The future of Final Fantasy XIV is looking bright as lots of new details were dropped during the keynote address at Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest in London over the weekend. Dressed in a special cosplay, game director and producer, Yoshi-P, revealed a new extended trailer of the upcoming Dawntrail expansion along with other exciting details about content coming before and after the anticipated 7.0 update.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the major announcements revealed during the keynote.
Viper is revealed as one of the two new jobs.
Viper will be the newest melee DPS and is a Final Fantasy XIV original job. This action-packed job wields dual blades that connect into a long, single blade, and, for even more damage, they can activate an ancient aura that visually imbues their whole body for a brief increase in DPS.
Viper gameplay was described by Yoshi-P as quick and stylish but technically demanding, and that description appears accurate based on the video demonstration of Viper combat shown to Fanfest attendees. The minute-long video showcases the job’s flashy battle choreography and fluid movement, making the like-Ninja-but-different comparison easier to grasp.
If you’re excited to give Viper a whirl when Dawntrail drops, the job will start at level 80 and can be picked up in Ul’Dah.
Dawntrail’s second new job is still being kept under wraps, but it has been confirmed to be a magical ranged DPS. We’ll have to wait till closer to launch for more details.
New areas and a new allied tribe in Tural were revealed.
While there’s still a lot we don’t know about Dawntrail’s new world of Tural, two new regions were revealed during the keynote.
First up was Kozama’Uka. South of the main hub city of Tuliyollal, Kozama’Uka is a tropical region made up of upper and lower areas. Players can take in the beauty of the area’s several flowing rivers, streams, and spectacular waterfalls across the map’s geography.
Kozama’Uka is also home to the latest allied tribe coming to Final Fantasy XIV, the Moblins. Sharing a common ancestry with goblins, Moblins are described as jungle dwellers and crafty tradesfolk who are able to gather any material they need, regardless of rarity. While not confirmed, the emphasis on material gathering does seem to suggest the Moblins will be visited most often by Disciples of the Land and the Disciples of the Hand classes.
Yoshi-P also lifted the curtain on Shaaloani. Unlike the tropical forests of Kozama’Uka, Shaaloani is described as a dry region with little vegetation. Along with newly discovered ceruleum deposits that are catalyzing changes in the area, a big secret was teased by Yoshi-P several times during the Shaaloani portion of the keynote. In fact, this secret was teased so much that we think it’s safe to assume this area is going to be playing a huge role in Dawntrail’s overall narrative.
The next Alliance Raid series will have a Final Fantasy XI theme.
Titled ‘Echoes of Vana’diel,’ this will not only serve as the next 24-player alliance raid series in Dawntrail, but it’s also a celebration of more than 20 years of Final Fantasy XI.
Not much else was shared beyond the name of the series and theme, but Yoshi-P reassured attendees that ‘Echoes of Vana’diel’ will appeal to both longtime Final Fantasy XI fans and players completely new to the world of Vana’diel.
A new limited job is coming.
This is big news for players invested in the current limited job, Blue Mage, but looking for something new to develop. The name and combat type of the upcoming limited job weren’t shared, but given Blue Mage was launched way back in 2019, news of something on the horizon is enough to keep us salivating.
The new limited job is expected to be released sometime in the latter part of the 7.X run.
Fall Guys and Final Fantasy XVI crossovers coming before Dawntrail.
You heard right. Two very exciting and very different kinds of crossovers are coming before the next major expansion.
Coming October 31, 2023, as part of the 6.51 update, Fall Guys is headed to the Gold Saucer. If you’ve ever wanted to see how your character would look running through Fall Guys’ colorful, chaotic, and obstacle-crammed maps, this is your chance.
Expected to cycle in and out of availability in the Gold Saucer after launching, players will be able to take on Fall Guys-inspired content with up to 24 players. If you don’t have an alliance raid number of friends, don’t worry. Open queues will also be available to help players who are looking for lobbies.
But if you like to balance your intake of goofiness with some story, don’t worry about that either. Yoshi-P has confirmed that after intensive discussions with the director of Final Fantasy XVI (also Yoshi-P), a Final Fantasy XVI crossover is also headed our way in 6.5X. Called ‘The Path Infernal,’ Final Fantasy XVI’s Clive will be fighting alongside Warriors of Light in an all-new series of story quests.
The trailer for this special crossover featured Clive and a group of players taking on Final Fantasy XVI’s iteration of Ifrit. While that certainly confirms that these quests will be packed with references from the 2023 hit game, Yoshi-P added that players who have not played Final Fantasy XVI needn’t worry about spoilers. However, if you have played it, you can expect your knowledge of the game’s lore to come in handy while you enjoy the story.
The trailer also revealed that ‘The Path Infernal’ adds Clive’s armor and his trusty canine, Torgal. The keynote audience cheered upon seeing Torgal available in both mount and minion form. And in case were concerned, the trailer also confirmed that you can pet Torgal.
