Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has had three excellent expansions so far: Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers. However, some of them have left more lasting impressions than others. Endwalker is the next expansion on the way, and excitement continues to build. With about a month left before Endwalker's release, here's every FFXIV expansion ranked from worst to best.
The game as a whole has taken quite the journey over the years, going from a commercial failure to one of the highest-rated MMORPGs of all time. A Realm Reborn isn't a subtitle representing an expansion pack, but rather a rebranding of Final Fantasy XIV as a whole. The original iteration released in 2010 was replaced by ARR in 2013. The culmination of the development team's hard work only continues to shine brighter, as each step forward taken with the expansions has improved and polished a great game.
The base game of FFXIV was already quite impressive before any expansions were released. However, starting with flying mounts in Heavensward, each expansion has expanded and improved gameplay in a number of ways. With Endwalker arriving soon, it's a great time to look back at the previous expansions of the popular MMORPG.
#3 FFXIV Expansion - Stormblood
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood was the second expansion. Most notably, it added the Red Mage and Samurai jobs, swimming and diving, the Interdimensional Rift Omega and Return to Ivalice raids, and the Forbidden Land, Eureka. Gameplay and combat were a step up from the Heavensward expansion, with reworked jobs, skills, and better balance. New job gauges were implemented, which allowed players to manage job-specific energy resources with more ease and clarity. Summoners could now actually summon Bahamut into battle and Machinists could blast enemies with a huge flamethrower, among other awesome new skills.
Stormblood sits at third place due to its main narrative, which isn't as strong as Heavensward or Shadowbringers. The Final Fantasy series is known for its storytelling, and FFXIV is no exception to the rule. The way the story immerses the player into the world is a main driving force of the game, but for some players, Stormblood did not live up to those expectations. The expansion revolved around Ala Mhigo and Doma, two regions determined to break away from the oppression of the Garlean Empire. Due to the nature of the story, it had a slow build-up of gathering comrades and resources, and key characters such as Lyse did not live up to some players' expectations, especially as further patches were released. Some players felt like Stormblood's story was messy in comparison to Heavensward.
#2 FFXIV Expansion - Heavensward
FFXIV: Heavensward was the first expansion to release. After FFXIV was relaunched as A Realm Reborn, some critics were skeptical about how much better it could be. This expansion proved that it had pulled itself back from the brink as a whole new game, thanks to the efforts of director Naoki Yoshida and his team, and it received several nominations in 2015 for Expansion of the Year. It was a substantial improvement to an already great game.
Heavensward added the playable race Au Ra to FFXIV, in addition to the Dark Knight, Astrologian, and Machinist jobs. New zones to explore were larger than ever before, thanks to the addition of flying mounts opening up the world. The main story questline of FFXIV: Heavensward remains a favorite of many fans, featuring political intrigue and the deceptive anti-dragon church of Ishgard.
The Dark Knight job quests by main scenario writer Natsuko Ishikawa are praised as some of the best in the game, even now. Its themes were contrary to the usual fare, with the player character questioning their expectations as the Warrior of Light, and confronting the darker emotions evoked by marching along a hero's path. Shadowbringers features the default player character using the Dark Knight job, which perfectly accompanies a story that blurs the line between black and white.
#1 Best FFXIV Expansion - Shadowbringers
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is the current expansion, which many players agree is the best one yet. It is not only the strongest expansion but easily stands alone as one of the most well-received Final Fantasy games of all time. Shadowbringers features an inverted tale of overpowering light and holy beings bringing the end of the world: the Warrior of Light must become the Warrior of Darkness.
Natsuko Ishikawa is the main writer of Shadowbringers, and many players cite her previous works as their favorite parts of past expansions. This includes the Dark Knight quests of Heavensward and the Doman quests of Stormblood, like the Azim Steppe. The main antagonist of Shadowbringers, Emet-Selch, has defeated even Sephiroth in popularity at one point. Ishikawa's excellent character writing is one of the best parts of FFXIV.
Shadowbringers introduces the Gunbreaker and Dancer jobs, a Nier crossover raid by Yoko Taro, and several improvements that make the game welcoming to newcomers. Reaching the third expansion of FFXIV's story obviously takes time, so Shadowbringers adjusted and streamlined the main story questline to make older content less daunting. Crafting and gathering had skills removed and condensed to make the jobs more approachable. The Trust system was added to the game, which allows players to experience dungeons without needing to recruit other players. In place of that, the Scions join as NPCs to fill party roles such as healer, tank, or DPS. This makes it easy for players to explore and practice content, in addition to enjoying the story at their own pace.
The soundtrack of FFXIV has always been excellent, but Shadowbringers takes it to the next level. During FFXIV's Fan Festival this past May, composer Masayoshi Soken revealed to both fans and most of the development team that he had been undergoing chemotherapy during Shadowbringer's development. He composed the song "To the Edge" from the hospital, saying that positive reception from fans around the world helped him fight his cancer, which is now in remission. Learning this gave players a whole new layer of appreciation for his work, and an even deeper appreciation for the music's powerful themes of hope and loss.
Natsuko Ishikawa will also be the lead writer for the next expansion, Endwalker, that will complete the incredible narrative of Shadowbringers. The Hydaelyn and Zodiark saga of light and dark that's driven the story since the very beginning is coming to an end. Wherever FFXIV's story goes after Endwalker is still a mystery, but players have high hopes for another incredible experience.