In July last year, Square Enix revealed the next expansion for Final Fantasy 14 - Dawntrail, at the 2023 Fan Festival, which excited millions of fans worldwide.
This expansion will be the beginning of a whole new narrative arc since Endwalker (the previous expansion) has already concluded the decade-long Hydaelyn and Zodiark arc. The development team had suggested they would like to bring the focus of the game back to the classic MMORPG experience: Going on an adventure.
With the latest expansion on its way, Final Fantasy XIV awaits some exciting updates that will push the game to modern standards. And despite having a bit of a player “drought” because of the post-Endwalker content being lackluster according to the player base. This just might be one of Final Fantasy XIV’s strongest years yet.
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Graphics Overhaul
One of the biggest changes Square Enix is readying for the next few years of FFXIV is a major graphics overhaul. It was revealed that the graphics update will come in phases throughout the expansion. Yoshi-P the game’s director has stated that while the changes won’t be comparable to standalone games they will be improving the visuals a lot while still keeping the game’s unique aesthetics. If one of the factors, keeping you from playing Final Fantasy XIV was the old graphics this might just change your mind.
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New Jobs in Dawntrail: Viper and Pictomancer
With every new expansion, there are always new jobs introduced and this one is no exception. If you’ve looked at the currently available classes and just didn’t find anything that’s your cup of tea, you might want to double-check as the two new DPS jobs look like a ton of fun and a unique experience.
The first one revealed was the Viper job unlockable at level 80. It will be one of the six melee DPS jobs that doesn’t have a base class. It was revealed to have a close-range fighting style that uses two one-handed blades that can be combined into a single two-handed weapon similar to Darth Maul. The Viper will alternate between swift strikes with their twin blades, and massive hits with their joined weapon.
The second one revealed was the Pictomancer, a magical ranged DPS job also unlockable at level 80. This class uniquely wields a specialized brush to render their imagination a reality. They can invoke all sorts of creatures, weapons, and even landscapes.
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Other Features
Some more features the expansion will add but is not limited to include: raising the level cap to 100 from the previous 90. A new limited job called Beastmaster will come in the latter half of the expansion. Also a lot of new areas, dungeons, and raids to explore. Last but not least a Dye system updated that will make two dye channels available per gear piece.
Dawntrail Expansion Release Date
The expansion is set to release on the 2nd of July 2024 but players who pre-order it will have early access to the expansion on the 28th of June 2024. I would highly urge you to try out the game and see if you like it for yourself. There is a free trial of the game that now encompasses the game until the Stormblood expansion and a cap of level 70.
Summary
With everything revealed so far about Dawntrail, Final Fantasy XIV will deserve consideration if you’re looking for a new MMORPG to try out with your friends. The game has years' worth of content and is especially fun in a party or a guild setting. There will be a lot more to discuss in the coming months so stay tuned.
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