Final Fantasy XIV may not have had an update to throw at fans in 2020, but 2021 looks to be a big year with even bigger changes for the long-running MMORPG. During the weekend’s Final Fantasy XIV showcase, the game’s new expansion Endwalker was announced. In case you missed it, here’s the fancy trailer for it:
Snazzy! There’s of course a lot more for to the game than just one slick trailer, and Square Enix took time to speak about all the new additions coming in the latest chapter of the saga, it’s next-gen leap, and where the story is going next. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker.
New Jobs
The biggest addition here are two new jobs that players can try their hands at. Sages are skilled in healing arts, but their overall skills give them some handy offensive and defensive abilities as well. They can use floating aether-infused knives called Noulith knives to do some rad attacks, or they can throw up barriers according to FF14 director and producer Naoki Yoshida. There’ll be no required class prerequisite to play as a Sage, but you will need the Endwalker expansion and at least one other Job at level 70 to step into the shoes of the new healer class.
Details on the new melee DPS job were also non-existent, but Yoshida said that the class will be explored during the digital FFXIV Fan Fest in May.
FF14 is getting a PS5 upgrade
While FF14 is technically playable through backwards compatibility on the PS5, a true next-gen version will arrive later in the year. An open beta for it will kick off on April 13, wth the key enhancements being a 4K resolution, faster loading times, more detailed visual effects, and an improved frame rate. Players will also have two options for graphics: A full native 4K resolution mode or they can opt for an increased frame-rate at 1440p resolution.
FF14 players with a registered license for the game on PS4 will get the PS5 version for free.
Gameplay upgrades
The character level cap is being increased to level 90, with new areas being added as well. Radz-At-Han is a city in the sky that’s similar in size to Eulmore from Shadowbringers, and is located in the Thavnair region. Garlemald is also a new region, located in the Garlean Empire and rocked by some unknown cataclysm that reduced it to trendy rubble.
There’ll be a few new dungeons to explore as well, with one of the new challenge zones resembling a fleshy prison that would make HR Geiger proud. On top of all that is the return of an old favourite: Anima, which has been recreated by for FF14 is back, a high-end 8-player raid series called Pandaemonium was teased, and a new 24-player alliance raid was confirmed.
Housing opportunities are being expanded with the addition of a new residential area in Ishgard, but only the plots for those homes will be available in Patch 6.0. From patch 6.1, players can start constructing their homes. More role quests, crafter and gatherer quests, Gold Saucer updates, small-scale PvP battles, a new tribe called the Matanga, and more will also be introduced in patch 6.0.
The core battle system is also being upgraded, through the use of downscaling. As players have become powerful over the course of several years and expansions, values and damage numbers dealt in combat will be decreased in a way is proportional so as to not change how the combat system functions. Enemies and bosses HP pools will be scaled down as well, to balance the system.
From level 51 to 80, player stats and experience points gains will be more compressed, and enemy effectiveness will be scaled to match these changes as well. Belts are being removed entirely, with the 35 inventory slots from those armour piece items being allocated to weapons and rings, which will have 15 slots each. The remaining five slots will be held for a future update.
Last Updated: February 8, 2021
