Final Fantasy 14’s 7.45 Update is Now Live

On March 3, Final Fantasy 14 launched Patch 7.45 on all platforms, which included a new chapter for the Hildibrand quest series and saw the launch of a new Variant and Criterion dungeon. Final Fantasy 14 Patch 7.45 also gave one of the game’s combat Jobs a surprise buff that should please some players.

The new Final Fantasy 14 patch arrives a month after Square Enix released FF14‘s 7.41 content update. In Patch 7.41, Final Fantasy 14‘s crafters and gatherers continued the Cosmic Exploration initiative, and were taken to a mysterious planet called Oizys. The rocky planet was covered in ruins and strange gravitational fluxes. Final Fantasy 14‘s 7.41 update also brought the next chapter of the Phantom Weapon quest series, as players were tasked with collecting Crystal Paste, which can be obtained in various dungeons and raids, to empower their relics. Final Fantasy 14 players who complete this new chapter can upgrade their Phantom Weapons to item level 775.

Final Fantasy 14’s Latest Patch Brings Back A Popular Feature

With the ongoing Little Ladies’ Day event in Final Fantasy 14 still in the spotlight, players now have more content to peruse. Final Fantasy 14‘s 7.45 update requires players to download approximately 1 GB of data to play. One of Final Fantasy 14‘s key additions for Patch 7.45 is a new Variant Dungeon called The Merchant’s Tale, which requires players to have completed the main story quest “Endwalker” beforehand. After fulfilling certain criteria within The Merchant’s Tale, players can then unlock an Advanced difficulty version of the new Variant Dungeon. Following that, the challenging Criterion dungeon called Another Merchant’s Tale will be available for players to challenge. Another Merchant’s Tale requires a light party of four players, while the Variant and Advanced versions of The Merchant’s Tale can be done with less than four players. Additionally, Final Fantasy 14‘s Patch 7.45 included the penultimate chapter of Hildibrand’s Dawntrail adventures. The finale of the gentlemanly inspector’s Dawntrail escapades will arrive later this year.

Final Fantasy 14 players will also find that one Job received a surprise adjustment in Patch 7.45. The Reaper, a Melee DPS introduced in Endwalker, saw some slight buffs to its core rotation. Void Reaping and Cross Reaping, two of the Reaper’s burst abilities, each received a buff of 20 potency. The same buff of 20 potency was also given to Grim Reaping, which should help Reaper during burst windows when multiple targets are available. Finally, the Reaper’s Sacrificium spell was buffed by 100 potency, from 600 to 700, which should help the scythe-wielding DPS Job a fair bit during burst windows. Square Enix stated the Reaper buffs were due to the Job feeling somewhat lacking compared to other Melee DPS Jobs in Final Fantasy 14‘s Arcadion Heavyweight Savage raid tier.

Final Fantasy 14’s New Dungeon Is The First Of Its Kind In Two Years

The Merchant’s Tale is the first Variant Dungeon to appear in Final Fantasy 14 in over two years. The previous Variant Dungeon added to the game was Aloalo Island in 2023’s Patch 6.51 content update. Ergo, Final Fantasy 14 has gone nearly an entire expansion without a new Variant Dungeon for players to comb through. Given that the previous Variant and Criterion Dungeons were criticized for lacking any meaningful rewards after the first clear, it remains to be seen what Square Enix has done for The Merchant’s Tale.

However, Final Fantasy 14 players are still in for a busy March. Square Enix confirmed that Letter from the Producer Live Part 91 will air on Friday, March 13. The Live Letter will give players the first glimpses of Patch 7.5, which is scheduled to arrive sometime this spring. With Final Fantasy 14 promising new and fresh forms of content to close out Dawntrail, time will tell what surprises Square Enix and Creative Studio 3 have in store.

Final Fantasy 14 Patch 7.45 Update Notes (March 3, 2026)

Quests

• New sidequests have been added.
  • The Variant Dungeon quest begins by accepting “A Spellbinding Read” from Shallow Moor in Old Sharlayan. A mysterious quest will be available after fulfilling certain conditions in The Merchant’s Tale dungeon.
  • Inconceivably Further Hildibrand Adventures: “A Need for Speed” is now available in Solution Nine after completing “On the Trail of Destruction.” A mysterious quest will be available after completing “A Need For Speed.”
• New furnishings and orchestrion rolls have been added.
• The following names have been changed on the Orchestrion List:
  • Civilizations (Pulse Vol. 2) is now Civilizations (Pulse 2).
  • Insatiable (Pulse Vol. 2) is now Insatiable (Pulse 2).
• New Triple Triad cards and NPC opponents have been added.
• New hairstyles and emotes have been added.
• New mounts, minions, fashion accessories, and facewear have been added.

