A new adventure awaits your Warrior of Light in Endwalker, the latest expansion for Square Enix’s popular MMO Final Fantasy XIV. The fourth expansion for the critically acclaimed game, Endwalker marks the conclusion of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark saga--an intricate story that has spanned the past 10 years. In addition to bringing us some much-needed closure, new beginnings, and plenty of tears, Endwalker also comes with some big changes and additions to Final Fantasy XIV, including the introduction of two new classes and several fresh locations. To prepare you for your journey to the end, here's everything we know about the new expansion.
Story
Even keeping this section short, sweet, and fairly spoiler-free, there's still plenty you should be excited about. Perhaps the most important thing to know about Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is it marks the end of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark saga--the overarching story in Final Fantasy XIV that first began all the way back in 2013's A Realm Reborn. The expansion takes place shortly after the events of Shadowbringers and during the long-coming "second advent of the Final Days." During this critical period, we see our Warrior of Light and their faithful comrades face off against "the greatest calamity" they've ever encountered--which is saying a lot at this point, honestly. Along with this great calamity, you'll also be forced to face off against plenty of other fierce foes, such as the primals Anima and the Magus Sisters.
While we now know Endwalker takes just about as long to complete as any previous expansion (approximately 40 to 50 hours), Square Enix packs a whole lot of story across those hours, adding 108 new quests to the game. As you complete these quests, you will get the chance to travel to new locations in Final Fantasy XIV that, while often discussed, have thus far remained shrouded in mystery. These new areas include Old Sharlayan, Thavnair, and Garlemald. Last but certainly not least, Endwalker also takes us to one of the strangest Final Fantasy XIV locations to date: the moon. Barren with the exception of some grand--and peculiar--architure, Mare Lamentorum is sure to add something surreal and celestial to the Endwalker experience.
New jobs
Of course, while new locations are exciting in and of themselves, one of the most anticipated things with each expansion are new jobs. With Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker comes the addition of two new classes: Sage and Reaper.
A Disciple of Magic and the newest addition to the Healer lineup, Final Fantasy XIV describes Sages as "practitioners dedicated to the betterment of mankind" who draw aetherology, sorcery, and medicine to heal and protect their companions. While the Sage isn't a new addition to the Final Fantasy franchise at large, the way the class works in XIV is quite a bit different than you might be accustomed to. Rather than being similar to a Red Mage or Alchemist, the Sages in Final Fantasy XIV manipulate aether to prevent their team from taking damage all while healing, buffing, and using floating daggers to fend off attacks. The class starts at level 70 and is obtained by speaking to an NPC named Lalah Jinjah in Limsa Lominsa.
The Reaper, on the other hand, is a melee DPS class that can channel and host Voidsent Avatars to use in battle. Reapers do this by, well, reaping, or using their basic scythe attacks to accumulate souls and shrouds that enable them to execute devastating attacks and unleash their Voidsent Avatars. As they are a melee DPS class, you can expect playing the Reaper to feel vaguely similar to playing a Dragoon--both classes even share the same armor. You can unlock the Reaper class at level 70 by speaking to the "Flustered Attendant" on the Steps of Nald in Ul'dah.
New modes and features
In addition to all the above, Endwalker also introduces plenty of new features to Final Fantasy XIV. First and foremost, with Endwalker comes an increase to the game's level cap, meaning players can now reach up to level 90 in all classes. As such, a new and incredibly intense raid, Pandaemonium, has been added to the game, as well as new dungeons and a smaller-scale PvP mode. While this might sound a bit intense, rest assured that plenty of new gear and items have also been added, allowing you to craft the best gear to take down the biggest baddies. And hey, if all else fails, they've also finally added Estinien as a trust ally, and you can't lose with a silver-haired dragon slayer on your side, right?
Now, for all those who have been longing to create their own "bunny boy," you'll be pleased to know Vieras are no longer gender-locked. Even better, all these new crop-topped Viera men also have a new place they can call home: Empyreum, Ishgard's newest housing district.
For those seeking even more domestic tranquility, however, Endwalker will also offer players the chance to cultivate their own private paradise with the introduction of Island Sanctuaries. Described by Square Enix as solo areas where your Warrior of Light can lay down their weapon and tend to their own animals, crops, and minions, Island Sanctuaries sound like a fantastic workaround to attempting to purchase property in Final Fantasy XIV, a notoriously difficult task. However, as of right now, Island Sanctuaries have yet to be patched into the game.
It's safe to say this delay is likely because Square Enix is currently hyper-focused on implementing several quality-of-life changes--such as buffing the overall server health of the game. In an effort to improve multiplayer and shorten queue times, Final Fantasy XIV has created a new data center for Endwalker that accommodates those living in Oceania: Materia. Materia currently hosts five servers--Bismark, Ravana, Sephirot, Sophia, and Zurvan. Square Enix has also been readying up for the release of its new data center travel system, which will allow players across various data centers to visit worlds on other data centers and team up with their friends.
Release date
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker was released on December 7, 2021--a few weeks after its original release date of November 19. Since then, Final Fantasy XIV has released three additional patches: 6.01 on December 21, 6.05 on January 4, and 6.08 on January 25.
Platforms
Endwalker is available for purchase on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 for $40. If you've yet to pick up the game's previous expansions--Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers--you'll be delighted to know all three are included with Endwalker. However, it's important to note Final Fantasy XIV's base game, A Realm Reborn, must be purchased separately and is required to play the expansions. You can pick up A Realm Reborn for $20, or buy the complete edition of Final Fantasy XIV for $60.
Does Final Fantasy XIV have a free trial?
If you're regularly online, you've probably heard the infamous copypasta, "Did you know that the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV has a free trial, and includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime?" While it's mostly a way to poke fun at how Final Fantasy XIV players are just a bit over-eager to introduce their friends to the epic saga, it's also true--most of the time. Unfortunately for folks interested in trying out Final Fantasy XIV currently, free trials have been temporarily suspended due to ongoing server congestion issues. However, considering queue times have shot down significantly over the last month, it seems safe to say they should be resuming in the near future.
