SQUARE ENIX® is today announcing the third expansion for its critically-acclaimed MMO, FINAL FANTASY® XIV: Shadowbringers™, will be launching on 2nd July 2019, with pre-orders beginning on 6th February 2019.

The information was first revealed by Producer & Director Naoki Yoshida during his keynote address marking the start of the FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival taking place in Paris on 2nd – 3rd February, alongside a slew of other new information about upcoming content in the expansion.

During the presentation, an extended version of the Shadowbringers announcement trailer was revealed to announce the release date which can be seen here: https://youtu.be/h1OUNHqp3BE

The first new job coming in the Shadowbringers expansion is the ‘gunbreaker’ – a gunblade-wielding fighter that occupies the tank role. You can check out the gunbreaker in action here: https://youtu.be/uTe_GM8uEk0

Alongside this, a new playable race was revealed – the ‘Viera’, a lithe race equipped with long-ears like rabbits and familiar from the world of Ivalice and FINAL FANTASY XII. Get a first look here: https://youtu.be/N8JE4-T-i0s

The follow-up to the Return to Ivalice alliance raid series is revealed to be YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse – a collaborative effort with special guest creators Yosuke Saito (Square Enix producer) and YOKO TARO (game designer), reuniting the duo that helmed the NieR series.

New Alliance Raid from the minds of renowned NieR creators Yosuke Saito and YOKO TARO

A full list of new content revealed in Paris is below:

• New Job – The ‘gunbreaker’– master of gunblade.
• New Playable Race – the ‘Viera’, rabbit-like wardens of the wood.
• ‘Trust’ System – An all-new system allowing players to tackle Shadowbringers instanced dungeons with familiar NPCs by their side (excluding dungeons requiring more than four party members).
• New Alliance Raid – YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse – from the minds of renowned NieR creators Yosuke Saito and YOKO TARO.
• New Areas - Il Mheg - a lush, awe-inspiring vale, and the Rak’tika Greatwood - a sprawling forest of ancient, towering sentinels. Il Mheg can be seen here: https://youtu.be/zVVsm-9-o4E and Rak’tika Greatwood here: https://youtu.be/ItY4mNnRnsU
• New Beast Tribe and Primal - the pixies and their almighty regent, Titania.

Alongside information about the game, SQUARE ENIX revealed the FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers Collector’s Edition. Available to pre-order from the SQUARE ENIX Store starting 6th February. The Collector’s Edition includes:

• Shadowbringers Special Art Box – A unique silver-inlaid box featuring an illustration by artist Yoshitaka Amano.
• Dark Knight Figure - An impressive high-quality figure that features the Warrior of Darkness as a dark knight.
• Shadowbringers Art Book - An art book featuring a wealth of illustrations and concept art used in the creation of the expansion.
• Shadowbringers Logo Sticker Cling - A reusable vinyl cling featuring the Shadowbringers logo.
• FINAL FANTASY XIV Playing Cards - A deck of playing cards featuring a range of artwork from A Realm Reborn through Shadowbringers.
• In-game Grani Mount - Ride the formidable Grani and strike terror into the heart of any foe in your path. Caution is recommended when mounting the rather pointy beast.
• In-game Wind-up Fran Minion - Take Fran along as your partner in the skies, on land, or under the water. Wherever your adventure takes you, just keep it away from Mist.
• In-game Revolver Gunbreaker Weapon - Squall's iconic gunblade makes its appearance in FFXIV as a gunbreaker-exclusive weapon. Charge into battle with it…or not. Whatever.

Pre-Order Bonuses include Baby Gremlin Minion and XP-Boosting Aetheryte Earring

Pre-orders for Shadowbringers will open exclusively on the SQUARE ENIX Store from 6th February. Anyone pre-ordering will be eligible to receive the following items, which will be delivered starting 1st March, 2019 at 8am GMT:

• In-game Baby Gremlin Minion - There is nothing more invigorating than venturing into unfamiliar lands with a baby gremlin nipping at your heels and bad-mouthing your every move.
• Aetheryte Earring - An earring modeled after the Aetherytes found in towns across the land. Grants 30% bonus EXP when worn, up to level 70.
• Early Access - Early access grants users the ability to play Shadowbringers on 28th June*1, several days before the official release!

Thanks to items being delivered ahead of launch, anyone pre-ordering Shadowbringers will be able to receive their Aetheryte Earrings to catch-up to level 70 before the expansion releases on 2nd July.

Il Mheg - a Lush, Awe-Inspiring Vale

Additionally, in a surprise announcement, Yoshida revealed that the FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Starter Edition for PC—including 30 days of subscription time—will be included with Twitch Prime*2 beginning 4th February 2019 through 3rd May 2019. Complete details on this promotion, including instructions on code redemption are available here: www.twitchprime.com.

Fans can look forward to more information on Shadowbringers at the Fan Festival in Tokyo on 23rd - 24th March, 2019. All Fan Festival events will be streamed free of charge on the official FINAL FANTASY XIV Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/finalfantasyxiv

*1 Early access start date subject to change. Please note that there is a possibility of maintenance taking place during the early access period.
*2 Unavailable in certain countries. For a complete list of countries in which this promotion is available, please visit here: https://sqex.link/G4nBoN