[GameSpot] - Final Fantasy 14's August Patch Adds Island Sanctuary

[343iBot]

Final Fantasy XIV's Patch 6.2 will drop in late August and will include the highly anticipated Island Sanctuary feature. In a new live letter, the FFXIV devs revealed more about what activities players can expect.

Island Sanctuary is like a mini-farming sim within FFXIV. Players can create buildings, take care of creatures, and grow crops--all without having to level up gathering and crafting classes.

These areas will essentially act as a "base of operations" that players can create and customize. Players can also collect materials on the island and create tools. These tools will help players grow and cultivate crops on the island that are different from estate crops--plants you can grow if you own a house in-game. Materials will also be limited to the island and reside in a separate inventory space.

For the crafting element, players can create "handicrafts" that can be exported for island-specific currency. Earned currency can then be exchanged for special items.

For those without houses, Island Sanctuary is a pretty exciting development. Players can also visit each other's islands, and for the interior decorators among the players--it is a customizable venue. It also looks like Island Sanctuary is a completely separate feature from the rest of the game's economy, so there shouldn't be any major Marketboard fluctuations. Estate crops being entirely separate from Island Sanctuary's crops is a surprise, though.

In other live letter announcements, Patch 6.18 releases on July 5, and players will be able to travel between Data Centers after the update. Patch 6.2 will be called Buried Memories and include relic weapon quests. They will be tied to the infamous Hildibrand quests, an optional set of side quests. But for those looking to get the new weapons, getting started on the rather long Hildibrand quest line now would be a good idea. We'll likely get another detailed Live Letter before 6.2 drops, so stay tuned for more details.

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