Patch 3.35 for the MMO will arrive in just over a fortnight's time on the 19th of July, as announced by Square Enix. The notable feature of this intermediate patch is the promised Palace of the Dead, FFXIV's take on the dungeon crawler.
The Palace of the Dead is unique in that it operates under an entirely separate system of its own. Players who are vastly underleveled or undergeared need not fear; all you will require is at least one combat role at level 17 and to have access to the South Shroud in order to unlock this content. Long time players may have noticed that the zone has a mysterious hole in the ground, with NPCs wondering what kind of subterranean structure lays beneath the bough of the Elementals' forest territory. We now know the answer.
As the level system in the Palace of the Dead is wholly independent from the rest of the game's PvE content, the strongest of players will be on the same playing field as a fresh new player. The dungeon's layout will be randomised each time you enter afresh, and will be littered with traps, items and random buffs or debuffs per floor. A very old-school FF save system UI will be implemented, allowing groups to "save" their progress on one of two slots. This should be done after each boss fight is felled, otherwise it's back to a previous save point.
Brave souls can tackle this subterranean realm solo if they desire! The maximum however will be four players. The game is not fussed when it comes to party composition, so long as you are not trying to drag a Weaver or a Botanist along. In fact, the game is encouraging you to bring along any wacky party composition you wish. Just ensure you bring along a good supply of Phoenix Downs if no one is bringing a healer along.
Only 50 floors will be implemented this month. Yoshi-P has stated that by the end of the 3.X series' run time, he's hoping to have up to 200 floors, with the later ones being deliciously challenging.
Nova Crystallis