Final Fantasy XVI’s next DLC gets a trailer and a release date

Yesterday, Square Enix released a trailer for The Rising Tide, the next paid DLC for Final Fantasy XVI, and gave the expansion a release date: April 18th. The update to the PS5 game will be available as a single purchase add-on or in the $24.99 Final Fantasy XVI PlayStation Store Expansion Pass. And besides adding the eikon Leviathan to the game, other content introduces a game mode as well as new weapons and abilities.

For no good reason, I haven’t played a new Final Fantasy game in years, but I trust Ash Parrish’s conclusion that the Leviathan being missing has been an error in need of correction. PlayStation’s blog post says in addition to fighting it in a new boss fight, Clive will get Leviathan Eikonic abilities, including summoning “a sea-spitting serpent capable of dealing precision strikes to enemies at great distances” and the ability to flood baddies “both near and far with the terrible might of the Eikon of Water.”

A screenshot showing Clive walking through a watery area. A mountain in the background has a waterfall pouring off of it, and a blue beam of light firing into the sky.

The Rising Tide also debuts a new increasingly challenging 20-stage battle mode called Kairos Gate that Square Enix writes will bring “new materials and weapons,” with scores uploaded to a global leaderbord. Players will need to finish The Rising Tide and the main game to unlock it.

The company says there will also be a “reimagined version” of the Curtana sword from past Final Fantasy games, and two new hideaway background tunes, “Torn from the Heavens and “Through the Maelstrom.” And there’s a new stage, called Aire of Hours, set in the ruins of a former civilization. Evidently, there will be “new threats, including Final Fantasy XVI’s tonberries.”

Lastly, Square Enix is releasing a new update with quality-of-life improvements on April 18th:

• Return to a quest giver immediately with the new “Quick Complete” function

• Icon updates for important character quests

• A new Skill Set feature, which allows players to save up to five unique Feat and Ability sets

• Abilities and Accessories adjusted for easier use

• New “Custom” controller type allows for freely customizable button layouts

• Tone correction, screen effects, and more added to Photo Mode

• Numerous new orchestrion rolls added