7 Things You Need To Finish Before FFXIV Endwalker
Well, we’re locked into a collision course for Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker. Square Enix has deemed November 23rd (November 19th for Early Access!), 2021 to be the release date for the fourth expansion of the franchise. And if you’re like me, you’re lamenting the long wait to find out the thrilling conclusion to the Hydaelyn/Zodiark saga.
So if you find yourself with an abundance of free time on your hands, here’s a handy guide to 7 things that you should finish before November arrives.
1. The Main Story Quests
This one kind of goes without saying, but I knew some smart ass would call me out on it if I didn’t include it. Yes, you’re obviously going to need to finish the main story so far in time for Endwalker. The final mission of the main story is Death Unto Dawn in Patch 5.55 part 2.
By the way, if you haven’t completed the game up through the end of Shadowbringers, enjoy! It has been hands down the best story in the game so far, which is why I’m delighted that the writing team is returning for Endwalker.
2. Omega
This isn’t advice from me, it’s from the lead writer of Endwalker. The Omega questline comes to us from the Stormblood expansion and served as the 8-man raid. You can unlock the raids from Wedge in Rhalgr’s Reach by accepting the quest “The Hunt For Omega.“
The Omega quests deal with Midgardsormr and the true origins of him and his brood. We’ve already seen in the Endwalker trailer that Estinien is palling around with a new dragon by the name of Vrtra or Vitra, a child of Midgardsormr’s brood.
3. The Mhach Alliance Raid Series
We learned in Shadowbringers that sometimes old Alliance Raids can come back to haunt you, ala the Crystal Tower. And given that the Endwalker is likely to tie up a lot of loose ends surrounding previous calamities, this raid series becomes very important indeed.
The raid series includes The Void Ark, The Weeping City of Mhach, and Dun Scaith. It focuses on exploring and learning about the Mhachi civilization, which was wiped out in a great calamity that flooded the continent. You can begin the questline with the Unquiet Trader in The Pillars with the quest “Sky Pirates.”
4. The Return To Ivalice Alliance Raid Series
Truly, I’d recommend doing the Dalmasa alliance raids even before you finish Shadowbringers. Not because they’re amazing or anything like that. In fact, I found them to be coma-inducing. However, the events of the raid will play into the Bozja storyline that happens concurrently with the Shadowbringers MSQ.
With the world set for all-out war as we enter Endwalker, you can bet that we’ll also see some form of conclusion to the Dalmasca story. The raid consists of the Royal City of Rabanastre, the Ridorana Lighthouse, and the Orbonne Monastery. You can start the questline in Kugane by talking to Keiten and accepting the quest “Dramatis Personae.”
5. The Binding Coil of Bahamut
Natsuko Ishikawa, the lead writer for Shadowbringers and Endwalker, was also the lead writer for the Binding Coil of Bahamut and Crystal Tower. And as we saw with Crystal Tower, Ishikawa has a habit of calling back to events she’s covered before. To that end alone, it’s worth going through the coil.
It’s a strong story that is highly likely to play a part in the events of Endwalker. It’s definitely something you should check off before November. You can begin the quest by talking to Urianger in the Waking Sands and accepting the quest “Primal Awakening.”
6. The Role Quests of The First
Square-Enix took a different route with class quests in Shadowbringers. Rather than each class getting an individual story, they wove a set of role quests into the MSQ. To complete the main story required you to beat at least one of the role quest chains, however, you could do as many as you wanted so long as you had the proper role unlocked.
For those out there with many classes leveled up, there was a special set of quests that unlocked if you completed all of the role quests. I won’t spoil them or what they cover, but there’s a chance it comes into play in Endwalker or after that. To do this, you can unlock the role quests in the Crystarium if you have a tank, healer, melee DPS, ranged DPS, and caster leveled to 80.
7. Bozja and the Sorrow of Werlyt
In the same vein as the Dalmasca questline, the Sorrow of Werlyt and Bozja storylines are really setting the stage for the dramatic conclusion of the saga. Since Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, the mighty Garlean empire has been steadily losing territory. They’ve lost Doma and Ala Mhigo, and are now facing rebellions in pretty much every other province they hold sway over. Our warriors of light have basically wrought havoc across their empire.
This takes us to Bozja and Werlyt, two of the Empire’s vassal states that are now in open rebellion. The stories here are sure to set the stage for Endwalker and all that comes after. You can begin the Bozja questline in Kugane with Keiten’s quest “Hail to the Queen.” Meanwhile, you can begin the Sorrow of Werlyt in The Lochs with the Resistance Officer, who will give the quest “Ruby Doomsday.”
Whether it’s the final days descending on Eorzea, the introduction of Sharlayan and Radz at han, or even just the arrival of a new playable race with male Viera, Endwalker looks poised to deliver an exciting end-cap to a project that began over a decade ago.
Final Fantasy XIV Online is a registered trademark of Square-Enix. Lead Image courtesy of Square-Enix.