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Final Fantasy XIV Patch 7.45 adds The Merchant’s Tale, a branching Variant Dungeon, alongside its Advanced version and the four-player Criterion duty Another Merchant’s Tale. It also continues the Hildibrand adventures and brings PvE and PvP adjustments, collection additions, and fixes. Access requirements differ by feature, so check the expansion markers in Square Enix’s Patch 7.45 Notes rather than assuming every addition requires the same expansion. The notes page was updated March 10, 2026, at 1:00 a.m. PDT; that timestamp is not independent confirmation of the servers’ precise go-live time.
What is new in Patch 7.45?
The headline addition is The Merchant’s Tale, a Variant Dungeon with branching routes and route-dependent boss encounters. Players can also take on stronger encounters in The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced), or enter Another Merchant’s Tale, a four-player Criterion duty built as a linear gauntlet.
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The patch also adds the next Hildibrand sidequest, new Game+ chapters, selected battle and PvP changes, collectible and cosmetic items, and system updates. Square Enix’s notes list feature-specific expansion registration requirements; eligibility is not uniform across the patch.
How do the three Merchant’s Tale duties differ?
| Duty | Party and structure | Difficulty and actions | Stopping and rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Merchant’s Tale | Solo or up to four players; branching routes determine boss encounters, and monster HP scales with party size. | Level 90 Disciple of War or Magic; no item-level entry requirement. Players sync to level 100 and item level 765. Up to two Variant actions can be selected, and changed after entry. | At a route choice, the party votes and the option with the most votes is selected. An NPC’s favored route is marked; choosing it may yield additional rewards. |
| The Merchant’s Tale (Advanced) | A pair or party of up to four; stronger boss versions can be fought in any order, with boss HP scaling to party size. | Stronger encounters; the notes describe this as the Advanced variant. | After each battle, the party can end the duty or continue toward maximum rewards. |
| Another Merchant’s Tale | Four players; a fixed, linear gauntlet of stronger bosses. | Variant actions are restricted. Variant Raise II is assigned automatically, can be used once by each party member, and can have its charges replenished during the duty. Resurrection is otherwise restricted. | The notes describe a linear sequence rather than the Advanced duty’s choose-your-order battles. |
The Merchant’s Tale has a 90-minute time limit and an item-level sync of 765. Materia bonuses are ignored while synced. Outside combat, players may change to any class or job that has reached level 90, and there are no party-role restrictions. These entry, sync, and action rules are for The Merchant’s Tale; consult the official notes for the applicable requirements and rules for each other duty.
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- Adventure awaits you beyond the horizon in FINAL FANTASY XIV.
- This product is a digital 60-Day Game Time Card for FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. It serves as a payment option that allows players to add 60 days of game time to their FFXIV account at the Standard subscription rate, subject to account limits. Both the game and game time are required to play.
- This product can be redeemed on service accounts registered with the Windows, Mac, PlayStation, or Steam versions of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. However, it cannot be redeemed on service accounts that have only the XBOX or Nintendo Switch 2 versions registered.
How to unlock The Merchant’s Tale
- Complete the Endwalker main scenario.
- Speak to Osmon in Old Sharlayan at X:11.9, Y:13.3.
- Accept “A Spellbinding Read” from Shallow Moor in Old Sharlayan at X:12.0, Y:13.3.
A later quest requires completion of “A Spellbinding Read” and fulfillment of conditions in The Merchant’s Tale.
How to continue the Hildibrand adventures
The new quest, “Inconceivably Further Hildibrand Adventures,” begins with Hardiboiled in Solution Nine at X:17.0, Y:18.3. Its prerequisite is “On the Trail of Destruction.” A following quest requires “A Need for Speed.”
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- Access to all expansion content from Heavensward and Stormblood, unlocking additional jobs, areas, story quests and more ways to explore: flying, swimming and diving
- A flexible class system that allows players to switch freely between a variety of classes and jobs, including new additions red mage and samurai, and reach the new level cap of level 70
- All the hallmarks of the FINAL FANTASY franchise, including an engaging storyline, genre-leading graphics, and HD real time cut scenes.
- Robust gameplay features such as player-managed Free Companies, diverse party finder features to group up with other players with ease, and a variety of fun activities in the Gold Saucer area, all designed to accommodate a dynamic player community.
- Challenging trials, dungeons and raids for groups of up to 24, and exciting player-vs-player (PvP) content for groups of up to 72 players
Which battle and PvP values changed?
Level-100 PvE Reaper actions
| Action | Previous potency | New potency |
|---|---|---|
| Void Reaping and Cross Reaping | 540 | 560 |
| Enhanced Void Reaping and Cross Reaping | 600 | 620 |
| Grim Reaping | 200 | 220 |
| Sacrificium | 600 | 700 |
PvP Reaper actions
In PvP, Void Reaping and Cross Reaping each increase from 10,000 to 12,000 potency. Both actions also gain 50% damage absorption as HP. These are PvP values, separate from the level-100 PvE potency changes above.
Frontline job parameters
| Job and parameter | Previous | New |
|---|---|---|
| Paladin damage taken adjustment | -50% | -45% |
| Samurai damage dealt adjustment | -10% | -5% |
| Dancer limit gauge fill adjustment | +15 seconds | +30 seconds |
| Red Mage damage taken adjustment | -38% | -45% |
These figures are specific to Frontline. The patch also changes the Echo in AAC Cruiserweight Tier (Savage): on entry, maximum HP, damage dealt, and healing potency increase by 15%. Unlike the Echo in other instances, this effect does not increase if all party members are incapacitated.
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- A new adventure awaits in Norvrandt
- New jobs, including gun breaker and dancer
- New playable races: Viera and Hrothgar
- Level cap increase from 70 to 80
- New cities to explore: The Crystarium and Eulmore
What other additions and fixes are included?
Square Enix lists additions across several parts of the game, including:
- Housing furnishings, orchestrion rolls, Triple Triad cards and NPC opponents
- Hairstyles, emotes, mounts, minions, fashion accessories, and facewear
- Achievements and titles, portrait and adventurer-plate elements, and the text commands
/delightedand/delight - Music and sound effects; platform-specific trophies and achievements for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
- New Game+ chapters for side story quests and The Merchant’s Tale; the final quest in a chapter must be completed before that chapter can be unlocked
The notes also record resolved issues, including V&C Party Finder sorting and a graphics issue involving the Merchant’s Tale idling camera. They list other duty and system fixes as well. Two in-game item names were changed: “Civilizations (Pulse Vol. 2)” is now “Civilizations (Pulse 2),” and “Insatiable (Pulse Vol. 2)” is now “Insatiable (Pulse 2).”
Quick Recap
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- Increased level cap from 50 to 60
- Dark Knight: Tank - Wields a two-handed greatsword and the power of darkness to deal damage to their foes
- Astrologian: Healer - Tap the power of the stars to cast potent healing magicks, while drawing energies from constellation-based divining cards to support your party
- Machinist: DPS - Deal damage from afar using a combination of firearms enhanced with various attachments, and mechanical turrets deployed on the battlefield
- Included in this expansion pack is a new race called The Au Ra, a new City-State - Ishgard, new Primals Bismarck and Ravana, and Flying Mounts
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- Customer must have Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn to play Stormblood
- Increased level cap up to level 70
- New Jobs – Red Mage and Samurai
- New Beast Tribe and Primal
- New Alliance Raid
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