Final Fantasy 14 players on Japan’s Elemental, Gaia, Mana and Meteor data centers can now find groups together without traveling between data centers first. Patch 7.57 is live following 24-hour maintenance, widening Duty Finder matchmaking and Party Finder recruitment to the whole Japanese region.
The change is limited to Japan at launch. Square Enix says it will bring same-region matching to other data centers after confirming the Japanese implementation runs stably. Its official notes do not give a launch date for North America, Europe or Oceania.
World Visit and social features also expand
Previously, matchmaking and recruitment were confined to a single logical data center, such as Mana. Japan’s four logical data centers now share those systems within the same physical region. That expands the pool of potential teammates without combining Japan’s queues with those overseas.
Square Enix’s rollout explanation also details changes to playing with friends. Cross-world linkshells, PvP teams and fellowships work across Japan’s logical data centers, and friends can send tells and party invitations across the region outside duties. Free Company chat expands too, although joining a Free Company still requires being on its Home World.
Retainers, housing and market-board rules are unchanged. Visiting another Japanese logical data center now uses World Visit from the main-city aetherytes, with a dropdown for selecting the destination. Players no longer need to return to their Home World to make that trip through Data Center Travel.
There is a restriction on ranked PvP, however. In a separate known-issue notice, Square Enix says Japanese players cannot register for ranked Crystalline Conflict unless they are on a World in Elemental. Its temporary workaround is to use World Visit to reach an Elemental World before queuing.
Beastmaster rankings start later this month
Patch 7.57 also adjusts Beastmaster’s Crucible of the Unbroken ahead of its first ranking season. Elite-enemy scores rise from 625 to 800, while the Sleepless Survival bonus increases from 375 to 1,000. The Crucible remembers the last difficulty selected until logout, and teams with three or fewer familiars automatically assign them to battlehorns, with manual adjustments still available.
Beasts ordered to stay now turn toward their target before using Tempered Release or Parting Blow. Previously, facing the wrong direction could prevent those actions from executing.
Season 1 of Crucible Rankings begins October 25 at 10 p.m. PDT, or October 26 at 1 a.m. EDT, and runs until late November. Eligible scores must be recorded on the player’s Home World with third-degree Crucible Mode and “Participate in rankings” enabled. The top 300 players in each physical data center receive vouchers after the season ends. Square Enix warns that the displayed “Early December” end date is incorrect.