Final Fantasy XIV has grown increasingly popular lately. So popular in fact, that it was sold out both physically and digitally at one point! There are even talks of an FFXIV-inspired TV show. The MMORPG is Square Enix’s first for the Final Fantasy series. After a rocky start a few years back, it’s in full stride now. The last expansion, Shadowbringers, was released in 2019 and brought in a ton of new players. The next expansion, FFXIV Endwalker, was announced earlier this year alongside news of a PS5 release at a Square Enix showcase. The November 23 release date for FFXIV Endwalker is now less than a month away. To celebrate, let’s take a look at 14 things the new Endwalker expansion will bring us!
1. New Level Cap
As is the trend with all expansions, whether in this MMO or otherwise, the new FFXIV expansion brings a new level cap. FFXIV Endwalker is boosting the level cap from 80 to 90 upon release. This allows players to feel a new sense of purpose and strength while playing through the expansion. Since the levels are so high at this point, it will be no easy task to get the experience needed to max out. It is sure to be an enjoyable experience for both casual and hardcore players.
2. New Jobs Introduced Into FFXIV
One of the most exciting parts of the FFXIV expansion is the addition of new jobs! For those unaware, jobs are specialized versions of the classes that players are allowed to choose from. Endwalker will bring us two new jobs, the Sage and the Reaper. From what has been shown of them, they are sure to bring a lot to the table. The Reaper is a melee DPS class that can summon a demon to fight alongside it. The Sage is a barrier-based healer that will surely come in handy in raids or dungeons. Both are expected to be available immediately upon Endwalker‘s release, as long as players are level 70.
3. Refreshed FFXIV Battle System
With the inclusion of a higher level cap and new characters, the battle system of FFXIV is sure to change. Additionally, it’s been confirmed that certain classes will receive new abilities to liven things up. Fresh gameplay elements are also guaranteed to join. With the culmination of these together, it is sure to affect the flow of battle. Both individuals and parties will have plenty to work with once Endwalker drops.
4. Male Viera Coming With FFXIV Endwalker
For those unaware, FFXIV is set in the same world as FFXII. Thankfully, the connection between both is loose, so you don’t need to play one to get the other. One thing that both games do share is the Viera tribe. They are a race of rabbit-eared people who are one with nature. At this point, only the female Viera people have joined the FFXIV roster. Since they are dominant members of the tribe, it made sense. Well, with Endwalker comes the release of male Viera. Usually out in the wilds protecting the Viera home, this will be quite the treat for players to not just see but also play as.
5. New NPC Tribes
One of the best parts of FFXIV has always been its expansive world and the NPCs that come with it. From sylph tribes to friendly goblins and beyond, it is certainly rich. Endwalker brings two new tribes to the table, the Loporrits and the Arkasodara. Loporrits are shown to be tiny bunny people and are shrouded in mystery for the time being. The Arkasodara are brawny elephant-like creatures. They’re a sub-tribe of the Matanga beast tribe and are expected to have a lot of importance in Endwalker‘s new locations.
6. Conclusion of the FFXIV Main Story
FFXIV Endwalker promises to bring a close to the main storyline that players have seen up to this point. The fight between the Warrior of Light and the Garlean Empire comes to a head in this expansion. Without giving away spoilers, it is sure to be a climactic end to an already impressive storyline. It also promises many new locations for this story, one of which is the Garlean Empire itself! But fans shouldn’t be concerned, this isn’t the end of FFXIV as we know it. It was confirmed a short time after Endwalker‘s announcement that the game was far from over.
7. New Main Locations
As described earlier, this FFXIV expansion will bring us to the end of the Garlean War storyline. One of the new places players will be visiting is, understandably, the Garlean capital! Garlemald will now be an accessible location for players, of great importance to the storyline. Further, a few surrounding locations will appear as well. The fabled Old Sharlayan will make an appearance. Additionally, Labyrinthos will be a sprawling environment beneath the city of Old Sharlayan. The isle of Thavnair and its major city Radz-at-Han are also expected to come into play. With so many beautiful and artistic scenes to take in, fans have much to look forward to.
8. Mare Lamentorum
To add to the list of new and impressive areas, Endwalker brings us a moon area. You heard me right, one of the newest areas in store for us is on one of Eorzea’s moons! Known as Mare Lamentorum, it seems to be an important hub world of the Endwalker saga. As can be seen on the logo art, the player is presumably traveling to this moon. What this has to do with the story and world at large is unknown at the moment.
9. New Powerful Threats
FFXIV has never been afraid to challenge its players. One of the ways they’ve done this is through powerful monsters or enemy encounters. Endwalker has promised two new threats for players, Anima and The Magus Sisters. Anima is said to be agony made flesh and is sure to be a dangerous fight. The Magus Sisters are a trio of goddesses of Thavnair. How they become enemies to the player is unknown, but facing off against a lesser god is always an impressive and welcome challenge to players.
10. New High-End Raid: Pandaemonium
Raids have been a staple of MMO games for a long time, and FFXIV is no exception. In a game that hinges on cooperation for some main story beats, raids are a challenging way to shake things up and test a party’s combined might. The latest high-end raid is called Pandaemonium and seems to revolve around the Shadowbringers. Some fans speculate this will be an extreme mode of one of the major battles against the demonic worshippers. Whatever comes to head, it’s sure to be quite a blast.
11. New Alliance Raid: Myths of the Realm
Alliance Raids, a more expansive version of the normal raid system, will make a return in Endwalker. They are a raid group of about 24 people facing off against a boss rush of sorts. Endwalker brings us the Myths of the Realm Alliance Raid. It is expected to delve into the pantheon of gods of Eorzea, known as The Twelve. However, we aren’t sure how just yet. Square Enix is once again keeping it close to the chest, saying it will tell the tale of how it all began.
12. New Dungeon Areas
Besides raids, FFXIV has many opportunities for party cooperation. As the story goes further in, we discover the classic dungeon. Most are story-centric, but they serve more purpose than that. Players have found that they can be great for leveling up or improving team mechanics. Well, with Endwalker comes more of our favorite dungeon crawls. They are sure to be quite the slog as we get into higher and higher levels of strength.
13. The Promise of Casual PvP
Player versus player combat has many different iterations throughout the MMO genre. For FFXIV, they have a specific location where people can join in the fun. Simply put, testing your skills against another human just has a different thrill to it than against the automated system. FFXIV Endwalker promises something a little more casual for newer players. A small-scale PvP system will be introduced, said to be the perfect introduction to the PvP lifestyle in the game. Developers hope it will produce a safe space for casual players to experience this aspect of the game.
14. FFXIV Data Center Travel Changes
The last thing on our list is a quality of life change for players. Since the game’s inception, players have been restricted to regional data centers. These data centers are a cluster of worlds they can spawn their characters into. Meant to be a more immersive version of the server system, it was also fairly problematic. Due to there being multiple data centers per region, it was easy for players to be locked away from their friends, or for server issues to abound. A costly solution was found in the data transfer system, which would allow players to switch their characters from one data center to another for a nominal real-life fee. However, Endwalker will make that obsolete! Developers have promised that players will be able to visit other data centers and join players there in tasks or duties.
