The Stormblood expansion for Square Enix’s MMORPG will introduce a new continent to the game as well as two new character classes. We knew the first was Red Mage and now we know the second: Samurai.
The crimson-clad, katana-wielding warriors will be a damage-based class aimed at unloading on enemies on the front lines of fights and will favor STR gear. Samurai will not have a base class and will start at level 50. Best of all, the character looks to share at least a passing resemblance to Final Fantasy X’s Auron, unquestionably the series’ most bad ass swordsman.
The news was also accompanied by a trailer for the expansion’s opening cinematic (above) which shows off the look and feel of Othard, one of the game’s three main continents where Stormblood will take place, as well as both a Red Mage and Samurai tearing shit up. The new player hub will be the port town of Kugane, with a new residential area called Shirogane. And of course there will be new dungeons in areas called Yanaxia and The Azim Steppe.
The team behind Stormblood is reportedly also working on a version of Bliztball, the aquatic mini-game from FFX, as well. At one point in the opening cinematic there’s a giant floating sphere filling up with water, only further bolstering the expansion’s spiritual connection to Spira.
Square Enix announced the class and other details about the upcoming expansion at a keynote during the Final Fantasy XIV FanFest being held in Frankfurt this weekend. Among other things, the company said it will double the capacity of estates going forward.
But before the event could conclude, Square Enix brought out Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu to introduce the main them for Stormblood which he composed. The song is called “Revolutions” will be sung by the familiar voice of Susan Calloway.
The expansion is due out on PS4 and PC this summer on June 30.