FFXIV: Dawntrail Review – A New Horizon

Back in 2021, we all saw the end—the end of a 10-year-old story arc. The eternal battle of light versus darkness culminated at the farthest edge of the cosmos and gave us closure. For a brief moment, we were all ready to put away our job stones. But that respite didn’t last. The promise of a new adventure on gilded lands was enough to call every Warrior of Light back to Eorzea and get ready to sail. Now, with FFXIV: Dawntrail here, we finally have an expansion that genuinely makes us feel like we’re turning over a new leaf.

After ten years of endless conflict, world-traveling, and calamity-averting shenanigans, it’s time for a new, peaceful adventure. In a sense, FFXIV: Dawntrail feels like the usual beach episode we see in anime, albeit with many Final Fantasy tropes and fewer swimsuits. And you know what? I loved every second of it. For the first time in forever, I wasn’t the main character. I could take in every part of the new continent, its culture, and its inhabitants without worrying about impending doom. And while the “babysitting” aspect of Dawntrail might be divisive for some, I was more than happy to let someone else take the stage as we prepare for what’s to come.

Hear, Click, Repeat

FFXIV: Dawntrail takes us to Tural to help Wuk Lamat win the Rite of Succession. This Rite’s goal is to pick a new ruler among four participants, three of which are the current leader’s children and an outsider. Of the children, we have Zooral Ja, the current leader’s first son, who wants to win the throne to conquer other lands. Koana, the second adopted son, wants to win so he can improve Tural by bringing in Sharlayan inventions. Wuk Lamat, the third adoptive daughter, wants to preserve the current leader’s ideas of peace and inclusion. Lastly, Bakool Ja Ja is the outsider who wants the throne to put his species at the top of the Tural’s hierarchy.

Throughout this journey, our Warriors of Light take a backseat and become more of a side character. We’re only here to help Wuk Lamat find the City of Gold, the condition to win the Rite of Succession. Yet, that doesn’t mean there aren’t discoveries to make or dangers to face. Dawntrail sets itself as a relaxing adventure with an almost vacation-like feel. However, it is more than that. In true Final Fantasy fashion, what seemed like a lighthearted adventure takes several dark turns and even delves into many ethical topics that make you think if what you’re doing is right.

I can’t say FFXIV: Dawntrail reaches the emotional levels of Shadowbringers or Endwalker, but it has many gut punches. Many main and side quests will make you teary, which proves that this MMO’s priority is still its storytelling. While it suffers from pacing issues, the narrative’s overall quality never falters. Even the longest and tamest quests lead to shocking reveals that leave you staring at the screen for a few minutes. Dawntrail is, from its beginning to its end, an endearing, emotional, and memorable journey that sets the stage for what I hope becomes a new decade-old story arc.

However, if there’s one thing I felt Dawntrail needed to enhance the plot further, it was dynamism. Of all the things FFXIV has improved, its quest design isn’t one. I don’t mind the walls of text or spending thirty minutes in a cutscene. Yet, if you do that without any engaging objective in the middle, people will lose interest soon. For example, most quests went like this: Speak with Wuk Lamat, speak with Alphinaud, speak with Wuk Lamat, and speak with Wuk Lamat again. That’s not me repeating words for the sake of it. Those are actual quest steps. For me, that was my only gripe about the expansion. If FFXIV manages to combine one day the dynamism other games have in their quests while maintaining its storytelling quality, we’ll see the ultimate MMO.

A Warrior of Light’s Biggest Challenge

What FFXIV: Dawntrail‘s MSQ lacked in dynamism; its instanced content made up for it. In all my 2,000 hours in FFXIV, I had never seen such intricate, challenging, and fun dungeons. Creative Studio III took its sweet time to deliver some of the most memorable encounters we’ve seen in years. Each instance has new mechanics that make the fights feel like a synchronized dance. Previously, I didn’t think anything would surpass the battles from Stormblood or Shadowbringers. But Dawntrail overshadows everything we’ve seen in the game thus far.

For example, the first dungeon alone is enough to put Endwalker‘s first instance to shame. You have new AoE markers, extremely mobile fights, and fast-paced encounters packed with added enemies and boss abilities that will catch many Warriors of Light off guard. As someone who took a break after Endwalker ended, I was extremely rusty. Even the few solo instances in the MSQ are no joke. Even if you cleared Extreme or Savage content, you’ll see how quickly Dawntrail is ready to ruin your vacation.

