Critically-acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV will be hitting the release date of its fourth expansion, FFXIV: Endwalker, this November – with it comes a tidal wave of new content.
Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker Release Date: November 23, 2021
The Endwalker expansion for Final Fantasy XIV releases on November 23, 2021, but players that availed of the Pre-Order will be able to access the expansion by November 19, 2021.
Endwalker New Features:
Main Scenario Quest Updates
It will mark the “end of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark arc” – the game's overarching conflict that has been building up since before it resurfaced as A Realm Reborn. The official website sets up the premise with the following:
“Yet shadowed by their triumph in the First, the Warrior of Light and Scions of the Seventh Dawn are home at last. An even greater calamity than refulgent oblivion has been building in their absence, however─a second advent of the Final Days. Should all despair, the myriad conflicts that now ravage the land cannot but foretoken an end to life in the Source.
Take heart in the faith of those who walk beside you, and journey ever higher─to the very stars above.
Upon the advent of these Final Days, we recall…
Once, the world was whole, its people blessed─ere a great calamity threatened all in existence. The approach of the so-called “Final Days” caused a great schism among the ancients, culminating in the star's shattering into fourteen reflections, incomplete and imperfect. With the second coming of that selfsame calamity looming on the horizon, the Warrior of Light must stand firm as hope's last bastion.”
Two New Jobs and Reworks for Existing Jobs
Joining Final Fantasy XIV's 17 current playable jobs are two new ones once Endwalker arrives – Sage and Reaper. Sage will be a new ‘barrier healer' that focuses on mitigating incoming damage to the party. It also appears to have the ability to heal allies by dealing damage to enemies and seems like the only healer that will have a built-in gap-closer in its kit.
Meanwhile, Reaper will be joining FFXIV's selection of Melee DPS jobs, bringing an edgy feel, a two-handed scythe, and a voidsent companion. It has also been confirmed to have at least one party utility skill, so it won't be that selfish of a damage dealer. In addition to this, it also has a teleport ability that will surely be useful for dodging AoEs.
Alongside the arrival of two new jobs are changes to the existing ones. Several jobs will be getting extensions to their kit, such as Paladin, Black Mage and Red Mage, who appear generally similar to their current playstyle, but some jobs will also get an overhaul. Perhaps the biggest change will be coming to Summoner, which is finally forgoing egis for actual summons – making them one of the most flashy classes in the game, able to bring Ifrit, Titan, Garuda, Bahamut and Phoenix to the battlefield. You can check out the Endwalker Job Action Trailer for a peek at all the jobs.
New Playable Race: Male Viera
Viera, a race heavily featured in past Final Fantasy games like Final Fantasy XII, arrived with the Shadowbringers expansion. Once Endwalker hits its release date, the male version of the race will also become available as a playable race in Final Fantasy XIV. This will mark the first time male Viera will appear in a Final Fantasy title. The official page details them with the following:
“Of tall stature and slender frame, the Viera's physical appearance is strikingly similar to that of the Hyur and Elezen, save for their distinctive long ears. Adhering to a strict code known as the Green Word, they are prohibited from contact with the outside world under threat of exile. Their society is purely matriarchal, and males of age are seldom, if ever, found within the bounds of any village. They instead serve as protectors of the wood from the shadows, that no evil may ever encroach on their sacred lands.”
New Locations
As expected with any MMORPG expansion, Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker will also, of course, allow players to visit new regions of its vast world. The expansion's new major city will be Labyrinthos in Old Sharlayan, the homeland of the Warrior of Light's allies throughout the whole story thus far, the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. Old Sharlayan is Eorzea's center for scholars, with a singular focus on the preservation of knowledge. Another confirmed location is Garlemald, the capital of the Garlean Empire, which has been a threat to Eorzea since the beginning of the game. The final confirmed location is Thavnair, a tropical region heavily inspired by South Asia and Southeast Asia. One of its cities, Radz-at-Han, will serve as the endgame player hub city for the Endwalker expansion.
New Beast Tribes
Two new Beast Tribes will also be coming to the game once Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker hits its release date. The Arkasodara, which bear the appearance of anthropomorphic elephants, are indigenous to the region of Thavnair, while the Loporrits, a sentient bunny race, will also appear with the arrival of the expansion. There are usually three Beast Tribes with each expansion, so we can assume that there will be a third one that is yet to be announced.
New Instanced Content
Several new challenges will also arrive with the Endwalker expansion. Trials in the form of Anima and The Magus Sisters, both iconic Final Fantasy summons, will be making their way to the game. The high-end Savage Raids for the expansion will be called Pandaemonium, but further details on this are yet to be announced. Meanwhile, the Alliance Raid series for Endwalker will not be a collaboration with other Square Enix properties this time, unlike Stormblood's Return to Ivalice and Shadowbringer's YorHa Dark Apocalypse – Endwalker's will be called “Myths of the Realm” and will feature lore specific to FFXIV itself, with special focus on The Twelve – the game's pantheon of Eorzean gods.
Other Content Updates
Other updates coming with Final Fantasy XIV's Endwalker expansion also includes a new small-scale PVP mode, much needed to augment the currently limited options of The Feast and Frontlines, hopefully, this will also come with some reworks to the PVP system to make it more engaging to a wider pool of the player base.
The Azure Dragoon, Estinien Wyrmblood, will also be joining the game's Trust System, allowing players to bring him to dungeons as an AI-controlled ally alongside the other companions from the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. This will add another melee DPS option to the Trust System pool, a boon to non-DPS players who wish to treat FFXIV as more of a single-player, classic Final Fantasy experience.
Additional updates will also be coming to the game's mini-game-focused casino, The Gold Saucer, alongside the expected additions to gear, crafting recipes, character customization options, and housing items. A new Island Sanctuary system will also be added to the game, giving Warriors of Light a place of respite during their arduous journey. The details of the new system are yet to be detailed.
Lastly, a new residential district, set in the main city of the Heavensward expansion, Ishgard, will finally become available after the Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker release date. Existing players spent a big chunk of the Shadowbringers expansion restoring the city and building a new district in several community events focused on crafting and gathering. Players that have fond memories of the restoration or have a special place in their heart for the Heavensward expansion are sure to take their chances at grabbing a plot.
Lastly, the game will also be expanding with a new Oceania data center, catering to players from Australia, New Zealand, and nearby areas. Alongside this will be the addition of the Data Center Travel System, which will be the first time players from different Data Centers to can interact. Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker certainly has a lot to live up to after the phenomenon that was Shadowbringers, and the hype train is moving full speed towards launch. Once again, the Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker release date is on November 23, 2021.
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