Final Fantasy 14’s upcoming expansion hints at a significant link to Heavensward.

Square Enix has rolled out patch 7.56 for Final Fantasy 14, the final update before the highly anticipated Evercold expansion drops in January. With all the storylines from Dawntrail neatly tied up, this patch sets the stage for the next adventure. However, fans were taken by surprise when a character thought to be long gone made an unexpected appearance.

In patch 7.56, titled Trail to the Heavens, players will find themselves teleporting to the Fourth, a new icy realm that will be central to Evercold. This marks the first time adventurers have ventured into this parallel world. During the teleportation sequence, players catch a fleeting glimpse of a figure resembling Ysayle Dangoulain, a character who met her tragic end at the conclusion of the 2015 Heavensward expansion. Initially, it seemed like a flashback, but a closer look reveals that Ysayle is sporting a brand-new outfit, indicating this is a fresh asset in the game. This raises the intriguing possibility that she may play a significant role in Evercold. But the big question remains: is it truly Ysayle?

For those hoping for her return, there’s a mix of good and bad news. The downside is that the community largely agrees this likely isn’t the original Ysayle from Heavensward. Even the Warrior of Light mentions having “a vision of a woman who looked like Ysayle,” highlighting that it’s not actually her. On the upside, she could still be connected in some way. The lore of Final Fantasy 14 has established that the world is fragmented into various shards, which are parallel realities like the Fourth. Souls have also been divided across these shards, meaning that characters like Ardbert from Shadowbringers and the Warrior of Light are different facets of the same soul. So, whoever this enigmatic woman is in the Fourth, she’s likely a shard of Ysayle.

This connection could deepen the parallels between Evercold and Heavensward. It’s no coincidence that the Warrior of Light’s companions during Trail to the Heavens are Alphinaud and Estinien, both key figures from Heavensward who had ties to Ysayle. This also opens the door for the potential return of other characters in similar ways, though the community might not be ready to see a version of Haurchefant alive and kicking.

Chocobo in the dungeon.