Major Reveals For Evercold Expansion Drop at Final Fantasy XIV’s EU Fanfest, Including New Job

The anticipation for more new details about the upcoming Evercold expansion at Final Fantasy XIV‘s EU Fanfest has been palpable among the game’s impassioned community, and the wait has paid off in spades. Along with the promised reveal of Evercold’s first new job, there was plenty more to see.

Evercold’s New Tank Will Be Called Bastion

The spotlight of the keynote predictably went to the first of two new jobs planned for Evercold’s release early next year, and FFXIV director Naoki Yoshida (“Yoshi-P) didn’t waste any time getting to its eagerly-awaited reveal.

As first disclosed in the Anaheim leg of the Fanfest, the first job is a Tank, specifically a “Main Tank”. Now in Berlin, the keynote kicked off with the updated teaser trailer that included a few thrilling moments with a Roegadyn in combat at one of the new locales, the mysterious job on full display.

Right after the trailer, as per tradition, Yoshi-P stepped onto the stage fully decked out in an impressive cosplay that showed off the job’s sleek and undeniably cool look in person. The keynote then pulled the proverbial curtain back to reveal that this unique new Tank job is called Bastion.

A brief gameplay showcase also displayed what players can expect from its abilities, at least visually for now. Featuring a dual-weapon setup called a Skyltborg, the Bastion will have an arsenal of both melee and ranged skills. On that note, Bastion will also only have Evolved Mode available for players to use, given that it’s an entirely new job.

In terms of lore, the keynote traces Bastions historically to the far reaches of the Northern Empty, in the region of Aerslaent (where some fans initially speculated the expansion would head). There they’ve served as its guardians and “heritors of the ancient martial techniques developed over generations by the archipelago’s rulers”.

Bastion will be immediately available for players to unlock upon Evercold’s 8.0 release, and its Level 90 starting quest will be picked up in the main city of Limsa Lominsa.

Major Areas in Evercold Revealed to Be Airships

The initial trailer and concept art for Evercold in Anaheim showed that the Fourth Reflection, where the Scions and your Warrior of Light will be traveling to, has been ravaged by an unrelenting ice cataclysm. To escape an eternally frozen fate, its denizens took to the skies to survive.

Thanks to this keynote, we now know that means of escape is via absolutely massive airships. Each one floats above the frozen wasteland below and holds the expansion’s various regions and cities, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be an adventure down to the lands below at some point in the story.

Two of these airships, also called Realmships, got exquisitely detailed reveals during the keynote, with full-fledged video, screenshots, and more concept art of the developed areas within them. The first is an aquatic-themed airship called Naglfar, the Realmship of Water. Meanwhile the second airship, which harbors a steampunk, lava-filled theme, and also where the trailer first shows the Bastion job being used, is called Hringhorni, the Realmship of Fire.

So at least with these two ships, elements definitely seem to come into play, though it remains to be seen if that will be the case for the remaining airships. Yoshi-P took care to only show a handful more pieces of concept art for areas beyond these, as they’re insistent on avoiding too many spoilers.

Chocobos Are Getting a Much-Needed Overhaul With Dungeoneering

While a beloved fixture in the franchise as a whole, Chocobos are an interactive gameplay feature in Final Fantasy 14 that has long been seen as notably underwhelming as far as what they’re allowed to do in-game. For years, they’ve only been allowed to tag along for open-world combat or for more niche activities like Chocobo racing at the Gold Saucer.

However, that’s finally set to change in Evercold with a unique overhaul dubbed as “dungeoneering”. As a facet of the game’s ongoing Duty Support updates, Chocobos will be able to join players inside instanced dungeons, helping to fill empty spots where Duty Support NPCs would otherwise go.

Along with players being able to join friends inside Duty Support dungeon runs, this further provides more flexibility for those who want to enjoy certain types of battle content with their friends, including feathered ones. To push it even further, Chocobo Breeding will also get a “complete system overhaul”, along with the use of Gysahl Greens and revamping basic commands.

All in all, Chocobos have been one of the most underutilized features in FFXIV, and now they may finally be getting the spotlight they deserve as versatile and formidable companions.

Evercold’s 8-Man Raid Series Theme Will Be Final Fantasy VII

In the latter half of the keynote, Yoshi-P welcomed Naoki Hamaguchi, the director of the ongoing Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy series, onto the stage for a rather unexpected announcement. Along with already knowing what the overarching theme for Evercold’s Alliance Raid series will be (Evangelion), the collaborative theme for Evercold’s eight-man raid series was revealed as well.

Yoshi-P kicked it off by teasing the audience with the iconic chorus from Nobuo Uematsu’s One Winged Angel. Then, the iconic backdrop of Cloud Strife and Sephiroth over Midgar lit up, along with the title ‘Beyond the Lifestream’. Both directors announced with excitement that Evercold’s raids will be a collaboration with the Final Fantasy VII remake, which is ironically due to release its final, climactic installment ‘Revelation’, in the Spring of 2027.

The timing couldn’t really be better (if not predictable), given that Evercold is set to release in January 2027, within the same quarter. While actual gameplay or screenshots weren’t available for Berlin’s Fanfest keynote, both directors ensured that their collaborative efforts on this aspect of Evercold are being given the utmost care and effort, up until the very day of launch.

