The latest producer’s letter from Naoki Yoshida, FFXIV’s director and producer, was published today on the official forums and talked about some major changes coming to FFXIV. In it Naoki talked about some balance reforms coming to Final Fantasy XIV as well as patch 1.18 and Guildleve reform.
The letter began with Naoki stating that in the future FFXIV will,
need to offer a more casual playing experience than before… will gradually shift from being a grind-centric game to one that offers enjoyment for all playing styles and circumstances with its ever-expanding variety of content
Patch 1.18 will begin the transition into making Final Fantasy XIV more casual friendly by introducing the first stages of the battle system reform as well as major revisions to guildleves. Guildleves, which are currently central to FFXIV, will be readjusted to a smaller role within the game catering to the solo adventurer. They will also be reworked to offer casual gamers, who don’t have hours to dedicate, a chance to quickly start and complete guildleves.
The letter also provides glimps into patch 1.19 which will offer a “complete reworking of recipes … with the goal of granting Disciples of the Hand and the Land more power to invigorate the game economy”.
For full details to the upcoming changes with patch 1.18 check out the producer’s letter on the FFXIV forums.