Final Fantasy 14: Heavensward First Look

Since the relaunch of Final Fantasy 14 as A Realm Reborn, Square Enix has had massive success with the MMORPG. While there are bimonthly content updates to the game, this Spring the company plans to release the first paid expansion for the title, Heavensward. There are a lot of new features planned for the expansion, so let’s get right down to business and look at what fans can expect from the first expansion.

Heavensward introduces three new jobs: Dark Knight, Astrologian and Machinist. These jobs will not have a sub-class like the previous jobs in Final Fantasy 14. You won’t start as something else, then become a Dark Knight at level 30 like you did going from Gladiator to Paladin or Conjurer to White Mage. It’s unknown if this will be a continuing trend after Heavensward, but at this point none of the new jobs have sub-classes.

Dark Knight

At present there are three confirmed new jobs for Heavensward. The first is the Dark Knight, but like many other jobs in Final Fantasy 14, it may not be exactly what you’re expecting. The new version of the Dark Knight is a tanking class that uses dark magic and a two-handed greatsword in combat. The Dark Knight is generally a direct opposite of the Paladin, but in Final Fantasy 11 (Square’s other MMORPG) the Dark Knight was a DPS (damage dealing) class. While very little is currently known about the Dark Knight, it is expected they’ll have absorb spells and other dark magic abilities.

Astrologian

The new healer in Heavensward is known as an Astrologian. This unique healing job uses a Star Globe as a main weapon, with a deck of enchanted cards as a supplementary tool. White Mage and Scholar, the other healing jobs in Final Fantasy 14, both have offensive abilities that allow them to DPS when necessary, or when the party is not in need of healing. It’s expected for Astrologians to have a similar ability using their enchanted cards, with the Star Globe serving as their primary healing tool.

Machinist

The Machinist is a new ranged DPS class, somewhat similar to a Bard. While many assumed Heavensward would include a Corsair after a gun class was teased, it turned out to be the Machinist instead. This new job uses a gun as their primary weapon, with mechanical turrets that can be deployed as a secondary attack option. It’s unknown if the turrets will offer support abilities similar to Bard songs, but in previous Final Fantasy titles, engineer classes have support abilities. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to assume Machinists will have similar capabilities.

New Primals

At present, many of the main Primals (generally referred to as summons) are already represented in Final Fantasy 14. Ifrit, Titan, Garuda, Shiva, Ramuh, Odin and Leviathan are all instanced battles (multiple battles in some cases) within the game. For Heavensward, more of the traditional Primals will be added, in addition to brand new Primals created specifically for Final Fantasy 14. The first new Primal will be Ravana, also known as the Savior of the Gnath. He has an insect-like appearance with a touch of Ultima Weapon in his design.

Au Ra Race

One of the surprise additions to Heavensward is the new playable race, the Au Ra. This tall, draconic race has horns, scales and a tail, and will be divided into two clans similar to other playable races in the game. Players already have the ability to change the appearance of their characters with frequency. It’s likely they’ll have the ability to switch to the new race when the expansion releases.

New Areas

Heavensward will also expand the playable area of Final Fantasy 14. Players will now be able to venture into the lands of Ishgard beyond the Coerthas Central Highlands. New beast domains will also be added, and players will have the ability to reach cities and land masses in the clouds. Free Companies will be able to build airships, and flying mounts will also be available to reach these floating realms.

One area in the current game serves as the point of entrance into the raid known as the Labyrinth of the Ancients and the Crystal Tower. Alexander will be the new raid area in Heavensward. In previous games Alexander has been a summon, so most assumed he would be a Primal if ever introduced into Final Fantasy 14. However, as a giant castle he is instead going to be the new raid.

Most expect more new jobs to be announced before Heavensward goes live sometime in Spring 2015. Stay tuned to Prima Games as we offer more coverage of the upcoming expansion.