That said, they did reveal that Motomu Toriyama is working closely with the FFXIV Scenario Team on the storyline behind the raid series, while Kazushige Nojima is handling story supervision, and Tetsuya Nomura, of course, is helming the art design.

This raid series will also be the first to showcase the game’s new third landmark difficulty. Set between Normal difficulty and Savage, and mechanically easier than Extreme trials, this difficulty still remains unnamed, but it will definitely be featured heavily in Evercold’s biggest battle content.

The Gold Saucer is Getting Expanded in Patch 7.56

Also in the latter half of the keynote presentation, both Yoshi-P and Hamaguchi dropped yet another FF7-themed surprise for fans. A little while after Dawntrail‘s 7.56 patch update, which arrives in early September, the game’s Gold Saucer location will be getting a vibrant new addition to its halls later in October.

Per the screenshots shown (as seen above), the area strongly resembles the Gold Saucer location in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, though it’ll likely be on a much smaller scale. It will also probably be instanced in a similar fashion to the Fall Guys collaboration lobby area, rather than an actual renovation of the existing area, but players will have to wait and see.

Nonetheless, it’s an exciting addition to one of the most well-known locales in Final Fantasy, and it brings with it a new mini-game mode. Revealed as Keybound Brawler, it will involve players literally typing out attacks via designated Final Fantasy terminology in order to damage a boss or enemies.

Yoshi-P noted that there will be set themes for this game mode, with Final Fantasy 7 as the debut theme. However, this feature won’t arrive in the Gold Saucer until October 28, right before Tokyo Fanfest that following weekend.

Pre-orders for Switch 2 Version of FFXIV Are Live and Players Will Get the First Month Free

The keynote also took a few minutes to touch on what more to expect with Final Fantasy 14’s release on the Nintendo Switch 2. The port now has a solid release date of August 4, 2026, just over a week from now.

However, fans who plan on playing the game on the console can also look forward to yet another incentive. Not only will those with existing FFXIV accounts get a 50% discount on their Switch 2 subscription, but the first month of launch will be entirely free.

Yoshi-P notes that this is to fairly accommodate players while the game’s servers on the newest version are properly stabilized. Meanwhile, folks who are entirely new to Final Fantasy 14 can also enjoy the game’s free trial ahead of actually subscribing, which altogether provides the utmost flexibility for easing players into the vast world of Eorzea.

Pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy XIV are now live on the Nintendo website. Make sure to select the correct version you wish to purchase.

Evercold Collector’s Edition Put on Display

As per tradition with every major expansion in Final Fantasy 14, Evercold is set to get its own special Collector’s Edition, and Yoshi-P was happy to show it off in person.

The large box that the entire package comes in features one-of-a-kind art by iconic Final Fantasy artist, Yoshitaka Amano. It depicts the Warrior of Light as a Reaper, just as they’re shown in the cinematic trailer. Meanwhile, the box itself is full of goodies, aside from the expansion itself.

Inside is an incredibly detailed Reaper statue, along with an Ethos metal keychain, a Köttr Mini Plush, a fabric Tapestry of the Fourth, along with a few more digital, in-game items. Players will also get a set of Crystal Skyltborg weapons for Bastion, Lightning’s Valhallar Odin Mount from Final Fantasy XIII (in keeping with the Norse aesthetics), and the Entreat Crystal Emote.

For those who just want to order the Digital Collector’s edition, those digital in-game items will be available in that version as well.

Pre-orders for Evercold are not live yet, and going by previous expansion releases, likely won’t be until the Tokyo Fanfest keynote at the very earliest. As such, there’s no price reveal yet for this Collector’s Bundle, or the other editions.

What to Expect at Tokyo Fanfest Later This Fall

Undoubtedly, the main highlight of Berlin’s Fanfest keynote was the reveal of the Tank job, Bastion, along with various other updates big and small to existing information received in Anaheim. While this latest iteration in the Fanfest circuit gives players even more to look forward to, there’s still the question of what all will be shown at the final stop in Tokyo, Japan.

First and foremost, the grand reveal of Evercold’s second new job is on the table. It’s already been disclosed as a physical ranged DPS job, which narrows the possibilities down considerably. While some fans have debated options like the sky pirate-esque Corsair, Yoshi-P has since noted that legacy jobs are getting left behind from Evercold onward. In other words, from now on, new jobs will be entirely original creations from the FFXIV development team, so Corsair is arguably off the table.

However, online buzz on hubs like Reddit is already speculating that the job in question may be something akin to Falconer or Ranger, based on hints surrounding the new character Visna (spelling unconfirmed) in the teaser trailer. Those debates will have to carry until the keynote in Tokyo on October 31st.

Aside from that, further details about other features like the Evangelion Alliance Raids, the Beyond the Lifestream raid series, the Evercold story at large, the third new combat difficulty, and additional methods for raising item levels are still to come as well. Pricing details for the expansion, along with an approximate launch date, should also be set by that point.

Final Fantasy XIV’s sixth expansion, Evercold, is set to release in January 2027 across all current platforms, including PS5, Xbox Series, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.