Furthermore, the addition of Viper and Pictomancer as the new jobs is great. The former, which is also the poster job, is one of the busiest classes we’ve had in the game. You have so many positional attacks to hit that I don’t blame anyone if they feel overwhelmed. However, it is an extremely fast-paced playstyle that I love and one that feels like a fantastic addition to the job lineup. On the other hand, Pictomancer is the best-looking magical DPS class, period. You get to paint Moogles and blast enemies with them. What else can you ask for? Its gameplay is much simpler, but it is extremely enjoyable to use.

Ultimately, I feel FFXIV: Dawntrail showed its modern side in its gameplay. If the quest design feels outdated, the combat feels ahead of its time. Even if Dawntrail‘s story might not be memorable for some, its encounters will be. What truly excited me, though, is the fact that the best dungeons and raids have yet to come. The Arcadion raid series will accompany us during post-Dawntrail patches, and if the 7.0 fights were engaging, I can’t even imagine what awaits us.

An MMO Reborn

By now, news about FFXIV‘s first graphical update arriving with Dawntrail isn’t new. Graphics might not hit “next-gen” levels, but I was blown away to see every character and area looked under a new light, literally. Every person, creature, and building got a facelift. That Lalafell that looked creepy when smiling doesn’t anymore. It truly feels like a new era for the game, which is fitting as Dawntrail tries to take the MMO into a new story arc. However, it isn’t just the graphical details that revamp what’s old that stand out. All the details behind the new towns and cities make Dawntrail the best-looking expansion ever. Whether it is the lighting, the perfectly well-made plate of nachos, or the textures of all outfits, everything is a delight to see.

However, the true winners of the expansion, at least in visual terms, are all the new areas in Tural. Creative Studio III made an amalgam of Latin American cultures for the new continent, and all of them work perfectly in tandem. From Urqopacha’s lands, which combine elements from Peru and Mexico to Heritage Found, which mixes old western looks with sci-fi details, it is a marvel to see. Despite the quick shift to something more cyberpunk-like for the expansion’s second half, I never found the choice in art style distracting or jarring. On the contrary, it reminded me of old Final Fantasy games that begin in a fantasy setting and end up inside sci-fi ships.

Finally, Masayoshi Soken returns to create one of the best soundtracks for FFXIV: Dawntrail, and that’s a bit unbelievable to say. I thought nothing could surpass Footfalls or Scream from Endwalker. Well, color me surprised. As the young generations say, he didn’t have to go this hard. But he did, and I’m glad for that. For an expansion that many of us expected to be relaxing, Soken outdid himself and pushed the musical boundaries. Whether it was with a fantastic arrangement of acoustic guitars, wind instruments, or techno-like music, everything was wonderful. Each zone’s music is an absolute banger. Also, the soundtrack hits its highest notes inside dungeons and trials, with Dawntrail‘s final trial featuring one of the best songs in all the MMO.

A Promising New Beginning

Despite its flaws in quest design and pacing issues, FFXIV: Dawntrail is a breath of fresh air. It is an expansion that captures that sense of adventure again. From the moment you step into these new shores, you are free to be an adventurer once more. It’s you and your Chocobo in this new world where there isn’t a doomsday clock ticking. You don’t have to stop the world from an impending calamity, and I truly enjoyed that. Furthermore, I loved how we were, in a way, mentors to Wuk Lamat. You can see the experience in your character’s eyes and how you’re helping someone, not by bashing enemies, but by passing your knowledge on.

If this is the start of a new era, I can already see that FFXIV will remain one of the most successful MMOs in the market. Yes, it needs to work on a few things, but they are minimal. The narrative remains flawless, the music is beyond perfect, and the combat vastly improved from Endwalker. Still, I can’t help but feel a bittersweet taste after finishing Dawntrail because now, it’s waiting time. I know more patches are coming, but the next expansion is a few years away. Still, just like my Warrior of Light is ready for a new adventure, I’ll be, too. Eorzea still has many secrets to tell, and I’ll patiently wait for them.