On October 30, 2026, Square Enix previewed the sixth expansion for Final Fantasy XIV during the Japan Fan Fest. The session kicked off with an exciting trailer unveiling the expansion named Evercold.
Delayed Release Date and Pre-Order Information
Anyone who pre-orders will receive a Wind-Up Kottr minion and Halone’s Earring as bonuses.
The collector’s edition comes packed with exciting goodies: a Meteor Survivor statue in the Reaper job outfit, a keychain inspired by the new cat allied society, and three exclusive in-game items:
If you’re a fan of special editions, you’re going to love what’s included in the collector’s edition of Evercold! This treasure trove features a stunning statue of the Meteor Survivor dressed in his Reaper job outfit – a true display piece for any dedicated player. You’ll also get a delightful keychain inspired by the new cat allied society, perfect for showing off your fandom. To top it all off, the edition includes three exclusive in-game items that will definitely enhance your gaming experience.
- Valhallar Odin Mount
- Entreat Crystal Emote
- Crystal Skytlborg
New Job: Zephyr
- Role: Physical Ranged DPS
- Battle Mode: Evolved Only
- Main Arm: Crossbow
- Starting Level: 90
- Starting Location: Gridania
- Role: Physical Ranged DPS – step back and let your arrows fly!
- Battle Mode: Evolved Only – it’s time to evolve your strategies!
- Main Arm: Crossbow – wield this weapon with absolute finesse.
- Starting LVL: 90 – you’re hitting the ground running right out of the gate!
- Starting Location: Gridania – welcome to this lush and picturesque realm.
In gameplay, Zephyrs partner with a bird companion, known as a Nephele, to execute coordinated attacks while providing support for their groups. They’ll also have abilities focused on evasion.
Story Character Information
Next, Baldr, the foreman aboard the Fire Realmship Hringhorni, was introduced. Each character’s nautical-themed title ties beautifully into the flying ship motif of their respective realms.
The trailer also introduced a character named Legerta, closely associated with longtime players of Heavensward. She serves as the first mate of the Water Realmship Naglfar and holds the title “Rimeblood”.
New artwork of Halmarut and Calyx emerged, with discussions on Halmarut’s ambiguous position as a friend or enemy, while Calyx’s past as an adversary adds layers to his current alliance with Halmarut.
During the keynote, players got a sneak peek at new locations in Evercold. The Earth Realmship, Sessrymnir, stands out with its agricultural and mining focus, complimented by complex magical rituals.
New Areas
A montage highlighted additional Evercold areas, though their names and specific functions remain under wraps.
Lastly, details regarding a new town, Hjartadunur, surfaced. The town will contain a jump puzzle that challenges players even more than the Kugane Tower puzzle.
Four new dungeons were revealed in a montage during the fan fest, which will contain many enemies, including one that startled the presenter!
Exciting news about the upcoming town in the expansion: welcome Hjartadunur! While we don’t have all the juicy details just yet, the standout piece of information has definitely caught our attention – this town is set to host a jump puzzle that’s bound to be tougher than the one at the renowned Kugane Tower. Get ready to challenge your jumping skills like never before!
New Dungeons
To accommodate different player strengths, an “Auto Content Balancing” system will ensure a smoothen experience as players tackle different quests and unlock dungeons.
In these dungeons, expect to face all sorts of formidable foes, including one particularly scary creature that had the poor person typing this almost screaming with fright! The surprise from this creature was so intense that neither Yoshida nor Koji Fox even acknowledged it, instead they simply moved on as if it was just another ordinary day in the world of Evercold!
Main Story Progression Changes
The Adventurer Activity UI will receive an upgrade, displaying the current zone background. Yoshida teased potential customizations for this interface too.
A progress bar will be integrated at the bottom of the UI, tracking rewards earned through weekly endeavors, including crafting and PvP challenges. Some missions will be repeatable while others will only be available once.
Weekly Progression System
The battle system will be split between Reborn Mode and Evolved Mode, which will introduce more dynamic action. A detailed live letter will further explain Evolved Mode later.
