It's August 11, 2020, which means the latest major update to Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is here! In Patch 5.3, Square Enix is giving us more story, trials, dungeons, and all sorts of other goodies that will help out veteran players and newbies alike! Patch 5.3, officially titled Reflections in Crystal, has a lot of new content. Here are some of our favorite highlights.
New Dungeons, Raids, and Trials
Like most patches for Final Fantasy XIV, we're getting at least one new dungeon and a new trial. The trial, called Sorrow of Werlyt, looks especially cool, even if we don't know much about it yet. However, players must first complete the Ruby Weapon trial from 5.2 in order to unlock the Sorrow of Werlyt.
There's also a new addition to the NieR raids series, called YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse. This follows the current raid The Copying Floor, which players can access in Kholusia.
And if that's not enough to get you excited, there's also at least one new dungeon to unlock through the newest main scenario quests. For players looking for a challenge, there's also Akh Afah Amphitheatre (Unreal). Yes, you read that right: Unreal. So if you thought Titania EX was too easy, Square Enix has offered up this!
New Beast Tribe and Weapons
Lali-ho! There's also a new beast tribe. Probably unsurprising, it's the dwarf tribe in Kholusia. These beast tribes are all about crafting and gathering, so hopefully you have a high-level Disciple of the Hand handy (see what we did there?).
And for folks looking to get their Relic Weapon to the next level, there's an entirely new zone for that! Similar to the Eureka Weapons quests in Stormblood, getting your new Relic upgrade may take a while. Thankfully, the new zone can be entered at level 70, meaning you can gain levels on an alt class while grinding for your new Relic Weapon.
Great News For Newcomers
Maybe the biggest news coming out of 5.3 is that the main scenario for A Realm Reborn has been streamlined, meaning newbies can fly through the first bit of content much easier now. Like, literally fly. Because now we can FLY in these zones! Awesome, right? This is something that should've been implemented years ago, but I guess it's better late than never.
The Starter Edition for Final Fantasy XIV has been upgraded as well, meaning new folks can get both A Realm Reborn and Heavensward to kick off their adventures in Eorzea.
And if you're looking for even more reasons to check out Final Fantasy XIV, check out our “Five Reasons to Fall in Love with Final Fantasy XIV!“
You can read the full Patch Notes for 5.3 right here.