I am once again asking you to play Granblue Fantasy: Relink, this time as developer Cygames drops its beefy Endless Ragnarok expansion. For too long, I let all the praise of this action-heavy party JRPG pass me by, and after finally succumbing to peer pressure I’m now adding my voice to the chorus enthusing you to do the same. As if the base game wasn’t more than enough to keep you satisfied for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours, the new DLC brings a fresh story, a combat summons system, extra quest tiers, more bosses, and additional ‘master traits’ to elevate your builds beyond previous limits.
At its heart, Granblue Fantasy: Relink falls somewhere between the methodical combat of Monster Hunter and the party-driven explosiveness of action-JRPGs like Xenoblade, Ys, or even Dragon’s Dogma. You could spend its entire main campaign mastering just a single character, or branch out across its vast swathe of other playable allies, each of whom has a full suite of attacks, skills, and a passive tree that would justify them being a protagonist in their own right. Add in some absolutely unforgettable set piece moments scattered throughout its main campaign, and Relink serves as the best introduction possible to the world of Granblue Fantasy.
However you like to play, Relink has got the answer. Do you want to be an unstoppable tank, smashing foes with your fists? Then Ghandagoza is your man. Prefer to snipe from range? Eugen lets you focus down weak points while your allies bear the brunt of the aggression. If you prefer a more flashy approach, Zeta dives through the air like a Final Fantasy Dragoon, while Ferry combines long-range whip attacks with a range of pets. Ride alongside a squad of computer-controlled teammates, or go online and tackle foes across myriad Monster Hunter style missions (now with crossplay support following today’s expansion-accompanying update); the choice is yours.
Whether you just saw the story to its conclusion and dipped out, or have spent hundreds of hours enjoying the endgame grind and additional narrative beats that Cygames drip-feeds throughout, Endless Ragnarok promises the thing I’ve been wanting most of all: a fresh main-line adventure. With that said, you’ll need to get through most of that post-game story (akin to Monster Hunter’s ‘high rank’ missions) in order to start your new journey. Unlike the base game, however, the expansion’s main questline does promise full co-op play.
The good news if you’ve yet to wrap everything up in the original progression is that there’s another big helping hand. This comes in the form of a new, roguelite-inspired mode called The Conflux. Along with being a unique challenge in its own right, The Conflux is designed to help you farm a lot of the more awkward materials and quickly get up to speed for Endless Ragnarok’s main quest. If you weren’t into the long-term grind required to earn the likes of Terminus Weapons, this is a welcome boon.
Alongside that, purchasing Endless Ragnarok will get you access to the new ‘Chaos’ difficulty of quests, along with the ability to summon allies in to aid you in battle. Some of these are key NPCs or powerful beasts, which you’ll get to take direct control of for a short while, while others are supportive sorts like cheering villagers and friendly cats that will provide buffs and assists to help you out from the sidelines.
The expansion also introduces six more characters to learn, including a couple of familiar faces from the main story that I’m very excited to get my hands on. There’s the new ‘master traits’ progression system to push you even further beyond the previous limits, and a whole range of additional trophies, sigils, stickers, and other rewards to earn.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok is out now, priced at $29.99 / £24.99 for the upgrade, or $59.99 / £49.99 if you buy it with the base game. You can grab them here. There’s also a demo available for the DLC if you want to try it out first.
I really can’t emphasize enough just how surprised I was by Relink, a game that kept growing on me the deeper I got. If you’ve yet to give it a go and are unsure about committing to the full thing, I’d certainly recommend giving at least the core experience a try – it’s regularly on sale, so keep your eyes peeled. If you’re an enthusiast, the DLC feels like an easy way to breathe even more life into what was already one of the most packed JRPGs around.