And that’s not all! The developer team is giving the Adventurer Activity UI a much-needed update. Imagine this: the background will now change based on the area your character is currently in, making everything feel more immersive. Yoshida has hinted that they’re also working on ways for players to customize their personal space even further, which is something to get excited about!
At the bottom of this new UI, there will be a handy progress bar alongside rewards that you can unlock. This progress will be tracked as you complete weekly missions and earn points, opening up plenty of opportunities for fun. Missions will include everything from trials and crafting to PVP challenges and much more! While Standard Missions can be tackled repeatedly, don’t forget that some, like the main story quests for each patch, will be a one-time journey!
Players can expect the Item Level Link system, allowing any max-level job to match the item level of their highest-geared job to ease content leveling.
Battle System Changes
At the Berlin Fan Fest, we got some exciting news about the game’s battle system! It’s set to be split into two engaging modes: Reborn Mode and Evolved Mode. Reborn Mode is the familiar battle system that FFXIV veterans know and love, but get ready because Evolved Mode is promising an experience filled with “More dynamic actions.” It sounds like a thrilling twist that will really shake things up in combat!
Seasonal Gear will be obtainable by completing missions and raising activity levels, unlocking accessories across all jobs once acquired.
And that’s not all! They also revisited the idea of Character Action Skins. This super cool system will let players customize their actions with unique animations and effects, making every player’s style truly their own. While only a handful of skins will be available at launch, the team is committed to expanding the selection in the future. During the keynote, we even got a sneak peek at some stunning teleport animations that will surely blow us away.
Equipment System Changes
Another intriguing update that caught our attention during the Berlin reveal was the introduction of the Item Level Link system. This system is a game-changer because it allows any job at max level to temporarily sync with the item level of their highest leveled job. This means you can dive into new content without the hassle of grinding for gear on every single job you have—it’s all about streamlining the experience and getting you into the action faster!
We’re also thrilled about the new gear optimization system coming with Evercold! This system will enable you to enhance your gear throughout each season, adding a new layer of strategy. There will be two distinct types of gear, each taking you on a different journey: Seasonal Gear and Raid Gear. It’s going to add a fresh dynamic to how we collect and utilize our equipment!
Who doesn’t love a good reward? You can earn Seasonal Gear by completing Missions and boosting your activity level within the new weekly progression system. When you hit certain milestones, you’ll be rewarded with some sweet seasonal gear, like the accessory we spotted in the keynote. And here’s a nice bonus: once you unlock the accessory for one job, it’ll be available for all your other jobs as well. Talk about a great way to encourage players!
Unlocking seasonal gear is going to be more seamless thanks to a new interface. Say goodbye to the days of hunting down specific NPCs just to snag a patch’s gear! Now you can easily manage your gear progression in a more streamlined way. It’s all about giving players a smoother experience, and we couldn’t be more excited about these changes.
This kind of gear is all about hitting the sweet spot for our more casual friends diving into the world of Final Fantasy XIV. It’s designed for players who want to enjoy the game without the hardcore grind. You can optimize this gear once each season, aiming for a comfy item level that lets you tackle and enjoy the latest patch content without breaking a sweat.
Now, if you’re in it for the thrill and excitement of hardcore gameplay, Raid Gear is calling your name! This gear is specifically crafted for those daring adventurers who want to venture into 8-player Savage Raids. Starting with patch 8.0, when you and your party conquer the final challenges of these epic encounters, each player will receive their loot from raid coffers. The beauty of it? Everyone walks away with something special after a hard-fought victory.
In contrast to Seasonal Gear, Raid Gear offers a little extra love, allowing you to refine it twice during the season. This means you can boost its item level even further and unlock additional slots for advanced materia melding, giving you more room to customize your character the way you want. So get ready to crank that item level up!
Upon 8.0’s release, players can personalize their character further, including iris and complexion adjustments, with plans for even more options going forward.
Character Customization Changes
A new difficulty tier—Fierce—will emerge, bridging the gap between Savage and normal raids, while Alliance Raids will find significant overhaul to improve completion times.
