Final Fantasy XIV has released its second major patch as part of the ongoing story in Dawntrail, its fifth expansion. Final Fantasy Patch 7.2, titled Seekers of Eternity, immediately escalates the action, wisely using the few added quests. This update also adds another round of encounters to the Arcadion Raid Series and a few quality-of-life additions, making this a strong update with a few more surprises coming soon.
For now, though, one of the two main attractions for this patch is the continuation of the Main Scenario Questline. After the cliffhanger at the end of the last major patch, the story wastes no time delving into the mystery of the two Sphenes. These mysterious duplicates allow us to explore different aspects of Dawntrail’s secondary antagonist and Alexandria’s past.
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The newly added trial and dungeon also delve into these aspects, forcing players to ask themselves what constitutes a human mind. If a consciousness is simply a collection of memories, then what is there to separate two identical minds? And what do we label a recreation made from other peoples’ memories of an individual?
Final Fantasy XIV Patch 7.2 introduces the villain behind latest events.
Between these story beats and a spotlight on a society’s collective fear of death, this chapter in the MSQ may leave you thinking philosophically. If you don’t want to think about the more cerebral aspects of the plot, this patch also introduces the villain behind the latest confounding events. This nefarious mastermind builds upon the details established in Dawntrail’s story, further fleshing out several aspects of Alexandria and its history. Whether this story will stick the landing or even conclude in the next patch remains to be seen, but this is definitely a step up from the last patch’s meandering narrative.
Of course, the MSQ is never the only addition in a major patch, and in Final Fantasy XIV Patch 7.2, players can also complete a new series of Raid Battles. Continuing the climb to the top of the arena established in Dawntrail’s release, players will battle another handful of animal soul-enhanced fighters. From a disco-obsessed Viera with a rabbit soul to a wolf-infused warrior right out of a mecha anime, this series presents some of the most enjoyable encounters in recent memory. Clever mechanics, delightful gimmicks, and musical themes that will stick in your head for weeks combine to create some of the most unique Raids encounters in Final Fantasy XIV.
The story around the fights is equally engaging. The narrative builds upon the strong personas established in the first round to deliver a story where every character feels important. The story also includes tropes and elements found in professional wrestling storytelling. A villainous character cheating during a fight or attacking organization officials is part of the act. The aforementioned disco dancer endlessly maintains his ring persona to his detriment. These aspects feel like they’re lifted from wrestlers I saw growing up, making their performances all the more charming. The more complex versions of these fights, known as Savage Raids, will be released on April 1st, and hopefully, they’ll continue to provide creative and fun trials for players.
Final Fantasy XIV’s latest patch also introduces two massive pieces of content: Cosmic Exploration in one month and a new Field Operation the following month. Cosmic Exploration is intended to give the gathering and crafting players a new goal to work toward: establishing a moon base as a foothold to future exploration zones.
Seekers of Eternity offers players more chances for exploration.
The new Field Operation, Occult Crescent, is a combat-focused zone where players can explore and battle through a new area with the help of Phantom Jobs, which grants new abilities while in the Occult Crescent. This zone will also feature the start of the newest Relic Weapon, where players can sink hours into obtaining a pinnacle weapon. How these will fare remains to be seen, but players running out of things to do will surely latch onto these activities when they drop.
Rounding out this patch is a series of smaller, but still appreciated, quality of life changes. Firstly, players no longer have to stand still to summon a mount. This change smoothes out the minor and counterintuitive wrinkle of slowing players down when trying to hop on a mount and speed off into the horizon. It also just looks and feels cooler. The other notable change is also related to mobility, but this pertains to sprinting in cities.
Sprinting around cities in short bursts is frustrating when visiting multiple vendors or coordinating with friends. Even trying to complete quests that have you running back and forth within the confines of a safe zone can become a chore. Now, though, when your Sprint wears off in a city, you’ll keep a passive buff called Jog, granting you a faster-than-normal walking speed that doesn’t wear off. While it doesn’t grant players an unlimited sprint, an ability apparently only in the previous expansion’s Island Sanctuary, jogging around cities is still a welcome improvement.
Final Fantasy XIV’s Seekers of Eternity patch delivers a lot of great storytelling, fun fights, and a few extra conveniences. While a few large content drops are coming soon — April 22nd for Cosmic Exploration and May 27th for the Occult Crescent — the current offerings should be enough to tide players over until then.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail and Patch 7.2 is available now.
