The next big Final Fantasy XIV update is almost here, and the FFXIV team has released the full 6.1 patch notes outlining all of the upcoming content. This includes all the FFXIV 6.1 Job changes. There is a lot that has been tweaked regardless of whether you play tank, DPS, or healer. Jobs like Samurai, Ninja, White Mage, Paladin, and Dancer, in particular, got significant adjustments you’ll want to account for before jumping back into action.
Director and producer Naoki Yoshida, alongside community director Toshio Murouchi, hosted a Live Letter-like stream to read through the complete 6.1. patch notes. During the livestream, Yoshida-san provided some insight and rationale behind some of the changes in FFXIV Patch 6.1. It was a Japanese only stream, but you can read translations from the r/FFXIV Discord done by the translation team.
The game is currently offline for maintenance as we wait for Patch 6.1 to go live on April 12 at 3:00 a.m. PT. In the meantime, be sure to check out our roundup of everything important coming to FFXIV Patch 6.1, all the new mounts and minions, and what’s good with the Myths of the Realm Aglaia 24-player alliance raid.
Below, we have summaries highlighting what’s new for each role and breakdowns for each of the Job changes in Patch 6.1.
Tank Changes
Aside from Gunbreaker, every tank gets a meaningful change in FFXIV Patch 6.1. Paladin’s Blade combo is now subject to Requiescat instead of Confiteor, which may take some getting used to — that Blade combo also gets some neat healing effects. As anticipated, Dark Knight’s Living Dead has been overhauled, now granting HP restoration with attacks and a new effect called Undead Rebirth. Warriors may rejoice with Overpower now being a regular AoE instead of a cone AoE.
Paladin
- Iron Will recast time has been reduced to 3 seconds down from 10 seconds.
- Clemency, Holy Spirit, and Holy Circle no longer interrupt combos.
- Requiescat now grants an additional effect called “Blade of Faith Ready” for a duration of 30 seconds after Requiescat expires.
- Blade of Faith is no longer a combo action with Confiteor and is now subject to the “Blade of Faith Ready” effect granted by Requiescat expiring.
- Confiteor, Blade of Faith, Blade of Truth, and Blade of Valor all now have an additional effect that restores your own HP with 400 cure potency.
- Divine Magic Mastery II (Trait) now adds a healing effect to Confiteor.
Warrior
- Defiance recast timer has been reduced to 3 seconds down from 10 seconds.
- Overpower has changed to a point-blank AoE on all nearby enemies instead of a frontal cone AoE.
- Inner Release stacks now only apply to Fell Cleave and Decimate. While its status debuff nullification effects have not changed, you may notice the description has changed and the effects are grouped under the “Inner Strength” moniker.
Dark Knight
- Grit recast time has been reduced to 3 seconds down from 10 seconds.
- Flood of Darkness potency has been reduced from 130 to 100.
- Blood Weapon now grants 5 stacks of the Blood Weapon effect, and the effect duration now lasts 15 seconds up from 10 seconds.
- Living Dead now restores HP with each successful weaponskill or spell landed with a 1,500 cure potency.
- Undead Rebirth is a new effect. If you are healed to max HP before the Walking Dead timer expires, Undead Rebirth will be granted for the remaining duration that Walking Dead was supposed to go for. While under Undead Rebirth, most attacks will not knock you below 1 HP.
- Stalwart Soul is now learned at level 40 instead of level 72.
Gunbreaker
- Royal Guard recast timer reduced to 3 seconds down from 10 seconds.
Melee DPS Changes
The big story with melee DPS Jobs in FFXIV Patch 6.1 is the overhaul to Samurai. The guaranteed critical hits on certain actions and sweeping potency changes are sure to shake things up for the Job, and Samurai mains will pour one out for Hissatsu: Kaiten. Ninja also has some very notable changes, particularly with Mug taking over Trick Attack’s old function of increasing party damage. Trick Attack still serves a purpose, but we Ninja mains will have to rewire our brains with Mug being our go-to utility now. Dragoon and Reaper players will notice smoother gameplay with the quickening of certain actions subject to animation lock.
Monk
- Perfect Balance can no longer be executed while under the effect of any Beast Chakra.
