The Final Fantasy XIV Tokyo Fanfest just ended, and it was am-a-zing. Not only did we get a bunch of news about the future updates coming with Evercold, but we now have a definitive release date, as well as the full trailer for the expansion, which we have been waiting for quite some time now.
However, these weren’t the only major showcases at the event. Square Enix went on to reveal some of the biggest changes that the MMO will be seeing in the expansion, including new classes, a new gearing system, and a whole new way of playing your favorite combat jobs.
So we will be going over the biggest reveals from the fanfest and how we feel about them.
New Class: Zephyr
One of the most anticipated updates for Evercold definitely was the addition of a new physical ranged DPS class, Zephyr.
Out on the battlefield with your trusty crossbow and a bird familiar called Nephele, the Zephyr becomes the first-ever physical ranged DPS to be introduced since Heavensward’s Machinist, and it looks quite fun if we are being very honest!
The class, like Bastion, also starts at level 90, 10 levels under the required level for the MSQ, and can be grabbed at Gridania as soon as Evercold releases.
New Faces and New Places
We also got a good look at what characters would be playing the key role for the MSQ this time around. From the trailer, the two new characters who immediately catch our eye are Visna, the Zephyr, and Baldr, the Bastion. Along with them, we have some familiar faces in Alphinaud, Einstein, Halmarut, and Calyx.
There is also a familiar face in Lagertha, who has quite the resemblance to the fan favourite Ysayle Iceheart. This reveal has certainly garnered quite the reaction online. (show tweet screenshots if possible).
Now, apart from the characters, we also got more information about the areas we will be exploring in the expansion as well!
From floating airships to large-scale magical rituals, we have quite the variety in terms of settings!
The key locations, known till now are Sessrymnir Realmship of Earth, Skiðblaðnir Realmship of Wind and Hjartadunur the home of the Fylgjur (FEEL-yur), who are a brand new race that you get to befriend. Alongside these, there are even talks of tougher and better Platforming challenges in the city of Hjartadunur
Another big update in the expansion is the new battle content. This is where things get really interesting, though, as Square Enix is looking to rethink how you approach combat in Main Story Quests from the ground up. So it will be interesting to see the implementations that they are looking to bring.
A New Difficulty Between Normal and Savage
Additionally, we are getting a brand-new difficulty tier for eight-player raids, which is officially called Fierce.
Now, if you have ever wanted to get into Savage raiding but found the jump from Normal difficulty a little too intimidating, then this might just be the perfect middle ground for you.
Fierce is designed to offer a meaningful challenge without immediately throwing you into the deep end of Savage content. And the best part? It actually contributes to your gear progression!
Which now brings us to another pretty significant change.
Alliance Raids Are Getting a Major Overhaul
You know those times when you queue into an alliance raid, only to realize that you have signed yourself up for a thirty-to-forty-minute commitment?
Well, Evercold is looking to make things a little more flexible.
Future alliance raids will be split into two separate duties, allowing players to tackle either half independently. The rewards will remain similar, so if you are looking for a particular piece of gear, you won’t necessarily have to run the entire raid every single time.
But that isn’t even the biggest part.
We’re also getting eight-player Savage versions of alliance raids!
These encounters are intended to provide a new challenge for players with high-end gear during odd-numbered patches, with difficulty roughly comparable to the third floor of a Savage raid tier.
And yes, there will be gear upgrade materials to earn.
This is a pretty interesting move because it gives raiders something substantial to work toward between the usual major raid releases, rather than having to constantly sit around for the even-numbered patches.
The Gauntlet of Power: A Boss-Rush Dungeon!
Now, this next feature might be one of my personal favourites.
Introducing the Gauntlet of Power, a new four-player boss-rush activity is coming with Evercold.
And the concept is wonderfully simple. You enter with your party, fight a boss, and then decide whether you want to continue to the next encounter.
Each run can feature up to five bosses, randomly selected from a pool of more than 200 encounters!
And this isn’t just a collection of the same few bosses shuffled around. The developers plan to expand the selection over time.
There is also a really clever spoiler-prevention system. The game will only select bosses from content that everyone in your party has already completed.
So newer players can jump in without accidentally running into something they haven’t experienced yet.
And because the activity uses Auto Content Balancing, players at different levels should be able to participate together.
We don’t have all the reward details just yet, but imagine having another fun way to level your alternate jobs without endlessly repeating the same duties.
Honestly, I’m really curious to see how this one turns out.
A Completely Different Approach to Gear Progression
Now speaking of rewards, Evercold is also introducing some pretty substantial changes to how we acquire and upgrade equipment.
