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Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker Delayed to December 7, Launch Trailer Revealed

by Alex Fuller · Published November 6, 2021 · Updated November 7, 2021

During the latest Letter from the Producer Live presentation for Final Fantasy XIV, producer and director Naoki Yoshida announced that the newest expansion to the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker has been delayed by two weeks. The expansion will now officially launch on December 7, 2021, with the early access period beginning on December 3, 2021. A message from Naoki Yoshida to players can be read on the game’s website.

The presentation also provided some further details on the expansion and post-launch patches, as well as its official launch trailer. The version 6.01 patch will release on December 21, 2021, and add the first part of the Pandæmonium raid series, while the version 6.05 patch will release on January 4, 2022, and add the Pandæmonium’s Savage difficulty version plus new Allagan Tomestones and gear.

Scenario and Job Content

The presentation provided a quick reminder of the new major cities and locations appearing in the expansion: Old Sharlayan — the home of Alphinaud and Alisaie — as well as Radz-at-Han, Labyrinthos, Thavnair, Garlemald, Mare Lamentorum, and an unnamed set of floating islands. It also featured a quick look at the major characters, which current players will already be familiar with. Endwalker will feature some new integrations of the major characters into gameplay during the main story. These characters will sometimes join the player and follow along with them and participate in conversations during certain sequences.

Like previous expansion Shadowbringers, Endwalker will include new Role quests. There will be five quest lines, one for each Role: Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Physical Ranged DPS, and Magical Ranged DPS. Extra quests awarded for completing all five quest lines will be added in a later patch. Unlike Shadowbringers, completing a Role quest line will not be required to complete the main scenario. Endwalker will not include level 90 Job quests but it will add a new Treasure Dungeon: The Excitatron 6000. It is designed as post-main scenario content and will be added in the version 6.05 patch.

Meanwhile, gathering and crafting Jobs will get new content in Stadium Deliveries that act as the primary level-based story content for them. There will be five new Crystarium Deliveries quest lines split into the following Job groups: Blacksmith/Armorer/Goldsmith, Carpenter/Leatherworker/Weaver, Alchemist/Culinarian, Botantist/Miner, and Fisher. Extra quests will be made available for those who complete all five Crystarium Deliveries quest lines.

PvP

Endwalker will add a new small-scale PvP mode called Crystal Conflict in its major 6.1 update along with a new PvP reward system. Crystal Conflict features five-on-five battles designed to have simple rules and be playable in short bursts. In includes removal of specific role-based matchmaking and actions, though different Jobs will still be represented by special PvP actions and Adrenaline Rushes.

Crystal Conflict sees the two teams trying to gain possession of a crystal in the centre of the map, with each team’s bases on either side of it. When a team is in possession of the crystal, it will move towards the other team’s base. When the crystal reaches a team’s goal, the other side is declared the winner. It will be available in casual, ranked, and custom modes with skill-based matchmaking. There will be multiple maps available for the mode, which can include their own environmental gimmicks. Crystal Conflict will provide players with season-based ranking rewards based on placement and tier including titles, achievements, and more.

The other PvP modes will also be impacted by the reward overhaul. There will be a new period structure, tentatively called “series”. Players will earn series rewards by participating in any PvP content during it. Players earn series experience and raise their series level by participating in PvP content. The higher the player’s series level, the more token rewards they receive, which can be exchanged for various rewards, with certain levels directly granting gear, mounts, or other rewards. Tokens can be carried over into subsequent series, while special level rewards will eventually be made available through the token system. There will also be a new PvP profile customisation system.

Other System Adjustments

The last part of the presentation was devoted to some more specific system adjustments coming with and following the release of Endwalker. As part of the previously detailed downscaling of numerical values in the game, all Jobs will receive a mid-level experience reset. This will not affect any Jobs at the current level cap, but any Jobs part of the way towards a new level at the time of the reset will have their experience reset to the start of their current level. This will also affect retainers and trust NPCs.

Endwalker will introduce two new types of Allagan Tomestones used to trade for end-game gear: Aphorism and Astronomy, with Astronomy to be added with patch 6.05. It will also adjust the number of Tomestones needed to exchange for weapons down to 500 from 1000. Crafters and gatherers will also receive new Purple Scrips.

The achievement UI is also being updated, including adding new near completion and recommended tabs. Endwalker will also add support for Embody’s Immerse Spatial Audio — an original sound add-on that provides 360-degree personalised spatial audio — on PC. Players will need to have purchased a licence from Embody to be able to activate it.

Finally, Endwalker will add a new residential district for the game called Empyreum, which is based on the Firmament in Ishgard. The addition includes some changes to the land purchasing system, including the removal of land devaluation, changes to purchase authorisation, and the addition of a lottery system. Players will be able to tour the Empyreum with the release of version 6.0, with land becoming available to purchase with the release of patch 6.1.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker will launch for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Those looking to read more about the expansion can check out Robert Albright’s impression from its virtual Media Tour.

Character and Crafting/Gathering Job Art