Apparently Famitsu did its own interview with Yoshida with a bunch of different questions. It’s kind of silly that these interviews were published after the patch since all they really talk about is stuff that you can figure out on your own by just playing the content, but I had already finished half of the translation before I realized that it was basically all stuff we knew so I just finished it up. Anyway, for what it’s worth, here’s the translation.
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On June 24, prior to the recent large-scale update, patch 2.3 "Defenders of Eorzea," we held an interview with producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Naoki Yoshida.
An overview of patch 2.3 had already been discussed in the 14th and 15th Producer Letters LIVE. Based on this information that was already known, I tried to ask questions that the players would be interested in at this time. As a result, a number of questions were answered about the new Syrcus Tower of Crystal Tower, the Ramuh primal battle, and more.
On the same day prior to the interview, a play experience was held for the media with the hard version of the Ramuh primal battle. Click here for more about our experience there.
Yoshida's busy schedule continued even after E3 ended.
Great job on all of the promotional activities at E3.
Thank you. I thought I might finally have a break, but at the end of this week I need to fly out to China. After I'm back from China next Monday [June 30], I'll be back in Japan for one whole day before I need to head out overseas on Wednesday to the Japan Expo held in France. Because my schedule is so busy, we have a lot of the staff on stand-by so we can quickly address any problems that might occur in or out of game.
What kind of events do you have planned for Japan Expo this year?
Last year we made presentations on the stage, so this year, with the expanding community in France, we decided to do a battle challenge with Leviathan similar to what we did at E3.
The irony of the title of patch 2.3
What exactly are you referring to with the patch's title "Defenders of Eorzea?"
It references a number of different elements. Across the population there are the Grand Companies and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, so Defenders of Eorzea exist in many forms. Despite that, or because of it, new sparks of conflict are also born, so I hope you pay attention to that. One of the themes of new FFXIV has become the activities of the different groups and organizations that wish to protect Eorzea. In keeping with this theme, the main story is now going into some of the real world problems that have arisen. The title "Defenders of Eorzea" was intended to be a bit ironic.
The letters in the logo look like they have been attacked by swords.
Yes, we did not want the text to look clean.
Was the Elezen silver-haired woman who appears in the patch 2.3 trailer perhaps intended to be Shiva?
If you play through the main story you'll find out some information which will help clear things up. With good intuition, you might even figure out the kind of beast tribe (tempered) which worship Shiva. The main story in this patch is setting up for patches 2.4 and beyond, so please enjoy it.
Player cooperation is important in the Ramuh primal battle!
Is Ramuh also one of the "Defenders"?
Yes. The traditional Eorzean folklore is that his role as a primal was as a mediator to maintain balance in the world.
Tell us about the difficulty of the hard Ramuh battle.
It's set up so that eight players should be able to beat it in 2-3 attempts, even if it's their first time. The boss's HP isn't very high and there are only about three patterns to the gimmicks, so if you can figure them out you should be able to beat it without any difficulty. As you play through the hard one, think about how those gimmicks will be powered up in the extreme version (laughs).
Can you talk at all about the extreme Ramuh primal battle?
Players will need to cooperate with each other. Also, please note the water (laughs).
There's been a rumor among players that there might be some sort of ring-out gimmick.
There's no gimmick to fall of the stage. We planned this from the very beginning, but some people thought otherwise when we first published some images of the battlefield.
Maybe players actually want to fall off?
If someone said that, I'm pretty sure it was a joke. We never planned for that in this fight. Instead, lightning will fall (laughs).
Will there be any items that can be powered up that are rewards, like a weapon?
Since it's a so-called direct drop, there's no element to strengthen it. Like we mentioned in the 14th producer letter LIVE, the main drop of the extreme Ramuh primal battle will be accessories. By now, many players have obtained weapons from Turn 5 of the Binding Coil or from Leviathan. Those who acquired those weapons can move on to the Ramuh battle to get the next step up. That said, you'll have to do it repeatedly, and accessories are the main drop.
