The world of "Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn" will be greatly enlarged this year with the release of the game's very first major update, the "Heavensward" expansion.
"Heavensward" will widen the game's world to include the Ishgard area, with a new Holy See, other all-new areas, along with new dungeons with more challenges and rewards. The previously unexplored Dravinia will also become accessible to players.
In terms of the plot, the country's Dragonsong War with Dravinia will come into focus, along with the Wyrmking's fight with Thordan and the Knights Twelve. There will also be new beast tribes, the Vanu Vanu and Gnat, with the primal Bismarck and a laser sword-shielding bug called Ravana, respectively.
Aside from extending the areas and introducing new characters, the new expansion will also feature a new class called the Dark Knight. The quests for the new job class will be available in the new Ishgard area. "Heavensward" will also introduce flying mounts, with six versions already being developed including the Black Chocobos. In future updates, there will also be airships with single- and multi-rider versions.
"Heavensward" will be available for Windows PC, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 on June 23. For players to gain access, they must have already purchased the original game, and have completed all of the main story quests up to the newest patch 2.55. When players complete the requirements, an introductory quest to the "Heavensward" expansion will then become playable, and Ishgard will become available for exploration.
There will be several bundles available, with the standard one being retailed for $39.99. The collector's edition is priced at $59.99 for the digital download and $129.99 for the collector's edition package, which will include a "Dragonsong War" box, a dragon mount figure, an art book, a compilation game Blu-Ray disk, and five in-game items.
