"Final Fantasy 14" Fan Fest in Berlin: New Job, Customizable Horns, and Switch 2 Version
The massive MMORPG "Final Fantasy 14" will receive a lot of new content with the "Evercold" expansion in January 2027. At the "FF14" Fan Fest, the team announced a new job, gameplay adjustments, and a collaboration with "Final Fantasy 7 Remake".
The "Final Fantasy 14" Fan Fest has been held at irregular intervals for more than ten years. The event series usually tours from America, across Europe, to Japan. Each tour stop is a two-day event full of panels, keynotes, cosplay, and community action. I was already at the Fan Fest in Anaheim, California, in the spring, and now I had the opportunity to attend the next event in Berlin.
Producer Naoki Yoshida – also known as "Yoshi-P" – opens the event as always with a keynote lasting well over two hours. The show is packed with trailers, in-game footage, and surprising announcements.
For many visitors, the keynote is the highlight of the weekend, as the team presents new content for "Final Fantasy 14" in detail. You can find the most important news about the big "Evercold Update" here.
The face behind "Final Fantasy 14" is very close to the fans
Often, studios hold such presentations only for media representatives – Yoshi-P has been taking a different approach for 16 years, involving his fans from the beginning when it comes to sharing information.
"When I became producer for 'Final Fantasy 14', I always immediately shared all news with the players. They often gave me feedback that other producers and game developers don't do that. I think it's important to be open and completely honest with them." Yoshida means by "honesty" not only sharing new content with fans, but also transparently dealing with challenges and wrong decisions.
This closeness to the community and his transparency set him apart from colleagues, which the fans on site honor with thunderous applause. At the Fan Fest in Berlin, Yoshi-P only has good news to report.
New Job Revealed: "Bastion"
At the "Final Fantasy 14" Fan Fest in Anaheim, two jobs were already teased – now there is finally concrete news about one of them.
Yoshi-P reveals the job of the "Bastion" at the keynote in Berlin: a main tank who fights his battles with two Skyltborg. These are twin shields with which he fires cannons, engaging in both close and long-range combat. In addition, the "Bastion" is suitable as support for the group: healing and defensive abilities can be flexibly used in combat to protect the entire party.
The new "Evercold" content brings another job, which Yoshida will only reveal at the Fan Fest in Tokyo (October 2026). Some previously unshown airships, where other parts of the expansion will take place, are also expected to be part of the presentation in Japan.
Many changes for personal playstyle
"Evercold" will fundamentally change the way I play "Final Fantasy 14". In his explanation, Yoshi-P primarily refers to the order in which I experience the content of a new expansion.
For example, if I have to visit three races and defeat their respective bosses to complete a chapter, the order of the battles is currently strictly predetermined. In the future, it should be possible to complete these tasks in any order before I reach the final battle for the grand finale. This system is based on "World of Warcraft". Thanks to a level progression system, loot and the strength of boss battles dynamically adapt.
One of the biggest surprises of the keynote awaits in the character editor. Until now, Yoshi-P refused to give players too many cosmetic customization options. The appearance of the individual races is closely linked to the lore, which is very important to the producer.
All the more surprising was the announcement at the Fan Fest:
With update 8.1, "Final Fantasy 14" allows the customization of some optical details. From removing the shadow on the nose of some races to rotating horns, there are various options for how I can design my game character in the future. Yoshi-P reveals that he will not customize his own character, however.
The enthusiastic cheers of the players around me are my highlight of the fair. Such dedication to one's own character impressively shows how strong the bond between the community, Yoshi-P, and the game is.
"Final Fantasy 14" x "Final Fantasy 7 Remake"
Naoki Yoshida sees "Final Fantasy 14" as a kind of amusement park in the "Final Fantasy" universe: there are costumes that are reminiscent of other parts, and even characters like Noctis appear in the game. Now is a good time to collaborate with the "Final Fantasy 7" team for new content from Update 8.01. According to Yoshida, both teams benefit from this.
A new raid, thematically based on "FF7" and coming in three difficulty levels, will be released under the name "Beyond the Lifestream". In addition, thanks to this collaboration, I can go to the Gold Saucer to test the first mini-game there: "Keybound Brawler". The name is based on the genre of keyboard brawlers.
Keyboard Brawlers are PC games where various terms must be typed as quickly as possible and without typos. This game concept gets a "Final Fantasy" makeover and makes it into the game with the 7.5x update. The catch: while PC players have no problem, "Warriors of Light" on PlayStation and Xbox will have to upgrade. Without a keyboard, it is almost impossible to play "Keybound Brawler".
"Final Fantasy 14" on the Nintendo Switch 2
For everyone who wants to play "Final Fantasy 14" on the go, August 4, 2026, will be exciting. "Final Fantasy 14" will be released on this day for the Nintendo Switch 2. However, with my current "Final Fantasy 14" subscription on PlayStation 5, Xbox, or PC, I cannot log in on the Switch. I have to purchase another membership to play on Nintendo's console – this was decided, according to earlier statements by Yoshi-P, "in months of negotiations" with Nintendo. At least: the required membership is available at half price for all existing members of another platform. An additional Nintendo Switch Online subscription is not necessary.
Whether many "Warriors of Light" will use the Switch 2 as a second gaming option remains to be seen. The temptation to play while traveling is great – especially when it comes to raiding with the guild and regular forays with friends. However, due to the additional costs, even though I already have a subscription, I cannot imagine it.
I was invited by Square Enix to Berlin for the "Final Fantasy 14" Fan Fest to report on the innovations firsthand.
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