Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers - Wikipedia

Main article: Final Fantasy XIV § Gameplay

Gameplay at large remains unchanged from Final Fantasy XIV: players interact with each other in a responsive persistent world. Maximum level increased to 80, with changes to improve flow and preserve job identity.[1] Tank jobs lost the penalty to damage while focused on holding enemy attention, based on player feedback.[2] Resources, such as magic points, were rebalanced for ease of use.[3] Two new jobs were added, Gunbreaker and Dancer.[4] Gunbreaker, a tank, wields gunblades, taking inspiration from Final Fantasy VIII where these weapons first appeared.[5] Dancer, a ranged damage-dealer, wields chakrams, drawing inspiration from real-world folk dances, with an emphasis on "encouraging allies".[6] The team added a new tank job to balance the number of main and secondary tanks, and a new ranged damage dealer as one had not been added for several years. They refrained from adding a new healer job in order to maintain game balance between the three existing healers.[4]

New to Shadowbringers, players may enter dungeons using computer-controlled "Trust" companions rather than other players. These companions vary based on when the dungeon occurs in the story, and have unique dialogue.[7] This system takes inspiration from the Gambit system in Final Fantasy XII, and the characters are programmed to take actions reflecting their personality.[8] Trust supports players new to or unfamiliar with online games, eliminates the wait for matching to other players when used, and provides experience points for secondary jobs.[5][9] Further providing experience points, Shadowbringers quests outside the Main Scenario Quest now scale between levels 70 and 80. Role quests for the different combat, crafting, and gathering job teach aspects of these roles while expanding on the story and history of the First.[3]

The main story of A Realm Reborn was also given a major overhaul in the 5.3 patch. Many quests and objectives deemed to be unnecessary have been removed from the main story quest for new players, especially in patch content for A Realm Reborn. Flight became unlocked for players in A Realm Reborn areas after completing its original main story. Further, a New Game Plus mode was added, allowing players to replay certain main and side story quests.

Renovations to the crafting and gathering jobs were applied across the patch cycle to improve accessibility to newcomers,[10] removing redundant abilities and providing more information to players.[11] These updates dovetailed with the "Ishgardian Restoration", a massive, collaborative, player-run public works project to rebuild an Ishgardian residential district destroyed in the Dragonsong War.[12] Unfolding over the course of several patches, it provided rewards to beginners and experienced characters alike.[13][14] The Diadem, a large open world area that premiered in Heavensward, was reconfigured as the source of raw materials for reconstruction.[15] The reconstruction provided the narrative justification for a new player housing ward, the Empyreum, added in the following expansion, Endwalker. The content remains for player use, offering large sources of crafting and gathering experience.

A variety of other systems also received updates in Shadowbringers. Blue Mage, a "Limited" job introduced in Stormblood, received a major extension.[16] Blue Mages uniquely learn actions from observing monsters, but because this allows unbalanced combinations, the job is Limited and cannot use normal player matchmaking.[17] The update adds rewards and titles for facing difficult content with a party composed solely of Blue Mages.[16] A new alliance-scale player versus player (PvP) mode called Onsal Hakair (Danshig Naadam) premiered with the expansion, where players participate in mock wargames preparing for the yearly Naadam,[18] scoring points by holding locations.[19] The Bozjan Southern Front and Zadnor are large-scale battlefield areas with a separate progression system. Players engage in skirmishes and battles with Garlean forces in Bozja, culminating in a raid on an Imperial fortress or airship to capture it for the Resistance, respectively.[20] As a continuation of the "Return to Ivalice" storyline, it is also written by Matsuno.[21]