s Gauntlet” and looks to have players fight their way across all of Norvrandt. Promotional screenshots seem to indicate a return to Il Mheg, although mob and enemy encounters are not shown. The screenshots also show off The Gauntlet’s primal-sized final boss and full sets of dungeon loot, so players who want to know whether The Gauntlet is worth farming for glam should definitely visit the site to see for themselves.
Details about the new trial will be kept secret until release due to spoilers for the patch’s story content, but players can expect to uncover that in due time. In terms of new content, Patch 5.3 will also be introducing new custom deliveries, updates to The Ishgardian Restoration, a new beast tribe (Dwarves), and an activity called “The Sorrow of Werlyt”.
Werlyt is a continuation of players’ alliance with Gaius and the destruction of the Garlean Weapon project. Based on promotional images, it seems as though players will be tasked with investigating and destroying what looks to be the Sapphire Weapon.
Further details about patch content have yet to be released in English, but a handful of dedicated FFXIV fans have translated an interview with the game’s director, Naoki Yoshida, about what to expect from patch 5.3. The translated interview summary can be found on Reddit; however, be warned that the translation may not be wholly accurate.
As with previous patch updates, everything listed on the 5.3 special site will not be launching all at once. The Ishgardian Restoration update, for example, is slated to be released with patch 5.31, which is expected to come two to three weeks after 5.3. The special site will presumably continue to update with new information as developers roll out content, so make sure to keep up to date!
Source: Final Fantasy XIV, Reddit
