Square Enix announced recently that Final Fantasy XIV's next expansion, Dawntrail, will be released on June 28 for players with early access. The regular release will follow a week later on July 2.
During a special PAX East presentation live-streamed this past week, Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida revealed the funny reason Square Enix decided to release it on June 28, instead of the week prior as originally intended.
As it turns out, Yoshida is a fan of Elden Ring and wants to give everyone a chance to experience that game's upcoming expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, which launches on June 21.
“We figured everybody would be interested in playing the Elden Ring DLC,” Yoshida said jokingly through a translator. “I’ll give you one week.”
Regardless of whether or not this reason is true or not, it's a smart move either way. As popular as Final Fantasy XIV is, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is probably the most anticipated expansion of this year.
The action role-playing game from FromSoftware was released in 2022 and while Souls-like games can be kind of niche due to their difficulty, it managed to sell 13.4 million copies worldwide in just one month. As of February 2024, the game had sold over 23 million copies.
In addition to its sales success, Elden Ring was the recipient of many awards and accolades. It won Game of the Year at The Game Awards, The Steam Awards, the D.I.C.E. Awards, and Game Developers Choice Awards.
With so many players itching to return to the fantasy world that was created with the help of George R.R. Martin, Shadow of the Erdtree is almost certainly going to dominate the headlines on its release week.
Shadow of the Erdtree is set to release on June 21, for PlayStation, Xbox and PC. It will cost $39.99 and requires that you already own the base game.
Considered FromSoftware's largest expansion to date, players will travel to the Land of Shadow, a place obscured by the Erdtree where the goddess Marika first set foot. Guided by Empyrean Miquella, players will explore these strange new lands, discovering "the dark secrets of the world as they meet others who follow in Miquella's footsteps with ulterior motives."
Meanwhile, back in Final Fantasy XIV, the new expansion takes players west to the faraway continent of Tural. "Answer the call, seek new horizons, and embark upon an adventure the likes of which you have never experienced!" Square Enix teases.
Dawntrail will introduce Viper and Pictomancer as two new jobs, as well as the female Hrothgar as a new playable race. Additionally, the level cap will be introduced from 90 to 100, while players explore the vast new continent of Tural, home to distinctive new areas such as Urqopacha, Yak T'el, Kozama'uka, Shaaloani, and Heritage Found. Players will battle through new dungeons, "The Arcadion" raid series, new field operations, new trials, and more.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail arrives in June with pre-orders beginning on Tuesday, March 26. The Standard Digital Download will be available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows and Mac for $39.99.