Dragoon
- Jump and High Jump actions will change to Mirage Dive when under the effect of Mirage Dive Ready (helping consolidate action hotbar icons).
- Animation lock reduced for Jump, High Jump, Elusive Jump, Spineshatter Dive, and Dragonfire Dive.
Ninja
- Mug now inflicts target with a 5% damage taken debuff for 20 seconds (Cooldown remains 120 seconds).
- Trick Attack now inflicts target with a 10% damage taken debuff only for you for 15 seconds (Cooldown remains 60 seconds).
- Aeolian Edge combo potency has increased from 360 to 380 and from 420 to 440 for rear attacks.
- Armor Crush combo potency has increased from 340 to 360 and from 400 to 420 for flank attacks.
- Hakke Mujinsatsu combo potency has increased from 120 to 130.
- Doton potency has increased from 120 to 130 — however, its duration is reduced from 24 seconds to 18 seconds.
- Phantom Kamaitachi potency has increased from 550 to 600.
- Bhavacakra gets a potency reduction from 400 to 350.
- Animation lock reduced for Shukuchi.
- Using Hide now dispels an active Doton.
- Melee Mastery is now learned at level 74 instead of level 84.
- Melee Mastery II at level 84 increases potency for Spinning Edge to 220 and Gust Slash to 160.
Samurai
- Critical hits guaranteed for Midare Setsugekka, Kaeshi: Setsugekka, Ogi Namikiri, and Kaeshi: Namikiri (base potencies for these actions have changed).
- Midare Setsugekka potency has been reduced from 660 to 600.
- Kaeshi: Setsugekka potency has been reduced from 990 to 600.
- Ogi Namikiri potency has been reduced from 900 to 800.
- Kaeshi: Namikiri potency has been reduced from 1,350 to 800.
- Hakaze potency has increased from 180 to 200.
- Jinpu potency has increased from 100 to 120.
- Shifu potency has increased from 100 to 120.
- Gekko potency has increased — base potency from 100 to 120, combo potency from 320 to 330, and rear combo potency from 370 to 380.
- Mangetsu combo potency has increased from 110 to 120.
- Kasha potency has increased — base potency from 100 to 120, combo potency from 320 to 330, and flank combo potency from 370 to 380.
- Oka combo potency has increased from 110 to 120.
- Higanbana damage-over-time potency has increased from 30 to 45 per tick.
- Yukikaze potency has increased — base potency from 100 to 120 and combo potency from 280 to 300.
- Third Eye effect duration has been increased to 4 seconds, up from 3 seconds.
- Meikyo Shisui no longer includes ranged weaponskills for its effect.
- Hissatsu: Shinten potency has been reduced from 270 to 250. It’s now learned at level 52 instead of level 62.
- Kaeshi: Higanbana potency has been reduced from 300 to 200.
- Kaeshi: Goken potency has been reduced from 420 to 280.
- Shoha potency has been reduced from 580 to 500.
- Tenka Goken and Kaeshi: Goken have changed to point-blank AoE on all nearby enemies instead of frontal cone AoE.
- Hissatsu: Yaten activation time has changed to match other backstep actions.
- Hissatsu: Kyuten is now learned at level 62 instead of level 64.
- Hissatsu: Kaiten has been removed entirely.
- Way of the Samurai II at level 84 increases potency for Gekko, Kasha, and Yukikaze to 120.
Reaper
- Hell’s Ingress and Hell’s Egress now grant the instant-cast Harpe for 20 seconds instead of 15 seconds.
- Animation lock reduced for Hell’s Ingress, Hell’s Egress, and Regress.
Ranged and Magic DPS Changes
There are some straightforward changes for Machinist, which sees several potency increases. And while Summoner’s roster of Ruby-based spells now have longer recast timers, they all get notable potency increases (and Bunky is no longer required for Searing Light). The major thing to note here with Dancer is the recategorization of several abilities and the addition of new types of procs that are sure to change the Job’s dynamic.
Machinist
- Wildfire has a potency increase per weaponskill landed from 150 to 200.
- Heat Blast has a potency increase from 170 to 180.
- Drill has a potency increase from 570 to 580.
- Air Anchor has a potency increase from 570 to 580.
- Pile Bunker has a potency increase from 650 to 680.
