Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, the upcoming expansion to the Square Enix MMORPG, is set to launch on July 2 with a new class and race.
The first trailer for Shadowbringers was shown in November at the Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest in Las Vegas. There were hints that the game’s third expansion, after 2015’s Heavensward and 2017’s Stormblood, will feature a new class wielding a gunblade like Final Fantasy VIII‘s Squall. There was also speculation the the Viera, represented in Final Fantasy XII by Fran, will finally be added to the MMORPG.
The game’s director and producer, Naoki Yoshida, revealed a lot more about Shadowbringers at the ongoing Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Paris.
An extended trailer for Shadowbringers was released, showing some Final Fantasy XIV characters and what awaits the crew in the expansion.
Yoshida also unveiled the Gunbreaker, the name of the new class that will use gunblades. The job will start at level 60 in Gridinia, but according to Yoshida, this may change before the release of the expansion. Gunbreakers will play the role of tanks, and are not ranged characters. There are several more new classes that will be added to Final Fantasy XIV in Shadowbringers.
Confirming the speculation, the Viera will be making their way to Final Fantasy XIV. A trailer for the rabbit-like race revealed what the Viera will look like in the game.
Yoshida also announced that the new Alliance raid in Shadowbringers will be a crossover with Nier: Automata. However, the details of the raid were not revealed.
Shadowbringers will introduce nine new dungeons, as well as a new feature named the Trust System. The feature allows players to team up with NPC’s to take on missions that currently require them to be part of a group. The NPC’s that players will team up with are from Final Fantasy XIV‘s story, so they will be familiar.
Shadowbringers will be open to pre-orders on February 6, and players who do so will be able to participate in early access on June 28. Pre-ordered copies of Shadowbringers will also come with a special Baby Gremlin minion, and an earring that will grant players 30% bonus experience until they reach level 70.