In Naoki Yoshida’s keynote address for Final Fantasy XIV, he announced the next chapter in the MMO’s story, Evercold. With the game’s sixth expansion, there are a massive number of changes on the way. Some of the largest of these are the battle changes, which include the introduction of two distinct combat modes: Reborn Mode and Evolved Mode.
Patch 8.0 is overhauling the existing job system, at least in combat. The new job system adjustment will split systems into two and allow players to switch between Reborn Mode and Evolved Mode at any time, except during combat.
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The current job system will continue as a Reborn Mode. This is what players know and features very few changes. In contrast, Evolved Mode is a brand-new mode designed for players looking for a simpler rotation with fewer key inputs. Full disclosure, when this was first announced during the keynote, my response was “I hate this.”
Tanking in FFXIV has become increasingly hard to stay engaged in. With many bosses ultimately resulting in tank and spanks, being a Paladin takes little thought–unless all the healers in a party die and you become the ringer keeping DPS alive. The lack of depth for tanks has made it easy not to be engaged in the content you are clearing, and ultimately is why I stopped playing FFXIV after Patch 7.3‘s release and even gave up my housing plot.
From skeptical to hopeful, Final Fantasy XIV’s upcoming battle changes have pulled me back in.
Additionally, it was why I initially found it hard to see a positive side to Evolved Mode. The announcement only said, “fewer key inputs.” With much of FFXIV’s choices catering to more casual players and players on console with less hotbar space, I’ve been extremely jaded with how I, an end-game raider, will find joy throughout the updates without me defaulting to multitasking, watching TV in the background. At the same time, I just maintain enmity in the lower-level raids.
That said, during the development panel, which featured Producer & Director Naoki Yoshida and Battle System Designer Hikaru Tamaki discussing the new changes, my perspective changed. In the demonstration, the comments made on stage about fewer key inputs not being equal to a simplified system began to make sense. After watching the in-depth look at how Evolved Mode will run on Paladin, I was sold.
The Evolved Mode offers players a break from their existing cycles and further develops job identities, making each job’s characteristics stand out more by evolving the PVP hotbars and expectations. Combos have been pulled down into a single action. For Paladins in particular, Clemency and Shirk have been adjusted to a single action each that switches from support to boss engagement.
Clemency is combined with the Holy Spirit, one offering heals, and the other offering a DOT. As for Shirk, it’s been combined with Provoke, switching from taunting to shirking enmity to the other tank, depending on who you target between teammates and the boss.
Paladins aren’t the meta’s favorite tank, but Patch 8.0 stands to change that.
Evolved Mode offers a simpler onboarding process for jobs, but the most important change for tanks is that we’re getting more defined roles. A tale as old as time is wiping because the tanks can’t get their act together. The reality is that tank-and-spank gameplay has made it very easy to check out of tanking and stop engaging with content in a meaningful way. This is particularly salient for off-tanking.
Much like healers, which are separated into pure healers and shield healers, main-tanking and off-tanking are defined by the skills that tanks have. Generally, Paladins take the spot as the main tank (and rightfully so), directing damage and countering enemy attacks.
As for off-tanks (Warrior, Dark Knight, and Gunbreaker), it’s all about the party, mitigating enemy damage to allies, and lowering enemy damage with debuffs. While Paladin is the only tank defined for main-tanking (per the image above), the new job that will be revealed at Fan Festival Berlin is a tank, and offers the chance to put more stake into pure damage sponge.
But the overall goal of combat isn’t just to break the two-minute meta. The FFXIV team is adjusting the action acquisition levels so that hotbars will be filled at Level 50. While this allows new players who may come in with the expanded free trial (that now includes Shadowbringers) to get a full experience of their jobs, it also makes it easier for veteran players to go back and do older content that syncs them to lower levels without losing their rotations, an important element that grows as the level cap increases.
Naoki Yoshida and Hikaru Tamaki clearly understand that Patch 8.0 will be make-or-break for many players.
During the development panel, Yoshida performed an animated recreation of what boss battles are currently like as we enter Patch 7.5. He stood in place and acted as if he were being hit. The lack of boss interaction is one factor that has led tanks to lose investment in their roles and has increased the need to push to be the main tank when possible.
Currently, boss fights are centered around the two-minute meta that forces players into a rotation. When done properly, it allows players to burn down the boss, while it mostly just stands there, going through its animated mechanics.
Do the mechanic, blast the boat for two minutes, do the mechanic, rinse and repeat. While this may make clearing dungeons and trials easier, for those looking to farm, it also creates a pattern that removes the individuality of the player and even the unique game design elements that should separate one boss battle from another.
By removing synergy actions, party buffs are focused on party efficiencies. Additionally, the synergy limited players to 120-second action rotations, which could lead to a wipe with a single wrong misclick. New mechanics will be coming as well to deal with the reduction in the rotation speed and the enhanced focus on lifting up support classes to help clear DPS checks.
Paladins are finally getting the respect they deserve with the disruption of the two-minute meta.
Adjusting the DPS output for Paladins was deeply needed, especially compared to other tanks that are viable in PVP. This DPS output comes from an increased focus on using the Paladin’s shield to counter boss actions.
With the addition of counters, a clearer focus on targeting, and situational adjustments to your party, you will become key to understanding. While players will still have the option to remain in their current rotations in Reborn mode, the shift to Evolved
Yoshida and Tamaki also addressed a major pain point not just with Paladin and tanks, but also with Dragoon, White Mage, and Bard (a class that has been consistently ignored): job homogenization. The upcoming meta-disruption pushes players to find their own creative path that doesn’t rely on a meta rotation prescribed for their job. This drastic overhaul makes the jobs feel unique and also affects how players develop their in-game identities.
Additionally, the similarities across jobs are being removed, and the hope is to showcase the differences among jobs and allow each person’s rotation to be determined by situational needs rather than the prescribed meta. Because of this, the plan is to use the new builds to develop investment in party play and make it easier for new players to transition into traditionally higher-pressure roles like healer. While Paladin stands out, White Mage can say goodbye to slide casting with the cooldowns being removed for damage-dealing actions.
Final Fantasy XIV’s upcoming battle changes are giving me hope.
Final Fantasy XIV is 13 years into its journey, and I have been here for ten of them. Paladins, like all jobs, have experienced changes that have ebbed and flowed with the state of the game. With Evolved Mode, the restructuring of tanking, the shift in combat mechanics, and the ripples these cause for dungeons, trials, and Alliance raids mark a new path for the MMO.
The shifts in gameplay are substantial adjustments that are sure to make the game feel new. While we still have to see if this fights off the fatigue that happens after every expansion, the truth is that, for the first time in a while, I am excited to see what my future looks like in my role as a Paladin.
Instead of forcing myself to level a Warrior or Dark Knight, I can hold my shield and develop my identity that isn’t tied to the approach Icy Veins rotation without ally ire. Evercold and Patch 8.0’s updates’ evolution may be unexpected, but it’s a big swing that feels necessary for a game as long-running as Final Fantasy XIV. Get ready, Paladins, our time has come.
Patch 8.0 arrives with the Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold expansion in January 2027.
