Ys X: Proud Nordics is the definitive version of Nihon Falcom's action RPG, comparable to what Persona 5 Royal was for Persona 5 or Kingdom Hearts Final Mix was for the original Kingdom Hearts. It launched in the West on February 20, 2026, for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, bundling all prior cosmetic DLC from the original Ys X: Nordics alongside a substantial batch of new content, mechanical changes, and technical upgrades. If you're deciding between the two versions — or wondering whether a second purchase is justified — here's everything that changed.
Quick answer: Proud Nordics adds roughly 6–10 hours of new content centered on a large new island, reworks several systems, including skill mastery and Mana abilities, rebalances enemy levels, introduces a post-game dungeon, and includes performance and graphics improvements. It does not fundamentally alter the main story or ending.
Öland Island — the biggest addition
The majority of Proud Nordics' new content lives on Öland Island, a large explorable landmass that unlocks in Chapter 5. Unlike the bite-sized islands scattered across the original game's sea chart, Öland features more environmental variety and progressively opens new routes as you advance through the main story — a structure that recalls the Isle of Seiren from Ys VIII. You'll revisit it multiple times via "EX" sidequests that run parallel to the main plot.
Two new characters drive the island's storyline. Canute and Astrid, Shield Brethren from the Kingdom of Danmerk, challenge Adol and Karja to hunt for runestones that reveal the history of the Norman people. The sub-plot doesn't intersect with the original narrative — the base game's cutscenes and dialogue are completely unchanged — but it does introduce some intentionally vague world-building nuggets that long-time Ys fans may find relevant to the series' future direction.
Öland Island also houses the Bergen Arena, a colosseum where you fight enemies as Adol and/or Karja for time-based rewards, and Mana Ride Races against Canute. The island comes with new bosses and 12 new music tracks.
Muspelheim — the post-game dungeon
After completing Öland Island's story and reloading your Clear save before the final boss, you unlock Muspelheim. It's a timed dungeon challenge focused on score attack. You collect pieces of a mural while fighting through increasingly difficult encounters, and you earn Deepcrystal Shards that unlock modifiers — extending the timer, increasing enemy difficulty, adding more chests, or raising rare item drop rates. It's designed for players who want to push the combat system to its limits after the credits roll.
New and enhanced Mana abilities
Mana Hold is a brand-new Mana action that lets you pick up, carry, and throw blocks or enemy projectiles to solve puzzles. It's primarily used on Öland Island and in updated Recapture Battles. Opinions on its execution are mixed — aiming thrown blocks can be finicky — but it does add a new layer to environmental puzzle design.
All existing Mana abilities can now be upgraded using a consumable called Sparkling Whitesand. Mana Sense lasts longer, Mana Burst hits harder, and so on. The standout improvement is to Mana Ride. The Grimbleboard (the hoverboard) now supports a dash/boost by pressing L1, and its top speed can be raised significantly through enhancements. From a pure game-feel perspective, the faster Mana Ride is probably the single most noticeable quality-of-life change between the two versions.
Skill mastery and Elding Fragments
Skills could reach 100% mastery in the original Ys X: Nordics. In Proud Nordics, the cap jumps to 1000%. To reach those heights, you use Elding Fragments, a new currency dropped by Mutant monsters — beefier versions of normal enemies marked with a red aura. These Mutants can appear on various islands, and the Sea Chart will sometimes flag a "Mutant Outbreak" on a specific location, giving you a reason to revisit old areas.
White Mana Seeds are another new progression item. They provide significant stat boosts but grant no abilities, giving you more flexibility in how you build out your skill tree.
