Details for "Final Fantasy XIV" patch 3.1 have been revealed. Square Enix's Naoki Yoshida and Toshio Murouchi unveiled these in a "Letter from the Producer" video.
So many additions can be expected from the update. According to IGN, there will be a new chapter in the main story arc, "Saint Endalim Scholasticate" quest line, and Vanu Vanu beast tribe quests. Other notable additions are the two new dungeons, The Saint Mocianne Arboretum and The Pharos Sirius, in hard mode. The report also mentioned the addition of "a new 24 man raid" which "will be set in the Void Ark."
Airship exploration is also possible, and a new weapon upgrade system will be rolled out. Square Enix shared a bit more on airship exploration, "The airship voyage system will allow Free Companies to use their crafted airships to explore uncharted islands and fight powerful monsters, and even those who don't have a free company will be able to use the feature from Ishgard's Landing."
RPGFan notes that the most exciting addition to the game would be the new Gold Saucer mini-game, The Lord of Verminion. It will be a mini-game where the user can pit minions with one another; they can even challenge their friends.
Time trials are making a comeback in the game as well. See an in-depth report on the patch and the video featuring Yoshida and Murouchi at Square Enix Forums.
"Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn" recently just celebrated five million registered accounts. Given this number, the game might just be able to surpass "World of Warcraft's" 5.6 million users as reported this month. PC Gamer, however, notes that registered accounts do not necessarily mean "active users." The website also gave "FFXIV" expansion "Heavensward" a favorable review, saying that it is a nice addition to "the world of Eorzea."
