Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (Spoiler-lite Review)
Disclaimer: I believe the best part of each new expansion is getting to experience not only all the twists and turns, but the big reveals for trial bosses, dungeons, and lands to explore. Because of this, I’ve done my best to write up my thoughts post-Dawntrail while spoiling as little as possible. There may be references to characters and screenshots that show new areas, but plot points, maps, and dungeons will be minimally talked about.
Oh what a journey it’s been - across barren wastelands to bring peace in the war between dragons and humans, liberating the peoples of Ala Mhigo, delving into ancient temples in other worlds… It seems like there’s no place that the Warrior of Light and their party hasn’t been yet.
Well, as it turns out, there IS a place we haven’t been yet - the lands across the seas, of which we’ve heard quite a bit about from Erenville, Wuk Lamat, and even at one point were referenced by Emet Selch.
With the close of the long saga of Zodiark and Hydaelyn, maybe it makes sense then that we head out on a new journey - one that will take us to the wildest corners of Tural to aid Wuk Lamat in her competition for the throne.
Dawntrail sees us contemplating our next steps, and discovering by happenstance that they’ll take us to the seas for Tural’s Rite of Ascension - a competition between the four children of Tural’s current ruler, Gulool Ja Ja. A peaceful king, Gulool Ja Ja has managed to bring together a civilization that has forgotten the harsh realities of war and mostly lives together in harmony. Wuk Lamat’s dream is to protect the peace her father created, while her brothers each have their own ambitions and dreams for the Turali future. Together with Wuk Lamat, it’s your job as Eorzea’s vaunted champion to help her solve the challenge set forth by Gulool Ja Ja - find the legendary city of gold.
While I joined a lot of eager players in logging into early access first thing, it was important to me to take some time before writing this review. I genuinely love FFXIV, and even the storylines that didn’t move me are experiences I loved having. Now that I’ve been finished for a few weeks, I have the space to really talk about what’s outstanding, what’s frustrating, and what’s just kind of there for this new expansion.
For me, the start of a completely new story was both joyful and sad. On one hand, I really loved the dark depths we went to during Shadowbringers and Endwalker. Years of questions were answered, and it was hard not to feel emotional through the twists and turns. But on the other, starting Dawntrail with no expectations and no baggage felt liberating - for the first time in a long time, we were taking an adventure into the truly unknown, with no idea of what to expect next. Dawntrail gives a feeling of freedom - with no ties to hold us back, we can just enjoy the journey and learn new places.
This is where I feel like some of the mixed reactions to Dawntrail originate. For players who loved Endwalker and wanted another Endwalker-level experience, Dawntrail simply can’t provide that. Without the years of backing and the emotional attachment to a decade-long story, this is a fresh start, and won’t feel the same in the early days. There’s plenty of lore tucked into Dawntrail’s side stories and main scenario, but it doesn’t always feel quite the same as the original exploration of Eorzea - maybe because there was simply so much of Eorzea to explore comparitively.
The other point of contention most players will point to is the characters - especially Dawntrail’s new darling, Wuk Lamat. This is hard to discuss without getting into the weeds of the game’s story, but at the end of it all, I walked away with the feeling that I didn’t hate Dawntrail’s characters - I just wished for some more complexity. Wuk Lamat, for example, is your traditional “ray of sunshine,” slightly oblivious but good-hearted shonen-style hero. She sees the best everywhere she can find it, but unfortunately sometimes that feels a bit contrived. In later events, there were a few times I had the distinct thought that sometimes it makes more sense to be a little mad and frustrated than it does to reassure everyone that it’s all okay and positive. Likewise, returning characters such as Erenville finally get a strong spotlight, but aren’t given the space I wish they’d had to explore their feelings.
Krile is oft-cited as the expansion’s most developed character, but we miss quite a bit of her growth and experience, which feels like a lost opportunity. Was it enough to make me dislike the story? Not at all. I don’t think Dawntrail was bad by any means, and the characters are perfectly serviceable to the story being told. But there absolutely is some more room for the kind of complexity we saw in previous characters. This is a place where future expansions have plenty of room to grow, and I hope the writers take advantage of this room.
One of the areas in which Dawntrail does quite well is in its world-building and exploration. Throughout the expansion, we’re constantly learning this new continent’s history, peoples, and customs. Each map feels distinctly different from the others, and there were no areas that seemed uninspired or which I found boring. Learning about different towns’ exports and dishes added a fun cultural layer (and things that were fun to recognize from where I live and cultures close to my own heart.)
The other place it excels is with its instances. I am in love with the dungeons and trials of Dawntrail. After a fairly unmoving set of extremes in Endwalker, I was at the point where I just ran extremes to check them off. The first extreme of Dawntrail, however, made me love endgame content again, featuring fairly consistent mechanics, exciting music, and a visually impressive tankbuster that is my favourite so far in the game. Fights at all levels are a lot of fun, with fairly constant movement and mechs, but designs that teach players how to survive their battles. It’s a great middle ground between requiring players to pay attention and also allowing them the space to learn. Fights also introduce a few interesting clever new mechanics that I enjoyed figuring out. Out of all of the dungeons and trials, there’s only one fight tucked into a single dungeon that I don’t like, and very few that I don’t actively enjoy reliving in roulettes.
At the end of the day, Dawntrail is a perfectly enjoyable expansion with a lot to uncover and some new adventures. It features fun new mechanics and should be a good time for anyone who’s been eager to play Final Fantasy XIV again after the long lull. But players should temper their expectations if they’re expecting a heavy, hard-hitting story the likes of previous expansions. I’m happy with my experience and I had plenty of fun playing - I’ll be looking forward to future patches and expansions to see how the writers grow the stories and characters. Ultimately I’m hoping to see some more complexity and nuance, but I’m sure it will continue to be a fun ride.
Overall Score: 7.5/10
Dawntrail’s updated graphics, music, and fights make it a solid entry to the series. The story is good, but not quite as impactful as previous expansions. Overall, the expansion provides a fun, enjoyable-to-play experience, but future patches and expansions will need to dive a little deeper to create the same impact as previous branches of the storyline.