If you had asked fans back in 2010 if they expected Final Fantasy XIV to last the long haul,your questions would quite possibly have been met with skepticism. But in one of the best decisions Square Enix seems to have done with a game yet, taking the servers down and dedicating the time towards a greatly enhanced A Realm Reborn edition worked in their favour, and has continued to receive a strong userbase and a solid reception in its community.
During a recent Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest event in Las Vegas, director Naoki Yoshida took to the stage to announce that they are working on the first major expansion pack for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn which is titled Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. Square Enix confirmed more information at their London event… and that event has now come and gone.
To a crowd of over 2,000 fans of the online game in London last weekend, Yoshida took to the stage once more and confirmed a number of new features being introduced to the expansion including flying mounts, two brand new beast tribes / primals and the inclusion of another classic Final Fantasy job class: Dark Knight.
Flying mounts enable players to take their adventure to new heights. Two types of flying mounts were revealed at the Fan Festival, a flying black chocobo and single-rider airships, both making it easier to explore the floating lands that will be featured prominently in the expansion. The two new beast tribes on the other hand are the Vanu Vanu and the Gnath, in addition to their primals Bismarck and Ravana respectively.
The Dark Knight job class shouldn’t be too unfamiliar for fans of the series. This new job will serve as a tank, wields a two-handed greatsword, utilizes darkness-based actions. Unlike all other in-game classes, this will be a base class exclusive without any upgraded jobs attached to it.
Those looking for more information on Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward will be waiting some time, with Yoshida confirming that more information is set to be shared at their Tokyo Fan Festival event on December 21st and 22nd.
