Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Review

In 2021, Final Fantasy XIV concluded its first major narrative arc with the release of Endwalker. More than two and a half years later, it’s time for Square Enix’s flagship MMORPG to enter a new era with Dawntrail. This fifth expansion has the heavy responsibility of following in the footsteps of a beloved conclusion, and must revive players’ interest for the next generation. Is the mission accomplished?

After a disastrous initial launch in 2010, Final Fantasy XIV has since established itself as one of the best MMORPGs on the market. And with its complete overhaul in 2013, under the title A Realm Reborn, Naoki Yoshida and his team have put the game back on a solid footing. Since then, the title has been constantly updated with patches and other expansions to reach the 10-year anniversary of its second launch last year.

In 2021, Endwalker concluded the first major FFXIV saga, whose story had begun 10 years earlier, with a conclusion praised by critics and gamers alike. While the future of the title remained mysterious, it was finally announced that Dawntrail, the fifth expansion for the MMO, would be released in summer 2024. The pressure is on for this new adventure. After finishing the main story during early access, is Dawntrail up to the standard of previous expansions? We’ll give you the answer after 50 hours of play!

Great Adventure Revealed Too Late

While Dawntrail has just been launched, the main story is currently the focus of this new expansion. After saving the world in Endwalker, our Warrior of Light and his companions from the Heirs of the Seventh Dawn meet Wuk Lamat, Princess of Tuliyollal, the capital of the “new continent” known as Tural. She asks our hero for help in taking part in the Rite of Succession, a competition organized by King Gulool Ja Ja to find a worthy successor before he resigns. The young Xbr’aal must collect gems from the four corners of the Tural to gain access to the legendary City of Gold and claim the throne. However, she is not alone in the competition, as she will have to face her brothers Zoraal Ja and Koana, as well as Bakool Ja Ja, champion of the last local tournament.

In 2021, Endwalker was the sequel to FFXIV’s most successful expansion, Shadowbringers, and the conclusion of the game’s first narrative arc. Of course, it’s hard for Dawntrail to follow in that footsteps, but the expansion stands out from its predecessors for its less serious tone, as intended by the developers. As the characters laugh, saving the world isn’t at stake here. The result is a lighter plot, focused on adventure and the discovery of new regions, along with several funny sequences.

All this good humor is mainly due to Wuk Lamat, the main character of this adventure, whose mentor we are. For once, the Warrior of Light is not at the center of the story, and this gives us a more interesting background role. But as you’d expect, the second half of the adventure (filled with references to Final Fantasy IX) has nothing to do with the beginning, and it’s here that it takes off to the heights to which the game has accustomed us. Both in its setting and its stakes, the end of the story has all the elements that make Final Fantasy XIV so charming: numerous revelations, an antagonist with credible motivations, touching sequences and, above all, epic battles. It’s like a remake of Shadowbringers.

What’s New in Dawntrail?

In Dawntrail, Final Fantasy XIV players will discover the continent of Tural and the rest of the Epic. In addition to a massive graphical update, the level cap has been raised from 90 to 100, two new jobs have been added, the Viper and the Pictomancer, while the others have been given new abilities or have been partially redesigned. As for activities, new dungeons, raids, alliance raids, challenges and a game mode focused on crafting and harvesting are available or planned in future patches. Finally, it will be possible to create a female Hrothgar character with Dawntrail.

While the adventure gets its full flavor in the second half, the same cannot be said for the beginning. Clearly, the first few hours of Dawntrail are rather sluggish, with a lot of cinematics and dialogue before getting down to the real thing. For example, we were surprised to find that the first dungeon came quite late in the game’s progression. Plus, the Rite of Succession’s structure, which requires you to collect a gem from every village you discover, ends up becoming redundant.

Fortunately, the first half of the game is mostly about introducing the cast of engaging new characters, which is what makes the second half such a success. On the other hand, we’re left wondering whether it was relevant to bring the Heirs of the Seventh Dawn into this adventure, since they don’t play a central role. Except for Erenville and Krile, who have implications for the plot, the rest have a secondary, even tertiary role, and we wonder whether they’re here just to please the fans. It’s a pity, because this adventure was an opportunity to break away from the group and give a real sense of new beginnings.

Like Endwalker, Dawntrail’s epic suffers from a fairly recurring narrative flaw in FFXIV: between two major revelations, we’re treated to passages that are far less interesting. At several points, it feels as if the plot is artificially slowed down to keep from moving too quickly from one important sequence to the next. However, Dawntrail does better than Endwalker when it comes to cinematics. FFXIV’s cutscenes have been improving in quality for several years now, but Dawntrail takes things even further. Clearly, the staging has been improved to be more dynamic, with interesting framing and more spectacular animations for battles, for example.