Combat and balance changes
| Change | Detail |
|---|---|
| Revenge Gauge | Counterattacking after dodging a speed attack now raises the gauge by one point |
| Magna Diga (Chapter 3 worm boss) | Completely reworked — both phases are different, and the second phase uses the Grimbleboard's new boost |
| Recapture Battles | Extra enemies and Mana Hold objects added; S Rank requirements are higher |
| Enemy level rebalancing | Levels adjusted to account for Öland Island content (e.g., final boss is level 87 instead of 85) |
| Fishing minigame | No longer requires button mashing — replaced with QTE prompts |
| Infinity mode | New Game+ exclusive difficulty returning from Ys VIII; enemies exceed level 100, evasion and crit rates are capped, partner revival takes longer |
The Magna Diga rework is one of the most celebrated changes. The original boss fight was widely considered frustrating, and the new version is essentially a completely different encounter.
Sea exploration additions
Sailing was a common pain point in the original game, and Proud Nordics makes a few targeted additions to address it. Golden Symbols now appear on the open sea, triggering battles that unlock new air currents for faster sailing routes. Ceaseless Sea is a new endless mode where you fight waves of enemy ships under a time limit — essentially a naval score attack.
The base ship speed hasn't changed dramatically, so sailing still feels slow in the early hours. The new air currents help once you've unlocked them, but they function more as a band-aid than a fundamental fix to the pacing issue.
Technical and platform improvements
| Platform | Performance mode | Quality mode | Upscaling |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS5 / Switch 2 | 120 FPS target | 60 FPS target | Switch 2 uses DLSS; PS5 Pro uses PSSR |
| PC | Uncapped | — | TAA, DLSS (RTX GPUs), XeSS (Intel GPUs) |
Language support has expanded to include Spanish and German text, bringing the total to four languages on consoles (English, French, Spanish, German) and five on PC (adding Japanese). The Steam version is DRM-free, and the GOG version has no DRM at all.
DLC, cosmetics, and miscellaneous polish
All cosmetic DLC from the original Ys X: Nordics is included in Proud Nordics — costumes, accessories, and ship cosmetics are bundled in. Consumable item DLC is not included. Proud Nordics also has its own exclusive cosmetic DLC for Adol, Karja, and the ship.
A returning feature from Ys II Chronicles lets you hang chibi mascot characters on your screen. Mascots for Ys I, Ys II, and Ys X are unlockable in-game, while Ys VIII and Ys IX mascots are available as DLC.
Several smaller polish changes round out the package. Adol and Karja now lean in the direction they're running, matching the animation style of Ys VIII and IX. Both characters speak a line when you equip a cosmetic. The Trident villains have new character portraits illustrated by toi8. Some of Adol's dialogue choices near the end of the game are now voiced. And you can press R3 to display an area's collectibles next to the minimap.
One notable absence: weapon models still don't change when you upgrade. Every sword looks the same in-game (aside from the ultimate weapon), despite each having a unique 2D sprite. This was a common complaint about the original, and Proud Nordics doesn't address it.
Save data transfer and upgrade path
Clear save data from Ys X: Nordics can be carried over into Proud Nordics, letting you start New Game+ immediately. Only Clear saves are compatible — you cannot transfer a mid-game save file. Trophies and achievements do not carry over.
There is no direct upgrade path from Nordics to Proud Nordics on consoles. On Steam, owners of the original game receive a 34% discount on Proud Nordics from March 6 through August 31, 2026. Outside of that window and platform, you're buying the full game again.
Is Proud Nordics worth it for returning players?
For newcomers, the answer is straightforward: Proud Nordics is the version to buy. It includes everything from the original plus all the additions above, and it works perfectly well as a first Ys game — each entry in the series is designed as a standalone adventure.
For players who already finished Ys X: Nordics, the calculus is trickier. The new content adds 6–10 hours, depending on how thoroughly you engage with the Bergen Arena, Mana Ride Races, and Muspelheim. The quality-of-life improvements — especially the faster Grimbleboard and the Magna Diga rework — are welcome, and the rebalancing makes the overall experience smoother. But the core game, its story, its sailing, and its fundamental structure are unchanged. At full price, it's a hard sell for returning players. A deep sale makes it considerably easier to justify.
Falcom has faced significant backlash from both fans and shareholders over the timing of Proud Nordics' announcement, which came shortly after the original's English launch. The general expectation is that Falcom will be more cautious about this kind of re-release strategy going forward.