Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood Will Be Released on June 20, 2017

During the Tokyo FFXIV Fan Festival, SE officially confirmed that Final Fantasy XIV’s Stormblood expansion will release on June 20, 2017. The development team emphasized that while the date remains technically tentative, project lead Matsuda-san expressed confidence in meeting this timeline due to smooth development progress. The official FFXIV Twitter account has already begun sharing additional details about the expansion’s features.

Pre-orders for Stormblood will become available starting January 24th, giving players several months to secure early access benefits. Industry analysts suggest this extended pre-order period indicates Square Enix’s commitment to a polished launch experience. For players planning their gaming schedule, this provides ample time to complete current Heavensward content before diving into the new expansion.

Common mistake: Many players assume pre-order dates indicate final feature lock, but expansion content often receives adjustments up to launch. Smart preparation involves monitoring official channels for any gameplay mechanic updates during the pre-order period.

The Red Mage represents a revolutionary hybrid combat role, seamlessly blending melee engagement with ranged magical assaults. This versatile job utilizes a rapier as its primary weapon while employing a magicked crystal medium to channel both White and Black magic disciplines. The class mechanics encourage dynamic battlefield positioning, with players strategically transitioning between close-quarters swordplay and distance spellcasting.

Advanced players should master the Chainspell system, which rewards tactical ability sequencing with escalating damage multipliers. Unlike traditional jobs that require leveling base classes, Red Mage begins at level 50 with no prerequisite class requirements, allowing veteran players immediate access to this sophisticated combat style.

Optimization tip: Successful Red Mages maintain optimal positioning at mid-range to maximize both melee engagement opportunities and spellcasting effectiveness. The class’s unique mobility allows for rapid battlefield repositioning, making it exceptionally effective in dynamic combat scenarios that require adaptability.

The expansion introduces “The Bend of Time – Omega” as its premier high-end raid encounter, bringing the legendary Omega Weapon to Final Fantasy XIV’s challenging endgame content. The narrative foundation for this raid will be established in the upcoming 3.5 update, creating a cohesive storyline leading into Stormblood’s release. Importantly, this raid content remains optional, allowing players to experience the main storyline without mandatory participation in the most difficult encounters.

A groundbreaking collaboration brings esteemed guest developers to create new alliance raids. Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII director Yasumi Matsuno will craft the narrative and design for the first alliance raid, titled “Return to Ivalice.” Complementing this creative vision, Garo Director and Shin Megami Tensei IV Creature Designer Keita Amemiya will design the formidable bosses players will encounter.

Time estimate: Based on previous expansion raid cycles, expect the Omega raid to require approximately 4-6 weeks for progression-focused static groups to complete, with casual players likely taking 2-3 months to clear all content. This pacing aligns with Square Enix’s philosophy of providing content for both hardcore and casual player bases.

Stormblood revolutionizes environmental interaction by introducing comprehensive swimming and diving mechanics, expanding exploration beyond the flying mounts introduced in Heavensward. The implementation features intelligent automation—characters automatically begin swimming when entering eligible bodies of water, with breaststroke animation during normal movement and crawl style when sprinting. Movement speed experiences a slight reduction compared to land traversal, maintaining gameplay balance while enabling new discovery opportunities.

Not all aquatic environments support swimming; shallow rivers and certain coastal areas remain inaccessible to maintain environmental consistency. Your character can swim in designated areas within original A Realm Reborn regions like Costa Del Sol, though combat remains exclusively terrestrial.

Diving represents an even more immersive aquatic experience, available exclusively in Stormblood-introduced locations. The transition between land, surface swimming, and underwater diving occurs seamlessly without loading screens, creating a fluid exploration experience. Notably, the system eliminates breathing limitations and drowning risks, allowing unlimited underwater exploration time.

While underwater combat remains absent, players can interact with NPCs and engage in gathering activities beneath the surface. Flying mounts gain aquatic capabilities, enabling them to both swim and dive alongside their riders. Diving functionality unlocks through a special quest available early in the Stormblood narrative progression.

Practical strategy: Use diving to access hidden gathering nodes and secret NPC interactions that provide unique rewards unavailable through traditional exploration methods. This expansion of movement options complements the comprehensive gameplay systems found in modern MMOs.

The Ananta beast tribe introduces a unique female-only race dwelling in the aquatic regions near Ala Mhigo. Their narrative centers around oppression under the Garlean Empire’s dominion, creating compelling story arcs for players to explore. The Ananta worship Lakshmi as their chosen primal, reflecting their cultural and spiritual identity within the game’s expanding world.

These serpentine humanoids demonstrate exceptional proficiency with magical arts and gemcraft, suggesting potential crafting and quest interactions. Their underwater habitats likely contain exclusive gathering materials and vendor offerings, making reputation building with this tribe valuable for crafters and collectors alike.

Common pitfall: Players often underestimate the time investment required for beast tribe reputation grinds. Efficient players should incorporate daily Ananta quests into their routine immediately upon unlocking them to maximize progression efficiency. The tribe’s connection to underwater environments creates natural synergy with the expansion’s new aquatic mechanics, much like how specialized equipment enhances gameplay in other titles.

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