Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.5 sets October release date and begins the road to Dawntrail

The next big Final Fantasy XIV update launches in just two weeks. At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix revealed FFXIV Patch 6.5 goes live on October 3, 2023.

As the first of a three-part update, FFXIV’s follow-up patches launch as 6.51 in late October and 6.55 in mid-January. The October 3 update, Growing Light, lands with a hefty batch of new content as Square Enix begins its countdown to the next expansion, Dawntrail.

In two weeks, players can dive into version 6.5, with new additions like:

• Main Scenario Quests, including the Lunar Subterrane Dungeon
• The Abyssal Fracture Trial and its Extreme difficulty
• The Singularity Reactor Unreal (Thordan Extreme)
• Myths of the Realm’s final Alliance Raid
• Duty Support updates that make all FFXIV MSQ playable solo
• Job adjustments
• PVP updates, including Series 5 and UI changes
• Island Sanctuary added ranks, materials, animals, and rewards
• Custom Deliveries: Margrat
• Additional minions, mounts, emotes, accessories, and QoL glamour changes

FFXIV Patch 6.5 and the road to Dawntrail

As for the rest of the schedule, you’ll have to wait a bit for features like Variant or Criterion Dungeons and other updates to the Endwalker relic questline, Tribal Alliance quests, and Tataru’s Grand Endeavor, among other goodies. Also, it’s not the last of Patch 6.5’s MSQ additions either, as FFXIV begins its lead into the next big expansion when Dawntrail launches in the Summer of 2024.

With the advent of FFXIV Patch 6.5, there’s a lot to keep on your radar. Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida just wrapped up the MMO’s latest Live Letter at Tokyo Game Show, and the game has its next big celebration at the end of October with the London Fan Festival. Plus, Final Fantasy’s creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, will be at the event as a special guest, spawning all kinds of fan speculation.

Before you get too excited, don’t forget FFXIV’s Moogle Tomestone event ends when Patch 6.5 begins. It’s a great time to grind out some of those Rival Wings wins or clean up any unfinished story threads. Regardless, there’s a ton to do, so you may want to get to grinding before next year’s big 7.0 debut.