Square Enix held another Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Europe this weekend, and there were surprises. Many more features were revealed at the festival to the delight of fans. This includes reveals on a brand new Job, playable Race, zones and more. Here’s all the major reveals that you need to know about to get you hyped for the release of FFXIV’s Shadowbringers expansion this summer.
New Gunbreaker Class
Late last year FFXIV players were celebrating when the Blue Mage job arrived. It was a fan favorite in the Final Fantasy franchise, and Square Enix are going to be introducing another. The Gunbreaker is set to be the newest Job in the game come the Shadowbringers expansion. The gameplay involves tanking, and the Gunbreaker uses the Gunblade as a weapon, with magicked ammunition dealing slashing damage to enemies. The job will not require any other classes, and apparently its quest can be picked up in Gridania at level 60. The class and its look is based on Final Fantasy VIII’s Squall.
New Viera Race
Square Enix also unveiled the newest race coming to Final Fantasy XIV. The ever popular Viera – and that iconic outfit – are both available when the Shadowbringers expansion launches. To the uninitiated, the race and outfit combo looks like a sleazy attempt by the game to boost subscriber numbers. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The Viera race first appeared in Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced. The race is predominantly female, with only a handful of males. This will definitely shake up the dynamics of FFIV in the future when it comes to character customization.
Shadowbringers Launch Date
While the exciting stuff above will dominate headlines, let’s not forget the important details. The Shadowbringers expansion will officially launch on July 2nd 2019. This is rather late in comparison to previous Final Fantasy 14 expansions. However, players who pre-purchase the game will be able to play Early Access on June 28th 2019. Time frames have yet to be announced, and do keep in mind that the dates can change at any time.
New NPC Trust System
FFXIV lead Yoshida also revealed a brand new gameplay system known as the NPC Trust system. It allows players to take various Shadowbringers NPCs with them into dungeons to run it as a solo experience. This is a pretty big feature that many players who prefer solo experiences may enjoy. For group lovers, don’t worry as the match making group finder tool will still be around and viable.
Alliance Raid Series With Creators of NieR Auto/Dragon Quest
For end-game players, a new Alliance Raid series has been announced. Guest Creators for the series are Yosuke Saito and Yoko Taro, who’s projects include NieR Automata and Dragon Quest. Therefore, it’s pretty exciting to see what the raid will encompass, and how this match-up will mix together. 2018 saw FFXIV team up with Monster Hunter: World, so 2019 could be another excellent year. Players can start pre-ordering the Shadowbringers expansion on February 6th 2019, so get your money ready.
