Square Enix has announced the worldwide release date for Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, the latest expansion to their MMORPG.
The new expansion is set for a June 20th release across PC and PlayStation 4. Pre-orders are set to go live on January 24th, and there’s even a collector’s edition. It includes:
- An exclusive package featuring original artwork by Yoshitaka Amano
- An exclusive high-quality Zenos figure
- A Stormblood art booklet
- A cloth map of Eorzea
- An exclusive decal
- Exclusive in-game items, including: A wind-up Bartz minion, a Syldra mount, and a Chicken Knife for the Red mage
The expansion brings with it the ranged DPS job, the classic “Red Mage.” Utilizing rapiers and magic-bound crystal abilities, the job uses a combination of red, black, and white magic – alongside the aforementioned melee rapier attacks. Players can start using the Red Mage at level 50, and it’s not linked to a class of any kind.
While not all bodies of water are accessible for swimming, you’ll be able to swim and dive in different areas. You’ll be able to automatically switch to swimming mode when entering a swim-ready pool of water. Various movement types will have their own equivalent in swimming. You can’t engage in combat while swimming, and there’s no loading times when going between regular movement and swimming.
There’s a new beast tribe called the Ananta, who dwell in the mountain range near Ala Mhigo. Known for their prowess in gemcrafting and spell wielding, they follow the goddess/primal Lakshmi. This new species is mostly made up of females, and have been dominated by the Garleans, despite being around for as long as the Allagans.
Finally, two new raids are coming in the expansion: The Bend of Time – Omega, and the 24-person alliance raid Return to Ivalice. While the former is an entirely new raid focused on the Omega monster beneath the Carteneau Flats, the latter is the world created by Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics creator Yasumi Matsuno, who is confirmed to be in charge of the story in the expansion.
Editor’s Note: The story originally listed the PS3 version – the Stormblood expansion is only confirmed for PC and PS3.
