While Final Fantasy XVI may have ended on a rather definitive note, its DLC rollout explores much more of its world of Valisthea. The main story hinted at a few things that weren't addressed by the time the credits rolled, so the opportunity for additional content was quite clear. With the first of two DLC expansions, Echoes of the Fallen, released in December 2023, those who were eager to get back into the shoes of protagonist Clive for more of the stylish action-RPG combat had something to chew on. But it's the upcoming The Rising Tide DLC that will round out the whole package, letting you wield Leviathan as an Eikon power and answering more of the questions left behind by the base game. After playing through Echoes of the Fallen, I had a chance to speak with FFXVI DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka about the development of post-game content and what it means for the future of this particular entry in the storied franchise.

The first thing that stood out was how player feedback was accounted for soon after the game's launch. "We have intentionally changed the balancing of combat from that of the main game. Specifically, we've boosted the overall strength of the enemies in the DLC," Kujiraoka stated. This was abundantly clear in the boss fight against Omega, which was a treat for Final Fantasy sickos (especially of the MMORPG variety) but also a surprising challenge that took me multiple tries to finish. It was more difficult than any boss you encounter in the main story and borrows a lot of complex mechanics that reminded me of Final Fantasy XIV's raid bosses, and that helped the combat system shine once again.

Kujiraoka said that the team paid attention to the community playing FFXVI, saying, "In part, this is because we had set the enemy strength a little low in the main game to ensure that as many players as possible would be able to reach the ending. But, from player reactions and streams, it seemed to me that we could maybe push that enemy strength a little higher." He also mentioned that since both DLCs open up just before the final act of the base game, players will be experienced--though, I must admit, it took a little while to shake off the rust from returning to the game after months.