Final Fantasy XIV is getting a new expansion: Evercold. This includes a new story, raids, collaborations, races, and classes. Here you can read what is currently known about it.
When is Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold being released? Evercold is set to go live in January 2027. This is earlier than the previous expansions, which typically released six months after the Japanese Fan Festival.
When will there be more information on FFXIV 8.0? Traditionally, Square Enix announces new content for expansions during Fan Festivals. Here are the dates for the upcoming events:
- 25 & 26 July 2026: Berlin
- here’s the special page for the Fan Festival
- 31 October & 1 November 2026: Tokyo
- here’s the special page for the Fan Festival
The next round of fresh information will be at the end of July 2026. What is already known is detailed in this article.
Is there a trailer for Evercold? Yes, there is a first trailer for Final Fantasy XIV Evercold:
Final Fantasy XIV Evercold: Jobs, Raids and Collaborations
What new jobs will there be in Final Fantasy XIV 8.0? During the Fan Festival in the USA, it was announced that there will be two new jobs. Specifically, Evercold is set to introduce a tank and a ranged DPS.
What these jobs are specifically will likely be announced at the upcoming two Fan Festivals in Berlin and Tokyo.
What will the new level cap of 8.0 be? The new maximum level will be raised from 100 to 110.
What new raids will be available? At the Fan Festival in the USA, a new alliance raid (24-man) was announced: EVANGELION – Ghosts of Desire. Similar to the Nier raids in Shadowbringers, these contents will be created in collaboration – this time with Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Additionally, there is expected to be a new raid likely designed for 8 players. Alongside that, a new Fatal raid has been announced.
Will the combat system be adjusted? Yes, the combat system is set to change. Specifically, the currently known system will remain as a so-called Reborn
combat system, while the new Evolution
system will highlight the characteristics of the individual jobs.
Moreover, comprehensive adjustments have been announced, including changes to the armor system.
What other system adjustments will come with Evercold? The following adjustments are currently known:
- New seasonal system
- Expanded arsenal
- Expanded character design
- Expanded free trial (now including Shadowbringers)
- PvP adjustments
Final Fantasy XIV Evercold: Setting, Story and New Races
Where will Evercold take place? Similar to Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers, Evercold will not take place in the main world but in one of the shard worlds. This time, the Warrior of Light is transported to the fourth reflection, which has been shrouded in eternal ice since a catastrophe.
What will the story of Evercold be? So far, it is not firmly known what exactly the story of Evercold will entail. So far, only a few pieces of information are known. Specifically, we know that the Warrior of Light is transported to the fourth reflection, which is completely frozen.
Currently, everything points to a similar story arc as in Shadowbringers, where the shard world needs to be saved. The trailer for the expansion also suggests that the reunification of all reflections with the original world is being considered. This goal, however, has been actively prevented by players in all previous expansions.
Will there be new races? There will be at least one new friendly race consisting of small cats that walk on two legs. Whether there will be new races for character creation is not yet known.
On our YouTube channel, we also dealt with the question of whether Final Fantasy XIV is still worth it in 2026. If you are wondering whether you should check out the new expansion, we have the most important information for you here:
Player Decline & A Mixed Endgame – The State of FFXIV Today
Currently, Final Fantasy XIV is in the later life cycle of the Dawntrail expansion. Patch 7.5, which is expected to be the final update for the expansion, will be released on April 28, 2026.
With Dawntrail itself, the MMORPG is experiencing a steady player decline due to several factors. The number of currently active characters at the end cycle of Patch 7.4 stands at only 770,000, according to the census of the Japanese blog Lucky Bancho. Thus, the game currently does not reach the peak times with 1,020,000 active characters at the launch of the penultimate DLC Endwalker.
The reason for this is likely the rather weak main story of Dawntrail. However, it must be completed before classic endgame activities like new raids can be pursued. Specifically, the Arkadian raids are very well-received by players. On the other hand, Kreszentia, the major MMO grind content, is currently less favored.
Last year, however, Naoki Yoshida stated that player feedback has reached the developers. At least the story of the game, which is usually praised highly, has improved noticeably since Patch 7.3. The Beastmaster seems to encourage the community’s return with Patch 7.5.
A new expansion or the release of version 8.0 presents a great opportunity for the MMORPG to bring players back aboard with new high-quality content. Those who do not want to struggle through Dawntrail will likely be able to jump at the start of the new DLC with an appropriate jump potion from the real money shop.
Whether 8.0 will succeed in taking Final Fantasy XIV to new heights will likely only be firmly established at the release. MeinMMO will of course continue to accompany the game and keep an eye on everything. By the way, we recently also dug through the list of mounts available in the MMORPG and have here the Top 5 most absurd mounts for you.
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