Recent FF14 Mobile Live Letter reveals Chinese release window, upgraded dye system, dodge roll, and more

FF14 Mobile, the upcoming title from Lightspeed Studios and Square Enix has really caught fan’s attention over the last few months. While precious little has been revealed about it, there is hope that it will be a fun, free-to-play online title without resorting to the predatory microtransactions other games in that space have utilized in the past. While this Live Letter didn’t talk about monetization much, it did open up about some other facets of the game.

During the China Live Letter, we learned about a release window for China, a massively enhanced customization system, and what players can expect from the reimagined version of The Binding Coil of Bahamut Turn 1. Here’s what’s new from Lightspeed Studios, in the upcoming FF14 Mobile.

China Live Letter for FF14 Mobile reveals plenty about upcoming mobile MMO

During the FF14 Mobile China Live Letter, fans learned there will be a Closed Beta beginning on May 23, 2025. Following that, there will be an Open Beta in June 2025. This is huge, but unfortunately, no word on a global release yet.

Another major highlight of the FF14 Mobile Live Letter was that the Glamour/Dye system is being improved, to add 16 individual dye channels to gear. Due to the engine Final Fantasy 14 runs on, I don’t imagine we’ll see that on PC/console anytime soon. It’s supposed to allow for an incredible amount of customization for the mobile version of the game.

I’m also excited about the Dodge Roll button. Every job will have its own specific animation for it, and this ability will be on a 15 second cooldown. That means you can’t spam it, so make it count for specific boss abilities. We don’t know if it will have any kind of damage immunity yet, so we’ll just have to see.

It sounds like several of the jobs are going to be reworked with new mechanics to make them more interesting. We saw Paladins have some type of gauge, which will build through blocking and auto-attacking. It’s going to be interesting to see how the other jobs shape up.

We also know that there will be auto-pathing for FATES and Quests, though there is no Auto-Combat, and no Auto turn-in for quests, so it’s not an automated MMO. That is a trend that’s pretty popular in mobile MMOs, but I’m glad to see that FF14 Mobile is bucking that trend.

I'm very curious to see if other easy fights get adjusted and modernized for this game (Image via Square Enix/@So Eepy)

Naturally, the game will have a reworked UI — this makes sense because it’s a mobile game. However, we also know that The Binding Coil of Bahamut: Turn 1 fight will change. Instead of pushing your way through the trash pulls first, players will start at the boss fight, in a simplified arena.

There are now mechanics you can interrupt, and a reworked slime/puddle feeding system, as well as tank swaps, split boss phases, and cleaves from the front/back. The boss can even heal from absorbing the puddles/slimes. The idea is that it will feel more like a modern raid in Final Fantasy 14.

The concept of monetization did come up, too. Thankfully, the game won’t contain gacha mechanics, and while there will be microtransactions, they are expected to be “minimal and fair”, not focusing on short-term cash outs for the team.

There are many players who are very skeptical about this, and it’s hard to blame them. I’ve seen entirely too many pay-to-win mobile games in my career, so even I’m a little skeptical. I’ll wait and see what happens before I pass judgment though.

Check out our other Final Fantasy 14 guides and features

About the author

Jason is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda holding an amazing 11 years of experience under his belt. Having put out 4000-plus articles and amassing over 12 million reads for Sportskeeda, he is among the company’s most experienced writers. Jason holds a Bachelor's degree in English from UNC Pembroke and was inspired to become a gaming journalist very early on in life after reading Nintendo Power.

Jason is a jack of all trades when it comes to gaming journalism. He’s a key writer in Sportskeeda's MMO department, but he also likes to help out in other categories, like streamers, RPG, card games, and whatever else is needed. A solo gamer at heart, Jason's favorite titles include Earthbound and Dragon Warrior.

Jason places high value on accuracy and relevance in his write-ups. He achieves this with thorough research to sift facts from rumors. One of the biggest highlights of his career is his interview with Canadian pro wrestler Kenny Omega about his inclusion in the Like a Dragon game series. He is also good friends with journalist Kazumo Hashimoto, who he admires for the kind of stories he works on and his deep ethics.

A true cinephile, one of Jason’s primary hobbies involves enjoying cinematic experiences. He also loves reading, be it fiction or manga, when not working. Additionally, he streams on Twitch and posts his gaming insights on YouTube.

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Edited by Jason Parker