There will be two main gear categories: Seasonal Gear and Raid Gear.
Seasonal Gear is intended for everyday players and can be earned through the new Adventurer Activity system. It is shared across your jobs, and its item level can be upgraded once per season.
Raid Gear, on the other hand, comes from eight-player Savage raids. Its item level can be upgraded twice per season, and players will be able to customize its secondary attributes.
But here’s the change that really stands out.
Raid coffers will provide rewards to every participating player, rather than forcing the party to compete over a limited number of drops.
On top of that, fully upgrading an entire raid gear set will unlock a special weapon visual effect, with three effects to choose from.
And if you’re someone who enjoys playing multiple jobs, there’s even more good news.
The new Item Level Link system will allow all your max-level jobs to share the highest average item level you’ve achieved.
You’ll still need to level each job individually, of course, but gearing your entire roster should become considerably less painful.
Adventurer Activity Goes Weekly
Evercold is also moving the Adventurer Activity system away from its daily structure and toward weekly progression.
Instead of feeling like you have to log in every single day to keep up, you’ll earn Activity Points by completing repeatable Standard Missions.
And if you miss some progress during the previous week, there will be an opportunity to catch up.
The expansion’s patches will also be organized into seasons, with each season covering two major updates.
And before anyone starts worrying about battle passes, though, the developers have made it clear: there are no season passes and no additional fees.
So the overall direction seems pretty clear. FFXIV wants to give players more flexibility in how they spend their time, while still providing a consistent path toward character progression.
And honestly, that is something I think a lot of players will appreciate.
Reborn Mode and Evolved Mode
Another major change coming with Evercold is the introduction of two combat modes.
Reborn Mode will preserve the familiar job-action system that we have been using for years now, while Evolved Mode aims to give each job a more distinct identity, with different rotations and fewer inputs.
The developers have completed the basic implementation of Evolved Mode across all jobs and are now working on balancing things like potency and recast timers.
Players will be able to switch between the two modes outside of combat, and both are intended to support clearing the game’s content.
This is a pretty ambitious change, and I really want to see how different the jobs will feel once we get the full breakdown.
Because if Square Enix manages to make jobs feel fresh without taking away what makes them satisfying to play, then this could be one of the best gameplay changes that FFXIV has received for a very long time now.
Quality-of-Life Updates We Didn’t Know We Needed
And of course, it wouldn’t be a FFXIV expansion without a bunch of smaller improvements that make everyday gameplay just a little bit better.
We’re getting an Auto Remount feature, which should automatically put you back on your mount after certain NPC interactions or gathering activities.
There are also plans for Auto Move, which would help guide players toward quest objectives, although this feature doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet.
Duty Support is being expanded so multiple players can queue together for supported dungeons and trials, while the Chocobo Companion overhaul is planned to begin in Patch 8.1.
Character customization is also receiving some long-overdue improvements, including more control over eye, hair, and skin colours, better facial customization, and layered face paint.
And for all you housing enthusiasts out there, Patch 8.1 is looking particularly exciting.
Players will be able to customize their house’s interior size, furnishing placement will become more flexible, and Square Enix is exploring ways to increase the number of available housing plots as well.
So yes, that potentially means you can now go ahead and start suspending all of your furniture midair. Housing designers, your time has come.
Final Fantasy VII and Evangelion Are Joining the Party
Now, let’s talk about another one of my favorite sections from the fanfest: the two major collaboration raid series!
First up is Beyond the Lifestream, an eight-player raid series based on Final Fantasy VII. Its first installment is planned for Patch 8.01, with Savage and Fierce difficulties following on a staggered schedule.
And then there’s Ghosts of Desire, the Evangelion-themed alliance raid series, which is planned to begin in Patch 8.1.
We have already seen another preview of the Evangelion collaboration, but there are still plenty of details to be revealed.
As someone who loves seeing FFXIV experiment with its raid themes, I am genuinely excited to see how these collaborations translate into actual encounters.
So, When Can We Play Evercold?
Finally, let’s talk about dates.
Evercold’s early access begins on February 19, 2027, with the official launch following on February 23, 2027.
Yes, the expansion has been pushed back from the previously projected January release window, but considering the sheer number of systems being introduced, hopefully that extra development time pays off.
And that brings us to the end of the Tokyo FanFest keynote!
Between Zephyr, the new raid difficulties, the Gauntlet of Power, the gear progression overhaul, and those absolutely massive crossover announcements, there is a lot to look forward to.
