FFXIV 2026 Fan Fest keynote recap: Evercold, Evangelion and everything announced

Square Enix producer Naoki Yoshida had a lot to reveal during Final Fantasy XIV's first 2026 Fan Fest, and FFXIV 8.0 plus the game's Switch 2 port were just the start. Yoshida outlined a massive slate of changes coming to FFXIV when Evercold launches in January. These include long-requested improvements to item progression, an expanded free trial, new combat mechanics, and a lot more.

Some of the biggest reveals were in name only, like changes to field designs and new combat options, but Square Enix says it will share more details in the coming months.

FFXIV x Evangelion Alliance Raid

Image: Square Enix

Yoshida revealed FFXIV 8.0's Alliance Raid, and it's a collaboration with the classic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Alliance Raids are FFXIV's 24-person challenges, and they tend to alternate between Final Fantasy-specific references (like Dawntrail's Final Fantasy XI raid series) and crossovers, like the NieR Automata series from Shadowbringers. Yoshida said that Square Enix is handling the series' development, but Evangelion's producer will supervise. Alliance Raids typically span the entirety of a patch cycle — Dawntrail's ends with patch 7.5 — but Yoshida didn't have specific dates for this collaboration.

FFXIV's free trial is expanding again

Square Enix will expand FFXIV's free trial up to patch 5.5, which includes the entirety of the critically acclaimed Shadowbringers expansion. The free trial comes with limits, like not being able to access the in-game item marketplace, but you can still play the base game and four of its expansions without paying a monthly fee.

FFXIV Evercold concept art

Yoshida also shared a lot of concept art teasing Evercold locations — most of which aren't covered in ice, despite what the initial trailer showed — and some design concepts for new gear and a cat tribe.

Time-friendly progression

Image: Square Enix

Yoshida said one of the team's primary goals with FFXIV 8.0 is making it easier for people to fit the game into their schedules. Daily duties are getting axed in favor of a new weekly progression system where you can see available quests and missions, such as clearing a dungeon, completing a side quest, or finishing a main scenario quest, as well as the activity points you get from them. Some missions are repeatable, though others (like finishing main scenario quests) are one-time things. Raising your activity level earns you access to new gear in a bid to replace the overwhelming and archaic Allagan Tomestone system in place up to now. Square Enix is considering a system that lets you earn activity points for a previous week's rewards, too.

Square Enix hopes these changes will "minimize the content gap" that's been inherent to item progression so far, where people stick to specific kinds of challenges, like raids, and ignore everything else. Then, during patches where there are no raids, they feel like they have nothing to do.

Introducing FFXIV seasons

Seasons are one of the more vague changes Yoshida announced. It's not a season pass, and the game isn't turning into a free-to-play grindfest. Seasons are kind of just a better way to package each expansion. Yoshida said that a patch cycle's even and odd numbered patches (like 8.0 and 8.1) will be grouped together as one season. Patches and what they usually contain won't change, though, so you'll still get raids, allied society quests, and all that stuff.

8.0 character customization and job progression changes

Square Enix is building on Dawntrail's graphical overhaul in some big ways for Evercold, alongside some streamlined job progression improvements.

• Characters will be fully posable in the customization screen (currently, you can only rotate them)
• You'll have far more character creation options, including hair and skin tone color selections, layered face paint, and more control over eyes — iris size, shadowing, and so on
• You can reflect your highest-level items from one job to another, which means you don't have to go out and grind to get high-level items specific to your second (or third or fourth) job
• Gear items come with toggles that let you turn off certain features, like scarves or belts, so you can tailor your outfits in more ways
• New "character action skins" are a thing, special animations you can customize your character with so they play during certain interactions

New evolved combat option

Starting in FFXIV 8.0, you'll have Reborn Mode and Evolved Mode combat options. Reborn Mode is just standard FFXIV combat for all existing 21 jobs (excluding Blue Mage and Beastmaster). Evolved Mode will also be added to them, and all jobs from 8.0 on will only feature Evolved Mode. Yoshida was cagey about this change and didn't provide any specifics, beyond saying Evolved Mode reduces button bloat and adds new actions and rotations. Expect more details during July's Fan Fest.

New 8.0 jobs and other teases

Yoshida briefly outlined other improvements that Square Enix will share more about later this year. These include:

• Two new jobs in 8.0 — a tank and a physical ranged DPS
• Improved field zones, with "more dynamic" FATEs and events designed to create a feel of "mastering" an area
• Changes to Alliance Raids so they're less demanding on your time, but they won't be shortened
• New gear and crafting recipes
• Same-region matchmaking, so you can play with people on any data center and world in your region. Previously, cross-center world play was only possible if you traveled to another world. This change will make it easier to queue for dungeons and raids without making you take extra steps.