Final Fantasy XIV Update 4.5 Patch Notes: Blue Mage, Return to Ivalice, More

The Final Fantasy XIV update 4.5 patch notes are finally here! This massive update is but the first of the last two major content updates this year before Shadowbringers. It brings a ton of new additions like the Blue Mage job class, the final Return to Ivalice 24-player dungeon, and so much more. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the absolutely huge Final Fantasy XIV update 4.5 patch notes.

Final Fantasy XIV Update 4.5 Patch Notes: Major Additions

  • New main scenario story quests
  • New The Four Lords story quests
  • Return to Ivalice quests and a new dungeon
  • New side story quests
  • Blue Mage job class and quests (one week after patch 4.5 drops)
  • The rewards for the following main scenario quests will now include 300 Grand Company seals:

    • Wood’s Will Be Done
    • Till Sea Swallows All
    • For Coin and Country

Additions and adjustments have been made to the rewards available in the Lost Canals of Uznair, the Shifting Altars of Uznair, and the Hidden Canals of Uznair.

The following dungeons are now available for adventurer squadron command missions:

  • The Fractal Continuum
  • Pharos Sirius (Hard)

New craftable items have been added to the company workshop.

The following additions and adjustments have been made to subaquatic voyages:

  • New voyage destinations have been added.
  • New items have been added, obtainable through subaquatic voyages.
  • The maximum rank for submersibles has been increased from 40 to 50.

Final Fantasy XIV Update 4.5 Patch Notes: Housing

Final Fantasy XIV update 4.5 patch notes

New furnishings have been added.

The limit on the number of interactive furnishings that can be displayed has been removed. As of Patch 4.5, all such items will be displayed regardless of how many are placed.

* The furnishings that can be interacted with are limited to the 40 closest items to the player.
* If playing on a 32-bit operating system, there may be cases in which not all furnishings are displayed.

You can now hide the arrow icons that indicate interactive furnishings. From the System section of the main menu, choose Character Configuration, Display Name Settings, then adjust the Housing Furniture settings from the NPCs tab.

The precision with which furnishing positioning is registered has been increased to prevent items from moving out of place when reentering an estate.

All placed furnishings will now remain in their correct positions until moved by the player.

Lalafell and Roegadyn mannequins have been added.

New estate tags have been added.

New orchestrion rolls have been added.

Players can now use Return and Teleport from inside an inn room.

This change also applies to Eternity Rings and Aetheryte Pendulums.

New aquarium fishes have been added.

Final Fantasy XIV Update 4.5 Patch Notes: The Gold Saucer

Doman mahjong has been added.

  • Novice Mahjong (Ranked)
    This match type is immediately available. After registering as a solo player, you will be matched against other players.
    Your performance will affect your rating.
    * You cannot join while in a party.
  • Advanced Mahjong (Ranked)
    Only players ranked 1st dan or higher can register. After registering as a solo player, you will be matched against other players.
    Increases and decreases in rating are greater than in novice matches.
  • Four-player Mahjong (Kuitan enabled)
    You must form a party of four players to begin the match. Ratings and ranks are not affected. The kuitan rule allows tanyao yaku to be used after calling pon or chi. (See in-game instructions and Lodestone for details on the various rules.)
  • Four-player Mahjong (Kuitan disabled)
    You must form a party of four players to begin the match. Ratings and ranks are not affected. Playing with kuitan disabled prevents tanyao yaku from being used after calling pon or chi.

Ratings

Your rating starts at 1,500, and will increase or decrease according to your finishing position in each match. An achievement is available for reaching the highest possible rating.

Rank

Passing certain point thresholds will increase your rank. Although you cannot be demoted while in the lower ranks, progressing to the higher ranks puts you at risk of demotion should you perform poorly.

Time Limits

  • Player Turns
    Each player has a certain amount of time to take their turn. A tile will be discarded automatically if that player fails to act within the time limit. This time limit does not apply to four-player mahjong (kuitan enabled/disabled).
  • Match Length
    If a single hand lasts more than 80 minutes, the following hand will be the last one played. Once that hand ends, the game ends, final placements are decided, and the results are recorded.
    * Matches will end automatically after 120 minutes have passed, regardless of whether a hand is still being played. In this event, ratings and ranks are not affected.

