Echo Arrives: Making Legacy Savage Tiers Accessible

Final Fantasy XIV’s Patch 7.4, Into the Mist, officially applies the Echo System buff to the first two Savage raid tiers of the Dawntrail expansion: the Cosmic Rift (7.0) and Ethereal Gate (7.1) raid series. The Echo is a standard end-of-expansion feature that applies a persistent buff—typically a 10% to 20% increase in damage dealt and healing received, alongside a similar reduction in damage taken—to older high-difficulty content.

The application of the Echo serves two primary purposes:

  1. Accessibility: It allows casual players and those who started the expansion late to easily clear the previous Savage tiers for story completion, unique glamours, and mounts.
  2. Loot Farming: It significantly speeds up the process of farming the older tiers for items needed to complete relic weapons or simply stock up on older Tomestone gear.

In Patch 7.4, the Echo is confirmed to provide a significant boost, ensuring that the older tiers are quickly completed by groups that are now significantly over-geared due to the current Item Level cap.

Community Response: Uniform Praise for the Catch-Up Mechanic

The response to the Echo activation has been overwhelmingly positive across the FFXIV community. The application of the buff is considered a standard, positive element of the patch cycle, symbolizing the progression into the final phase of the expansion.

  • Praise for Accessibility: The most common praise centers on the ease of mount and title farming. Players who struggled with the high mechanical and DPS requirements of the Cosmic Rift or Ethereal Gate during their relevant patches are now guaranteed easier clears. Many players expressed enthusiasm for finally securing the difficult mounts that required repeated clears.
  • The “Clear for Glam” Effect: High-end raiders who already cleared the content welcome the Echo because it simplifies the process of helping friends clear the content, or “carrying” players through for story progression. There is consensus that the Echo is essential for keeping the older content relevant and preventing long queue times for those just starting their raid journey. There were no significant complaints, as the buff does not affect the current or final Savage tier (The Arcadion).

Implications for the Raid Meta

The arrival of the Echo fundamentally alters the raid landscape outside of the current progression tier.

Firstly, it officially ends the competitive nature of the first two Savage tiers. Groups farming these raids can now prioritize fast clear speeds over mechanical precision, making compositions like “All DPS” or “Double Ranged” more viable. This leads to extremely fast farm parties for Tomestones and gear.

Secondly, the ease of clearing the older raids allows players to quickly acquire the necessary Item Level gear to jump directly into the currently released Normal tier (The Arcadion), providing a smooth catch-up path for alts or new players. This mechanism ensures that the community’s focus remains squarely on the final, most difficult challenge: the newly released Arcadion Savage tier. The Echo provides a safety net, guaranteeing that no player is left behind in the lead-up to the next expansion.