FF14 director details Black Mage changes and Poetics replacement

Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida outlined changes coming with the Evercold expansion during question-and-answer sessions at Fanfest Tokyo. The expansion will enter early access on Feb. 19, 2027, followed by its full launch on Feb. 23.

Black Mage’s Evolved Mode will remove Triplecast and replace it with another ability. Leylines will also change. Players will be able to place them, leave to handle mechanics and return to continue using their effects instead of staying inside them for 30 seconds.

“I am about to say something shocking… Triplecast is going to disappear,” Yoshida said. He did not provide further details about the replacement ability.

Players using Zephyr, the new ranged physical damage job, will be able to change the color of their bird companion. The feature will use a dual-dye system through a specific non-player character.

Poetics currency will be removed in version 8.0. A replacement system will let players obtain gear for alternate jobs and rewards from older content. Yoshida did not reveal its name and directed players to a future live letter about itemization and progression.

Fishing will receive a separate inventory change. After players unlock a bait type through leveling, a quest reward or an NPC purchase, it will be added to a list. Players can then select and use it without carrying the bait in their inventory.

“Bait you’ve obtained once will be added to your list and you can use it as many times as you want,” Yoshida said.

A housing update planned after Evercold should allow players to float almost every housing item without glitches or workarounds. Some lighting objects may be excluded. Island Sanctuary updates are planned after development work on version 8.0 becomes less demanding.

The team is continuing work on character customization. Planned options include changing weapon-out poses across races and genders. Developers are testing body-shape adjustments, including a possible butt slider, but existing gear and glamours create technical problems because some designs may change shape or fit unevenly.

For Savage raids, the switch to personal loot will still allow players who have cleared an encounter that week to help other players. Those who have not cleared it during the same week will remain eligible for loot. A separate system for claiming older seasonal rewards is also in development.

Yoshida confirmed that Dancing Mad Ultimate originally had another phase. The team removed it because the fight became too difficult and too long.

The Evercold benchmark is scheduled for early December. A livestream will show its new features and character customization changes. Additional broadcasts will cover Evolved Mode for every job and the new progression systems.