Battle System

PVE Job Adjustments

Reaper

As reaper’s firepower was somewhat lacking compared to other melee DPS jobs, we have increased the potencies of certain actions.

• Void Reaping: The trait Melee Mastery III will now increase potency from 540 to 560. Enhanced Void Reaping will now increase potency from 600 to 620.
• Cross Reaping: The trait Melee Mastery III will now increase potency from 540 to 560. Enhanced Cross Reaping will now increase potency from 600 to 620.
• Grim Reaping: Potency has been increased from 200 to 220.
• Sacrificium: Potency has been increased from 600 to 700.

The sound effects of certain boss actions during Hell on Rails and Hell on Rails (Extreme) have been improved.

• We have received reports of a separate issue wherein sound effects do not play correctly under certain conditions. If you are experiencing this issue, please try turning off Enhance Audio in the Windows operating system settings.

The strength of the Echo granted in AAC Cruiserweight Tier (Savage) has been increased.

• The Echo will take effect upon entering AAC Cruiserweight Tier (Savage) raids, increasing players’ maximum HP, damage dealt, and healing potency by 15%. Unlike other instances, the strength of the Echo will not increase in the event all party members are incapacitated.

Variant Dungeons

Alongside the variant dungeon The Merchant’s Tale and criterion dungeon Another Merchant’s Tale, Patch 7.45 introduces The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced), a third way to enjoy the strategies and challenges of these multifaceted explorations.

• The Merchant’s Tale: Explore the branching paths of The Merchant’s Tale in this classic variant dungeon, complete with different boss fights dependent upon your choices.
• The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced): Challenge yourself with this free-form series of battles against stronger iterations of the bosses encountered in The Merchant’s Tale. After each individual battle, you will have the option to complete the duty.
• Another Merchant’s Tale: Run the gauntlet of bosses even more powerful than those in The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced) in this challenging four-player duty. Variant actions are restricted, and victory lies at the end of a straight and brutal line.

The Merchant’s Tale

Delve into the twists and turns of The Merchant’s Tale alongside a certain individual to uncover records which may reveal new stories yet untold. Players may enter alone, or in a party of up to four. Monster HP will scale according to party size.

Variant Dungeon Level Sync

The level of all participants will be adjusted to 100, and item level will be adjusted to 765. Furthermore, materia bonuses will be ignored, regardless of the item level of gear affixed with materia. Please ensure that a full set of gear is equipped when entering this duty. Certain actions unlocked via quests will only be available upon requisite quest completion.

Gaining Experience

Experience will be gained based on a player’s unsynced level and rewarded to the class or job equipped upon defeating the boss and completing the duty. Players with an unsynced level of 100 or above will receive Allagan tomestones as a reward.

Entering The Merchant’s Tale

Enter from the V&C Dungeon Finder under Duty in the main menu.

Entering solo or in a pre-made party (up to 4 players):

Make certain the box “Enable party matching” is unchecked, then select “Register for Duty” to enter. Party matching is disabled by default.

Entering via matchmaking:

Make certain the box “Enable party matching” is checked, then select “Register for Duty” to be matched with a party.

Role Requirements

There are no role requirements or restrictions for parties. Moreover, players can freely change to any job or class that has reached level 90. Players can only change their class or job outside of combat.

Variant Actions and Attribute Adjustments

To allow for greater freedom of role choices, variant dungeons grant players the use of special variant actions. These actions mimic existing abilities such as Cure or Rampart. Moreover, certain attributes will also be adjusted to compensate for the disparity of strength between certain roles. These adjustments will give roles more versatility, such as allowing DPS or healers to act as tanks.

Setting Variant Actions

Variant actions can be selected from the V&C Dungeon Finder window. Players may have up to two variant actions at any given time, and are free to change them at any time, even after entering the dungeon. Available variant actions will differ according to your role.

Additional Rules

Upon entering the dungeon, a vote will be held regarding which path to take. The party will proceed down the route that gains the most votes. Players will also have the option to abstain, allowing other players or the accompanying NPC to decide which route is taken. Furthermore, the favored route of the accompanying NPC will be marked by a special icon, and choosing this path may result in additional rewards.

Story Elements

Upon completing the sidequest “A Spellbinding Read,” entries acquired during exploration may be read by selecting the book displayed on the V&C Dungeon Finder window.

Item Exchange

By speaking with Trisassant in Old Sharlayan (X:11.9 Y:13.3), players can exchange Corvosi Potsherds for various goods.

The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced)

Fight stronger versions of the bosses found in The Merchant’s Tale in whatever order you please. You will have the option to complete the duty after each battle, or fight on to the end for maximum rewards. Players may enter as a pair, or in a party of up to four. Boss HP will scale according to party size.

