Final Fantasy XIV's next expansion "Stormblood" revealed, out Early Summer 2017

By Tony Garsow on October 14, 2016 at 2:04 PM

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Live from the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Las Vegas, the team has revealed that Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion will be called “Stormblood” — releasing in Early Summer 2017.

We’re going to Ala Mhigo! The story will revolve around freeing Ala Mhigo from the Garlean Empire. Does the new generation of Ala Mhigans welcome or shun the Empire? It’s complicated. The focus now will shift back to the Empire – toward the occupying ruler of Ala Mhigo – Zenos Yae Galvus.

The focus now will shift back to the Empire – toward the occupying ruler of Ala Mhigo – Zenos Yae Galvus. Who is this woman (in red)? She’ll be revealed in the coming months. The Warrior of Light has job changed to Monk! Rhalgr’s Reach, where the trailer takes place, is the base of the Ala Mhigan Resistance – its where the story begins.

Regarding new jobs, Yoshida takes off his jacket and shows off a Scarlet Witch shirt. Perhaps something to do with Red…

The Level Cap will raise from 60 to 70 for all jobs. The team is planning to revamp the battle system to address old and new actions. Actions will be grouped by role rather than Job. The user interface will also be revamped where job-specific buffs like the Dragoon’s “Blood of the Dragon” will be easier to see than looking at the buff bar.

New areas will be introduced in Stormblood — it won’t just be desert areas because it’s toward Ala Mhigo. New dungeons, raids, and a fourth residential area will be added. New primals will be added, including Final Fantasy favorites and ones original to Final Fantasy XIV. New dungeons, alliance raids, and high-end raids will arrive too. They’ve been thinking on the feedback from previous raids regarding difficulty modes which will manifest in how Stormblood raids will be designed. Flying mounts will be able to fly in Stormblood areas, but you’ll need to collect Aether Currents first like in Heavensward — the team wants you to explore and experience these areas on foot first.

A new area called Forbidden Land Eureka will be a new type of area to explore — perhaps you’ll run into Notorious Monsters here. The team also hints this area will involve building a new relic-type weapon.

Inventory expansion will also come with Stormblood, and the team is working around the clock to make it as massive as humanly possible. However, this will be tricky, so the team may need to stagger the launch of the expansion for it to work. More details will be revealed later.

Support for the PlayStation 3 version will end, but Sony and Square Enix will team up for an upgrade campaign where it will be free (aside from buying an actual PlayStation 4). Minimum specs for the Windows PC version will also be raised to provide the best experience for Stormblood.

We’ll be updating this post as details develop — stay tuned!