The latest Live Letter from the Producer gave us a hefty preview of things to come for Final Fantasy XIV. This included a look at the extra content for Island Sanctuary with FFXIV Patch 6.3. The patch is set to launch on January 10, but we already have a teaser of how our islands can grow in the near future.
Island Sanctuary was one of the biggest additions that came along with Patch 6.2. We have it covered and we’re looking forward to covering it some more because new stuff is on the way. Patch 6.3 will add more Sanctuary Ranks — it currently caps at Rank 10, which unlocks mount flying on the island and the highest tier of purchasable rewards. That means we’ll have new items and rewards to earn. However, it won’t be a pure grind because there will be new Visions (quests) and structures to build at the island base.
You can see one of the new structures in the preview screenshot below. It looks like some kind of garden with a little river or grotto with walkways and perches. We’ll guess it’s a Landmark.
Island Sanctuary will also get new materials to gather, crops to grow, animals to capture, and Handicrafts schedule and sell at Workshops. You can check out some of the new animals in the preview screenshots below.
Additionally, some Island Sanctuary-specific UI elements are getting revamped. Particularly, the Workshop menu will be improved — this includes the Workshop Agenda, Supply/Demand, and Earnings menus. You will also have an option to collect all your earnings at once to make the process easier.
With the addition of new animals, it could be a pain to manage your Pasture when it’s full. So, Patch 6.3 is adding the option to release existing animals in your Pasture upon catching new animals out in the wild. This prevents you from being forced to go back to base to make room for new animals.
Patch 6.3 includes minor improvements like notifying players when someone visits their island and letting visitors hear the orchestration roll you have playing at your base. You’ll also be able to save your orchestration settings.
FFXIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida stated that the team plans to make major updates to Island Sanctuary once every two patches, and called this update a minor one. He said that there will be more significant changes in Patch 6.4. Yoshida also brought up letting players place garden furniture on their island, which was hinted as a Patch 6.4 feature.
Despite player trends, he encouraged players to take their time with Island Sanctuary, which he brought up in our latest interview with Yoshida himself. Well, you can count on us to reach the new max Sanctuary Rank in no time!
FFXIV Island Sanctuary Guides
If you haven’t played through Island Sanctuary yet, be sure to use our collection of guides to get your island up and running quickly:
- How to Unlock Island Sanctuary
- Island Sanctuary Beginner’s Guide
- 7 Thing FFXIV Doesn’t Tell You About Island Sanctuary
- How to Earn Island EXP and Level Up Sanctuary Rank Fast
- Island Sanctuary Rare Animal Spawns, Weather, Time, and Locations
- All Island Sanctuary Items and Materials and How to Get Them
