Final Fantasy 16 takes a unique approach to many of the series’ most well-known concepts, twisting and modernizing them into a modern Dark Fantasy epic. Alongside this tonal approach, developer Square-Enix injected the title with a deep and complicated mythology, which saw certain individuals, called Dominants, gifted with the ability to conjure and command powerful Eichons, the title’s summons. However, at the heart of this ability lies a dark secret, which players see unveiled and thoroughly concluded in Final Fantasy 16’s final chapters. Despite this, DLC chapters were announced, which were said to add to the title’s mythology. While the first DLC, Echoes of the Fallen, accomplished this feat, the recently detailed second chapter, Rising Tide, has left fans questioning how its plot and characters can logically fit within the original narrative. When it releases in April 2024, Final Fantasy 16's Rising Tide DLC has a lot of explaining to do.

Final Fantasy 16 tells the tale of brothers Clive and Joshua Rosfield, who seek to destroy the land of Valisthea's mothercrystals, the source of Dominants’ abilities, and stop the world-ending plot of the god-like Ultima. However, the title's endgame reveals that destroying the crystals, and their Eikonic abilities, is part of Ultima's plan. After Clive has destroyed them all, and combined their power, Ultima reveals that they created both humanity and the mothercrystals to cast a spell that would remake the world, destroying all who currently inhabit it. This narrative, while convoluted, made sense alongside the title’s major events and objectives, but the recently announced Rising Tide DLC throws a wrench into the whole operation.

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FF16's Rising Tide DLC Resurrects a Lost Legend

Throughout the main narrative of Final Fantasy 16, Clive encounters and overcomes the Dominants of various powerful Eichons. By the title's end, he is host to eight of the nine known Eichons, with the last, Leviathan considered lost long ago. To fans' surprise, the first trailer for the Rising Tide DLC wastes no time in depicting Leviathan as alive and well, showcasing Clive's use of its Eikonic abilities in various battles. Also, the trailer reveals Mysidia, an entire region not found on the map of the original narrative.

Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide appears to follow a narrative where the people of Mysidia forge a new Mothercrystal for themselves, through the sacrifice of a child. This Mothercrystal, hypothetically, is then bound to Leviathan, forcing the Eikon into the role shared by its counterparts in other regions. Within the trailer, a character tells Clive that Leviathan deserves better than what their people have forced upon him. However, it's Ultima that offers the most insight into Rising Tide's plot, as they describe Leviathan as their most profaned fragment before remarking that the hand of God, Clive, will redeem the sins of those involved in Leviathan's presence. This also sheds light on another concept fans have been left to ponder, which is how Leviathan's presence will affect FF16's ending.

Rising Tide Will Not Impact FF16's Original Ending

Despite resurrecting a long-thought-dead Eikon and adding a new region to the map, the Rising Tide DLC will not alter Final Fantasy 16's original ending. FF16 director Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida has stated that the point of the DLC isn't to change the ending, but to expand on the game's world and mythology. Given the one-on-one final battle between Clive and Ultima, in which each uses identical Eikonic abilities against each other, it stands to reason that Leviathan's powers, and therefore the Eikon itself, will not travel beyond the region of Mysidia. With the Eikon playing no part in Ultima's true plans, nor being present in the final battle, Rising Tide's new abilities and characters will likely not venture outside its central location.

It remains to be seen just how Leviathan and the region of Mysidia will fit into Final Fantasy 16's mythology, but Rising Tide seemingly leaves the door open to a new level of depth in the title's lore. The creation of a new Mothercrytal by the inhabitant of Valisthea, through sacrifice, is a compelling mystery all its own. Given the original crystals' divine origins, this new crystal's connection to an Eikon has major implications for Valisthea's future. The future of FF16 may be exactly what Rising Tide is meant to address, as a Senior Representative at Square-Enix recently hinted that a third FF16 DLC may be in the works. Fans will need to wait until the Rising Tide DLC's release next month to definitively discover how Leviathan and Mysidia fit into Final Fantasy 16’s narrative, and what events, if any, lead to both being absent by the title's conclusion.

Final Fantasy 16

Final Fantasy 16 is an action RPG developed by Square Enix. Set in the land of Valisthea, six different factions are on the brink of war due to a spreading disease known as the Blight. Much of the plot revolves around summoned monsters called Eikons, who are controlled by unique humans called Dominants.