Square Enix unveils Final Fantasy XIV Evercold expansion, Bastion class, Switch 2 launch
Square Enix announced the sixth expansion for Final Fantasy XIV, titled Evercold, at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin. The expansion is slated for a worldwide release in January 2027 and will add a new main‑tank job called Bastion, which wields two large shields known as Skyltborg and is linked to a new combat mode, Evolved, alongside the existing Reborn mode.
Evercold also introduces three new zones—Naglfar (Water Realm), Hringhorni (Fire Realm) and the city Fargarth—plus a series of collaborative raids: a "Beyond the Lifestream" raid chain with the Final Fantasy VII Remake and an "Ghosts of Desire" alliance raid with Neon Genesis Evangelion. Additionally, a version for Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on 4 August 2026 with a separate monthly subscription and no requirement for Nintendo Switch Online, while PlayStation 4 support will end after Patch 8.3.
Entities: Bastion · Bastion class · Berlin · Evercold · Evercold expansion · Final Fantasy XIV · Naoki Hamaguchi · Naoki Yoshida · Nintendo Switch 2 · Square Enix
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The new class Bastion will be a tank using two large shields called skyltborg. (Naoki Yoshida)
- [● 4 SOURCES] A new combat mode called Evolved will be introduced alongside the existing Reborn system. (Naoki Yoshida)
- [● 4 SOURCES] A version of the game for Switch 2 was confirmed for release. (Square Enix)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Evercold adds new zones: Naglfar (Water Realm), Hringhorni (Fire Realm), and the city Fargarth. (Square Enix)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Square Enix announced the sixth expansion “Evercold” for Final Fantasy XIV. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Players will have freedom to choose the order of visiting certain zones, with adaptive content scaling. (Square Enix)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Evercold is scheduled for release in January 2027. (Square Enix)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The announcement was made at the inaugural speech of the Final Fantasy XIV Festival 2026 in Berlin. (Square Enix)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The “Evercold” expansion is scheduled for release in January 2027. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The expansion introduces a new tank class called “Bastion” that uses two large shields. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Players can choose between the new “Evolved” combat mode and the existing “Reborn” mode. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The announcement was made at the Final Fantasy XIV Festival 2026 in Berlin. (All articles)