Final Fantasy 16launched on the PlayStation 5 in June 2023 and received two expansions - Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide - before it reached its first anniversary. While the first DLC introduced a new dungeon full of tough enemies and bosses, Rising Tide includes a riveting narrative, new combat trials, and anunforgettable confrontation with the lost Eikon, Leviathan.

The events of The Rising Tide have little to no impact on the main campaign, but it is an excellent excuse to go on one last adventure with Clive, Jill, Torgal, and Joshua. With new weapons and gear to unlock, plusnew Eikon Abilities for Clive, this DLC is essential for anyone who fell in love with the original game’s combat and world-building.

Slight spoilers for Final Fantasy 16’s campaign are below. You should complete most of the game — everything before the final confrontation — before reading ahead.

When Can You Start The Rising Tide?

Once you purchase The Rising Tide DLC for $19.99 or the expansion pass, which also includes Echoes of the Fallen, for $24.99, you won’t be able to start the new adventureuntil you’ve cleared some prerequisites.

Just like Echoes of the Fallen,there are three things you must accomplish before gaining access to The Rising Tide. You need to haveaccess to Originon the world map and complete the side quests"Priceless"and"Where There’s A Will."

After all three of these boxes are checked off, you can initiate The Rising Tide quest by reading a mysterious letter on Clive’s reading table.

A Brand New World

An unmarked letter in Clive’s room notifies him thatLeviathan’s Dominant is in troubleand that he’ll need to travel to The Veil in Northreach to learn more. After finding their source, Clive, Jill, Joshua, and Torgal track down Shula, the one who sent the letter asking for help.

Shula quickly reveals thatshe is from Mysidia, a place that shelters a tribe that supposedly vanished many years ago.

Shula explains that the legendary Surge on Northreach’s horizon is actually a frozen wave summed by Leviathan thatnow keeps the Eikon and its Dominant as its prisoners.

After agreeing to help Shula, the party joins her for a boat ride, which reveals that Mysidia is protected from the rest of the world by a barrier that makes them invisible to the naked eye. Its blue skies and lush forests create a refreshing and welcoming atmosphere, unlike the gray clouds looming over Rosaria toward the end of Final Fantasy 16.

The Tragedy Of Leviathan

Once everyone arrives in Shula’s village, she explains what happened to Leviathan’s Dominant, Waljas. The Eikon awoke in Waljas shortly after he was born, andShula’s ancestors wanted to use him to their advantageimmediately. Sensing their evil intentions, Leviathan retaliated by summoning a giant wave that would have destroyed the entire area. The ancestors froze the wave and the Dominant in time, where they’ve remained for nearly a century.

Shula then leads the group to the core of the Surge, where they discover baby Waljas surrounded by a mystical power. Clive decides to use his abilities to take away Waljas Eikon andgains new abilities inspired by Leviathan. He immediately has an opportunity to test out these new skills when Perykos arrives to defend Waljas from harm.

Back at the village, Shula continues to explain what drove her ancestors to want to weaponize Leviathan in the first place. Many of her peoplewere massacred by the Greagorian churchwhen they attempted to settle down in Storm. The few that survived made important discoveries thatled them to Leviathan and a witch that gifted them the ability to stop time.

They planned on using this knowledge to create a new, eternal Mothercrystal, but it wouldcost the life of a child, which is what originally caused Leviathan to retaliate against them. Clive, Shula, Jill, and Torgal decide to head to the temple where the source of the spell is, while Joshua stays behind to protect the village in case anything goes wrong.

Storm Of The Century

Once they arrive at the temple, known as the Aire of Hours, the party faces agauntlet of tough enemies, culminating in a confrontation with Hreidmar. Once the battle is finished, Clive, Jill, Shula, and Torgal enter the main section of the temple, where time remains frozen.

After sensing a chill in the air, Clive and Jill realize thatthe witch who created the spell that stopped Leviathan was a Dominant of Shiva, and used her powers to literally freeze time. Suddenly, the Timekeeper arrives to stop the party from breaking the spell, but they prevail and attempt to weaken the magic enough to safely recover Waljas.

Time then freezes momentarily, and Ultima speaks to Clive about how Leviathan was defiled by man but is now back with a vengeance.A giant waterspout instantly appearsin the center of the Surge, and Clive heads out on his own toconfront the beast as Ifrit.

The two behemoths face off during an epic storm, and despite Levaithan’s size and power,Ifrit defeats the beast. Waljas floats into Clive’s arms, and they finally return the baby to its home where it can finally be loved by his community instead of being used for power.

Finally, A Happy Ending

In the bleak world of Final Fantasy 16, it’s rare to see a story with a happy ending.Waljas is finally home after being frozen for eighty yearsand can finally grow to live a normal life. Leviathan has been tamed and is no longer a threat to anyone, and Mysidia chooses to continue living in the shadows instead of revealing itself to the rest of the world.

If you want to see everything The Rising Tide has to offer,completing the ten main side questsin the Village will eventually unlock the “Water of Life” mission thatconnects this expansion with the other DLC. It’s revealed that Famiel - the dusk crystal merchant Clive had to save multiple times in Echoes of the Fallen - is actually Shula’s brother and back to help take part in an important ceremony for Waljas.