During the Final Fantasy XIV announcement showcase, the next expansion for the MMORPG was revealed through a teaser trailer–it’s called Endwalker and it’s set to launch in Fall 2021. You can watch the trailer from the livestream below (be aware that there may be spoilers in the trailer).
The trailer shows the Warrior of Light (your character) on the moon of your realm, and is stylized as a Paladin. You then see core characters Alphinaud and Alisaie fighting alongside each other against what looks to be a dragon (maybe Lunar Bahamut). And the Warrior of Light shows up to join the group. There are also teaser shots of the new villain over looking the new “Final Days” and you see returning villain Zenos as well. The final shots return to the moon to reveal the new representation of the Warrior of Light.
New Jobs
There will also be new Jobs in Endwalker, one healer and one melee DPS. In the trailer, Alphinaud is sporter the new Job and it was further explained during the showcase. It’s called Sage and uses a set of floating aether-infused knives called Nouliths. It’ll start at level 70 with no required class, but you need at least one other Job at level 70 and own the Endwalker expansion.
The new melee DPS job will be revealed in May during the digital FFXIV Fan Fest.
What We Know About The Story
Director and producer Naoki Yoshida explained the story set up and emphasized that Endwalker is a finale and conclusion to the current FFXIV story arc–an ending to what we know as the world of Hydaelyn. He also said that things would come full circle, describing it as “a new dawn” for the story.
This will be FFXIV 6.0, and as players know, the story usually continues after the expansion. However, Endwalker will have a full conclusion, and the emphasis on the moon may tell us of where we go from here. FFXIV 6.1 will begin an entirely new story separate from what has been built since 1.0 and 2.0.
As a setup for Endwalkers story, the announcement showcase included this statement:
“What were the Final Days that brought the mighty ancients to their knees? To uncover myriad secrets–of Hydaelyn, Zodiark, and deeper mysteries still–the Warrior of Light embarks on a journey to the moon.
“The long-awaited conclusion to the tale of Gods light and dark!
“Curiouser and curiouser…burning questions remain!
“What brought about the Final Days?
“What became of Hydalyn and Zodiark?
“What will be the Garlean Empire’s fate
“What is Zenos and Fandaniel’s aim?
“What is to be found on the moon?”
Some New Features
Of the new features coming to Endwalker, the level cap is increasing to level 90, as expected. It’s also said to feature “massive” new areas–the new artwork features a lush jungle-like environment with a colorful bustling city in the sky called Radz-At-Han, similar in size to Eulmore from Shadowbringers. The region of Thavnair, which is located near FFXIV’s version of Dalmasca, has a tropical climate and different culture from the rest of the world’s regions.
It was also confirmed that one of the major regions you’ll be in is Garlemald, the heart of the Garlean Empire. It is absolutely destroyed in Endwalker, however.
Fans of of Final Fantasy X will recognize a new enemy featured in this new expansion: Anima, which has been recreated by the original designer for FFXIV. Concept art for new dungeons was also revealed, all of which were quite different in design.
Another high-end 8-player raid series was teased–it’s called Pandaemonium, and the artwork features the likeness of the old Ascian adversary Lahabrea. It will tell a unique and separate story for FFXIV as well.
A new 24-player alliance raid was confirmed. It is said to provide several answers to lingering mysteries about the world of Hydaelyn, which may mean that it’s not going to be a franchise crossover raid series.
The Trust system, which lets you take core characters into dungeons as AI companions in place of real players, is getting an update–Estinien, who was first introduced in Heavensward, will be an ally of the Scions and available in the Trust system. As for the reason he’s included, we’ll have to see what happens in the story.
Island Sanctuary is an all-new feature in Endwalker, described as a way of “slow living” and isn’t just for crafters and gatherers and geared toward all players. You’ll do things like raise animals and cultivate an open land on a deserted island.
FFXIV 6.0 will add a new residential area to expand housing opportunities, this time it’ll be in Ishgard, as a way to tie into The Firmament and Ishgard Restoration content. Housing won’t be available until patch 6.1, but players can look at the land at the start of 6.0.
Battle System Changes
A few tweaks are lined up for the core battle system in FFXIV. First is the downscaling of values and damage numbers in combat. Through the expansions, damage and attack potency has gradually increased as players got more powerful. However, downscaling is said to help with calculations and prevent overflow and bugs in the backend. Changes will be proportional as to not change how the combat system functions.
This is also said to help with calculations for enmity, which could create problems for Tanks. The number crunch will consolidate the flying text for damage numbers and scale down the HP pool for bosses along with everything else.
The changes will come with how player levels and stats increase from level 51 to 80, essentially squeezing the rate at which players get more powerful, which means enemy effectiveness will scale accordingly. Experience points values will be compressed along with the experience points required to level up as well.
Lastly, Belts are being removed from the game entirely at the start of the 6.0 update–it’s an armor gear piece, which was actually already removed from your character’s appearance.
Data Center Travel
Currently, FFXIV players can travel between different servers within their data centers, but not to other data centers. However, the data center travel system is coming to FFXIV in the future.
PlayStation 5 Version Coming
While FFXIV is playable of through backwards compatibility, a PS5-specific version is coming soon. It’ll be in open beta starting April 13 this year, and will feature 4K resolution, faster loading times, more detailed visual effects, and an improved frame rate. There will be two options, however: full native 4K resolution, or a higher frame rate mode with 1440p resolution. Continual updates to graphics and performances will come out in future patches.
Players who have a registered license for the game on PS4 will be able to upgrade and access the PS5 version for free. No further details were given for how the process will work.
This story is developing.
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