Tonight in a live steam, Japanese developer Square Enix announced “Endwalker,” the highly anticipated fourth expansion pack for Final Fantasy XIV Online, the award-winning MMO with over 20 million registered players.
“Endwalker” is scheduled to release fall 2021 for PC, the PlayStation 5, the PlayStation 4, and Mac. This expansion features the climax of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark story, in which Warriors of Light will encounter an even greater calamity than ever before as they travel to the far reaches of Hydaelyn and even to the moon. In addition to bringing the long-running story arc that began with “A Realm Reborn” to its conclusion, Endwalker will mark a new beginning for the beloved MMO, setting the stage for new adventures that longtime fans and new players can enjoy together. Oh, and they’re taking us to the Moon.
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
Endwalker made its debut during the first-ever “Final Fantasy XIV Announcement Showcase” as Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida presented a stunning new trailer which set the stage for this next chapter in the Final Fantasy XIV Online epic. To watch the first trailer, click play on the video at the top of this page.
“Endwalker” has a bevy of new features, including multiple new jobs, an increased level cap, vast new areas, updates to the battle system, a variety of new challenges to overcome, as well as crafter and gatherer content. At the showcase, details on much of the new content and features were announced for Endwalker, featured below as presented in the press release:
- Journey to Thavnair, the imperial capital of Garlemald, and even the Moon
- New Jobs: Sage and more – A first look at the Sage in action can be found here
- Level Cap Increase from 80 to 90
- Expansive new areas, including Garlemald, Thavnair, and the city of Radz-at-Han
- A New Tribe: the Arkasodara
- New threats, including Anima
- New Dungeons
- New High-Difficulty Raid: Pandæmonium
- Secrets Revealed in a New Alliance Raid Series
- New Small-scale PvP Mode
- An Additional “Trust” System ally: Estinien Wyrmblood
- A New Residential District: Ishgard
- Updates to the Gold Saucer
- Relaxing Fun in Island Sanctuary
- New Gear and Crafting Recipes
- Expanded Horizons via the Data Center Travel System
During the showcase, Yoshida also revealed the upcoming PlayStation 5 version of Final Fantasy XIV Online, scheduled to launch into open beta on April 13, 2021. The PlayStation 5 version will feature numerous upgrades from the PlayStation 4 version, including significantly improved frame rates, faster load times, 4K resolution support, and more. But that’s not all. Players whose Final Fantasy XIV Online service account has a registered license for the PlayStation 4 version may download and play the PlayStation 5 Upgrade Version at no extra cost at the start of the open beta period, while new players can experience the game on the PlayStation 5 through the Free Trial. The full version of the game will be available on PlayStation 5 following the conclusion of the open beta – for no extra cost or the base game. Monthly fee still applies.
A trailer highlighting the PlayStation 5 version’s features is featured below:
FINAL FANTASY XIV – PS5 Version Overview
Uploaded by FINAL FANTASY XIV on 2021-02-06.
While we got a lot of news tonight, even more Endwalker details will be revealed at the FINAL FANTASY XIV Digital Fan Festival 2021, scheduled for May 14-15, 2021. This fully digital Fan Festival event will be streamed free of charge on the official FINAL FANTASY XIV channels.
