Final Fantasy 14 is getting an Evangelion raid series, and shamelessly I'm even more excited for it than anything else in the MMO's Evercold expansion

Final Fantasy 14 Evangelion alliance raid — (Image credit: Square Enix)

Now that Square Enix has lifted the veil on its brand-new Final Fantasy 14 expansion, Evercold, with a release date set for January 2027, everyone is understandably excited for all its new content – especially the Evangelion crossover raids.

Or, well, maybe I'm just especially excited for them, but still. As director Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida revealed during today's big keynote showcase at Fan Fest 2026 in Anaheim, California, Final Fantasy 14 is indeed getting a new Evangelion raid series – one that apparently will "span all multiple tiers" – and I can't wait.

It feels like the big NieR Automata raid set – the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse series – from Shadowbringers, but somehow even better. There's no telling what wild mech boss encounters we might see yet, but it's huge news nonetheless for those of us still avidly into the anime, which is one of the most influential of all time, from the '90s.

FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Anaheim - Day 1 - YouTube

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Although Yoshi-P doesn't give us a solid release date for the alliance raid, it's likely to drop either with Evercold or as part of an 8.0x patch later down the line. For reference, the NieR crossover first commenced with 5.1 – so not exactly with the Shadowbringers launch, but a few months on, beginning with The Copied Factory (I'm so sorry to all who experienced this with me fresh).

Again, when it comes to the Evangelion raid series, we don't know too much yet. I've got my fingers crossed that Square Enix will go all out with it, though. I mean, it does appear to be fully themed – just listen to that reveal music. I'm also remaining hopeful about some fresh Evangelion-esque glams, like those from the NieR raids.

Only time will truly tell what we get, I suppose. Thankfully, January isn't all that far off as it's just at the turn of the next year, and the Final Fantasy 14 Evangelion raids should (I'd like to think, at least) arrive with Evercold or shortly after.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.