Set to touch down on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on Thursday, July 9, Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok is a massive new expansion built to significantly evolve the high-flying action RPG that first captivated players in 2024.

At a recent press event, we had the chance to experience the new additions coming to Endless Ragnarok firsthand through an exclusive developer presentation and an early hands-on gameplay session.

For newcomer captains eager to take to the skies, a playable demo of the main Granblue Fantasy: Relink title is now available on PlayStation Store.

Dynamic character synergy power-up the evolved battle System

Endless Ragnarok injects a wealth of new content into the experience, introducing an all-new story arc, new playable characters, the game-changing Summon battle mechanic, a punishing new quest difficulty, the Master Trait progression tree, and a dedicated single-player endgame mode called the Conflux.

The expansion adds six fan-favorite faces to the playable roster: Gallanza, Maglielle, Beatrix, Eustace, Fraux, and Fediel. In addition to these allies, players will square off against formidable new skybound threats, including iconic bosses like Beelzebub and The World.

The new Summon system unleashes fresh tactical depth and spectacle

The crown jewel of Endless Ragnarok’s new mechanics is undoubtedly the Summon system. By equipping summons, earned as you progress through the narrative, you can call upon various characters during battle and take control of them. Because your character gains complete invincibility while a summon is active, this mechanic works beautifully not just as a devastating offensive push, but as a clutch counter against a boss’s most lethal attacks. With a diverse lineup of summons offering specialized roles in offense, crowd control, and support, your tactical options have never been broader.

The visual spectacle reaches a fever pitch with the introduction of Primal Burst. When your party performs a full chain of Skybound Arts under specific conditions, Lyria will unleash a powerful follow-up attack through a summon.

Battles heat up under the punishing new Chaos difficulty

For our hands-on session, we booted up a save file positioned right at the opening act of the Endless Ragnarok storyline. The moment the curtain rises on this new chapter, the quest counter unlocks its highest, most unforgiving difficulty rank: Chaos. In a terrifying show of force, even the very first quest—which functions as a tutorial for the expansion’s mechanics—plunges you straight into Chaos-level danger. Quests in this tier feature merciless new adversaries, like the apocalyptic beasts ragnalia, and bosses will aggressively utilize a terrifying, unique ability known as EX Burst.

When a boss enemy’s body radiates a distinct purple aura, it is your cue that an EX Burst is imminent. Facing these catastrophic attacks for the first time brings an incredible amount of tension. However, reading the telegraphs, discovering the counter-strategies, and perfectly timing your dodge windows to turn a crisis into an opening is exactly where Relink’s combat system shines. Veterans who have completely mastered the original game and crave high-stakes encounters will absolutely live for this thrill.

Conquer the Sky Realm by mastering your Summons

During our demo run, we had the opportunity to take the primal beasts Furycane and Managarmr out for a spin.

While Furycane requires a massive chunk of the summon gauge to activate, its rapid-fire slashes and tracking tornado combos are devastatingly potent. Closing the gap with a rushing strike before immediately transitioning into a flawless, high-damage combo feels incredibly smooth, and its massive scale on the screen delivers the pure, larger-than-life thrill of a premier summon battle.

Managarmr, by contrast, moves with a heavier, more deliberate pace, but it proves immensely dependable by automatically burying the field in a ferocious blizzard just as its summon duration expires. Because this attack inflicts the Glaciate status effect, it freezes enemies dead in their tracks, giving you a perfect window for crowd control. It is a fantastic example of how summons can be used for deep, defensive strategy rather than just raw firepower.

Crucially, equipping summons does more than just let you call for backup; they also bestow a variety of passive traits and skill effects upon your captain. Once players begin amassing a vast collection of these summons later in the game, theorycrafting the ultimate combination of passive stats and active summon timings is bound to become an absolute obsession. Plus, those precious invincibility frames during a summon act as a vital lifeline when your back is against the wall.

Hands-on impressions of the brand-new roster

We also took the time to test out two of the highly anticipated new playable characters: Gallanza and Beatrix. Gallanza is a textbook powerhouse who commands the field with a massive spear-axe. While his animations swing on the heavier side, his raw attack radius is exceptionally wide, making it immensely satisfying to shatter enemy defenses with a rhythmic succession of heavy-hitting strikes.

Beatrix, on the other hand, is a highly technical fighter who forces you to actively cycle through shifting offensive, defensive, and recovery self-buffs mid-combat. While she demands constant situational awareness and fast decision-making from the player, her potential to dynamically adapt to any role in a party makes her an incredibly rewarding character to master.

The solo-exclusive ultimate endgame: the Conflux

We closed out our session with the Conflux, a brand-new piece of content tailored specifically for solo play. In this mode, players fight their way through sequential zones, checking off specialized objectives mapped to each area. Upon successfully clearing a zone’s objective, you are prompted to choose one of three temporary perks that remain active strictly for the remainder of that specific run. The gameplay loop centers on methodically conquering rooms, stacking powerful buffs, and testing your limits as you plunge deeper into the abyss.

According to the development team, the Conflux was designed for players who prefer to avoid multiplayer matchmaking, allowing them to efficiently earn rare materials and high-tier equipment solo. The objectives that appear and the perks offered change randomly with every run, creating a highly replayable loop. Combining rogue-lite randomness with single-player-focused progression feels like a promising and fresh way to experience the game.

Our brief journey with this expansion left us deeply impressed by its newfound mechanical depth—from the tactical layers introduced by the Summon system to the addictive loop of the Conflux.