"Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker" does something unprecedented in the MMO genre: since its release in 2010 (which was subsequently remade into the vastly improved "A Realm Reborn" in 2013), has been slowly building toward a planetary-scale showdown between the Warriors of Light (the players) and the complex but mostly evil Asians, or what's left of them.

The story of previous expansions has usually carried over into the post-launch updates released every few months after that expansion's release. Endwalker, however, is different. Everything is resolved during the main story campaign, and the post-launch updates instead focus on an entirely new story arc. Since it is anyone's guess what will happen, I felt the urge to ask game director Naoki Yoshida. [Over the course of its 10+ year history, we've been able to tie up a lot of loose ends. At the climax, more questions will be answered and people will understand the reasons behind many things that existed throughout the story. "That said, there are areas of the planet Hidaerin that we have yet to explore. There are continents yet to be discovered, areas yet to be explored. There is potential there. In the story of "Shadowbringer," we learned that the Crystal Tower not only serves as a portal to distant realms, such as those divided by the First and Sanders, but also allows for time travel, where one can return to the past or the future. So there are still many possibilities left to be explored."

It's a vague teaser, but as an 11-year FF14 player, the possibilities are tantalizing - especially the idea that time travel might be possible to another era of Eorzea's history.

Since the Endwalker storyline is primarily about an impending apocalypse, I wanted to know if the climax would lead to something world-changing. For example, when the original version of Final Fantasy 14 first went offline, Square Enix wrote into the story that the old world was obliterated by a giant dragon wrapped in the moon. Such a thing will never happen again, Yoshida said. It will not be like right after "Endwalker" when everyone gets amnesia or the meteor Dalamud falls one more time and the kingdom is destroyed again. Such incidents will not happen again, rest assured."

"I'm not going to deny everything that happened [in the story]," Yoshida added. We're not going to deny the adventures you've traveled, the characters you've met along the way, the accomplishments you've achieved through your journey. So when you're thinking about moving on to the next chapter of that story, you can consider that this is still happening in the same universe."

It is exciting that Final Fantasy 14 is about to undergo such a major transition. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Endwalker will also be released on November 23, months behind schedule. Especially since the last story patch for Shadowbringer is being released this week. To pass the time, Yoshida strongly recommends replaying all previous expansions and the main story of A Realm Reborn.

"There is a New Game Plus mode. 'When you jump into Endwalker, you can play previous expansions and main story chapters to keep them fresh in your mind.' We feel that helps with the enjoyment."

"By now you're familiar with characters like Lahavrea and Elidibus, they've been around for a long time," Yoshida added. After experiencing what we learned in "Shadowbringer" and going back and reviewing the earlier parts of the story, some of the lines they said may have a different meaning. Another thing to keep in mind might be when and how many times Hyderin calls out to you. Also, the job quests might be a good thing to look at as a story experience as well, since there are a lot of characters (in the endwalker) that some may have skipped over."

Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker will be released on November 23, 2021. Those who pre-order can play a few days early.