Final Fantasy XIV ’s upcoming expansion Stormblood , previously announced for a summer 2017 window, now has a confirmed release date of June 20, 2017. The news comes via this weekend’s Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2016 in Tokyo:
The FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood expansion pack is scheduled to launch on June 20, 2017! #FFXIV #FFXIVFanFest2016 pic.twitter.com/Ksv1JbZEnW
— FINAL FANTASY XIV (@FF_XIV_EN) December 24, 2016
Stormblood takes place in Ala Mhigo with players opposing an enemy named Zenos. It adds new areas and promises a "full standalone game's worth of content." A fourth residential area is also being added, while there will be new Primals, dungeons, and high-end raids, too. According to director Naoki Yoshida, “The main concept is getting Ala Mhigo back into Eorzean control from the Garlean empire.”
A collector’s edition will be made available including the following:
A special package featuring original art by Yoshitaka Amano
Exclusive high-quality Zenos figure
Stormblood art book
Cloth map of Eorzea
Original decal
In-game items
Syldra Mounta
Wind-up Bartz Minion
Red Mage Main Arm: Chicken Knife
As for the new Red Mage class, it’s a ranged DPS role with rapiers and magicked crystal mediums as its weapons of choice. Ranged attacks use magic (red magic/black & white magic hybrid) and melee attacks use the rapier. Using high-speed positioning, the Red Mage deals massive damage by linking multiple spells using Chainspell and then following up with melee attacks. It starts at level 50 and has no associated class.
Veteran Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu will be writing the main theme for Stormblood, while Shin Megami Tensei IV character designer Keita Amemiya will be designing the bosses.
Two new high-end raids have also been announced. One is called “The Bend of Time - Omega,” which pits 8 players against a new version of Omega Weapon. The second raid is called “Return to Ivalice,” a 24-man raid written by Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics director and writer Yasumi Matsuno.
Stormblood will also bring diving and swimming into the world of Final Fantasy XIV . You can swim while mounted if on a flying mount, but swimming will be limited to certain locations and combat will not be possible while underwater.
Finally, the production team revealed a new Beast Tribe: the Ananta, a tribe of snake women oppressed by the Garland forces. They worship a new Primal: Lakshmi, Lady of Bliss.
Final Fantasy XIV ’s previous expansion, Heavensward, added loads of post-game content and a new PvP mode, among other offerings. Are you excited for what Stormblood will bring to the Final Fantasy XIV table? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