Entering The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced)

Players can register to enter via the Advanced/Criterion tab in the V&C Dungeon Finder, found under Duty in the main menu.

Entering as a pair or in a pre-made party (up to 4 players):

Make certain the box “Enable party matching” is unchecked, then select “Register for Duty” to enter. Party matching is enabled by default.

Entering via matchmaking:

Make certain the box “Enable party matching” is checked, then select “Register for Duty” to be matched with a party.

Role Requirements

There are no role requirements or restrictions for parties. Moreover, players can freely change to any job or class that has reached level 100. Players can only change their class or job outside of combat.

Variant Actions and Attribute Adjustments

To allow for greater freedom of role choices, variant dungeons (advanced) grant players the use of special variant actions. These actions mimic existing abilities such as Cure or Rampart. Moreover, certain attributes will also be adjusted to compensate for the disparity of strength between certain roles. These adjustments will give roles more versatility, such as allowing DPS or healers to act as tanks.

Setting Variant Actions

Variant actions can be selected from the V&C Dungeon Finder window. Players may have up to two variant actions at any given time, and are free to change them at any time, even after entering the dungeon. Available variant actions will differ according to your role.

Additional Rules

The three bosses featured in The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced) may be challenged in any order. After each successful battle, players will be presented with the option to continue fighting or complete the duty. Choosing “End duty” will grant players their rewards gained thus far, and defeating all three bosses in a row will earn additional rewards. In the event that the vote is split between choosing a boss fight and ending the duty, the duty will continue.

Item Exchange

By speaking with Trisassant in Old Sharlayan (X:11.9 Y:13.3), players can exchange Corvosi Brass for various goods.

Another Merchant’s Tale

A party of four players is required to enter Another Merchant’s Tale, a linear gauntlet of enhanced bosses from The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced). Variant actions will be restricted during this challenging duty.

Requirements

Players must first defeat all the bosses in The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced) and then speak with the NPC Osmon in Old Sharlayan (X:11.9 Y:13.3) to unlock the dungeon.

Entering Another Merchant’s Tale

Players can register to enter via the Advanced/Criterion tab of the V&C Dungeon Finder, found under Duty in the main menu. Players will be matched into parties comprised of the following roles: 1 Tank, 1 Healer, 1 Melee DPS, and either 1 Physical Ranged or Magical Ranged DPS. Item level restrictions and role requirements do not apply when registering with four players.

Party Composition Bonus

Upon entering Another Merchant’s Tale, party members will gain a bonus to damage dealt according to the composition of their party. The bonus increases with the number of jobs in your party that rely on actions that affect the entire party. This bonus system is intended to compensate for the proportional decrease in utility of such actions as party size decreases. The effectiveness of the damage bonus will differ between roles. This bonus will only be applied to jobs and has no effect on classes.

Variant Actions

The Variant Raise II action will be automatically assigned to all players upon entering Another Merchant’s Tale. No other variant actions are available. Variant Raise II may only be used once per party member. However, there will be opportunities to replenish charges of this action.

Additional Rules

The following will apply to Another Merchant’s Tale:

• Resurrection Restrictions: While undertaking this duty, players will be subjected to a status effect that prevents resurrection by certain means. Raise effects granted via Variant Raise II are exempt from this restriction.

Item Exchange

By speaking with Trisassant in Old Sharlayan (X:11.9 Y:13.3), players can exchange Corvosi Manuscripts for various goods.

PVP

Job Adjustments

Given the flagging win rates of melee DPS jobs in ranked matches, we have mainly focused our adjustments on facilitating ease of combat when confronting ranged jobs.

Monk

• To better capitalize on monk’s mobility and combo damage when debilitating an enemy team’s rear guard, we have removed the ranged attack Flint’s Reply in favor of increasing the potency of a variety of melee actions and shortening the recast times for Rising Phoenix and Thunderclap. Furthermore, Fire’s Reply can now be executed directly, without the prerequisite of Rising Phoenix.

Dragoon

• We have increased the potency of Chaotic Spring in order to improve dragoon’s combat performance and staying power in close quarters.

Ninja

• Ninja is a job valued highly for its party support. With the hopes of improving ninja’s solo performance, we have made adjustments to Bunshin’s offensive capabilities and enhanced the increased movement speed of Huton, while decreasing Dokumori’s effect duration.

Samurai

• We have added HP restoration effects to Tendo Setsugekka and Tendo Kaeshi Setsugekka to help samurai better hold the front line, as they lack any ranged actions. Furthermore, Meikyo Shisui now enhances HP recovered via healing actions and has a duration of three seconds, reverting the change made in Patch 7.31. We hope that these adjustments allow for easier use of other actions’ healing and barrier effects.

