With Final Fantasy XV fast approaching its first birthday, it’s only safe to assume that, by now, most fans of the series have long since seen Noctis’ story through to its bittersweet end and moved on to pastures new. Square Enix, on the other hand, isn’t quite done with the most recent entry in its flagship franchise. In fact, the developer is currently hard at work on a sizeable expansion to the title that was first announced last year.
Comrades, as we now know it to be called, is the fourth DLC scheduled to be released for Final Fantasy XV, but whereas past add-ons have dealt with introducing side stories for Noctis’ accompanying troupe of adventurers, Comrades will allow you to team up with your real friends in the form of online multiplayer.
Presumably, Square still requires a sizeable amount of time to get the expansion finished and out the door, but it is holding a closed beta starting next week in order to give fans a taster of what’s to come. Owning the game’s $25 season pass and an active Xbox Live Gold or PS Plus subscription will grant you access to the beta, which is due to run from August 3-8 for both platforms.
As for the content you’ll be sampling, Square says players will be able to create their own avatars and take them on a variety of different quests with up to three other players. What exactly these entail remains to be seen, but as one screenshot released features a group taking on two gargantuan Behemoth at once, it’s unlikely you’ll be picnicking. Royal Sigils, several weapon types and the all-important camping feature will feature, however, the latter of which will be your starting point and the location of a tutorial.
Square has yet to provide an official release date for Comrades, but with a third story DLC – Episode Ignis – due to arrive for Final Fantasy XV in December, an early 2018 window is looking to be most likely.