Final Fantasy XIV expansion Stormblood is available to download for free – albeit for a limited time only.
If you’re one of the millions of people that reside in Final Fantasy XIV's surprisingly huge player base, you might like the sound of Square Enix’s latest offer. Stormblood, the game’s second expansion originally released in 2017, is now available to download for free.
You’ll have to be a subscriber to the MMORPG already, though, and the offer is only available for a limited time – until 8 May, to be precise. As Eurogamer points out, you’ll also have to be mindful of which version of Final Fantasy XIV you’re playing before you download the expansion, too, since the Steam edition is regarded as a separate platform from the non-Steam PC version.
The failure-and-redemption story behind Final Fantasy XIV is almost like something from the game itself. A version of the MMO first emerged in 2010, and was met with such a negative response that Square Enix was forced to apologise for it a year later. A reboot was hurriedly put into production that year, with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn launched in August 2013.
Directed by Naoki Yoshida, the new Final Fantasy XIV was praised as a huge improvement over its predecessor, and the biannual updates it’s received since have only served to refine and deepen the experience. At the time of writing, it’s estimated that a shade over 1.6 million players log into the game each day – which is good going, given it’s a subscription-based MMO competing against a formidable lineup of free-to-play fantasy titles.
Stormblood’s free-to-download DLC should keep newer players amused util the next major patch emerges. Patch 6.4, The Dark Throne, is due for release in late May this year.
You can find out how to get hold of your digital copy of Stormblood on Square Enix’s website.
