Final Fantasy XVI director Takeo Kujiraoka and producer Naoki Yoshida were in Beantown for a PAX East panel to spill more beans on “The Rising Tide” DLC. Since its announcement, we’ve known that Final Fantasy XVI's biggest and final DLC would be released this spring but, at the end of the panel, Kujiraoka and Yoshida finally let loose that “The Rising Tide” is dropping in less than a month on April 18.
The Leviathan-centric DLC will be going for $19.99 on its own, and the Expansion Pass that includes “The Rising Tide” and “Echoes of the Fallen” DLCs comes with a price tag of $24.99.
They also shared juicy details on new experiences awaiting players as they uncover the mysteries of Leviathan. They discussed Shula, a new ally tied to the legendary water Eikon's story. They shared more information about the new area, Mysidia. They showed off Clive’s range-focused Leviathan combat abilities–a deviation from the melee skill sets of other Final Fantasy XVI Eikons. They revealed free quality-of-life improvements heading to the main game like a quick complete function that transports players directly to a quest giver after finishing a quest. And they lifted the curtain on Kairos Gate, an exciting new endgame mode that’ll really push player skill and creativity in combat.
In this new all-new survival mode that’s unlocked after finishing the main story campaign and “The Rising Tide” story questline, players fight through 20 waves, or circles, of increasingly difficult enemy encounters. The better you perform in a circle, the higher your score is and the more Boon Points you earn. Boon Points are then used to purchase Boons, or special buffs that last for a set duration. For example, players can purchase an increased damage boost or increased HP regain that lasts for two circles. Buying Boons and strategic use of these buffs are critical to both completing the 20 circles and scoring as high as possible to earn a spot on the global leaderboard.
Finally, after a surprise appearance by Ben Starr, the voice actor of Clive Rosfield, Yoshida revealed a release window of early April for the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI + Final Fantasy XIV collaboration event that was revealed last October. Given that he’s also the lead director for Final Fantasy XIV, we’ll have to wait and see if the release window becomes a release date during tomorrow’s Dawntrail panel.
If you’re hankering for more details on “The Rising Tide” and all the exciting things coming to Final Fantasy XVI, you can watch the VoD of this morning’s PAX East panel on the official Square Enix YouTube.