What Do We Know About Endwalker

Final Fantasy XIV has been going strong since its 2013 relaunch, becoming the single most profitable title in the legendary franchise. The steady release of additional content, including three full expansions, has undoubtedly contributed to the fantasy MMORPG’s success. Endwalker, which aims for a December release, will be the fourth such expansion. It is intended as a major milestone, wrapping up the story ark that began at the game’s rebirth. The latest campaign will be accompanied by the customary adjustments to all sides of the game, from locations and instances to classes and races. There are more unusual changes coming as well. Read on to learn all we know about the upcoming expansion!

Character Development

Just like the previous expansions, Endwalker is set to introduce several exciting new character options, while also touching up existing jobs and character systems:

• There will be two new jobs: Sages and Reapers. The former are versatile Healers who can simultaneously heal or shield allies and attack enemies with their Naulith aether arrays. The latter are scythe-wielding melee DPS fighters empowered by the summoning of an otherworldly ally. Both choices will be available to all characters after level 70, making them tempting secondary job options.
• Male Viera – previously mentioned, but never before seen – will make their first appearance as a playable race-gender combination on expansion release. Female Hrothgar will join the game slightly later;
• There will be a new, higher level cap, as both primary and secondary jobs will be able to reach level 90. All jobs will receive extra actions for the higher levels;
• Character stats will be squished (scaled down), as the high numbers were starting to make the game less user-friendly and sometimes resulted in bugs. In particular, the climb in damage values between levels 51 and 80 will be reduced. However, enemies will generally deal less damage and have less health as well. Leveling up will require less XP, though XP gains shall also be trimmed;
• Healer jobs will now be divided into two distinct roles that will be checked for separately in raids. Astrologians are going to lose their Nocturnal Sect action and join White Mages as pure healers with stronger healing powers. Scholars and the new Sages shall be classed as barrier healers, with a greater emphasis on damage prevention. Single-target heals shall be buffed for all healers;
• Monks are going to undergo a major rework to make them more mobile. Several existing actions will no longer require precise position, while one of the new actions will let them stack abilities backto-back regardless of postioning or stance;
• Summoners have likewise been reworked, redressing their excessive downtime. They will now be able to summon Primals directly, giving them elemental attacks and other powerful abilities that should, among other things, increase their manoeuvrability;
• Melee DPS and tank jobs will no longer have their combos broken by ranged attacks;
• The developers have shared plans for many other, relatively smaller changes to various jobs and job groups, mainly aimed at shoring up balance or differentiating roles by tweaking various stats and effects. Every job will be affected to some degree, hopefully resulting in a more dynamic and balanced experience.

Places to Visit

As you play through Endwalker’s main storyline quests, your path will take you to several never-before-seen locations. Many of them may have been mentioned in-game before, but now you will get to visit them in person. Old Sharlayan, the latest hub city, appears to be inspired by classical Athens. A smaller town, Radz-at-Han, is themed after South Asian locales, as is the rest of the explorable island of Thavnair. Other new locations include Garlemald, the bleak heart of the antagonistic Garlean Empire; Mare Lamentorum, a region of the Moon with mysterious ruins; and Labyrinthos, an underground library beneath Old Sharlayan.

While details about the content encountered in those locations are understandably sparse, it seems likely that the cities will play a key part in the story and side-quests. Fans of the beastmen with their engaging side stories and unique rewards may be pleased with the addition of two more tribes. Thavnair is home to the blue elephant-like Arkasodra, who are renowned for their mastery of alchemy. The diminutive rabbit-like Loporrits appear to be somehow connected to the Moon, though their exact wheareabouts are still unknown.

Not all upcoming locations have to be fraught with peril. At some point after release, players will be able to access Island Sanctuaries. Those personal areas may be described as “Harvest Moon lite”, with various relaxing, cyclical  farming activities to engage in. They will also offer a chance to interact with various minions or invited player characters. Meanwhile, the Ishgardian Restoration that players could contribute to in the previous expansion will finally bear fruit. On release, adventurers will be able to wander the new Housing District of Empyreum in Ishgard. Patch 6.1 should allow them to take up residence there as well. The developers also promise a Golden Saucer update.

Challenges to Face

Information about the PvE and PvP activities in Endwalker has likewise been limited. Still, here is what we know:

• Adventurers will face Trials against the new Primal (Anima) and the Magus Sisters, a recurring threat throughout the Final Fantasy series. Given the example of previous Trials, it is likely that the rewards for beating those bosses will include some kind of mounts;
• Several dungeons will be added. Concept art for three such instances has been shown so far, depicting varied terrain and aesthetics ranging from traditional fantasy environments to magitek facilities. One of them has since been revealed as the Tower of Zot in Thavnair, which seems to serve as a preview for the Magus Sisters as bosses;
• It has also been hinted that one of the instances to appear upon or not long after the release will be a deep dungeon – a roguelite variant with a separate level progression;
• Estinien Wyrmblood, the Dragoon who has played a part in the story leading up to the expansion, will become available as an ally in the Trust system, joining your party for previously cleared main quest dungeons;
• Myths of the Realm will be a 24-player Alliance raid series revolving around the setting’s primary deities called The Twelve;
• Pandæmonium will be an 8-player endgame raid series connected to Lahabrea, the Ascian villain who was fought earlier in the MMORPG’s story;
• There will be a casual, small-scale PvP mode with no role restrictions, making it easier to jump in. It will have its own reward system.

Items Reworked

Naturally, there will be plenty of additional items and recipes in the expansion. Yet the most striking change in this area is likely to be the disappearance of belts, which Square Enix deemed to be too boring and nonfunctional. All belt items will stop functioning, with their Armoury Chest slots redistributed to other item types like weapons or rings. While you could hold on to previously acquired belts, it may be better to sell them to stores for Gil or otherwise convert them into something useful. The added slots may be appreciated by those seeking to change class, given the inventory requirements. The belts never showed up on character models, so the change will not affect appearances.

Data Centers Improved

While not as eyecatching as changes to gameplay features, adjustments to servers can be every bit as vital to the player experience. Endwalker promises two much-requested improvements in this regard, although they will arrive after release. Firstly, it will build on the World Visit System to enable character transfers between Data Centers. People will be able to play with friends from around the world for the first time in the MMORPG’s history. There may be some restrictions during those visits, but it is nevertheless a major development for such a community-oriented game. Secondly, a new Data Center will be set up in Australia to let Oceania-based players enjoy a lower latency.

Conclusion

According to a recent announcement, Endwalker has been delayed to launch on December 7, 2021 instead of its previous November date. Impatient fans could start playing it four days sooner through Early Access. However, the delay is for quality assurance purposes, as work on the expansion is practically concluded and the features have been finalized. It will not be long before you can dive into what promises to be the definitive FFXIV experience for the near future. Our services can help you get the most out of the intriguing content while cutting out the grind. Look into Character Hourly Driving to help you tie up all loose ends before the expansion or progress through it once it has arrived.