When the credits rolled onFinal Fantasy XIV: Endwalkerback in 2021, I thought the story that had spanned over a decade had finally come to an end, as the title suggested. However, it was soon announced that another story would be told in the shape ofFinal Fantasy XIV: Dawntrailand I must admit that I was a bit unsure if anything else needed to be said.
Released worldwide on 2 July,Dawntrailis the fifth expansion pack for the MMORPGFinal Fantasy XIVand would take our main character, the Warrior of Light, on a whole new adventure.
Check out the official trailer forFinal Fantasy XIV: Dawntrailbelow!
Originally set to be a relaxing time for our Warrior of Light and their comrades following their battle to prevent the Final Days, in typicalFFXIVfashion, it wasn’t long before the story saw us reunite for another mission in the brand-new faraway continent of Tural.
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With a brand-new continent to explore, jobs to level, people to meet and dungeons to tackle,Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrailpromised us more of everything we have come to love in the MMORPG series and my experience with it was definitely a tale of two halves.
From new foods to try (and even cook), traditional clothing to wear, cultures to learn about and respect,Dawntrailseemed like a nod to Central and South America with every part of the new map working together to make you feel immersed in a brand-new world outside of Eorzea.
With a new map comes new characters and alongside our beginning comrades, we also set off on our journey alongside Wuk Lamat, a character who we were first introduced to at the end ofEndwalkerand becomes something of the main character inDawntrail.Accompanying the Warrior of Light and the friends we have made sinceA Realm Rebornis Erenville, another character introduced in the previous expansion.
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Square Enix
Altogether, the Warrior of Light and characters both old and new must set off on a journey across Tural and other distant lands and the journey does not only test their mettle but also explore their very connections with each other.
It will be this found family that join you to take on some of the toughest battles inDawntrailand Square Enix did not pull any punches with its dungeon, trial, and duty content in its newest expansion. Considering I returned to playDawntrailafter a year hiatus fromFFXIV,diving straight into such content was not the best of ideas considering many of these activities rely on you remembering mechanics from previous fights as well as your job’s rotation.
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However, it was nothing if not a learning experience and there was no trial, dungeon or duty that I thought felt stale. Even though I was getting my butt kicked, I can still say that I enjoyed my time with the new content. With mechanics we all know (and probably hate) as well as brand-new ways to die at the feet of your healer,Dawntrailadded incredibly fun ways to take down its newest bosses.
Not only that but there were new ways to take them down in the form of two new job classes: Viper and Pictomancer. I tried my hands at both jobs and despite both being very different, they still added a fun new element to combat.
Viper is very much a melee class where you get to wield twin blades in sharp, fast movements. The class starts at level 80 but is very easy to master with rotations being simple to learn. In contrast, Pictomancer is a casting class unlike any other as players will “draw” pictures in the air which correspond to attacks you can unleash on the enemy. Not only that but you will be able to whip out a giant inflatable-like hammer to bonk the boss with which is something I never knew I needed until now.
Square Enix
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As mentioned at the start of this review, my overall experience withDawntrailcan be summed up as a tale of two halves. The first half of the story is slow, there is no denying it. We are exploring a new place with new characters and history and it is very much setting the scene for the next arc in the overall story.
In comparison, the second half is very much theFinal Fantasy XIVwe know and love with action, heartbreak, plot twists and more. The narrative picks up and very much spells the end of our vacation but it also serves to tie up some loose ends in the decade-old story.
When thinking about my score forFinal Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail,I asked myself whether the slow start was a negative but upon finishing the game, I can safely say that it worked as a perfect run-up to the main events and was important to let us get to know the new land and its characters enough to care about their story.
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Square Enix
Overall, from stunning new locations, exciting new jobs, multi-dimensional characters and heaps of new content that I will be spending the next few weeks on,Dawntrailwas the perfect way to introduce the start of a new arc toFinal Fantasy XIVand as a result, still has a lot of story to tell.
Pros: Stunning new locations, fun gameplay, intriguing storyline
Cons: Pacing could be a bit clunky, slow start
For fans of: Final Fantasy, The Elder Scrolls Online, World of Warcraft
7/10: Very good
Topics:Final Fantasy,Square Enix,Reviews,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,PC,Xbox One,Xbox Series X,Xbox Series S
