Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail – Have you heard of the  critically acclaimed  MMORPG called Final Fantasy XIV , with a demo that includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn up to the Stormblood expansion , completely free up to level 70 with no time limit?

After the huge success of Endwalker , which concluded a 10-year storyline, many fans have wondered where Final Fantasy XIV will go from here…

Ending is difficult, starting is even more difficult. Square Enix has to figure out how to start a new storyline, with new characters, new background, and open up the direction of future storyline development, without getting too “indulgent”…

Not to mention, with the new level cap of 100, they have to balance the game well, and the professions have to feel comfortable, fun, and attractive when playing…

Can Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail achieve its goal, opening a brand new story line for us, the great Warriors of Light? Let’s take a look at this game with MarkGame.

YOU WILL LIKE

The beginning of a new journey

Endwalker , the predecessor expansion to Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail , was a hugely successful expansion, perfectly wrapping up the Hydaelyn vs. Zodiark storyline in a very moving way, complete with some memorable and fiery battles – and it was thanks to that that Final Fantasy XIV grew a ton of players after Endwalker’s release.

But when Endwalker ends, the writer – and probably many other players – will understand that Final Fantasy XIV is in a difficult situation… After going to the edge of the universe, fighting the so-called condensed-despair-in-human-form, completely solving the threat of Zodiark and Final Days, where will the Warrior of Light go now? Not to mention our main character (who the player plays as) now looks really tired, both physically and mentally, and seems like he can be traumatized at any moment…

The answer that Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail brings is very simple: go on a “healing” vacation!

The story begins when we meet Wuk Lamat, a somewhat hairy princess from the city of Tuliyollal in the New World, across the giant ocean Indigo Deep.

It turns out that there is a “game of thrones” going on, where four people are fighting for the position of Dawnservant held by Gulool Ja, Lamat’s adoptive father – roughly the king of Tuliyollal and also the king of the entire Tural region. These four people include:

• Zoraal Ja – The offspring of Gulool Ja, who is nicknamed “Resilient Boy” because normally the two-headed Mamool Ja species like Gulool Ja are infertile, but somehow miraculously gave birth to Zoraal Ja. This character is extremely warlike and lusts for the throne to rule over humanity.
• Koana – A cat person also adopted by Gulool Ja, has a straightforward personality, loves to learn, and is good at logical reasoning.
• Bakool Ja Ja – a two-headed Mamool Ja – a phenomenon considered “the chosen one” because this mutant species possesses strength and magical abilities far beyond that of ordinary people. This character is impulsive, sinister and will stop at nothing to use any means.
• And finally, Wuk Lamat, a girl who is… not particularly talented… Only her love for peace and desire for the well-being of all Tural residents is truly great.

Luckily, Gulool Ja is not a nepotist, and as a result, the player is drawn into the challenging journey that Gulool Ja offers – traveling across Tural to find the City of Gold!

Throughout this journey, players will explore poetic lands, set foot on strange lands, interact with people… in general, try to make our Light Warrior feel as comfortable, gentle, and relaxed as possible.

Truly a “healing” journey, our first half of the game is almost… outside the story, only playing the role of an observer, witnessing Wuk Lamat’s journey of growth from an innocent cat to a mature woman.

The player’s main mission is to… sightsee, run after Wuk Lamat, “chill” by riding alpacas on endless grasslands, or riding giant bulls in the beautiful Western region of M… Xak Tural, occasionally go to fight with Gulool Ja for “home entertainment”.

One thing the writer noticed was that thanks to these adventures, the smile returned to the Warrior of Light’s lips. From the middle of Shadowbringer to the end of Endwalker , every time he won, instead of smiling happily like before, our character became pensive and sad because everything was quite dark.

However, when we let our spirits relax, every battle is truly a joy to us. What could be happier than an adventurer being free to roam in a strange land without having to worry all day about the impending apocalypse?

However, the first half of the game is not completely empty, it also gives us some valuable lessons about war, peace, family happiness, along with some quite… surprising secrets about life.

Notably, because the first half is meant to be a “relaxation” for us after hours of intense fighting with gods and even Gods, there are quite a few problems (which will be discussed later). By the second half, the game has almost turned 180 degrees, with intense, dizzying twists and turns, and of course, Hydaelyn is put on a state of extinction alert.

The second half is almost a contrast to the first half, both in terms of storyline and art. Gone are the deep forests and majestic waterfalls, replaced by modern skyscrapers and brightly lit streets that look like they came straight out of Cyberpunk 2077 .

