![Image from Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival London 2023 featuring FFXIV game producer and director Naoki Yoshida dressed as the MMORPG’s newest class, the Viper.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AfZj3ROZbmnvXMN88dxmkW_hBp0=/108x0:1548x960/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72785909/Screen_Shot_2023_10_23_at_2.09.46_PM.0.png)
Earlier this year, Final Fantasy XIV fans were treated to a first look at the next expansion, Dawntrail. Over the weekend, during the London leg of the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival event, Square Enix shared a bit more detail about the expansion, including a new trailer revealing the newest class: Viper.
Viper will be a melee DPS class that seems similar to the Ninja class already present in the game. Vipers will dual-wield swords that can be fused together into one big sword for more damage a la Zidane from Final Fantasy IX. (Remember his Butterfly Sword?) As is tradition, the Viper was introduced by game producer Naoki Yoshida dressed up as the class, and as also is tradition, the look was pretty damn cool.
(Eat your heart out, Todd Howard.)
There will be another caster class added with Dawntrail, which likely won’t be revealed until the Japan Fan Festival event in January 2024. Fans are expecting it to be the pictomancer from Final Fantasy VI since the new trailer has one of the characters painting and a possible hint from Yoshida himself, as he wore a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt to announce FFXIV was coming to the Xbox. (Get it? One of the turtles dual-wields swords like the Viper class, and they’re all named after a famous painter.)
The London Fan Festival also revealed two collaborations were coming to the critically acclaimed MMORPG. Teased back in August, Fall Guys is finally set to make its debut in Final Fantasy XIV. In the 6.5x series of patches, Warriors of Light will journey to Gold Saucer to compete in Fall Guys-themed challenges and arenas with a Final Fantasy XIV twist. Check out the trailer below. It’s… it’s something.
In yet another collaboration, Final Fantasies will collide as XIV and XVI come together for the first time.
In the trailer, it seems like Clive Rosfield will trade Valisthea for Eorzea, teaming up with Warriors of Light to battle Ifrit — again it seems. In addition to a new boss fight against the Eikon of Fire, the FFXIV x FFXVI collaboration (yes, that is far too many x’s) will also feature new FFXVI-themed gear sets, mounts, and pets, including a Torgal mount that I simply must acquire. No word yet on when this event will take place.