After Endwalker, I pretty much took a break from the game as I was burned out from doing lots of side quests and leveling. It was also a fantastic journey to experience as it was the end of a 14-year-long story arc and I wanted to enjoy this satisfied feeling of completion for a while instead of getting a bothered feeling. Now after a couple of years, it was time to level- up again, and do some endgame questing to get ready for a new clean slate in FFXIV, Dawntrail…
Dawntrail takes on a brand new story arc where you travel to a new city called Tuliyollal which is centered in Yuk Toral, the latest new region. The moment you enter the region, it’s clear to see that the game got some inspiration from Latin- America: the tropical weather, the buildings’ aesthetics, the traditional culture, and the dialect of the inhabitants of the city. All of these different elements made me enthusiastic to explore what this new region had to offer.
“It’s clear to see, that Yuk Toral has some secrets to unfold…”
Journeying to this new region is all because of a new protagonist in the story arc, namely Wuk Lamat. Wuk Lamat is a warrior who is accompanied by Erenville, from Tural to Old Sharlayan to find the Warrior of Light. She wants to convince the Warrior of Light to help her succeed in her rite of succession to become the next ruler of Yuk Toral. Not only do we follow Wuk Lamat’s story but we’re also following some closure in Krile’s life. Krile has found a letter from the current ruler of Yuk Toral addressing her grandfather about investigating The Golden City in Tural. The letter also included a special earring that sparked Krile’s interest. Learning about Pictomancy, she takes up her brush and joins the adventurous company. It’s clear to see, that Yuk Toral has some secrets to unfold…
Storywise the game does an excellent job of setting the scene for the next major chapter in FFXIV but it takes a while before you get into it. Then again, experiencing the story is all subjective. I liked how we got a slow introduction to Wuk Lamat and her region. It feels a bit slow in the beginning because of all of the storytelling without much action. Eventually, the game builds up to the major part of the story which got me very excited to continue. The ending was great and set the beginning of the next arc in the storyline but the final chapter before the ending slowed down again because of all of the reading and listening to the characters. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but next to a great story, I would also love some activity that goes along with it. There is a lot of storytelling going on which makes it more of a single-player kind of game with some MMO elements to it. Most of the dungeons can be played with a NPC party but this takes you a bit more time to clear the dungeon. Even though the NPCs play like they should, it just feels a bit slowed down. If you want a more successful rate of clearing a dungeon, the NPC- way is the better way… The NPCs know exactly where to stand when a big boss attack or mechanic becomes active. Just follow the NPC to its same place and the dungeon feels like a walk in the park.
“Wuk Lamat is the real hero of this story.”
I also wanted to mention that the developers did a great job when designing the character’s progression. Wuk Lamat starts clumsy and indecisive but in the end, she’s a wonderful character that truly showed growth and endurance. The way Wuk Lamat changes throughout the story is very noticeable and likable. Wuk Lamat is the real hero of this story.
Aesthetic and designer-wise, the dungeons are truly at their peak. There wasn’t a dull dungeon throughout the Dawntrail expansion. Every dungeon had its right to exist and introduced new mechanics. The dungeons were challenging enough that kept me replaying them and as I did them a couple of times more, I could say that I’ve cleared them without any problems. The only problem I have at the moment is the flashiness of the game. Every class has its special effects with their skills and sometimes I just lose my orientation or escape moment during the boss’s important moments. You truly have to keep your mind in the game, if you want to successfully clear the dungeon/ raid.
“The aesthetic of this class is phenomenal and vibrant. It is also one of the best DPS classes to level.”
This new expansion comes with a bunch of new quests, items to gather, equipment to loot, and 2 new classes to choose from. There’s the viper which is the close combat DPS and the Pictomancer which is the long-range DPS class. The viper fights with special swords that can be attached to form a kind of polearm. The class focuses on a combination of different attacks with either the polearm or the dual swords. You follow different combos to get the most out of your DPS. The class feels quick and jumpy. The Pictomancer focuses on drawing elements that can either perform attacks or fuse into an even bigger attack. You have your palette and different “paint”- sources that are needed to perform special skills. The aesthetic of this class is phenomenal and vibrant. It is also one of the best DPS classes to level.
The game has also received a graphical injection. Not every armor set or environment piece has been upgraded to an improved state of graphical presentation but a lot of stuff has been visually improved. Some flying mounts also received an updated animation to make the animation a lot more smoother and realistic. You will also notice that foilage will react to the player’s movement. You also have two dye channels for your equipment which makes your unique character stand out from all the rest. With this new dyeing system also comes eyeglasses. The eyeglasses won’t take up the space as a helmet, so you’re able to wear glasses and a helmet. The expansion also updates the friends- list and the blacklist/ mute system that comes along with it.
“just seemed like a waste of this beautiful aesthetics to just see the region go up in smoke.”
The expansion is a great addition to the game but it doesn’t come with its flaws. Some quests could have been a bit more active. There were a lot of quests that would send you out to read something or to make conversation with an NPC and then make you go back to the place where you started. These types of quests slow down the game immensely and it does make it harder to continue further. Most of the cinematics delivered an outstanding moment within the story but some parts could have just left out of the game. I also wonder what the developers will do with the last region in the game. Without spoiling too much, the last region has been designed beautifully but it doesn’t take long before every part of that region becomes something else. It just seemed like a waste of this beautiful aesthetics to just see the region go up in smoke.
Conclusion:
Dawntrail sets a new chapter in the current main story. While the story might come slower than expected, it’s a journey worth taking. If you’re new to the game, this is the ultimate starting point. You’re able to clear out the previous dungeons with the duty systems, so leveling a DPS is a bit easier. Two new fantastic classes have been added and fit the theme of Dawntrail perfectly. Visually the game holds its ground as a steady good looking MMO but it has shown its age a bit, so it is a plus that the developers are also focusing on the visuals. FFXIV also has one of the best communities, so don’t be afraid to take a healer/ tank class to join the fray. People are eager to help you with the class and explain some of the mechanics!
