Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

Despite a midpoint lull, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is a stunning expansion with an evocative soundtrack, challenging dungeons, and emotional story. An exciting kick-off that leaves you hungry for the future of FFXIV.

Dawntrail may not be as much of a reinvention of the wheel as it was made out to be. However, it also proves that this formula is still capable of featuring incredible stories and taking us to places that can surprise and challenge our understanding of the world, both in and out of the game. It represents a huge step forward in the worldbuilding of Final Fantasy XIV and its gameplay, giving the player appropriate challenges for the hundreds of hours they likely poured into it to get to this point. If this is any indication of what’s to come, then FFXIV’s next decade is looking as bright as dawn.

Dawntrail is largely about working through flaws of all kinds, which it certainly has. But it has its highs, too, that I’d argue are worth fighting for—much like the lands of Tural, full of joy, full of better things. I enjoyed this new FFXIV journey thoroughly, but I know where it needs to build from, and any good adventurer knows to pick up that experience and forge ahead.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail delivers an emotional gut punch, even if it takes some time to get there.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is very messy, but still greatly enjoyable. Wuk Lamat is a lovable character who I hope sticks around, with a satisfying character arc tying in with the expansion’s themes. Viper is a blast to play, and every dungeon or trial holds something new and unique. While the expansion isn’t the best FFXIV has to offer, it has so much heart you can’t help but smile.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is a tale of two halves. On the story front, it might be one of the weaker stories for the MMO. Wuk Lamat is an overbearing main character who is illogical at times. None of the other new characters stand out, and fan favorites from previous expansions don’t significantly impact the story. On the other hand, the dungeons and trials are some of the most fun I’ve had in the game. Both new classes are a blast, and the graphics update adds a nice touch to the game. Fans of the story might be disappointed, especially after Endwalker and Shadowbringers. This expansion delivers on all fronts for players looking to grind new content.

Dawntrail shoves your character so far into the background of its story you may as well not be there. That said, the vibrancy and personality of Tural is a real breath of fresh air, and the dungeon bosses have never been more satisfying to take down.

The latest expansion, Dawntrail, brings a refreshing new energy to the franchise after more than 10 years of adventure. The foundations are set for the next chapter in the story, and I'm really excited to see what comes next. The game remains as diverse as ever, offering content suited to every playstyle and pace, whether it's housing, crafting, hunting, fishing (fishing cruiiseessss) .. I love this game so much

New job really fun. New maps are stunning. New story is predictable which is boring. but cute. The new protagonist is cute but I did all the work. The new villain's logic is illogical, which is a major flaw in the entire plot and makes it very, very boring. I don't regret buying it because I've been playing from ARR.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

If you've played Shadowbringers or Endwalker already, than you've already played this expansion, minus the headache. Dawntrail is a copy paste structurally of all previous expansions, but with a lot more text dialogue, side quests that shouldn't be MSQ and a constant build up, let down narrative. You still get a dungeon at X1 X3 X5 X7 X9 and top level. The raids are still on platforms with pretty backgrounds, the trials are the same mechanics we all know, and the dungeons are all 6 trash packs, 3 bosses with no deviation. The musical score and scenery are nice, the RP community keeps the player base up for now; but the game is clearly struggling in many facets atm. Square-Enix needs to really raise the bar with 8.0 if they want to draw back the casual crowd that helped make the game a success. The hardcore players are gonna stay till the servers close, but they aren't enough to sustain the games progress.

Imagine saying that there's nothing wrong with the writing in this expansion....... DELUSIONAL people giving this crap a 10.