Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.3: Gods Revel, Lands Tremble impressions — Void’s haunted

We may have taken a much needed break last patch, but we’re back now just in time to continue the search for Vrtra’s sister. Last time, we entered the Void, the 13th reflection of the Source, and met Zero. Just before we journey back, however, Vrtra senses Azdaja’s call somewhere in Garlemald. As the former Scions, along with Zero and Vrtra, search the frozen country, it seems Golbez and his two remaining Archfiends have something up their sleeves…

Final Fantasy XIV’s Patch 6.3 adds some exciting new content along with continuing the main story and adding a new dungeon. We’ve got a new Alliance raid, a new trial, and a whole host of new features to cover so let’s get right into it.

First off, let’s return to the story. Without spoiling anything, I did find this chapter a bit more satisfying than the last overall. Some of what was set up in the previous story patch gets paid off here, we get to see the twins again for a bit, and Zero gets some great if accelerated character development. I was hoping we wouldn’t go back to saving the world once more so soon after Endwalker’s conclusion, but this is still a good story.

As you progress the story, you’ll unlock a new dungeon and a new trial. The dungeon, Lapis Manalis is a cool (pun intended) run through a remote area of Garlemald where some of the original Reapers trained. As such, there’s some extra dialogue if you play through this part of the story as that class. The trial on Mount Ordeals I found to be just OK. It just feels like we’re going through the four Archfiends way too fast, and the mechanics here were a bit harder to parse for me. Thankfully I tackled the challenge with a few friends and a good group, so I was just able to follow the pack if I was ever unsure of what to do. Not the best boss in the game, but far from the worst either. 3

Once again I also found the Alliance raid to be a lot of fun. The visual spectacle was amazing and the mechanics were easy to understand yet hard to master. It feels less overwhelming than other raids, and more like just running a dungeon with a bunch more people. I appreciated the story’s nuanced take on religion so far, and it comes with some very interesting lore too. Apart from how cool and interesting of a character Zero is, I think I may be enjoying this raid series slightly more than the main story it’s running alongside.

My main job for this expansion was Paladin, which received a small rework this patch. I really enjoyed how the class functioned previously, and I’m very disappointed with this redesign. The rotation just feels more confusing to me. I certainly like how Paladin is less rigid now, not being constrained by a damage-over-time timer, but it’s weirdly messy. Goring Blade has been changed to a single, hard hitting attack with a long cooldown and spells are now part of your main combo. You still have the physical then magic rotations, but they overlap a bit more. I do like getting a spell as part of the combo, playing into that fantasy of a magic using tank, but the way it’s done here feels clunky and more like a bandaid solution to the previous version’s strict timing.

Back to more positive things, the Tataru’s Grand Adventure questline sees a new entry here and I really like how this is turning out so far. Tataru is by far my favorite Scion, and hanging out with her and other characters we’ve encountered on our journey is fun. It’s a simple but joyful questline, and while it’s not for everyone it certainly is for me.

The last big thing I want to touch on is the new UI Theme called Clear Blue, inspired by Final Fantasy VII Remake. I like it a lot; it’s got the flavor of the light theme without searing my eyes while feeling just as classic as the retro theme. I’ll probably be using this going forward, though it’s always nice to switch it up occasionally.

Overall, Patch 6.3 offers some nice content with more to come in the next half patch, 6.35. The diversity of all our different adventures feels good after Endwalker, and though it in some ways feels a bit samey it’s still very enjoyable overall.

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