When is the release date for Final Fantasy XIV's Patch 6.18?

Final Fantasy XIV has remained a top MMORPG title for several years, thanks to constant updates and expansions improving the game world. The game's burgeoning population has placed a sizable amount of traffic on Square Enix's servers, but this is being addressed with the upcoming Patch 6.18.

Arriving on July 5, 2022, Square Enix will roll out the upcoming patch. This long-awaited update focuses on addressing server issues as filled servers and waiting queue times have been a part of the game experience for quite some time now. Players will be able to spread out more evenly across the game's data centers through a series of fixes and incentives.

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Final Fantasy XIV: Breaking down Patch 6.18's details

Promotional art for FFXIV: Endwalker (Image via Square Enix)

In a Lodestone post on June 21, Square Enix divulged details on how it planned to address server and world congestion concerns. According to the Final Fantasy XIV developers, the renovations will be carried out in two distinct phases.

The first phase has been explained through the implementation of Patch 6.18. Four new worlds will be added to the Light and Chaos data centers, welcoming new players or inviting existing players to transfer to the new worlds.

The worlds Sagittarius and Phantom will be added to the Chaos center, with worlds named Alpha and Raiden will be joining the cluster of worlds in the Light center. This will occur when Patch 6.18 goes live on July 5, and players who flock to these new worlds will receive a bevy of bonuses. The benefits differ slightly depending on how players play in the worlds.

Final Fantasy XIV players who create new characters in the new worlds will receive a great way to level up quickly. Specifically, a double experience bonus will be in effect for new characters until they reach the level 80 cap.

Additionally, new characters will receive ten Silver Chocobo Feathers, a premium currency that can be used to trade for mid-tier equipment to improve their stats. This should hasten players' progression through their initial classes and jobs significantly compared to standard gameplay.

Final Fantasy XIV players who transfer an existing character to the new worlds will receive a similar boon. The double experience bonus will be present until hitting level 80. These characters will receive ten Golden Chocobo Feathers, which can be spent to acquire higher-level rewards like mounts.

Players who earlier purchased a home or apartment in a previous world will also be compensated in Gil for them. This is due to real estate properties being unavailable in the new worlds for the time being, though they may become purchasable again in the future.

Lastly, new Final Fantasy XIV characters created for the worlds will receive additional bonuses upon reaching level 30. These characters will receive one million Gil upon reaching the level milestone, and their players will receive a free 15 days of game time, further creating an incentive to continue playing on Square Enix's new worlds for a longer duration.

These excellent amenities should bring a healthy population of both new and veteran Final Fantasy XIV players to enjoy the continuously evolving world of Eorzea together.