Any specific accessory, or different kinds?
I won't say, you'll find out soon (laughs).
If you told us now, players might already begin changing around their gear in preparation (laughs). How strong will the Ramuh weapons be?
It will be a candidate for a choice among the stronger weapons.
Three tanks and 15 DPS in Syrcus Tower!
Is the size of the Syrcus Tower content about the same as the Labyrinth of the Ancients?
I think it's about the same. As far as difficulty is concerned, if you know the tactics, you should be able to clear it without much issue. That said, when the patch first goes up, you'll have to discuss with everyone and use trial and error to figure out how to work through the gimmicks.
The equipment obtained in Syrcus Tower is inspired by the style of the bosses, but will the items drop correspond to the enemy defeated?
No, the bosses won't drop equipment just for specific roles. As far as the lotting rules go, the restrictions will be the same as Labyrinth of the Ancients was at the time of patch 2.1.
What about the role configuration for Syrcus Tower? Will it be the same as Labyrinth of the Ancients?
In Syrcus Tower, we've set it up so three tanks can participate at once. The tanks are arranged one in each of the three parties, which should considerably shorten the time it takes for DPS solo members to queue up in duty finder. It might even make healer more of a role in need than tank.
So the content is adjusted with the premise of three tanks.
Yeah, it's been designed in such a way that you can clear with three tanks. On the other hand, each party will have five DPS, so with that higher number they will have some additional roles.
If the Unidentified Allagan Tomestone drops, will you have to lot against 24 people?
The Unidentified Allagan Tomestone will be available in the treasure boxes that appear for each party after defeating the boss. The drop rate isn't bad so you'll see it relatively often, but if you obtain the Tomestone, you'll lose lotting rights to other equipment for that week. It will be best if you prioritize which item you want in advance.
With Syrcus Tower, bosses like Xande are appearing, so I get the impression that the series is ending soon. Will Crystal Tower content continue to be added in the future?
There are a lot of other bosses besides Xande in the FFIII Crystal Tower which still haven't appeared, so of course there will be follow-ups. You should try and play FFIII so you can see some of those future bosses that might appear (laughs). For Crystal Tower, our policy has been to try to reproduce a version of the tower in FFIII, but to also intertwine it with the story of A Realm Reborn. For example, the character Nero tol Scaeva from the Garlemald imperial forces will also appear.
In addition to Amon and Xande, it looks like Red Dragon and the Guardian will also appear, but will they be bosses?
With Syrcus Tower we looked as much as possible to reproduce enemies from Crystal Tower in FFIII. This wasn't limited to just bosses, so even enemies that attack as reinforcements will be reminiscent of those you've seen in the past. For people who played FFIII, you'll find a deeper enjoyment.
Frontline is developed with an emphasis on fairness for casual play.
Do you plan to reduce the cost of changing Grand Companies in the future since the battle is divided by Grand Company?
The non-transfer period is currently set to 30 days, but we plan to reduce this. We're also planning to eliminate the gil cost the first time you transfer. We're considering how PvP EXP will carry over and other elements of the transition, so we'll continue to consider this.
Are you careful to consider reducing the cost associated with transferring?
If you're allowed to move too often, your sense of being tied to a particular company will be pretty low. There's also the possibility that people will try to sabotage and general morale would drop, so we have to be cautious with that.
Will future PvP elements continue to be restricted by grand company?
The basis of our planning with Frontline was Grand Company units fighting each other, and we planned PvP-specific job actions fro this. However, the concept of having a fair, casual battle was also promoted, so we will continue to consider whether the content is moving forward meeting this intent.
Will you continue to add different varieties of PvP in the future?
In the future, we will continue to update Wolves' Den and Frontline as the two main routes. For example, right now Frontline has been deployed in the Carteneau Flats area, but as the front is expanded, new battlefields could be added in the future.
Will you add new gimmicks in the future?
As we grow it, we want to add types of defensible positions where you can't get inside until you break through the outer fortifications or gates. In those kind of cases, we want to have things like siege weapons that crafters can build which can be installed, etc.
