Monthly Archives: February 2021

Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker Announced for Fall 2021

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy 14's next expansion pack, Endwalker, will be released in Fall 2021. This new expansion pack will feature two new jobs, one healer and one melee DPS, and will bring players to the moon. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/06/final-fantasy-14-endwalker-teaser-trailer"] The new healer job is the Sage. There is no required class to play this new job that features floating weapons called Nouliths, but players must have at least one character up to level 70. The second new job will be revealed during the Final Fantasy XIV Digital Fan Festival 2021 that runs from May 14-15, 2021. The Fan Festival will also bring with it special in-game items, including the Lunar Whale Mount (the first 8-person Mounts!) and three Minions - Rydia, Edge, and Rosa.

Presenting Sage, the new healer job debuting in #Endwalker!
Watch the trailer in high resolution on YouTube! https://t.co/NvIPrLFvex pic.twitter.com/IBteZe16yE — FINAL FANTASY XIV (@FF_XIV_EN) February 6, 2021

Endwalker and Patch 6.0 will conclude the tale of Hydaelyn and Zodiark and will bring to a close the story that began in A Realm Reborn. Beginning with Patch 6.1, a brand-new story will begin in the world of Final Fantasy 14. Endwalker will also see the level cap raised to 90 and will feature "massive new areas" just waiting to be explored, including the imperial capital of Garlemald, Thavnair, and the city of Radz-at-Han. Fans of Final Fantasy X will also be happy to see the return of Anima as a new threat to face, and his design was recreated by his original creator. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=final-fantasy-xiv-endwalker-screenshots-and-artwork&captions=true"] A new high-difficulty raid - Pandæmonium - will also be added alongside a new Alliance Raid series that looks to reveal secrets of the world of Hydaelyn. The Trust system is also getting a new ally to recruit, and this time is Heavensward's Estinien Wyrmblood. Other additions include a new residential district known as Ishgard, upates to the Gold Saucer, a Island Sanctuary that looks surprisingly like Harvest Moon ("Raise animals, cultivate the earth, and learn to live off the land!"), and so much more.

FINAL FANTASY XIV is coming to PlayStation 5, with an open beta planned to launch on Tuesday, April 13, 2021!
Watch the trailer in high resolution on YouTube! https://t.co/cN6FFzAXN7 pic.twitter.com/Ozls8lTuff — FINAL FANTASY XIV (@FF_XIV_EN) February 6, 2021

A new Data Center Travel system is also in development and it will let you travel to other Worlds to play with friends. Finally, it was revealed that Final Fantasy 14 will officially be coming to PS5 on April 13, 2021, in Open Beta. While it is available now with backward compatibility, this version will be optimized for the new system. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

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Marvel’s Blade Revamp with Mahershala Ali Scores Watchmen Writer

Marvel has a writer for its upcoming Blade film. Stacy Osei-Kuffour, a writer on HBO’s Watchmen series, has been hired onto the MCU’s vampire franchise, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Osei-Kuffour has several credits for TV but her award-winning work on HBO's Watchmen is what brought her into prominence. She specifically co-wrote episode seven of Watchmen and worked as a story editor on all other episodes.

Her other writing credits include Amazon’s Nazi-hunting drama/Al Pacino vehicle Hunters, Emmy-nominated Pen15, and HBO’s Run.

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 14: Stacy Osei-Kuffour attends the Premiere Of HBO's "Watchmen" at The Cinerama Dome on October 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage)[/caption]

Osei-Kuffour was reportedly selected after a six-month search in which black writers were seriously considered, along with direct input from actor Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Marvel’s Luke Cage, True Detective), who will play Blade.

Ossei-Kuffour is also now the first black woman to write a Marvel movie. She follows in the footsteps of Captain Marvel’s Nia DaCosta, Marvel’s first black woman director.

The new Blade film will act as a reboot to the vampire Daywalker’s role in the MCU. The first Blade movie, starring Wesley Snipes, debuted in 1998 (spawning two sequels over the next four years), well before the formation of the MCU.

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The original trilogy was written by David Goyer, writer on the Dark Knight trilogy, Batman vs. Superman, and the Call of Duty Black Ops series.

If you need a refresher, check out our history of the vampire-hunting Daywalker, covering Blade’s comic book origins to the new movie. With the MCU attempting to branch out in significantly different creative directions, here’s what we think Marvel’s Blade could do differently for superhero cinema. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/daywalker (but not before 10am) for IGN.