Final Fantasy XIV‘s new expansion, Dawntrail, had an unenviable task set before it: living up to one of the best saga-concluding events in gaming’s recent history.
This is the sort of thing that can break a franchise—look no further than the biggest modern-day media empire, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and how it’s struggled to follow in its own footsteps since Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Other properties like Game of Thrones have had similar trouble building upon cataclysmic plot points like the Red Wedding.
Luckily, Square Enix and Creative Studio 3 have chosen a wiser path. Instead of racing toward the next apocalypse, Dawntrail gives Final Fantasy XIV and its player-protagonists a well-earned vacation—or at least, a working vacation.
Endwalker took players to the very precipice of the world’s destruction in a conflict against sorrow itself; in the updates between expansions, the Main Scenario took us to another reflection of the Source for a pleasantly self-contained mini-storyline, heavy with homages to Final Fantasy IV. Now, at the onset of Dawntrail, we sail to the heretofore-insulated continent of Tural, far to the west of Eorzea, the lands we’ve been exploring for the last ten years.
I eagerly anticipated seeing the diverse environs of Tural in full after my time with a preview build back in late May, and they did not disappoint. This new region feels even more comprehensive and genuine than the familiar lands of Eorzea, and Square Enix had been holding back some of its most impressive regions from pre-release footage—there’s a scenery change during a dungeon halfway through the campaign that made me gasp and sit up eagerly.
Dawntrail wisely chooses not to compete directly with its own daunting lineage by putting the player-protagonist in an assistant role.
In typical FFXIV fashion, players will be escorted to Tural’s many subregions throughout the storyline. Once again, the Scions are deeply involved with a nation’s politics—this time, assisting the candidates for the Tural’s next leader, replacing the mighty incumbent, Gulool Ja Ja. As the Warrior of Light, players are supporting Wuk Lamat, a plucky upstart Hrothgar who’s seen as the dark horse in the contest compared to her older, more experienced brothers, Koana and Zoraal Ja (and one jerk outsider, Bakool Ja Ja).
Half of the present Scions are divided between Team Wuk Lamat and Team Koana, hypothetically pitting us against beloved allies. This concept could’ve been explored a little further; I was looking forward to more lighthearted rivalry with a few of our closest allies, but aside from a couple of moments early on, this part of the plot thread went underutilized. But anyway.
Dawntrail‘s dungeons and trials push the envelope on combat encounters.
Make no mistake: Dawntrail, at least in its first half or so, is firmly Wuk Lamat’s story, not our own. After playing a heavy role in the politics of Doma, Ala Mhigo, and the Garlean Empire, it’s time for us to employ what we’ve learned and be the badass mentor who steers the rising star to their proper path. This time around, we get to be Raubahn, Auron, Balthier, Cid Telamon, or any other “wise older Final Fantasy party member” you can think of.
There’s been some pushback to this idea amongst the community in the days since Dawntrail‘s launch, but I see this philosophy as one of the key elements to FFXIV‘s path away from Endwalker.
The scope of the last expansion was sheerly massive. We settled a conflict that had plagued the world practically since its very creation—both between the deities Hydaelyn and Zodiark, and between the very essences of existence and despair themselves. We were supposed to enter a more carefree era, with the Scions scattering to the winds, and instead, the 6.x patch cycle put us up against another god-level entity before too long. What challenge could FFXIV put before us in the immediate aftermath that could rival or surpass all of that?
Dawntrail wisely chooses not to compete directly with its own daunting lineage by putting the player-protagonist in an assistant role. The pressure is lifted from our avatars’ backs. For once, the spotlight isn’t firmly on us, and instead, our goal is to uplift another would-be heir and thwart the underhanded schemes of her competitors. This resonated more with me than leaping headlong into another “save the world” scenario; if a new apocalypse appears every other week, all of these events lose their impact, and FFXIV smartly turns our focus back to a national level.
