Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Viper Job, Final Fantasy XI Alliance Raid, Final Fantasy XVI crossover announced

The Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest event is ongoing in London, and at the event's opening keynote, FFXIV Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida revealed some new information about the game's next major expansion: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. He showed off new art and in-development footage of locations from Tural, the game's newest playable region, as well as revealed more about one of the two new player Jobs being added. Also notable were reveals of a new, Final Fantasy XI-based Alliance Raid series, and a crossover event with Final Fantasy XVI, the latter of which will debut before the expansion releases in Summer 2024.

The first of the new playable Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Jobs is the Viper. Yoshida appeared on stage at the keynote wearing a cosplay-adapted version of the Viper's artifact gear set, which the Warrior of Light wears in the extended Dawntrail teaser trailer:

The Viper is a melee DPS class, and according to Yoshida, is original to Final Fantasy XIV and not directly based on an existing Final Fantasy series Job (like Dragoon). The Viper is similar to the existing Ninja Job in that it uses two weapons, and was created partially to address requests by players to add a new "dual-wielding" Job besides the Ninja. Vipers use a close-range fighting style passed down by Turali hunters. Like the Ninja, Viper is a Dexterity-based melee DPS Job and alternates between pressuring enemies with swift strikes and dealing mighty blows. The mighty blows come from the Viper's ability to join their twin swords together at the hilt, turning their weapon into a dual-bladed sword-staff.

The Viper reveal also included a bit of footage for their Job Skill animations:

The Viper will be available for players to take up at launch if they purchase Dawntrail, and the quest to unlock the Job will be located in the starter city of Ul'dah. Players will, however, need to have at least one Job leveled up to 80 in order to unlock it, because that's the starting level of the Viper.

Regarding other playable Jobs in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, Yoshida played coy, but confirmed that the other Job is a ranged magical DPS class (joining Black Mage, Summoner, and Red Mage). He also confirmed that later in the Dawntrail patch cycle (i.e. sometime after launch), the team will introduce a new Limited Job. Limited Jobs are Jobs that have an unusual play style and are restricted from traditional matchmaking. Currently the only Limited Job in the game is the Blue Mage, which gains its abilities not from leveling up but from unlocking monster skills. He promised more information at the Tokyo Fan Fest later in the year.

Yoshida also showed off in-progress footage of new areas from Dawntrail, including the city of Tulliyolal and the zones of Yak'Tel and Urqopacha:

Yoshida also showed off some partially redacted concept art for a new area called Shaaloani, which looks for all intents and purposes like a North American wild west frontier area.

Like other expansions, Dawntrail will have a number of new dungeons, activities and trials to undertake, and will launch a new Alliance Raid series. The new Alliance Raid series will be a crossover with none other than Final Fantasy XIV's MMORPG predecessor, Final Fantasy XI.

Called "Echoes of Vana'diel," the raid series will feature many references to Final Fantasy XI and highlight its world and characters. FFXI, which is still ongoing, was enormously influential in the development of FFXIV, and the latter game contains many references to FFXI scattered about. Players can even dress in FFXI-themed gear today, if they unlocked it from the earlier "Maiden's Rhapsody" crossover event.

Though Dawntrail is on its way, there's more in store for Endwalker. Yoshida confirmed that he had "finally" received authorization from the Producer of Final Fantasy XVI (some guy named Naoki Yoshida) to reveal more about the planned FFXIV x FFXVI crossover event. In a brief video clip, Yoshida showed off the Warrior of Light meeting FFXVI Protagonist Clive Rosfield.

Together, the pair fight a version of the Ifrit Trial, though this time the opponent was the Eikon Ifrit, with new mechanics, abilities, and escalations inspired by Final Fantasy XVI. For their trouble, FFXIV players will receive a rideable Torgal mount, a puppy Torgal minion, and what looks to be a cosmetic gear set based on Clive's iconic outfit. The Final Fantasy XVI crossover event will launch within Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker's patch cycle.

Also launching soon is the previously announced FFXIV x Fall Guys crossover event. The event will take place in the Manderville Gold Saucer and reward Fall Guys themed clothing and other items. Players will play minigames much like the GATES available in the Gold Saucer, but on obstacle courses and using mechanics reminiscent of Fall Guys' game show-style structure.

Final Fantasy XIV is available on PC, PS4, and PS5, and is in development for Xbox Series X|S. The Dawntrail expansion will launch in Summer 2024. Check out James' encounter with one of Dawntrail's new trials.