Final Fantasy XIV Looks Better Than Ever

Beyond this new adventure, if Dawntrail was highly anticipated by Final Fantasy XIV fans, it was for a very specific reason: the graphics update. With 7.0, FFXIV enters a new era, with graphics completely overhauled to meet today’s standards. Until then, the MMORPG still boasted a 2013-era look, compensated for by a magnificent art direction. But clearly, Final Fantasy XIV has never looked as good as it does today.

Beyond the more detailed and denser environments, this visual upgrade can be seen in the characters, particularly the avatar. From the very first moment you log in, you have the impression of discovering the figure that has accompanied you for so many years and hours of gameplay in a new light, more beautiful than ever. This graphical update looks like an unqualified success, making you want to explore the most beautiful areas of the previous expansions. And best of all, it’s only the first part of this massive overhaul, so we can’t wait to see what happens next.

Without any surprise, the new zones are where this graphical update really shines. Tural is inspired by America, both North, and South, as it is the “new continent”. So we find all the variety of these regions, with a jungle reminiscent of the Amazon, a desert for the United States, mountain ranges for the Andes, and so on… While the new zones in the first part of the game were already quite impressive, it was the very last one that really blew our minds. And while we’re talking about the artistic aspect, a quick word about the music. After the epic and emotional themes of Endwalker, Dawntrail features more calm and energetic pieces when needed, achieving a successful result, though a little more discreet than usual.

A Successful Launch for Dawntrail

In 2021, Final Fantasy XIV tested the early access formula with the release of Endwalker. Unfortunately, this caused many server problems that made it impossible to connect to the game. Since then, the developers have learned from their mistakes, as Dawntrail’s early access went off without a hitch, at least on the European servers. A big “salute” to the developers for this successful deployment.

Fresh New Gameplay Philosophy

A new expansion obviously means new jobs. Dawntrail introduces the Viper and the Pictomancer. Both are DPS, whose role is to do damage, the first being a hand-to-hand fighter and the second a ranged wizard. The Viper’s gameplay is a bit similar to the Reaper’s, as it has several combos to give itself bonuses and apply malus to its target, before entering a Burst phase where it does maximum damage.

The Picto’s approach is more complex, with its magic based on two types of paint: white for weak but fast attacks, and black for more powerful but slow attacks. On top of this, he can paint monsters to strike his opponent or support his allies. In short, it’s a somewhat subtle job, but terribly satisfying to get to grips with.

While the two jobs are quite different in terms of content, they do have some points in common when it comes to form. First of all, they both benefit from spectacular animations, vibrant in the case of the Viper and in a new, drawn style for the Pictomancer. But above all, the two Dawntrail jobs introduce a new gameplay style to FFXIV. To put it simply, certain combos are grouped together on a single key, which means there are fewer shortcuts on the bar.

The result is more accessible gameplay without sacrificing job complexity. In the future, we hope that older jobs will be redesigned along these lines. However, while some jobs, such as the Astrologian, Ninja, Dark Knight, Monk and Black mage, have received considerable updates, the same cannot be said of the fourteen others. Clearly, some jobs will not see their gameplay evolve with Dawntrail.

However, the real innovation in Dawntrail lies in its combat. Whether it’s against bosses in dungeons or during challenges, the Final Fantasy XIV developers have succeeded in perfecting new patterns that make confrontations more interesting than ever. And they seem to have found the right balance between relevant mechanics and clarity, so that you can quickly understand what to do without having to check out a guide.

We can’t wait to find out what all this will lead to in future raids, but clearly, given the difficulty presented by the epic content, we feel we’re at level 100. But alongside this, Dawntrail adds a number of small life comfort options long requested by players. For example, it’s finally possible to use several dyes on your equipment to further personalize it. It’s hard to list them all, but once again, the FFXIV team is listening to its players.

Conclusion

Following the brilliant conclusion of Endwalker, Final Fantasy XIV starts off on a new footing with Dawntrail. Supported by its lighter tone and engaging characters, the adventure really takes off in its second half, after a sluggish start and some less interesting passages. But more than anything else, it’s the updated graphics and magnificent new zones that make the experience a real eye-pleaser. With more exciting boss battles, two new cool jobs to play, and plenty of comfort options, Dawntrail is an expansion that continues in the good direction that Naoki Yoshida and his teams have been following for over a decade. Let’s hope the course is maintained in future updates and expansions.