What is heavensward?

Heavensward: An Expansion of Final Fantasy XIV

Heavensward is the first major expansion for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Released in June 2015, it significantly expanded the game's world, story, and gameplay features. Here's a breakdown of key elements:

• Story: Heavensward's narrative shifts the focus to the Dragonsong War, a thousand-year conflict between Ishgard and the Dravanian Horde. Players journey to the closed nation of Ishgard, facing political intrigue, religious fanaticism, and the ever-present threat of the dragons. Important characters include: Haurchefant Greystone, Ysayle Dangoulus and Estinien Wyrmblood.

• New Areas: The expansion introduced several vast new zones, including the Coerthas Western Highlands, the Dravanian Forelands, the Dravanian Hinterlands, the Churning Mists, and the floating islands of Azys Lla. The ability to fly via flying mounts was introduced, opening up a completely new dimension of exploration.

• New Jobs: Heavensward added three new playable jobs: the Dark Knight (Tank), the Astrologian (Healer), and the Machinist (Ranged DPS). Each brought unique gameplay styles and mechanics to the game.

• Level Cap Increase: The level cap was raised from 50 to 60, providing players with new abilities, gear, and challenges to overcome.

• New Races: The Au Ra race was introduced, bringing a distinct aesthetic and lore to the game's character creation options.

• Raids: The expansion included new high-end raid content, most notably the Alexander raid series, which told its own self-contained story and provided challenging encounters for experienced players. There were also the Trials of the Heavensward expansion.

• Features: Heavensward also brought various quality-of-life improvements, new dungeons, and additions to crafting and gathering systems. These additions included the flying mounts.