- Crowned Collider has a potency increase from 750 to 780.
- Chain Saw has a potency increase from 570 to 580.
Dancer
- Cascade and Windmill now have a 50% chance of granting “Silken Symmetry” instead of “Flourishing Symmetry.”
- Reverse Cascade and Rising Windmill are now made available while under the effect of Silken Symmetry or Flourishing Symmetry.
- Fountain and Bladeshower now have a 50% chance of granting “Silken Flow” instead of “Flourishing Flow.”
- Fountainfall and Bloodshower are now made available while under the effect of Silken Flow or Flourishing Flow.
- Flourishing Symmetry and Flourishing Flow are only granted by the instant ability Flourish.
- Standard Step, Emboite, Entrechat, Jete, Pirouette, and Technical Step are all now categorized as weaponskills.
- Esprit Gauge tweaked to be more noticeable when it reaches 50 or higher.
Bard
- Soul Voice Gauge now triggers a sound effect when it reaches 80 (like when it reaches 100) and a new visual cue has been added to indicate when the gauge reaches 80.
Summoner
- Ruby Ruin, Ruby Outburst, Ruby Ruin II, Ruby Ruin III, Ruby Rite, Ruby Disaster, and Ruby Catastrophe all have a longer recast timer of 3 seconds instead of 2.5 seconds.
- Ruby Ruin has a potency increase from 300 to 340.
- Ruby Outburst has a potency increase from 140 to 160.
- Ruby Ruin II has a potency increase from 340 to 380.
- Ruby Ruin III has a potency increase from 360 to 410.
- Ruby Rite has a potency increase from 450 to 510.
- Ruby Disaster has a potency increase from 170 to 190.
- Ruby Catastrophe has a potency increase from 180 to 210.
- Ruin Mastery IV (Trait) now increases the potency of Ruby Rite to 510 instead of 450.
- Searing Light can now be executed directly by the caster instead of requiring Carbuncle.
Red Mage
- Animation lock reduced for Displacement.
Healer Changes
The main thing when it comes to healers in Patch 6.1 is the reduction of MP costs for several core spells. White Mage got the most changes, with some potency adjustments and tweaks to its high-level abilities. Scholars got the last laugh when their level 90 sprinting spell turned out to be quite useful, but the fun has been reined in with a duration reduction. And all the new Sage mains should be happy with automatic recharges to the Addersting Gauge when entering instances.
White Mage
- Stone, Strone II, Aero, Aero II now cost 200 MP instead of 400 MP.
- Aero and Aero II damage-over-time duration now lasts 30 seconds instead of 18 seconds.
- Stone III now costs 300 MP instead of 400 MP, but its potency has been reduced from 230 to 220.
- Stone IV potency has been reduced from 270 to 260.
- Regen now costs 400 MP instead of 500 MP.
- Cure III area-of-effect radius has been increased to 10 yalms, up from 6 yalms.
- Asylum range has been increased to 10 yalms, up from 8 yalms.
- Secret of the Lily now adds a Lily to the Healing Gauge every 20 seconds instead of every 30 seconds.
- Afflatus Misery has a potency increase from 900 to 1,240, and additional targets in range take 50% of main target damage instead of 25%.
- Liturgy of the Bell can now be manually triggered to expend remaining stacks for healing for 200 cure potency per stack.
Scholar
- Ruin, Bio, and Bio II now cost 300 MP instead of 400 MP.
- Sacred Soil has an increased area-of-effect radius to 10 yalms instead of 8 yalms.
- Embrace has an increased range for targeting party members.
- Expedient now only grants 10 seconds of Expedience effect instead of 20 seconds.
Astrologian
- Combust now inflicts 30 seconds of damage-over-time instead of 18 seconds.
Sage
- Dosis now costs 300 MP instead of 400 MP.
- Soteria now grants 4 stacks of its effect. The effect potency has increased to 70% instead of 50%.
- Full Addersting stacks granted when entering an instance or restarting an instanced battle.
Good lord, those are a ton of changes for Jobs in FFXIV Patch 6.1! Make sure you study up on how your Job has changed before jumping into the new Myths of the Realm alliance raid or continuing MSQ with that new mysterious dungeon the FFXIV team won’t tell us about.
