Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most polished MMOs you can get your hands on, and it’s getting its first expansion next month: Heavensward. It’s all about a war between dragons and some knights, and you’re put right in the thick of it. It’s teeming with new content too. Ten additional levels, over 50 hours of quest and story content, a new race – the reptilian Au Ra – and three new jobs: the tanky Dark Knight, gung-ho Machinist and star-wielding Astrologian.
The realm of Ishgard is one filled with strife. A 1000-year-long war between its citizens and the sentient dragons of the Dravanian Horde has left the land bleak and hostile. The architecture is one that reflects this eternal conflict: rigid, fortified and gothic – ready for war at a moment’s notice. You’ll find many abandoned settlements along the snowfields of Coerthas that have been consumed by nature’s cold and suffocating grasp.

But that’s not to say it’s all blizzard-filled zones. Ishgard as a whole is huge. There are nine new areas in total – 50-100% larger than the ones in A Realm Reborn – including the Floating Continent: dotted land-masses that wander aimlessly through the sky, something Final Fantasy VI fans will be familiar with. The environments are as varied too: you’ll find lush grassy plains, and eerie purple-crystal glowing mountains.

With the Floating Continent, and dragons to fight, it only makes sense that players can now take to the skies with flying mounts. All existing mounts that have the capability to fly – e.g. Chocobos, Ahriman – can now do so after a simple unlock through the game’s story. You are given full control, with no time-limits on how long you can fly for; in fact, it’s required to get around some areas.

Each of the new jobs have a very distinct feel to them; what’s better is that with FFXIV’s class system, any player can switch to them at any time, on the fly. I’m looking forward to trying them all out come launch.

In the technical department, Final Fantasy XIV couldn’t look better, now that the game fully supports DirectX 11. Water now has more sustenance, and reflections now give off a believable, ghostly mirroring of the immediate environment. Some may be more appreciative of the increase in performance with the boost to efficiency. Players should notice a few extra frames here and there if they have cards that support DirectX 11.

Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward launches on June 23rd, with Early Access starting on June 19th to those who pre-order.

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