Highlights

  • Final Fantasy 16 will receive more DLC in Spring 2024, with the upcoming Rising Tide DLC featuring Leviathan and a new location called Misidia.
  • The Rising Tide DLC is expected to offer a larger gameplay experience compared to Echoes of the Fallen, with new items and gear likely to be added.
  • The support for Final Fantasy 16's DLC is likely to end after The Rising Tide, as the development team has been disbanded, but these DLCs are still better than no post-launch support at all.

Final Fantasy 16 is the latest mainline installment in the Final Fantasy franchise and continues to prove its value as more content is added to the game. Final Fantasy 16 has been one of the most divisive entries due to its evolved approach to combat and its heavy emphasis on storytelling through cutscenes. Despite this divisiveness, however, the Final Fantasy community continues to be enamored with it, leaving many wondering what the future holds for Clive Rosfield and his friends.

With the successful release and positive reception of the Echoes of the Fallen DLC now under its wings, Final Fantasy 16 aims to continue soaring in Spring 2024 with more exciting content. While Echoes of the Fallen only provides players with a few extra hours of gameplay, those hours are well spent both in and out of the Sagespire, an abandoned Fallen tower filled with multiple floors of engaging battles. Now, Square Enix is expanding the world of Final Fantasy 16 even more with The Rising Tide DLC, currently slated for a Spring 2024 release.

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Final Fantasy 16 Will Get More DLC in 2024

The Rising Tide Will Bring Players Face-to-Face With Leviathan

Final Fantasy 16's Echoes of the Fallen DLC may have taken players to the Sagespire to face Omega in what is arguably one of the game's best and most visually captivating boss fights, but the upcoming Rising Tide DLC is aiming to accomplish even more. Not only will The Rising Tide pit players against the legendary sea serpent Leviathan, but it will introduce a new location known as Misidia. While not many specific details about Rising Tide have been divulged, several assumptions can be made about it based on what Echoes of the Fallen brought to the game, as well as what is featured in the trailer for the two DLC packs.

The star of The Rising Tide will undoubtedly be Leviathan, a giant sea monster who has been one of Final Fantasy's most prominent creatures, perhaps second only to Bahamut. So far, the creature's appearance in Final Fantasy 16 has been limited to murals and a fleeting mention, so a boss fight with the mighty serpent should give it the role it deserves. Judging by the DLC's trailer, it looks like the encounter with Leviathan could be even more thrilling than the battle with Echoes of the Fallen's Omega, as it appears Clive will once again transform into Ifrit for the fight, unlike his battle with Omega in which he remained in human form.

...the encounter with Leviathan could be even more thrilling than the battle with Echoes of the Fallen's Omega...

Echoes of the Fallen's Sagespire is certainly satisfying to visit, primarily due to it answering the questions surrounding a mysterious inaccessible door that appeared in Final Fantasy 16's base game. However, it doesn't offer much beyond its massive halls and a few floors with scattered battle opportunities. The Rising Tide, on the other hand, will take players to Misidia, which appears to be a sizable open-world area that will likely contribute to a greater overall completion time than that of the Echoes of the Fallen DLC. Additionally, the price tag for The Rising Tide will most likely be at least double that of Echoes of the Fallen, which is rather revealing of the DLC's size in comparison.

Apart from the introduction of the Sagespire tower and the battle against Omega, Echoes of the Fallen provides players with a handful of new items. Among these new items is Cloud's famous Buster Sword from Final Fantasy 7, which can be used as a weapon or simply a cosmetic, as well as a variety of gear for players to acquire from chests in the tower. Based on what Echoes of the Fallen added to the game, it's likely The Rising Tide will do the same. While it's currently unknown what The Rising Tide will add, aside from a new location and boss, players can safely expect to see new items and gear included with the DLC when it releases.

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2024 Will Likely Mark The End of Final Fantasy 16's DLC Support

While many Final Fantasy 16 fans may have been looking forward to continued support for the revolutionary installment, its support is likely to end following the release of The Rising Tide. As studio head and producer Naoki Yoshida has recently confirmed Final Fantasy 16's development team has been disbanded, there is little hope for content to be added to the game beyond The Rising Tide. That being said, the game's main DLC team is still operational, according to Yoshida. Still, it's possible the DLC team's only responsibility was to get Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide together, so it may also disband thereafter.

The fact that Final Fantasy 16 will most likely not receive any further DLC after The Rising Tide seems like a missed opportunity. For instance, DLC could have been developed around Cid, one of the game's most popular characters, and his story before meeting Clive. Just as Final Fantasy 15 received regular DLC "episodes" featuring some of the base game's cast as playable characters, Final Fantasy 16 could have done the same. A separate DLC might have also told Jill's story from the events of the Night of Flames to the moment she reunited with Clive. While it certainly feels like lost potential, however, fans are still fortunate to have both Echoes of the Fallen and the upcoming The Rising Tide added to the game.

Whether the DLC team adds more content to Final Fantasy 16 after The Rising Tide remains to be seen. Despite that, Echoes of the Fallen has already proven to be a worthwhile adventure, so The Rising Tide will more than likely provide the same. Until its release, players who have yet to start a New Game Plus playthrough for Final Fantasy 16 can dive back into Valisthea one more time to prepare accordingly, as the upcoming fight with Leviathan will surely keep them on their toes.