Here's the FF14 7.35 release date and the new Arkveld fight in its entirety

FF14 7.35 has just been revealed in full, courtesy of a special stage from game director Naoki Yoshida and community producer Toshio Murouchi at Tokyo Games Show. The event, which was live streamed by Square Enix, played out pretty much like a regular Final Fantasy 14 Live Letter, and gave us a full look at what we can expect from FF14 patch 7.35, which marks a key turning point for the critically acclaimed MMORPG. Not only is it the final update before we start moving towards the next expansion narratively, but it's also the testbed for some new mechanics and ideas that are set to pave the way for the future.

The pair start with a reveal of when we'll get to play everything we're seeing today. The FF14 7.35 release date is Tuesday October 7. Yoshida confirms that this will include the highly anticipated Monster Hunter Wilds crossover, which pits us against Guardian Arkveld in Final Fantasy 14. As previously discussed, it also features the new Pilgrim's Traverse deep dungeon, the Yok Huy allied society quotes, and the continuation of the Inconceivably Further Hildibrand Adventures with everyone's favorite inspector.

Pilgrim's Traverse is certainly going to be a major talking point. Yoshida reemphasizes his desire for players to test out its variable difficulty features, which he previously discussed in the initial reveal of the deep dungeon and then expanded upon when speaking with us at Gamescom. "If you are interested in what is going to come for the future of Final Fantasy 14, then Pilgrim's Traverse will be the best spot to give it a try," he says [via unofficial translation from the FF14 Discord's Live Letter regular 'Iluna Minori'].

We then get into the Monster Hunter collaboration, with Capcom's Ryozo Tsujimoto joining Yoshida and Murouchi on stage. To recap what we already knew, you'll need to be at level 100 and have completed the 7.0 Dawntrail MSQ to challenge it. In reality, however, you'll probably have to be pretty close to current, as the required average item level for The Windward Wilds is 725, the same as the 7.3 story trial. In similar fashion, the extreme will need you to reach item level 740. Both are designed for eight players, although you can enter in custom groups of any size.

Yoshida explains that the FF14 dev team has been working with developers from the Monster Hunter studio, several of whom are FF14 players themselves, to try and fit together the mechanics of the two games. "No matter how much they try, there's always this particular clash where the elements from both games do not mesh well with each other." However, he says each side "decided to do whatever they need to do to make the fight the best thing ever and deliver the best experience to players."

Yoshida hints that "there might be less group-based mechanics" with a bigger focus on "personal responsibility" in the battle with Arkveld. That would tie in with how the Stormblood fight against Rathalos played out, and it's honestly a reasonable representation of how most people play Monster Hunter as well, where support builds tend to be less common.

Alongside the rewards we were given a glimpse of last week, there are some more to see. While Stormblood's Monster Hunter World crossover reimagined some of the armor in a more FF14 style, Yoshida says the design team wanted to remain "pretty faithful" to the Wilds designs this time around, and he also confirms that you can equip both armor styles with no gender-locking. Weapons all come in base and augmented versions, meaning you should be able to get them from the normal-difficulty fight if you're looking for glam.

This also confirms which jobs get what weapons, and as I speculated there are a few strange choices. Black Mage has been given the Hammer, and Warrior looks to be using a transformed Charge Blade rather than a Switch Axe. Dark Knight does get the Greatsword, while Samurai will wield the Longsword. Ninja and Dancer both have variants of the Wilds Dual Blades, but Viper is handed an original design. I think my biggest winner is probably Red Mage, which adapts the Arkveld Lance for its own means.

We've already seen the Seikret mount, but there's also another option: the medical cart that is used when you faint in a battle in Wilds. Your Warrior of Light slumps motionless across this as two eager Palicos ferry them about. Then there are the baby Seikret and Vigorwasp minions, Felyne housekeepers, and a range of house furnishings for both indoors and outdoors. Finally, we've got framer's kits, fashion accessories, and orchestrion rolls to earn, with five songs listed.

Yoshida then jumps into the actual fight, and he remarks that while he and the art director playing are obviously familiar with mechanics, the other six people joining them are completely fresh to it. "Please don't admonish them for mistakes," he says. This is a much more substantial preview than we normally get during Live Letters, so you're able to get a glimpse at what's in store if you want. Conversely, players who prefer to experience battles without seeing them first should steer clear.

One mechanic that's used quite a few times are the 'rolling wave' AoEs that we've seen used quite a lot in recent battles such as the Dawntrail alliance raids. In many cases, you'll have to handle these overlapping as they spread out. You'll need to pay close attention to Arkveld's motions as well, particularly when it raises the chain-whips on its arms.

Despite Yoshida's cautions, the group manages to bring Arkveld down to 34% on its first attempt before a shared-damage marker proves too much to handle with only three players left alive, and is able to clear it on the second run. It's certainly a little chaotic at times, but it looks to be very manageable at normal difficulty if you're used to regular raids, so players shouldn't have too much trouble overcoming it.

Much like the Rathalos fight, you'll be able to carve Arkveld for additional rewards once the battle is over. We then get treated to a little glam showcase, where Yoshida states that the armor has two dye channels and gives us a glimpse at some of the variants you could create. Seeing them up close, I've got a sneaking suspicion the Sage Nouliths are actually four tiny Arkveld Hunting Horns, and that's warmed me to them a lot more.

I'm definitely a little sad that we don't get an Arkveld mount, but I've got to say that the cart is perhaps one of the best I've ever seen, which makes up for it. Yoshida says the design really pushed the limits of mount capabilities, with both of the Palicos working hard to roll your knocked-out WoL across the terrain. I'm certainly looking forward to this encounter, although the extreme will have to bring out the big guns to top Monster Hunter Wilds' Omega fight.

That's all we get for today, although Yoshida does wrap up with one final reveal: three outfits based on Final Fantasy Tactics characters Ramza, Ovelia, and Gaffgarion will be coming to the online store on Tuesday September 30 to celebrate the release of The Ivalice Chronicles. There will also be some orchestrion rolls to collect.

Special thanks to Iluna Minori from the Final Fantasy 14 Discord for providing translations - you can find a link here. Final Fantasy 14 patch 7.35 launches on Tuesday October 7. Check the special site for a full list of rewards.

Wondering what to do in the meantime? We've rounded up the best new MMOs in 2025, along with our pick of the best co-op games if you just love playing with friends.

Now that we've seen both sides of the coin, which of the collaboration quests are you most excited for? Let us know in the PCGamesN community Discord server, where you can chat with staff and readers about all things PC gaming.