Here's everything in FF14 7.4 shown during Live Letter 90, from surfer bros and glamour changes to Rage Against the Machine

FF14 7.4 is imminent, which means it's time for our regularly scheduled look at everything coming in the new patch. With the Dawntrail story now behind us, it's time to step forward into the next era of the MMORPG, but the new Final Fantasy 14 update is already looking a lot busier than just that. We've got the climax of the Arcadion raids, a gorgeous new variant dungeon, and a whole new world courtesy of the lifting of glamour restrictions. For FF14 Live Letter 90, game director Naoki Yoshida and community producer Toshio Murouchi sit down to give us some live gameplay demonstrations of what's in store, and there's even a special surprise thanks to Rage Against the Machine.

As was previously announced during the last Live Letter, Final Fantasy 14 patch 7.4 is arriving on Tuesday December 16. "We just have to have ten more PLLs and we will hit three digits," Yoshida remarks (via unofficial translation). He notes that the stream is taking place from a different location because of a flu outbreak among the community team. We start with the trailer, which you can watch in full below. Naturally we won't go into too many details about the MSQ or the 7.45 Hildibrand story for spoiler reasons, but be careful about watching the teaser if you aren't caught up on 7.3.

The main story will take us through the new dungeon, Mistwake, which certainly suggests to me that we're not completely out of the Final Fantasy 9 themes yet. The trial is Hell on Rails, a battle against an engine very much inspired by FF8's Doomtrain. Yoshida apologizes that he won't show it off today because there are too many other things to get through, but he does note, "We did make a train fight before, but we managed to make it entertaining in a different way."

As for the extreme version of the fight, Yoshida says, "Depending on the phase it feels very different. It is going to be a bit of a memory game. Where did something disappear, where did it place a new container…" He adds, "I think once you get it down it will feel smooth." You'll get two totems per completion, and there are no changes to the exchange rates yet, but Yoshida does say the team plans to review this for the future because the gap between dropping one and two totems is "too big."

We dive into the Arcadion's second fight, which is against a tag team of surfer bros, Red Hot and Deep Blue (complete with a suitably incredible pop-punk soundtrack). These guys switch out between fire and water, with the latter even riding a wave across the battlefield. They look to have some pretty tight hitboxes, so you'll definitely need to stay on top of them if you're playing melee. A lot of their AoE attacks also leave lingering damage fields, so careful placement is going to be a must or you'll quickly run out of places to stand. "I really, really like this fight," Yoshida enthuses, "and I hope you guys do too."

Composer Masayoshi Soken steps into the room next for a special announcement, because another of the raid songs, 'Everything Burns,' actually comes from Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Beartooth's Caleb Shomo. Soken has long been a die-hard fan of RATM, and apparently Morello is close pals with long-time FF14 stalwart Jason Charles Miller of Godhead. Yoshida says that the band told them, "it's not about money and because the community is so great to just use it," though he notes that they still naturally had to go through all the required legal proceedings to account for streaming and so on.

"Since this raid tier is heavyweight, there is a lot of power in the songs," Soken explains, struggling to contain his enthusiasm. "Tom Morello's song will play at the perfect time too. I don't know how to explain this other than, guys, this is the real deal. I was interacting with him today for work, and even though it's winter I was sweating so much. He is a god to me." The track will be made available in full on Wednesday December 17, one day after the patch. "We want everyone to listen to it, but the game experience comes first," Yoshida says. Morello describes it as "an absolute rocking banger of a track that mirrors the energy and potency of the game."

The new variant and criterion dungeon, The Merchant's Tale, arrives in patch 7.45 and will see us diving inside a mysterious book, complete with a gorgeous hand-painted world. It can be attempted with one to four players, and you'll be able to bring a pair of variant actions as always, allowing you to account for any gaps in your party with skills for healing, tanking, or damage. "There is no downside to having them, so please set some," Yoshida remarks. You'll also have to make numerous decisions throughout the run, which will impact fight mechanics as well as the story you uncover.

Because this is tied into Old Sharlayan's gleaners, of which our companion (and relative of Y'shtola) is one, it's another chance to revisit the iconic Endwalker boss music for the bigger battles. Yoshida doesn't get too deep in, although he spends enough time battling to exclaim in sadness about having to step out of his Black Mage Leylines. He does return to the start to explore some alternative paths, however, and there's a huge amount of environmental variety, much as you'd expect from a variant dungeon set inside a fantasy tome.

With the difficulty rework, there's the new 'advanced variant dungeon' that's available as somewhat of a training course before you step into the harder-difficulty criterion (with the ultra-tough savage mode removed altogether). The intermediary step just lets you take on the three main bosses in any order, although note that they're a bit tougher than they were in the base iteration of the dungeon, with Yoshida describing the mechanics as "pretty much 'evolved' from the normal mode." Once you beat one, you can move onto the next or leave early to claim your rewards.

