PipOwO finished... Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
We've come to the land you call the new world.
June 26 2024, I published my review of Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, which I could say it was the start of my journey (and obsession with Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood) in the world of this MMORPG. I wanted to rush through all the expansions because I knew how good Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers and Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker were, but also because in October they would release the next part, Dawntrail, and I wanted to enter at the same time as everybody else. I couldn't
But a few months after I had the chance to play it and finish it before the year came to an end. However, because it was the newest expansions, it was obvious I would end up listening to many of the critiques and discourse that revolved around the story, and dear lord what a shitshow.
There were a lot of people very angry due to the angle Dawntrail took compared to Endwalker, which is a more relaxed one, without "world-destroying threats" and wants to be the pillars to the next 10 years of the game. Not only that, they weren't happy with the whole story, saying that it was boring, that Wuk Lamat was very annoying and that it reminded them of Stormblod. Good thing then that I really like Stormblood.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is the fifth expansion pack to Final Fantasy XIV Online. The expansion will bring an abundance of fresh content, including an increased level cap, multiple new jobs, sprawling new areas, new allied tribes, new dungeons, and new core battle content such as FATEs, Hunts, Treasure Hunts, and sidequests, and much more.
TRUST A PROMISE
While I do coincide with many of the critiques like the story being slow, I honestly ended up very happy throughout the whole adventure and with all due respect, most of the claims I heard felt like they didn't know how to lower their expectations and made a tantrum because they weren't the main character this time, putting the focus on a new female protagonist that her point is that she's a bit dumb, and that her whole journey is about understanding better the people of Tural so that she can become a better leader, and also she's being voiced by a trans woman so there might be a bit of bias in some of those "critiques" (sorry)
Leaving my rant behind, I agree that Dawntrail story isn't the best by a mile. The first half that covers the Rite of Succession feels unending because they ask you to go one way to another to do jobs that already don't benefit you, you only want to help Wuk Lamat. Add the fact that she is a wet cat, so I can understand why it's not a favorite to some people.
They show you that she's not ready to lead, she doesn't know her people, can barely fight, isn't very smart, her brothers Koana and Zoraal Ja, as well as a random guy called Bakool Ja Ja, surpass her on every front, is what everyone would call "incompetent", and seeing how well she manages to do everything, is a bit weird.
However, as I alluded before, her development is so natural that before you begin the second half, you can already see a totally different person compared to how she was at the start. And speaking of the second half, have you ever seen that meme of Spongebob in a Silent Hill hallway? That's the second half, Dawntrail takes a hard tone shift so insane that makes you recoil and feels like you just began a whole new expansion.
Everything makes sense, but it doesn't stop from being jarring, but the worst part of it is that this is the moment where the expansion starts being a lot more interesting. Without entering spoiler territory, here is where the narrative takes a path much more similar to ShB and EW, with a clear message that challenges your morality, and I love it, with the final zone already being on par to Ultima Thule and Amaurot because of how amazing it was. I really want to go deeper on this one day.
BLADE'S EXHALATION
Putting the story aside, let's talk about the things most people agree are very well done. Dungeons, trials, zones, music, art, the new classes, everything is done beautifully. Tuliyolal and Solution Nine, which are the new main hubs, are gorgeous and if Square Enix wants me to spend more money on a sub, then they better give me housing in Solution Nine. It really feels like they did their research so that every zone had their inspirations well excecuted, basing them around Mexico, Peru and Texas. The music is incredible, as to be expected, once again being directed by Masayoshi Soken in its majority, making for some excelent themes.
This is especially clear in the post-MSQ content. I won't talk about Echoes of Vanadiel because that's entering 7.1 territory (Editors note: I'm working on a retrospective of all the post-Dawntrail content that should come out before Evercold comes out) but give me a moment to say that Arcadion is phenomenal. Almost all of the Normal Raids have been good, shoutout to Alexander, Omega, Eden and Pandaemonium, but Arcadion with just four fights blows them out of the water with the most creative and interesting fights in all FFXIV. I hope they stay that way. (Editors note: They stay that way)
VEREDICT
Dawntrail is not the best expansion in Final Fantasy XIV, and if we talk in a cynical way, it is a downgrade from what we have already seen, but I still really like it. I would put it above Stormblood, making it my third most liked right now, thanks to its character development in Wuk Lamat, Bakool Ja Ja and Sphene, very fun dungeons / trials / raids, once again increible music, and a second half that really manages to reach the highs that her older siblings got, at least for a bit. I'm really excited to see what awaits for the next decade of this game, and I hope to see how they reach success once more.
PipOwO really enjoyed Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
“While not having the best story in FFXIV, it still has interesting characters and a really good message by the end, setting up the stones that will build the next decade of the game.”