Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok is the first major expansion for Cygames’ popular mobile-game spinoff. The new expansion brings with it roughly 20 to 30 hours of new content that core players of the initial game will appreciate.
Let me preface this review by stating that the Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok content can be enjoyed by anyone, but is undoubtedly meant as endgame content. Not only does it take place after the events of the base game, but it features a swath of challenging new encounters and bosses that go above and beyond the difficulty of anything found in the base experience.
On that note, Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok gives veteran players plenty of tools that make the experience fun and challenging in equal measure. A whopping six new playable characters are introduced in Endless Ragnarok, including Beatrix, Eustace, Gallanza, Maglielle, Fraux and Fediel. Thankfully, the new Endless Ragnarok content in Granblue Fantasy: Relink makes it relatively easy to unlock said new characters. Characters like Maglielle and Gallanza, for example, can simply be unlocked by completing the episode 0 content found in the post-game, which for returning players should already be completed.
Other characters, like Fraux and Fediel, can be earned by just playing through the new story in Endless Ragnarok; however, impatient players can earn them early by using a character redemption crewmate card. The new roguelite Conflux area, which can be accessed via the back alley, guarantees a crewmate card, making it easy to get a head start on the new characters. Side quests found in the back alley can also reward players with crewmate cards, making it worthwhile to do them as they are fairly easy, only requiring the player to hunt some silver slime enemies and grind on the last boss of the second Conflux gauntlet.
The Conflux is the first major bit of new content, acting as a single-player-only roguelite arena, complete with pitstops between rounds, rewarding players with loot, the chance to heal, change up the party and decide on their route going forward. As a fan of roguelikes, I really enjoyed Conflux as it felt like a natural fit for Granblue Fantasy, while offering content that I could enjoy on my own leisure, without needing to squad up with friends.
“Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok gives veteran players plenty of tools that make the experience fun and challenging in equal measure. “
Hacking and slashing your way through rounds of the Conflux grants players unique modifiers that grant powerful boons and stat modifiers that smartly recycle old content in a fresh and addictive manner. On top of the roguelite boons, a new Resonance system has also been implemented, giving players even more temporary boons that affect future runs.
Finally, in terms of added levelling mechanics, the latest update for returning players with maxed-out characters wanting to experience the Endless Ragnarok content can now utilize the Master Traits system, which allows maxed-out characters to gain exclusive abilities that further augment them to new heights. Additionally, not every encounter within the Conflux is strictly a gauntlet of monster vs mettle, with some rooms changing up the formula with time-based platforming sequences, puzzles and other atypical challenges that feel new to Relink.
“Easily, my favourite aspect of the Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok DLC is the new characters, with characters like Beatrix and Fraux standing out to me…”
A brand-new Chaos-level difficulty has been added to the game, featuring a new monster type, the Ragnalia, which is your primary threat in the DLC content. Cygames does an okay job in introducing the new story content in Endless Ragnarok, but ultimately it feels more like a way to give players a chance to get to the gameplay. That said, however, some of the endgame sequences present in the DLC are well done, particularly in regard to those invested in the overarching multimedia push that makes up the world of Granblue Fantasy.
Easily, my favourite aspect of the Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok DLC is the new characters, with characters like Beatrix and Fraux standing out to me, with the former offering players a robust toolkit that gives her access to a paradigm-shifting mechanic that can take her from DPS to healer, giving her a ton of utility in battle. When it comes down to it, if you’re a fan of Granblue Fantasy: Relink proper, you most likely already have the Endless Ragnarok content, and those just discovering the game for the first time, such as Nintendo Switch 2 owners, can look forward to one of the best multiplayer action RPGs to come out in recent memory.
For those worried about the immense amount of side content and other media that Granblue Fantasy: Relink and, in turn, Endless Ragnarok pulls from, truth be told, my first and only experience with the franchise has been through Relink, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself. In other words, both Granblue Fantasy: Relink and Endless Ragnarok are gameplay-first experiences, making them suitable for anyone who wants a deep and rewarding action RPG experience.
