Endwalker will mark the end of a Final Fantasy 14 storyline that was first set in motion over ten years ago. Since the release of A Realm Reborn, Naoki Yoshida and his team have crafted a masterful online experience that is now more popular than ever, drawing in tens of millions of players as the Hydaelyn and Zodiark narrative is poised to turn its final few pages. I’m not ready for it to end, and neither are thousands of others, but all of the pieces are in place to ensure it delivers a truly magical final chapter.
Of course, the world of Final Fantasy 14 isn’t going anywhere after Endwalker, but it’s hard not to treat this expansion as the season finale of a TV show, or the final chapter of a novel you’ve been anxiously anticipating for weeks on end. This identity comes with a lot of expectations, many of which I’m confident Square Enix will be able to meet, especially after spending a number of hours exploring the new zones, testing out classes, and getting to grips with exactly what this expansion is going to offer.
It goes without saying that Endwalker is a massive, Herculean effort with much of its offerings being developed from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, knowing this only makes the achievements on display all the more extraordinary, especially once you consider them in the wider context of the unfolding story. The preview session was an isolated affair, with me and a number of other individuals dropped into a custom character with a few select locations to explore, all of which stem from the new expansion.
Not having my beloved character to accompany me took away some of the immersion, and each location being devoid of spoken characters and quests to embark upon obviously removes some of the lustre that comes with exploring a fantasy world like this. None of what I played is truly representative of the finished product, which will be filled with charm and atmosphere when millions are finally set free amidst the classic architecture of Old Sharlayan or the tribal beauty of Radz-at-Han, outclassing even Endwalker with the amount of environmental and cultural variety spread across its selection of new zones. Before I dared to tackle the single dungeon available to me as part of the preview, I spent far too long just flying around each new location, soaking in the ambience and learning exactly what might await me in Endwalker later this year.
My time begins in Old Sharlayan, a sprawling city made up of gorgeous marble pavements and snow white buildings adorned with classical carvings and hints towards a wider history I’m sure will be explored in the finished narrative. I stumble across bustling storefronts and public forums before walking into the archives, getting lost in a maze of corridors before I finally arrive in the central chamber, seating myself in the middle just like Y’shtola in the reveal trailer. Unfortunately I don’t have a staff to stamp on the ground, but that doesn’t prevent proceedings from being any less marvellous. This city is a sacred place, explaining why it remains surrounded by water and has seldom been explored in Final Fantasy 14 until now. Given the dire circumstances of Endwalker, it’s a peaceful place, a bastion of serenity before things inevitably begin to fall apart.
Radz-at-Han is a little more lively, filled with passionate merchants and huge crowds of citizens vibing amidst the gorgeous streets and alleyways that make up the lovingly exotic locale. It’s a far cry from Old Sharlayan, and the aesthetic juxtaposition feels deliberate. The music is playful and upbeat, likely providing a playful respite from the main quest before things grow super serious. Unlike the previous location, this one is far larger. I’m able to fly for a start, hopping aboard my mount as I ascend to the skies and take in the scenery from above. It’s positively lush, and while I can’t go everywhere because of preview shenanigans, I’m able to piece together the potential purpose of certain landmarks and how they might play a role in Endwalker’s questline. Square Enix has really knocked it out of the park.
Garlemald is a more conventional place, now in ruins after decades of tyrannical rule. I don’t know the reason behind its destruction, so I’m simply left to marvel at the melancholic ashes that make up the majority of its landmass. I can’t tell if the white substance that surrounds the monochrome city is ash or snow, all I know is how it contrasts beautifully with the loss that defines this once prosperous city. Amidst the destroyed skyline sits the ruins of a tall skyscraper. While much of it is in tatters, there remains enough room to fly upward and seat myself on the precipice. Turns out another player had the same idea, so I met him and we sat together, exchanging glances and emotes and the end of the world.
I sadly couldn’t ascend to the moon or see how existing locations might change in the wake of Endwalker’s arrival, but everything I was subjected to was marvellous, even with the subtraction of meaningful NPCs to speak to and quests to embark upon. From an artistic perspective, and how the MMO continues to express a realistic sense of agency, this expansion could be the cream of the crop. Exploration remains a treat, and I can’t wait to revisit these maps with a greater purpose spurring my pursuits onward.
