Final Fantasy XIV patch 5.15 puts Blue Mages and PvP at the forefront

Final Fantasy XIV patch 5.15 hit earlier today, bringing with it a sizable update to both the Blue Mage job and the popular MMO’s PvP mode.

Naturally, it also brings a smattering of other goodies. There are a bunch of new furnishings, a new emote that looks a bit like a facepalm, a new mount, and a new minion. There is also a slew of new items and recipes, although there are currently no details on what those items and recipes are. The full patch notes are available, but let’s go over some of the bigger ones.

Feeling Blue (Mage)

Don’t tease the octopus, kids. Unless you want his skills as Blue Magic, anyway.

So, Blue Mages! The monster skill-using wizards have had their maximum level increased to 60, with six new job quests added. Naturally, this means that there are a number of new blue magic spells to learn, along with a new stage added to the Masked Carnivale.

Excellently, Final Fantasy XIV patch 5.15 also adds the Blue Mage Log. This lets you form parties with other Blue Mages to take on specific dungeons, trials, and raids. Each week will also see particular entries marked with stars, indicating that they’re “weekly targets.” Completion of these will offer extra Allied Seals and gil.

The week’s “prime target” is marked with a gold star, which offers even higher rewards but also a significantly higher difficulty. The example given in the patch notes is The Navel (Extreme), which… well, landslides. So those are perhaps not for the faint of heart.

Going to the Frontline

If you’re a PvP player, you’ll be pleased to know that Final Fantasy XIV patch 5.15 adds in Onsal Hakair (Danshig Naadam). No, I didn’t just trip and fall on my keyboard. That’s what it’s called.

I’m really hoping that this new mount isn’t tied to the Naadam.

This is a Frontline map, meaning three teams of up to 24 players battle it out. If you’ve done the Naadam quest in Stormblood, it’s fairly similar to that. You’ll be battling it out over periodically activating Ovoos, with a successful capture increasing your team’s tactical rating. Some are worth more than others, and once an Ovoo is captured it belongs to the conquering team until such time as it becomes inactive again.

If you want to think of it another way, it’s a bit like King of the Hill, only with multiple hills worth varying amounts.

Those are the two headline (frontline?) additions in Final Fantasy XIV patch 5.15, but the full notes go into greater detail on everything. The patch itself is out now.