Abandoning a Match

If a player logs out during a mahjong match, tiles will be discarded automatically when their turn comes around. When the player logs back in, they will regain control from the next hand onwards.

If players abandon a match, it will continue without them and their tiles will be discarded automatically. They will also incur the standard penalties for abandoning a duty and will be unable to register for another mahjong match until the previous match ends. In addition, they will be counted as having finished in fourth position. If players do not enter any commands for a certain amount of time, they will be automatically removed from the match.

Checking Ratings and Settings

From the main menu, select Character, Gold Saucer, then Mahjong to check your rating and rank.

The GATE “Air Force One” has been added.

Final Fantasy XIV Update 4.5 Patch Notes: Blue Mage

Harnessing the power of blue magic, players can learn to mimic the abilities of wild beasts with this new job.

Requirements

Out of the Blue

Disciple of War or Magic level 50
Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (X:10.0 Y:11.0)
Zealous Yellowjacket
Players must first complete the main scenario quest “The Ultimate Weapon.”

Limited Jobs

Blue mage is the first limited job in FINAL FANTASY XIV. As such, there are several key points that distinguish it from other jobs.

  • Blue mage functions independently of other classes and jobs, starting at level 1 with a maximum level of 50.
  • When playing as a blue mage, it is possible to participate in duties with other players in preformed or undersized parties. However, the following duties will remain inaccessible:
    • Duty Roulettes
    • The Forbidden Land, Eureka
      * It is not possible to change to blue mage after entering the instance.
    • The Diadem
      * It is not possible to change to blue mage after entering the instance.
    • Squadron Missions
    • Deep Dungeons
    • PvP, including duels
      * It is possible, however, to enter the Wolves’ Den as a blue mage.
    • Stone, Sky, Sea
    • Hall of the Novice
  • Blue mages gain greater experience from battling enemies in the open world than other jobs do.
    * No bonuses are granted to experience gained from FATE or guildleve enemies.
  • Blue mage cannot be used to progress through the main scenario.
  • Retainers cannot be assigned the blue mage job.

Learning Spells

Rather than gaining new actions by increasing in level, blue mages learn them from enemies. In order to do so, you must first witness an enemy perform a special attack in battle. Once it is defeated, you have a chance of acquiring the ability.
* Job level has no influence on when an action can be learned.

Blue Magic Spellbook

All spells you have learned are recorded in the Blue Magic Spellbook. The book also contains hints on how to acquire other spells.

Active Actions

Before spells can be set to your hotbar, they must first be selected as active actions. You can have up to 24 active actions at any given time.
* Active actions cannot be changed during combat or during certain duties.

Action Active Sets

Active actions can also be saved together as a set. Up to five active sets can be saved.
* The presently selected active set will not affect the layout of your hotbar.

Whalaqee Totems

Certain blue magic spells can be acquired via Whalaqee Totems.

To obtain these items, complete the blue mage quest “Blue Leading the Blue” and certain achievements, then speak to Wayward Gaheel Ja in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (X:12.5 Y:12.9).

The Masked Carnivale, a duty exclusive to blue mage, has been added.

Test the limits of your blue magic in this exciting new solo challenge.

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Blue Mage level 50
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How to Participate

Speak with the Celestium attendant in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (X:11.5 Y:13.2).

Stages

The Masked Carnivale is comprised of 25 stages in total. You can view a list of all available stages by speaking with the Celestium attendant. Be advised that once you begin a stage, you cannot register or remove active actions.

Enemy Weaknesses

Many enemies that appear in the Masked Carnivale are weak to a particular element, which can be confirmed when viewing the list of stages. Use this to your advantage and set your actions accordingly.

The elemental weakness of enemies is also indicated by an icon above their display names.

Results

After completing a performance, your clear time, bonuses, and score are displayed.

Bonuses are awarded for fulfilling certain conditions and affect the score.

Weekly Targets

Weekly targets are available for certain performances, indicated with an icon.

There are three levels of difficulty for weekly targets: novice, moderate, and advanced.

To view the conditions, select a performance with a weekly target, marked with an icon. This information can also be viewed in the Timers menu.
* Weekly targets are reset every Tuesday at 12:00 a.m. (PST).

However, for more of the Final Fantasy XIV update 4.5 patch notes, be sure to check out the official blog.