Final Fantasy XVI Echoes of the Fallen DLC Review – An Intense and Challenging Journey Through The Sagespire

Announced during this year’s The Game Awards, Echoes of the Fallen is the first DLC for Final Fantasy XVI that adds a brand new endgame dungeon with Omega as the Super Boss.

Accessing the DLC

Echoes of the Fallen is an endgame DLC that can only be accessed once players reach the endpoint of the main game, more specifically after all the Mothercrystals in Valisthea have been destroyed and the Origin appears on the World Map. Additionally, players will need to complete both the side missions: Where There’s a Will and Priceless.

Special Missions in Echoes of the Fallen have been given a purple coloured icon much like the Main Scenario symbol so that players would not miss out on it.

Players who have already finished the game can still be able to access the DLC through old save data right before the fight with Ultima. For players in NG+, be ready for a more challenging experience as this DLC is designed to provide an intense combat through endgame dungeons with bosses that must not be underestimated.

The Sagespire

The clue that Echoes of the Fallen left long before the DLC was officially announced with the existence of a Fallen tower in the Rosaria region, and how it was even marked on the World Map. Even so, the tower was inaccessible, which certainly invites fans’ curiosity about a potential DLC. Lo and behold, the tower did in fact end up being the main focus of the DLC and is presented as a new dungeon called The Sagespire.

Before finally adventuring to this tower, Clive and his group had investigated the spread of the Dusk Crystal since the emergence of Origin. It was discovered that this Crystal still had a similar use to conjure up magic, however the quality was so poor that it could only be used once, which impacted many people. The source of this problem arose from the birth of a new Mothercrystal, which was the creation of the Fallen in Sagespire, and how the crystals inside began to spread due to the actions of a tribal representative led by a new original character named Famiel.

While it provides an interesting context for the main story and with its own character, the focus of this DLC puts a spotlight on the combat while adventuring the dungeon. As usual, the dungeon is still linearly designed with no puzzle challenges or branching routes that often force you to backtrack. However, there are more mini-boses that are challenging and would test your mettle, with some of them focusing on melee and ranged attacks, so players will need to adapt on the fly when exploring the dungeon.

This also applies to the normal enemies that players would encounter, as some of them are able to cast Hearthflame magic to protect their allies with flying Spheres that can hurt you if you engage in close combat. These spheres of Hearthflame can be destroyed, but it is recommended to use magic from a distance to do so. The rest of the combat offers a satisfying pacing as well as challenges offered, especially with the new mini-bosses are better mechanically designed than in the main game.

An example being the use of an AoE marker in several bosses that are even more reminiscent to the critically acclaimed MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV. Even so, it is a little unfortunate how some of the other mini-bosses are essentially clones of the ones that players have previously fought.

Omega

The main selling point of the DLC is definitely the presence of Omega. It returns as the final super boss for the new dungeon that guards the Mothercrystal made by the Fallen, making Omega an honorary Eikon. While the DLC does not actually bring in new Eikon battles, it felt far from disappointing as the new boss battles prove to be exciting and intense when controlling Clive.

This was especially prominent when entering the final phase of the Omega boss fight, which proves to command attention from players to be able to launch as many combos and dishing out dmaage, while avoiding the consecutive attacks. Every second counts as the final phase has a very limited timer and players will always be pushed to the last moment before Omega is ready to launch its Ultimate attack that will definitely cause a Game Over.

Omega is without a shadow of a doubt the hardest boss in Final Fantasy XVI, even surpassing Ultima and the rest of the bosses from the Hunting Board. Aside from its massive HP pool, players will also be faced with several phases and increasingly intense levels of challenge until the final struggle to thwart Omega Protocol’s magic. It is an exhilarating fight, accompanied by an equally intense soundtrack. The presence of this boss also manages to solve one of the complaints that the game had regarding its difficulty where players felt it was too easy.

New Collectibles

With a new DLC, it also comes with various new Collectibles that you can get. Some of them include legendary accessories that players can collect by exploring the Sagespire, as well as rare materials needed for crafting the Omega Weapon. This new weapon is the strongest one that you can get in the first playthrough with Attack and Stagger stats at 410. A much better option than Gotterdammerung especially considering how complicated the process to obtain it.

Some of the new Echoes of the Fallen soundtrack is also available as an Orchestrion Roll that players can play in Hideaway, of which I personally enjoy The Worm Mounts track with its ethereal and cosy feel.

Verdict

The scale of content offered in Echoes of the Fallen DLC is relatively small, especially considering how players can complete it in about three to four hours. However, despite its short adventure, I was presented with a side adventure that was pretty memorable, as well as proving to be a solid warm-up before the eventual fight against Ultima. Personally speaking, this DLC could have been a sequel story rather than it being placed before the ending, but on the other hand this felt to be a much rewarding experience for those who may have just tried Final Fantasy XVI and expected more challenges from a real endgame dungeon.

The DLC itself was reasonably priced, though it is recommended to pick up the Expansion Pass bundle. The Rising Ride looks to be packaged as DLC with more focus on a new story with the presence of Leviathan, not including a brand new region to explore.

But considering that both DLCs take place before the ending of the main game, it might be better to re-experience Final Fantasy XVI by playing the two new DLCs simultaneously, especially for potential newcomers. With a targeted release date of Spring 2024, players won’t need to wait for long to try out The Rising Tide DLC.

Final Fantasy XVI Echoes of the Fallen DLC was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

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