Changing gears and shifting momentum was a welcome respite, though that’s not to say the story is perfect. For the first half of the MSQ, Krile’s story didn’t get enough attention – a real shame, given the importance of her finally joining the other Scions on the front lines (with a cool new job to boot).
More pressing, in my eyes, is one problem that has become more visible. The Dawntrail era issues in a welcome graphical overhaul that brings the decade-old MMORPG closer in line to its next-gen competitors, just as Endwalker saw a massive adjustment to all of the numbers and statistics under the hood. With these long-term investments taken care of, I think the next modernization hurdle for FFXIV is updating the delivery of the story.
More pressing in my eyes is a problem that has become more visible. The Dawntrail era has seen a welcome graphical overhaul, bringing the decade-old MMORPG closer to its next-gen competitors, just as Endwalker saw a massive adjustment to all the numbers and statistics under the hood. With these long-term investments taken care of, I think the next modernization hurdle for FFXIV is updating its storytelling.
I have a high tolerance for long-winded cutscenes and admire the lofty tone of FFXIV‘s writing. Yet, as the visual update hides much of the game’s PS3-era foundation, it also highlights how wooden the game’s many cutscenes can be. Even while enjoying the story, I was contemplating how I could make a drinking game out of the MSQ—namely, the best way to take a shot every time someone nodded dramatically without damaging my liver irreparably.
“Dawntrail’s dungeons and trials push the envelope on combat encounters.”
While the story itself may have some players torn or conflicted about being in the backseat, Dawntrail‘s dungeons and trials push the envelope on combat encounters. In the leadup to the launch, director Naoki Yoshida mentioned the team has endeavoured to make the MMORPG-style gameplay more meaningful again, and the complex attack patterns of these bosses show they’ve achieved that goal.
Any game that’s been running this long runs the risk of feeling stale, but FFXIV has shaken off any cobwebs in this department. Most of the encounters had an interesting element relevant to the dungeon or trial’s purpose in the MSQ or at least had some trick up their sleeve to ensure the player was still awake. For the first time through each, I played with NPC allies via the Trust system for story immersion, and cracking the code on each situation was a rewarding ride. If nothing else, the game’s signature AoE attack markers have never been more interesting to follow.
(The expansion incorporates a quality-of-life feature for new dungeons that lets players warp back to the next boss if they die instead of hoofing it across most of the map each time. This is vital since the expansion also brings several prominent chances of getting knocked right off the stage. I hadn’t fallen off the stage this often since I played a Dragoon back in Heavensward.)
Speaking of jobs, Dawntrail brings two new DPS classes, the melee Viper and the magic-ranged Pictomancer. Though I haven’t devoted as much time to Viper as I’d like, it carries plenty of promise and was incorporated well into the themes of the MSQ, as a new job should be. Similarly, the new telltale signs of having a Pictomancer in the vicinity have brought a charming touch to FFXIV‘s UI.
And lastly, though not necessarily part of the Dawntrail expansion itself, there were several quality-of-life updates included in the massive 7.0 patch that I already can’t live without. The MVPs in this department are the dungeon shortcuts and the option to make other players crowded around a quest NPC fade away as you approach that character. Little by little, the impact of these touch-ups will go far.
Ultimately, Endwalker resounded with me narratively and emotionally, but I’m grateful for Dawntrail‘s shift in tone. The new cultures of Tural enrich FFXIV‘s already intricate tapestry, and the narrative (sometimes long-winded as it may be) was a welcome change of pace after the doom and gloom of the last two expansions. Naturally, it doesn’t stay all sunshine and street stall tacos for the whole duration, either.
Eventually, the hidden threats begin to show themselves, throwing us headlong into another struggle with massive ramifications, so players should enjoy the breath of fresh air while it lasts. Years from now, we may look back on Dawntrail as either an intermission between sagas or the first cornerstone of another sprawling storyline, but either way, I’ll fondly remember this era, just like a summer vacation.