The new instanced dungeons are classified as Expert.
How difficult are the three newly-added dungeons?
They're adjusted to be about as difficult as the three dungeons that appeared in patch 2.2.
Which category of Duty Roulette?
It will be expert. The content that we added in patch 2.2 will be moved to high level Duty Roulette.
So the number of high level will increase?
That's right.
Tell us again about the tragedy of Tam-Tara Deepcroft.
The scenario there is darker than ever before. As far as the gimmicks go, the mid-bosses will have some new ones. Anyone who's already seen the Defenders of Eorzea trailer saw that Edda will be involved, so you can expect that as well.
Will the mid-bosses be stronger than before?
The boss is a bit unique. Once you figure it out, it's very easy to clear, but it might literally be a tragedy until you figure it out (laughs). Once you get used to the dungeon, I think the hard version of Tam-Tara Deepcroft is probably the fastest of the three new dungeons to clear.
How about gimmicks in the hard version of Stone Vigil?
It won't only be about defeating the monsters. It'll be a bit different from before, so you should enjoy the curve balls. Also, the attack areas of effect won't be visible sometimes, so the bosses will be a bit more random than those you've encountered before. Rather than avoiding the attack warning areas, it'll be important to figure out which skills are coming based on the boss's movements.
Future appearance of Mandoragoras
The Mandragoras that make an appearance in the Hildibrand quests this time, are they the same as the ones from FFXII?
They are Mandoragoras. The way they're involved in the story is quite interesting (laughs).
One of the Mandras that was male in FFXIII seems to have changed to female now.
For Mandragoras, depending on player reactions, we might bring them back in the future. I'll look forward to the feedback.
Are they added as something like a primal battle?
That's not the case. They're built into the scenario different from how the primals are. They serve a different role in the story.
Are there any that you have to fight?
As far as fighting is concerned, it will be different from what you're used to. The Gilgamesh battle was different, so please consider this as part of the overall Hildibrand storyline.
Will any other characters from the Briardien's rival group make an appearance?
Yes, a number of new characters will be added and the story will become more lively. I laughed quite a bit during play testing this time, it was pretty absurd (laughs).
Item desynthesis
How long will it take to raise your item desynthesis skill?
We're making final adjustments to table of limitations on skill gains. The basic idea is that the rise of skill will be really fast at lower levels. As the skill increases, it will rise less with each desynthesis.
Will the numerical value of the skill gain from desynthesis be shown?
Yes, it will be raised in decimal units of 0.01. The success rate will vary with the item level of what you're trying to desynthesize as compared with your desynthesis skill. The purpose of this content isn't just to raise your skills, of course, this higher skill will also determine the chance of obtaining new items when you desynthesize. Over time, you can increase a skill to 100. But if you keep growing the skill, you'll be able to desynthesize most items even without the skill at 100. It's possible to increase three skills up to 100.
When you talk about this, I get the impression that it's like how skill-ups worked for item synthesis in FFXI.
MMORPGs in general have development systems which are intended to take time to work through. As the new products which can be made only with item desynthesis circulate more and more, the motivation to level the skill will be reduced, so we will continue to adjust the limit to try to balance this trend.
So you've developed it to be friendly for those who are just getting involved with crafting now?
Once you reach crafter level 30, you'll be able to use the Desynthesis action. As you earn experience from creating goods, you can also desynthesize them at the same time and enhance that skill. This might be the best way to grow the skills efficiently and reduce the cost of doing so.
Will any catalyst be required for desynthesis?
The idea was to avoid any complicated procedures, so no catalyst is needed. Desynthesis is just one of the crafter-specific actions that you can perform.
Specifically, what kinds of new equipment can crafters synthesize?
Earlier I had mentioned to not discard old primal weapons because they would see new uses later on. We've added new primal weapons with cool effects, so please try to create those.
Will this be like an upgrade system?
