See the new FF14 Dawntrail jobs in action right now, courtesy of Yoshi-P himself

As we load the boat to sail off to FF14 Dawntrail, game director and producer Naoki Yoshida lays out all the job changes coming in the new Final Fantasy 14 expansion. Joined by community producer Toshio Murouchi and translator Aimi Tokutake for FF14 Live Letter 81, the man best known as ‘Yoshi-P’ gives us a look at what all the classes can expect when we arrive in Tural, including a proper showing for the new Viper and Pictomancer jobs.

The FF14 Dawntrail release date is now so close I’m beginning to smell that salty sea air, so what better time to get a full deep dive into what all the jobs will have access to in the new expansion for the critically acclaimed MMORPG. Our ‘definitely a holiday and nothing more sinister’ will inevitably lead to a little scrapping, and all the Final Fantasy 14 jobs will be getting a little something new in Dawntrail to help you deal with whatever Tural throws at us.

The show kicks off with an extensive trailer showing all the new job actions in use, so if you’re eager to try and glimpse what lies ahead without reading through the full details then you can do so below.

Yoshida also addresses the recent DDoS attacks causing FF14 server downtime and players being kicked, which he calls “the largest scale and length of attacks we’ve seen since the original Final Fantasy 14.” He apologizes for any disruptions, but says Square Enix “will continue to work diligently” to minimize issues as Dawntrail arrives.

We get a look at the updated FF14 Dawntrail character creator, which includes the reworked lighting and some small model tweaks to correct other issues that arose from the previous benchmark, including changes to canine length and position on the Miqo’te.

Yoshida also reveals that players will get a new quest allowing them to claim a free FF14 Fantasia from an early level, and also that the character-changing item will now offer a full 60 minute cooldown after its first use where you can return to the creator as many times as you want and make further changes.

To help deal with the increased number of actions in Dawntrail, some additional combos will gain the option to auto-change to the next action in sequence on the same hotbar button (a mechanic currently in use by a few jobs such as the Gunbreaker). You’ll have the choice to toggle this option on or off as you please, so if you prefer to keep the original control scheme you’ll be able to do so.

With that out of the way, it’s onto the individual job changes for Dawntrail, with special focus on the two new classes, the FF14 Viper and FF14 Pictomancer. Yoshida does also slip in one additional tease, noting that the team is currently planning an “individuality update” for the next expansion after Dawntrail. He says this will be designed to help make the classes feel more distinct from one another, a direct response to one of the more common complaints from long-time players of a ‘homogenization’ of the classes within each role over time.

The Viper has a similar number of actions to other jobs, Yoshida explains, but is designed to require fewer actions set on the hotbar in accordance with these new updates. He shows it off in action and the most notable takeaway is that the burst damage phase gets pretty fast and flashy with its skill rotation, something Yoshida had previously suggested would be the case. You’ll need quick fingers to optimize your damage output, then, but the demonstration makes it look fairly simple to pick up and play.

The Pictomancer, meanwhile, works using a series of three canvases. From left to right these are used to paint creatures, weapons, and landscapes. Drawing on these during combat requires a cast time, but doing so outside of combat won’t – so be sure to prepare your masterpieces between fights. Each of the canvases has its own set of related skills, which are cast as ‘motifs.’

By painting a Moogle pom and then a wing on the creature canvas (each instigating an attack of its own as you use it), a Moogle can then be summoned. Conversely, painting a claw and then a fang will allow you to summon Madeen, a face you might recall from Final Fantasy 9. The hammer on the weapon canvas gives you a three-level combo, while the landscape motif allows you to paint large fields on the ground that offer party buffs.

As for changes made to existing classes, there are a few tweaks across the board with almost every class getting a new action or two. Notably, defensive cooldowns such as damage reduction skills for tanks and the self-healing Second Wind for DPS classes have been upgraded, something that suggests we might be in a little more danger than ever before in Dawntrail. That lines up with Yoshida’s promise that FF14 Dawntrail fights will be less “repetitive” than in Endwalker, so you’ll need to stay on your toes.

Among the most notable adjustments are my personal main, the Ninja, which has its Huton buff changed to a passive trait that’s always active. The old Huton skill now delivers an AoE attack that grants the hidden buff, and skills that previously extended its duration will be adjusted to compensate.

The Black Mage also gets a very welcome upgrade that allows you to reposition your Ley Lines once after placing it, giving you a big lifeline if you need to move. Astrologians, meanwhile, will no longer be as reliant on the heart of the cards. Rather than random draws, you’ll now draw a set of four cards at once including a mix of offensive, defensive, and utility effects.

While the Viper and Pictomancer will make their way into PvP in 7.0, further PvP actions and adjustments for other jobs are planned to arrive in patch 7.1, so as not to overwhelm you with too many changes at once. As such, Crystalline Conflict ranked matches are planned to stay in preseason mode until patch 7.1 arrives.

Yoshida also confirms that the FF14 Fall Guys crossover event is returning from Thursday May 23 through Monday June 10. If you missed this first time around, it’s worth your time, and if you’re a newer player then it’s a nice way to practice some more unusual raid mechanics in a more casual environment.

In addition to this, the team announces that a special promotion running between Thursday May 16 and Sunday July 14 in the United States will allow you to earn in-game points from “specially marked MTN DEW products,” which can then be used to unlock a special ‘Mountain Zu’ mount and a ‘Sparkling Citrus Refreshment’ minion.

If you want to catch up on the mammoth FF14 live stream in full, featuring the job demonstrations for the Viper and Pictomancer, you can watch it below. Unlike most live letters, this one does feature full English translation during the presentation, so you should be able to jump to any point and follow along.

Before we jet off to Tural, make sure you’ve got your FF14 Island Sanctuary in shape with our helpful guide. We’ve also got a selection of the best single-player MMOs for you, if you’re eager for a shared experience that you don’t need to bring a group for.

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