Final Fantasy XIV's latest expansion Endwalker is almost here, heralding the finale of a storyline about eight years in the making, and there are many things to do to get ready. Early access is tentatively scheduled to begin on November 19, while the official release date is November 23, so players have less than a month to make final preparations before diving in. There is no wrong way to play FFXIV, and depending on a Warrior of Light's playstyle, there are different things they may want to focus on.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker promises something for everyone, ranging from exciting battles to relaxing farmland experiences. For those curious about the Twelve gods of Eorzea, the new Alliance raid Myths of the Realm will shed light on their origins. For a more difficult challenge, players can work towards the High-end raid Pandæmonium. Players more interested in raid progression may want to gear up their characters to reach them more quickly, while those more inclined toward ranching and raising crops may want to collect more minions for their Island Sanctuary beforehand.
There are some requirements for Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker that a player must complete, regardless of their favorite parts of the MMORPG. They must have finished all of the main story quests leading up to Patch 6.0, Endwalker, so they can continue their adventure into the new content. Of course, they also need to purchase the Endwalker expansion pack in addition to the base game.
Pre-ordering Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker grants players an early access pass to the expansion, and a few bonuses that are immediately available in-game. One is a Wind-up Palom minion, who is a Final Fantasy IV companion that can accompany the player character. The other is the Menphina Earring, which when worn by characters level 1 through 80 provides a 30% increase in EXP gained by defeating enemies, making it both fashionable and useful. Menphina is a goddess of love and most importantly, the moon, where Endwalker will be taking the Warrior of Light.
Menphina's Earring is a nice tool to have if players want to level jobs to the max level of 80 before Endwalker's release. Even if a player won't reach 80 before Endwalker, it could at least help them get a character's Disciple of War or Magic job to level 70. This, in addition to purchasing Endwalker and registering it to their account, are the two requirements to play the new FFXIV jobs that will be added to the game.
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers has plenty of end-game gear for players to collect right now. If a player wants an advantage when they set out for their first Endwalker quests, they can suit up a level 80 character in equipment with a high item level. The final Shadowbringers dungeon released is Paglth’an, which drops armor and accessories of item level 505. This is on the lower end of what is available but is a simpler option, as those disinclined to run raids can complete this dungeon with only four players or Trust NPCs.
The final part of the 24-player Nier Automata/FFXIV raid series drops item level 520 armor, which is some of the best that can be obtained without using weekly Tomestone currency. If a player is interested in a powerful weapon upgrade, there is still some time to complete Shadowbringers' relic weapon. There are a great many Shadowbringers gear options available that should have any character feeling beefy enough to tackle the challenges ahead.
Players don't need to be caught up on main story quests to unlock the new Endwalker jobs, but they will need a character that has reached level 70 in a Disciple of War or Magic job. Reaper and Sage, FFXIV: Endwalker's new jobs, will be available to players when the game releases. They also must have Endwalker purchased and registered on their account. The Sage trainer will be found in Limsa Lominsa, and the Reaper trainer will be in Ul'dah.
Players may want to gather some gear for these jobs preemptively to make leveling go more smoothly. These job classes start at level 70 and would welcome the EXP boost of the pre-order bonus Menphina's Earring. The Sage will use healing armor, and the Reaper will use maiming armor, same as Dragoon.
Those who play FFXIV on PC have the ability to download the Official Benchmark, which tests and scores how well their system runs the game. It's essentially several cutscenes strung together, featuring the default Warrior of Light adventuring through new areas and fighting new enemies. The software also allows players to make a male Viera character ahead of time, so they can export the appearance data to Endwalker and immediately get started with their new bunny at release.
Male Viera are a highly-anticipated addition that arrive with Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker. As of Shadowbringers, there are only female Viera and male Hrothgar available in the character creator. The notion of gender-locked races upset many players, but the development team is working hard to expand them. Female Hrothgar won't be available at Endwalker's release but will be added in the future.
In order to play through Endwalker's story, players will need to complete all main story quests currently available. Players who want some optional goofy adventures will be pleased to know that there will be new Hildibrand quests after their absence in Shadowbringers. Again, to reach these quests, players must complete all the current Hildibrand quests. These are not required for the main story quests.
The lead writer of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, Natsuko Ishikawa, also suggested that players complete some optional content before release. She had quite a long list, so she boiled it down to two main recommendations: the Omega raids and the Binding Coil of Bahamut raids. They aren't required to play Endwalker, but she alluded to the importance of Midgardsormr's brood, which these raids expand upon. A new Omega model also appeared in the Official Benchmark, so it will likely be returning in some sense. There are still many mysteries surrounding Omega that haven't been cleared up, so perhaps players will learn more of it in Endwalker.
Endwalker will introduce the Island Sanctuary, a personal haven where the player can rear animals and raise crops. Minions can roam the land here, so if the player wants a lively, populous paradise they may want to collect some more minions before Endwalker comes out. The pre-order bonus Wind-up Palom can join the Harvest Moon style fun, too.
There is so much to look forward to in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, even with minimal preparation. The armor acquired by following the main story questline and new dungeons should be enough to gear up, so it isn't absolutely dire to gather things beforehand. Perhaps players would like to dress up their character in a new outfit glamour to suit the lunar environment, maybe with the Menphina Earring. Some players might just want to buy every minion friend on the Market Board. No matter how they spend their time before release, Endwalker looks like it won't disappoint.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker releases on November 23, 2021 for PC, MacOS, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
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