Keep your eyes peeled, because more character customization options are on the horizon with the upcoming Evercold patches! While details are still under wraps, there’s exciting news on the way. A new benchmark will be introduced that lets you experiment with these fresh customization features coming in patch 8.0. Mark your calendars for early December when this benchmark drops — get ready to make your character truly yours!
Mount Speed Changes
A fresh combat scenario, termed “Gauntlet of Power,” will allow players to face off against a series of bosses without level restrictions, thus utilizing all their abilities.
Raid Changes
Matching players across the same region is in the works, with testing phases set to begin for North America on November 10 and for China on December 1.
Housing will see substantial upgrades in 8.1, including the capacity to expand small plots to larger sizes, though this will come at a significant cost.
Looking ahead to 8.2, new housing features may include the ability to place furniture mid-air, and the team is also planning to increase the number of housing plots available.
New Battle Content – “Gauntlet of Power”
Evangelion Alliance Raids got their first trailer, featuring narration by Kotono Mitsuishi, the voice behind Misato Katsuragi.
Finally, a host of miscellaneous updates were announced, including setting the new level cap at 110, enhanced battle content, and new job-specific gear.
When it comes to bosses in the game, there’s a clever mechanism to ensure that surprises are kept to a minimum. Only bosses from duties that every player in your party has completed will be selected, helping to avoid accidental spoilers. So if someone decides to bail out on you, don’t worry – the gauntlet ends right there!
The exciting Gauntlet of Power feature will launch alongside Evercold, but there’s a little requirement to enter this epic arena: you need to have finished the Stormblood expansion first. Plus, to unlock those coveted materia slots, you’ll need to grab a special item, which you can find through the new Adventurer Activity menu. Don’t miss out on the chance to power up!
Same-Region Player Matching
Exciting times ahead as we dive into Same-Region Player Matching, which is still being fine-tuned. For all our North American gamers, you can look forward to server testing kicking off on November 10. Meanwhile, our friends in China have a date set for December 1. Both of these crucial updates will necessitate a 24-hour maintenance period, so be ready to take a short break while they enhance our gaming experience.
Housing Changes
Starting from version 8.1 and carrying on through 8.x, there’s a fantastic update on the horizon for housing enthusiasts! Players who currently have an S-sized plot will soon have the amazing opportunity to upgrade their interior space to reflect that of an L-sized plot. Just keep in mind that this enhancement will come at a pretty steep gil price, so make sure to save up those precious coins!
As we look ahead to version 8.2—which is on the roadmap but not set in stone—we might get the chance to get creative by placing specific furniture in mid-air! How cool is that? Plus, keeping the housing aspect lively, the development team has plans to increase the availability of housing plots in the future. So stay tuned for even more opportunities to express your style and personality in the game!
Final Fantasy VII Remake Raids
Get ready for an epic experience with the Final Fantasy VII Remake Raids, which are being developed with full support from the original team behind the game! The launch schedule for both the Normal and Savage versions of these raids will closely follow what we’ve seen in prior expansion raids. However, to keep the competitive spirit alive, the Fierce difficulty will debut a week after Savage. This way, it won’t clash with world-first races or spoil any surprises for players diving into the Savage content.
Evangelion Alliance Raids
During the thrilling Fan Fest, a brand new trailer for Evercold’s upcoming Evangelion Alliance Raids was revealed, and it comes with the fantastic narration by the one and only Kotono Mitsuishi, who voices Misato Katsuragi. It’s bound to be a captivating addition, blending beloved characters with exciting gameplay!
Miscellaneous Updates
During the keynote presentation, several other enhancements and features were hinted at, set to arrive with the launch of Evercold, ensuring there’s plenty to look forward to. These changes will enrich our gaming journey and keep everything fresh and engaging for players of all styles!
- Your level cap has been raised to a thrilling 110, unlocking new possibilities for your character!
- Exciting updates have been implemented to the current battle content, offering fresh challenges for all you warriors out there.
- Get ready to deck out your character with an array of new job-specific gear, tailored to enhance your playstyle!
- With Duty Support, you can now team up with your friends or dive into content alongside some trusty NPCs, making your adventures even more enjoyable.