Endwalker will launch with two new jobs - Reaper and Sage - occupying the class archetypes of DPS and Healer respectively. I spent most of my time during the preview with Reaper, a melee-focused class that bears a number of similarities with Red Mage. Much like that class, you are expected to perform a number of skills and abilities in sequence as you build up two neighbouring gauges. Once filled, these can be depleted by executing a number of incredibly powerful attacks in combat. You need to be up close and personal to make use of them however, meaning I was often fighting alongside the tank as he absorbed damage and I tried to deal as much damage as humanly possible. Luckily, you can escape harm’s way by tearing a hole in the fabric of reality and leaping through it, transporting you to a place on the map that was previously defined by another portal set up a few minutes earlier.
I’ll be honest, I tend to play Final Fantasy 14 for the story and characters, and seldom find myself diving deep into the mechanical intricacies of each and every class. But as someone who has mained Red Mage and Summoner for the majority of my time with the game, Reaper feels fun, stylish, and accessible in a way that is perfect for Endwalker. On my third run of the preview build’s dungeon I felt like I had learned the rotations and was able to be a genuine asset to my team, instead of fumbling around and needing to be revived every ten minutes. I should have just stopped to read all of the ability descriptions in the menu, but I’m a gamer, there’s no time for reading when monsters need to be slain.
Sage is a healer and support job, meaning you’ll be standing on the sidelines continuously healing your party and providing a number of shields and other buffs in the midst of battle. In a futuristic twist, the job comes with a number of floating firearms which spring forth from your back and float alongside your person. These can be used to execute devastating attacks or lend your allies a hand in their hour of need.
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t tend to heal in Final Fantasy 14, so I spent a couple of hours roaming the field as Sage doing battle with random mobs and chatting with fellow warriors in the event’s discord. Some declared Sage as a challenging yet rewarding job at first glance, so it might take hardened healers some getting used to when it drops next month. You can absolutely expect lobbies to be packed with bunny boy twinks dressed as Reapers and Sages for several weeks when the expansion finally arrives, with queue times reflecting the demand to jump into these new jobs and give them a proper spin. Don’t mind me, I’ll be extra boring and stick to my Red Mage. I know my role and I’ll play it...
Once I had finished exploring the new zones and being a badass fashionista with the new classes, I decided to finally jump into the dungeon. Tower of Zot is an apocalyptic gauntlet through one of Garlemald’s twisted fortresses. It’s clearly inspired by the works of H.R Giger, with the floors you walk upon adorned with spooky markings as tentacle-esque objects protrude from the walls and ceilings as they curl into the party’s path forward. It feels hauntingly claustrophobic, with the enemies you face being a mixture of mechanical and organic as it becomes clear that corruption is slowly but surely tearing this place apart.
The Tower of Zot is defended by the Magus Sisters, a trio of bosses who must be defeated in order for the Warrior of Light to emerge victorious. Fighting them alone is rather trivial, but the final encounter has all of them working together to bring you down. This entire battle is thrilling, requiring fast reflexes and precise responses to mechanics in order to avoid a team wipe. I’ll admit, me and my team died a couple of times, but this loss was required to acknowledge what we did wrong and the order in which these dastardly sisters needed to be dispatched. Once we learned this process, they didn’t stand a chance.
I’d be here for hours if I were to go over all of the additional class abilities and balance changes coming to Endwalker, but it’s safe to say that regardless of what job you favour, this expansion is set to provide a number of improvements that will make the experience more enjoyable and immersive. Belts are being phased out and damage numbers are being completely revised, but Square Enix has promised the community that this won’t translate to a loss of power. It’s simply bringing the numerical values down before they become too overwhelming and can’t be dealt with in future expansions. That makes total sense, although I imagine some hardcore players already have the fear about exactly what this might entail.
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker is already everything I wanted it to be. Granted, I’m yet to learn anything about the upcoming narrative and character arcs, but being provided with an ample glimpse into the locations of Old Sharlayan and Garlemald have allowed me to paint a picture in my mind of how this storyline might conclude, leaving me with mindset that is simultaneously delighted and terrified. Sage and Reaper are wondrous additions to the job system, and bouncing around as an adorable bunny boy will never, ever get old. Square Enix has slowly but surely created the most beloved MMORPG on the planet, and now it’s approaching what could be its finest hour yet. To the moon we go.