Reaper

• We have added HP absorption effects to Void Reaping and Cross Reaping, allowing reaper to pursue foes more relentlessly while under the effects of their powerful limit break, Tenebrae Lemurum.

Viper

• To improve viper’s combat performance and staying power when engaging an enemy team’s rear guard, we have shortened the recast time for Bloodcoil, which has an additional effect of absorbing HP.

Machinist

• While machinist boasts high damage output, they often struggle in close-quarter combat. To further emphasize this defining job characteristic, we have increased the potency of Drill.

Dancer

• To improve dancer’s durability in close combat, we have increased the cure potency of Curing Waltz and increased the duration of Fan Dance’s damage reduction effect.

Black Mage

• Black mage’s win rates are struggling in ranked matches across all tiers, so we have made adjustments to improve black mage’s offensive performance. We have increased the potency of their fire-aspected spells, thereby enhancing spells requiring time to cast. As a trade-off, however, we have reduced black mage’s maximum HP. Additionally, we have increased the potency of Frost Star. This should offer a more meaningful choice between this spell and its complement, Flare Star, after executing the limit break Soul Resonance.

White Mage

• We have removed Miracle of Nature’s MP reduction effect and replaced it with a damage increase effect to improve its usability when white mage engages in close combat.

Astrologian

• While astrologian benefits from a host of individually strong actions, its playstyle requires a delicate touch. To enhance this unique job characteristic, we have adjusted Gravity II and Aspected Benefic to improve both offensive and defensive abilities when Double Cast is strategically executed. In exchange, we have also reduced astrologian’s maximum HP.

Crystalline Conflict

Season Eighteen will end and Season Nineteen will begin.

When the season ends, the top 300 ranking players from the North American, European, and Japanese data centers, and the top 100 ranking players from the Oceanian data center will receive vouchers via the moogle delivery service.

Players finishing in the Bronze tier or higher can claim rewards by speaking with the Seasonal Quartermaster at the Wolves’ Den Pier (X:4.9 Y:5.7). Tier rewards for Season Eighteen must be claimed before the end of Season Nineteen.

Players will begin Season Nineteen five risers lower than the rank at which they finished Season Eighteen. Rising Stars will be reset to one. Players that finished Season Eighteen ranked in the Omega or Ultima tiers will begin Season Nineteen in the Crystal tier with 100 Crystal Credit. Players who finish the season unranked or at Bronze 3 with zero Risers will have no change to their ranking.

Season Nineteen will be held in the following data centers:

• Japan: Elemental
• North America: Dynamis
• Europe: Light
• Oceania: Materia

Frontline

• Paladin: Damage Taken Increased by 5%.
• Samurai: Damage Dealt Increased by 5%.
• Dancer: Limit Gauge Fill Rate Increased By 15 seconds.
• Red Mage: Damage Taken Reduced by 7%.

System

• In order to reduce server congestion, we will be implementing multiple field instances for Yak T’el and the area newly added in Patch 7.45. We will monitor server activity and remove this feature when congestion is determined to no longer be an issue.
• New achievements and titles have been added.
• New portrait and adventurer plate accents have been added.
• Additions have been made to the auto-translation dictionary.
• New Trophies (PS5) and Achievements (Xbox Series X/S) have been added.
• New music and sound effects have been added.

Resolved Issues

The following issues have been addressed.

• An issue when playing AAC Heavyweight M4 (Savage) wherein players transported by battle mechanics were affected en route by the execution of Lindwurm’s Dark II at their eventual destination.
• An issue when playing the Tower of Babil and Lapis Manalis with Duty Support wherein the status effect Willful did not function correctly when players received enough damage to be incapacitated by certain boss actions.
• An issue when participating in Oizys mech ops as a pilot wherein a black loading screen would persist upon transfer to the mission site.
• An issue when playing the Oizys mech op “Directive: Collect Floatstone” wherein the NPC Alerot continued to speak after mech op completion.
• An issue wherein the difficulty level of the miner stellar mission “EX+: Crucial Initiative Reductions” was erroneously low.
• An issue when executing voiced emotes as a female Highlander Hyur wherein the voice of a different clan would play under certain circumstances.
• An issue wherein certain dyes were not reflected correctly when applied to the Comfy Valentione Skirt.
• An issue when playing Lord of Verminion wherein the ability of a certain minion added in Patch 7.41 did not perform correctly.
• An issue with the V&C Dungeon category of the Party Finder window wherein the order of sorted entries was incorrect.
• Other various issues have also been addressed.

Known Issues

• An issue when playing the variant dungeon The Merchant’s Tale wherein activating the idling camera occasionally causes graphics to display incorrectly.

Systems

Released

August 27, 2013

ESRB

T for Teen – Language, Mild Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence

Engine

Originally the Crystal Tools engine, but currently it’s a custom engine using parts of the Luminous Engine.

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