Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion is Shadowbringers, finally bringing us version 5.0. The release date is scheduled for early summer 2019, and will feature new areas, new jobs, a new level cap and plenty more of the features you’d expect for a major expansion. There’s also some stuff you wouldn’t expect, like a New Game Plus system.
There’s also a new race, “probably” the last additional race for the game. We’re not finding out details on it just yet, but the tease was awash in lagomorphic hints from Bugs Bunny to Peter Rabbit. It’s a safe bet that the long-awaited Viera are becoming playable.
New Game Plus will let you replay old content at the strength of your current character, though you will have to start from the beginning – not picking and choosing specific quests. The level cap will jump from 70 to 80, bringing new actions for every job. The battle system is getting some major tweaks as TP and other battle resources will be combined with MP.
There are new jobs too, but we won’t get any details on those today – though there’s a “hint” about one of them in the teaser trailer below. Probably the Gunblade. We’ve also got nine new dungeons, and new 24-man alliance raids, though again, no details on those just yet.
The Trust system is coming, and while that’ll sound familiar to FF11 players it’s not quite the same. It’s not a replacement for the part matching system, instead it’s an NPC battle-assist system intended to let solo players take on dungeon content.
New locations include the Rak’Tika Greatwood, a swampy forest area which hosts ruins of ancient civilizations along with settlements atop trees. (We are reminded that “this isn’t Everquest,” so you won’t die from falling.) There’s also Amh Areng, a new desert area. You’ll meet new tribes and primals, including the Nou Mou, and you can also expect Pixies and Dwarves to make the cut.
Endgame content is coming for Disciples of the Land and Disciples of the Hand, focused on the Restoration of the Holy See of Ishgard. We’ll get housing in Ishgard, and you can expect user-controlled farms as a new option, too.
On the technical side, we’ll also see the end of support for 32-bit Windows following the launch of 5.0, leaving legacy users with more memory crashes in the pursuit of better technology. There’s a “world regrouping” on the way for NA and EU, and affected players will have free world transfers. New datacenters should help prevent the problems that surrounded the Stormblood launch.
There’s also a new World Visit system, allowing you to “move freely between worlds on the same data center.” That means you’ll be able to visit worlds on your same data center, using Aetherytes in various cities. You can progress through quests on the new world, giving you options if your current world is congested. This is set to launch before 5.0 to help work out the kinks.
We rank FF14 among the best MMOs on PC, and hopefully Shadowbringers will keep that tradition going when it launches next year. Further details are set to be unveiled on February 2 at the next big event in Paris.