Note that you can't do the advanced version alone due to debuffs, so you'll need at least one partner with you. There are also a couple of new variant actions. Variant Eagle Eye Shot is a single-target, high-damage blast. Variant Raise II, meanwhile, is exclusive to the criterion dungeon; it revives one ally, and each player can use it once per boss encounter.

Yoshida shows off the much-hyped glamour changes, which will lift all class, job, and level restrictions on your fashion. It extends to crafting and gathering clothes, so if you want to dress as "a Botanist cutting grass" on your Reaper, you can. The only exceptions are weapons and race-specific gear. Actually using this works pretty much exactly as we're used to, just with far more options; "Maybe if you didn't level all classes before, this might motivate you," Yoshida muses.

To help with storage space, some class/job-exclusive gear, starting gear, and 'fashion gear' can be saved as outfit glamorous, and you no longer need the entire set to store them this way. You can instead just put away three of the five parts, for example, and then add the other two later if you wish. "I know… you guys want more slots, more space," Yoshida admits, "but since it's the end of the year, it's a good time to do a general clean out, you know? Get rid of things you don't need."

Next on Yoshida's checklist is the new 'command panel,' which is basically a custom-styled hotbar "inspired by feedback we got from players." It's located in the 'extra' section of the action list, and you can set buttons to open it to whichever page you like. There are four specific toggles to customize its behavior: 'close window on action,' 'open panel at your cursor,' 'open the last panel used,' and 'lock the panel.' That means you can have it as a permanent feature on-screen, or use it almost like a quick menu that appears by your cursor.

The strategy board is FF14's in-game raid planner solution, letting you build and share a guide that you and your teammates can use. Yoshida emphasizes that the FF14 team won't be providing them for you, although there are some presets to help you create layouts for common instances quickly. Once you're happy with what you've made, you're able to share it either in-game or through a code on other websites. There's even a 'screen share' feature to show your work to your party while actively editing it and discussing tactics.

The customization options look pretty in-depth, and you're able to change markers to suit your regional preference. Yoshida says the team "looked at strats to test if we could put them into the strategy board," giving a handful of examples that'll immediately be recognizable from fights such as the recent Dawntrail extremes and savages. There are ways to make individual designs for specific platforms like the cross shape in Interphos, and to add text for instructions such as directing your main tank to look south at a specific moment.

Yoshida notes that there may be some slight lag while live-sharing your board, but that "since everything is going through the server this is the best we can do and I think it's pretty good." He also adds a word of advice: "Usually it's the supports who have the really serious strat discussions, and DPS start jumping around and accidentally pull the boss." He laughs, "Please at least listen to everything - don't just ask, 'Are we ready?'"

The new Frontline map is Worqor Chirteh (Triumph). To claim points, you'll need to stand in multiple spots around the 'Triumphs' to plant your flag. Naturally, opponents will block progress, but you won't benefit from multiple teammates joining you in a circle. This means it's a little easier to take a small, sneaky squad and grab some undefended sections of the map while the focus is elsewhere.

You'll also have to watch for the weather, as it'll shift during the map. In snow, frosty spirits can create blockers or blessings, while Auroras will increase LB charge rates and cause more valuable Triumphs to appear. You'll need more people to capture these, but they're a great way to turn the tide if you plan well. "We did a lot of play test runs and there were a lot of reverse sweeps during Auroras," Yoshida notes.

The Gold Saucer is getting a new Air Force One track that will weave us through the Cieldalaes, the island network that plays home to Hullbreaker Isle. Yoshida remarks that he found this "a bit too easy" in testing, "so I'm sorry, we made slight adjustments. I think the perfect spot for these kinds of minigames is when you always feel like you barely managed to get a perfect score."

There are a few more features coming that we don't get time for today, such as the new unreal trial, Tsukuyomi's Pain (the climactic battle from Stormblood's 4.3 patch), which will adapt it in an attempt to recreate the original level of challenge for the modern game.

We've also got the 'clear green' and 'clear white' UI color themes, three more phantom jobs and new accessories in Occult Crescent, and duty support for optional ARR dungeons Dzemael Darkhold and Aurum Vale. Patch 7.41, meanwhile, will take us to the third Cosmic Exploration location, Oizys, along with a new set of weapon enhancement quests for the Phantom Weapons.

That's everything for today, but I'm already very excited to spend the holiday break checking out everything Final Fantasy 14's new update has in store. Thanks as always to 'Miuna' and 'iluna minori' on the FF14 Discord [link, opens in new window] for their live translation of the presentation.

The FF14 7.4 release date is Tuesday December 16, with the title 'Into the Mist.' You can find me there jamming out to the Arcadion heavyweight soundtrack all the way into 2026.