FFXIV: Evercold Brings a New Job, FFVII and Evangelion Crossovers, and a January 2027 Launch Out of Fan Fest Berlin

Square Enix turned the FFXIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin into a full news dump on July 25, and the headline is that the next expansion, Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold, now has a January 2027 launch window plus a fat stack of reveals behind it. The extended teaser trailer set the tone, but the real meat was the new Bastion job, a pair of Norse themed zones, a brand new city, and not one but two collaboration partners that the community has been begging for. It is the kind of keynote that reminds you FFXIV still moves the MMO market even when the genre feels sleepy. For a game that just shipped its Switch 2 port, this is a confident, content heavy roadmap.

The Bastion Job Steps Up, With a Second Job Still Hidden

The big gameplay reveal was the Bastion, a brand new job that starts at level 90 and slots into Evercold endgame from day one. Square Enix showed off its kit during the keynote, leaning into a fantasy archetype that fits the expansion Norse mythology dressing. The studio also confirmed this is not the only new job coming, because the final job for Evercold will be revealed later at the Tokyo Fan Fest. Holding one back for Tokyo is a smart bit of staging, since it guarantees the next Fan Fest gets its own headline moment instead of being an afterthought. For players who main a single role, the tease of a second job is the detail that will keep the speculation threads running for months.

Norse Mythology Takes Over the Map

Evercold is clearly leaning hard into Norse mythology, and the zone names alone give it away. The keynote revealed Hringhorni, billed as the Realmship of Fire, and Naglfar, the Realmship of Water, both pulled straight from Norse legend where Hringhorni is the ship of the god Baldr and Naglfar is the vessel built from the nails of the dead. There is also a brand new city called Fargarth, which gives the expansion a fresh social hub to anchor its story beats. The Collector Edition even tosses in a Köttr mini plush and a Valhallar Odin mount, more Norse deep cuts that signal Square Enix is committing to the theme across cosmetics and not just set dressing. After Dawntrail brighter palette, this colder, myth heavy direction feels like a deliberate tonal reset.

Two Crossovers the Community Actually Wanted

The collaboration news is where the keynote really landed. Square Enix confirmed a Final Fantasy VII remake series collaboration with FFXIV, which lines up with the broader FFVII Remake momentum and gives players a chance to see Midgar flavored content inside the MMO. On top of that, the EVANGELION collaboration, titled Ghosts of Desire, brings the long requested anime crossover into the game with its own trailer. Landing both a flagship Square Enix franchise and a landmark anime property in a single expansion is a strong hand, and it is the sort of crossover pairing that gets lapsed players to log back in. The community reaction made it obvious these were the reveals people cared about most.

Collector Bundle and the Switch 2 Timing

Square Enix also pulled back the curtain on the Evercold Collector Bundle, which pairs the physical Collector Box with the digital Collector Edition. The physical side includes a Warrior of Light Reaper statue, a special box featuring artwork by Yoshitaka Amano, a tapestry depicting the landscape of the Fourth, an Ethos metal keychain, and a Köttr mini plush. The digital side hands over the Crystal Skyltborg Bastion weapon, the Valhallar Odin mount, and the Entreat Crystal emote. The reveal landed right after Square Enix confirmed FFXIV launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on August 4, with pre-orders already live. Stacking the Switch 2 port this close to the expansion window is a clear play to widen the player base before Evercold lands in January 2027.

The Community Is Loud and Positive

Reaction across social media was overwhelmingly positive within minutes of the keynote wrapping. Players called the Berlin showcase amazing and said they had not been this excited for a game in a long time, while others zeroed in on the FFVII and Evangelion crossovers as the highlights. Several fans immediately started dissecting the Norse influences and speculating that Tetsuya Nomura might draw the key art for the first major patch. The Evangelion news in particular drew a loud response, since it is one of the most requested collaborations in the history of the game. With well over a handful of independent reactions all pointing the same direction, this reads as a genuine win rather than a polite round of applause.

The CriticalPixel Take

FFXIV keeps doing the thing its rivals keep failing at, which is treating an expansion like a real event instead of a content checklist. The Bastion job, the Norse themed zones, and a second job still hidden for Tokyo give players concrete reasons to stay subscribed, while the FFVII and Evangelion crossovers pull in the curiosity crowd. Square Enix is also being smart about timing, sliding the Switch 2 port in ahead of the expansion to grow the audience. If there is a caution flag, it is that January 2027 is still a ways off, and MMO players are famously restless between expansions. But on the strength of this Berlin keynote, Evercold looks like the safest bet in the genre right now.

The bottom line is that Fan Fest Berlin delivered a dense, confident roadmap for the next chapter of FFXIV. Between a new job, a myth heavy setting, two major crossovers, and a Collector Bundle aimed squarely at collectors, Square Enix gave the community plenty to chew on until Tokyo. We will be watching for the second job reveal and any hard release date as January 2027 creeps closer. For now, Evercold has momentum, and FFXIV players have every reason to feel good about where the game is headed.