During the packed year of 2023, Final Fantasy XVI stood tall amongst all other games. Even thought the title was divisive for hard-core fans, Final Fantasy XVI was an amazing experience start to finish. Closing the year off, a Season Pass was announced during the 2023 VGA’s. While the first DLC, Echo’s of the Fallen released soon after it’s reveal, the second piece of content was slated for Spring 2024.

Members of the Final Fantasy XVI team held a PAX East Panel, revealing new information on The Rising Tide. New content, free updates, release date and more were revealed.

Final Fantasy XVI The Rising Tide – PAX East 2024 Trailer

Taking place before the final battle, Clive receives a letter telling him to rescue the Dominant of Leviathan, a long lost Eikon of Water. In the main-game, hints of the long lost Eikon were hidden around. But now knowing where this Dominant resides, Clive and company venture to Mysidia.

Exploring a new locations, the DLC is set to offer more content seasoned FFXVI fan’s desired. A new Eikon battle, harder challenges and even new abilities for Clive to master. The trailer shown off at PAX highlights the Leviathan Eikonic abilities, where Clive has a beast attached to his arm as he shoots water. You can perform basic blasts or shot-gun bursts with this power, with an active-reload mechanic in place for balancing.

If you time it perfectly, Clive could have unlimited ammo for a short time. And when you combine this with Clive’s other impressive Eikon abilities, the possibilities for combat are immense.

New Threats – New Foes to Clash Against

Clive and crew also will come across enemies new to FFXVI, one such being the infamous Tonberries. These iconic Final Fantasy monsters get a face-lift for FFXVI, matching the games high-fantasy look.

Adding to these new threats is a brand new game mode, called the Kairos Gate. Broken down by Gematsu, they describe it as the following;

• Unlock this challenging new mode after completing both “The Rising Tide” and the main game scenarios.
• Fight your way through 20 stages, each one growing more difficult.
• Earn points during battle and use them to upgrade Clive. Maximize battle performance to earn more points.
• Find new materials and weapons at the end of each stage.
• Aim for a spot on the global leaderboard.

Promising heated combat encounters and high levels of challenge, this mode could potentially answer one of FFXVI’s criticisms. The game for some players was not very challenging, so offering a game-mode specifically built for combat experimentation and difficulty is a major win.

New Story Elements – Jill Character Development and New Post Final Fantasy XVI Game

During the PAX Panel, Yoshi-P states that a new cut-scene will added for all players, being a powerful moment for Clive. It will explore him shedding his Barrier status, potentially being a powerful scene.

Avid fans pointed out that Jill could potentially be given the spotlight as well.

Release Date and Bonuses for Season Pass Owners

The DLC will be releasing April 18th for $19.99, but you can also get it in the $24.99 season pass, also including Echos of the Fallen. Season Pass owners also can receive bonus music and the Warrior of Light’s sword from Final Fantasy XIV.

PC Port Progress

The FFXVI has been very transparent about the status of the titles PC release, giving a new update during the Panel. While they didn’t make an announcement, the Yoshi-P said it was coming ‘soon’. Full statement is as follows;

“To those who already played the game, thank you so much for your support,” Yoshi-P said through his translator. “We are going to be releasing a PC version soon, and so your continued support on that is definitely appreciated as well.”

Overall Thoughts

As someone who views Final Fantasy XVI as their 2023 Game of the Year, this new DLC promises a lot. And on top of all the information revealed, the PAX Panel also teased a potential new form for Clive to take. While channeling his inner Sephiroth is nice and all, very curious what this means. Could players unlock a new ending upon completing The Rising Tide? Or maybe Clive gets another set of Eikonic Abilities?

Expect a review on The Rising Tide after it’s April launch and if you want to know more about FFXVI, check out Lords of Gaming’s review. Share you thoughts in the comments below!

Be sure to check out the rest of our PAX East 2024 coverage right here. While you’re here, subscribe to the Lords of Gaming YouTube channel to get all the latest game previews and developer interviews from the PAX East show floor and more.

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