The Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival was recently held in Tokyo and included a lot of different things to see and do across two days for Final Fantasy XIV fans, including special in-game item events and live performances of the soundtrack. A major part of the event was the release date of the latest expansion, Stormblood, being announced. Stormblood is the second expansion for the ever growing MMO, and will launch in North America, Europe, and Japan on June 20, 2017.
During one of the keynote speeches, producer/director Naoki Yoshida announced a plethora of new details for Stormblood, which include the following:
- New Job – Red Mage (DPS Role): The highly anticipated red mage job will make its debut in Stormblood as a ranged magic DPS, wielding a rapier and magicked crystal medium. A very mobile attacker, the red mage dives in and out of melee combat, assaulting enemies with red magic and short-ranged attacks. The red mage also has the ability to link multiple spells with chainspell, dealing massive damage and following them up with melee attacks.
- Swimming and Diving: This new gameplay mechanic will allow players to seamlessly enter and traverse specific rivers, lakes, and seas in both new and existing areas throughout Eorzea. Players will also be able to dive underwater in select locations, even while riding flying mounts. Underwater areas will not only include new gathering locations, but will also provide an opportunity for NPC interaction.
- New Beast Tribe and Primal: The Ananta, an all-female beast tribe, is the newest of the beast tribes to be introduced to the world of FFXIV. This ancient tribe resides in the mountains near Ala Mhigo and worships the primal Lakshmi. Known for their skill in spell and gemcraft, the Lamia will play a very important role in the Stormblood main scenario as their persecution by the Garlean Empire is revealed.
- New High-Level Raid: The Bend of Time – Omega was announced as the high-level raid series for Stormblood. Omega has surfaced within the main scenario in the past, but this menace will soon appear in full force. The mystery behind the appearance of Omega and the significance of “The Bend of Time” will be unveiled through the story surrounding this raid.
- New Alliance Raid: Two special guest creators were invited to assist with the design of the newly-announced alliance raid “Return to Ivalice”: Yasumi Matsuno (FINAL FANTASY XII / FINAL FANTASY TACTICS) will write the scenario surrounding the raid, while Keita Amemiya (Onimusha 2 / Shin Megami Tensei IV) will spearhead monster and boss design.
- Stormblood Theme Song: Legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu will return to create the main theme song for Stormblood.
As well as these details, Square Enix also shed light on the content of the collector’s edition that features a special box with art decoration by Yoshitaka Amano. The full list of content includes:
- FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood
- Stormblood Special Art Box
- Expertly Crafted Zenos yae Galvus Figure
- FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood Art Book
- Cloth Map of Eorzea
- Stormblood Logo Sticker
- Exclusive In-game Items
- Syldra Mount
- Wind-up Bartz Minion
- Chicken Knife
Pre-orders for Stormblood go live on January 24, 2017. Additional details in regards to the Stormblood expansion will be given during the European Fan Festival, which is being held in Frankfurt on February 18-19, 2017.
Watch the trailer here:
About the Author
Dylan Fewings
When he isn't studying at University, you can probably find Dylan absorbed in a JRPG, adding more albums to his record collection, or watching old school horror flicks with his cat.