Recipes for new primal-specific weapons will be added. You may imagine a few different things which might be needed as a material. The item level is higher than that of the original weapons, but I would expect the demand for Glamour Prisms to really grow. So really it probably won't be too needed to create a HQ because it's mostly there to create new visual styles. After you check them out, give us your feedback and let us know what you think.
Will there be four star recipes added?
The star marks for recipes will be increased when we raise the item level cap.
Enjoy interacting with famous NPCs in a new side quest.
Please tell us about the Carrier quests that adventurers can take part in.
The content will start from a Moogle letter that the player has to deliver. You'll be asked to deliver various letters to NPCs and you'll get more specific experiences with those quests. For example, when you deliver a letter to Miounne in Gridania, you'll see more about her past.
Will you go into details about Miounne's days in the Carline Canopy?
Along with hearing about Miounne's past, you'll also hear about a certain building in Gridania. Some things which haven't been previously discussed will be introduced.
Besides Miounne, what other NPCs will have episodes to enjoy?
It won't only be familiar NPCs, but also some new NPCs that appear. We also plan to continue adding new elements to this past patch 2.3.
What will the starting conditions be?
You'll find out more about certain NPCs you met in the main scenario, so you'll have to advance to a certain extent.
So, for example, rather than Minfilia, you might have something about Nedrick Ironheart?
That's right. A lot of story about the Scions of the Seventh Dawn members has already been told in the main quest. Rather than focusing on the main story characters, these quests focus on peripheral characters instead. The scenario team is working on making more episodes which take place all around Eorzea, so please stay tuned.
Personally, I want to see a scenario added for Maisenta in Gridania.
If you have such a request, please give it to us on the forum (laughs).
The new Chocobo Training is something you can work on little by little over time.
Tell us what you can do with chocobo training at the new stables that you can place at residences.
It's not a difficult procedure. Depending on how you train and what kinds of food you give, your chocobo's parameters will change. Please exchange information with other players so you can come up with the most effective combinations.
What kinds of food can you give?
As one example, you can feed chocobos new crops which can be harvested in gardens.
Will it be difficult to obtain the food?
You should be able to get them normally over time and put them in your Company Chest so others can take out and use them as needed. There's no drawbacks to feeding your chocobo, so keep feeding them as you take care of them.
How can my chocobo become stronger?
If you grow just one parameter, you're missing out on the different abilities that a chocobo can use. If you keep developing them over time, you'll be able to develop your chocobo's performance to meet your taste. In the stables, it's also possible to take care of the entrusted chocobos from other Free Company members, so please stop by before you log out and feed them. Also, don't forget to clean the stables (laughs).
Will there be a limit on how many chocobos can be left in the stables?
There's a maximum, but it shouldn't normally cause any trouble.
Do you plan to expand the functions related to chocobo training in the future?
Yes. We'll also be adding something so that a chocobo can molt their feathers.
Is there a limit on the number of private rooms that can be installed in a Free Company house?
There's an upper limit, but you'll find out the specific number when the patch becomes available (edit: in the published patch notes, it was noted that up to 512 rooms can be built regardless of the size of the house).
The story of Patch 2.3 is about the halfway point towards the "conclusion for now."
So, in conclusion, please tell me where we are at right now with patch 2.3 in the story of A Realm Reborn.
Patch 2.3 is a turning point in the story towards the release of the expansion pack that we're calling 3.0. After A Realm Reborn was launched with 2.0, patch 2.1 was positioned as a new introductory chapter and patch 2.2 was a direct continuation. With the release of patch 2.3, we've just about reached the overall halfway point. At the end, you should have the feeling that the cards are all laid out on the table for the story up until 3.0. In this patch, you can get a sense of the atmosphere of what's to come in the scenario up until the conclusion for now prior to the launch of the expansion pack. In terms of the content, on the three main axes essential to MMORPGs, we have PvE, PvP, and housing content all being added. In the future, we'll continue to go even deeper with each of these as we add more and more content to A Realm Reborn.
We're eagerly anticipating the release of the patch!