Strangely, the latter half is so modern, so progressive, so futuristic, yet we are immersed in questions about the past, mixed emotions when a loved one passes away, and the price to pay for eternal happiness.

It seemed like a “healing journey” filled with laughter, but Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail came back… to knock out the writer’s emotions in the final moments. Looking at the credits of the game makers running on the screen, the writer couldn’t help but feel lost and think about the philosophical questions hidden in the dialogue of Miss S… almost revealing the content first, please play the game to understand better!

In short, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail starts out as a relaxing, low-risk journey, but succeeds in building a world and developing characters enough to open up an extremely engaging and engaging second part, as well as creating a foundation and premise to open up the storyline for the next parts.

And finally, the writer would like to ask the readers a small question. What makes us, memories or souls?

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail starts out as a relaxing, low-risk journey, but succeeds in building a world and developing characters enough to usher in an extremely engaging and compelling second part.

Fight at the top!

Of course, Final Fantasy XIV is not a visual novel, and it’s impossible not to mention the game’s combat.

The most commendable thing about Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is that the new dungeons and new trials are all extremely well designed, with completely new mechanisms cleverly integrated, requiring players to really use their combat skills and situation reading skills, not just using “one eye, one hand” like previous expansions.

According to the author, with the available content, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail has a moderate difficulty level, from normal dungeons to high-difficulty “trials” (arenas) like Extreme Trial.

The monsters in the dungeons are all stronger, unleashing more bizarre moves, with instructions that require high judgment and calculation, and these attacks are all powerful enough to make careless players “die” immediately, not just “scratching an itch” to the point where players can eat 7 or 8 Vulnerability Up debuffs and still “live with a smile”.

The writer especially praises the two Expert Dungeons that are “unlocked” after the player completes the story. Previously, playing Expert Dungeons was a real torture because they were both long and boring, but now both new dungeons are extremely attractive, with small monsters that “hit” much harder, and bosses with crazy moves, making “grinding” more comfortable and attractive than just a little bit.

On the other hand, the boss monster and DPS check mechanisms of the Extreme Trials are not at the level of “closing your eyes and passing the level”, but also not at the level of “Dark Souls with 7 strangers” (this will be taken care of by another level), so both old and new players will have the opportunity to experience fierce and fierce battles, which are also extremely attractive and exciting in this expansion.

As for Normal Raid, although it has just been released, the writer has found it extremely attractive with its new and strange mechanisms, making the writer rack his brain to find a way to solve it while still maintaining the “uptime” true to the nature of a melee character.

The most commendable thing about Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is that the new dungeons and new trials are all extremely well designed, with completely new mechanics cleverly integrated.

As usual, each expansion will update the skill sets of the Final Fantasy XIV jobs , and add a few new jobs. In terms of changes, most of the jobs do not change the core “rotation” too much, but only add or remove some different skills for each job.

For example, the writer’s favorite profession, Dragoon, the game cut two “oGCDs” (special skills with their own cooldowns – NV), but added two new “oGCDs” to insert between the “GCDs” (skills that share a cooldown with each other – NV), and at the same time removed the “infamous” skill Dragon Sight, giving the player more free time (in fact, the writer felt that his hands were not free at all, sometimes even busier).

It’s a bit complicated to explain, but in short, Dragoon’s button pressing process remains largely unchanged, with the only change being the rearrangement of the order of the “oGCDs” between the “GCDs”, and of course the new skills all look super “cool”.

The two new classes in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail are Viper and Pictomancer. If you’re a fan of Kirito from Sword Art Online , Dawntrail is the perfect time to play as the Dark Swordsman, as Viper is a dual-wielding class.

In terms of gameplay, Viper focuses on fast-paced combat with beautiful dual sword skills, then suddenly… combines the two swords into a double-headed sword and rushes in to deal with enemies.

As for Pictomancer, the writer is not really interested in switching to “caster”, however, according to long-time caster players, Pictomancer is very “engaging”, has many playgrounds for the player’s creativity, not simply pressing “rotation” like a machine, and especially, the damage is quite… unreasonably high, it can be said that it is the “king of caster” at this time.

In short, the gameplay of Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail can be considered the most “engaging” in the history of Final Fantasy XIV , with dungeons and arenas designed to be attractive, balanced and challenging. The writer has high hopes for the fun of the upcoming Savage stage and the Ultimate stage that will be released in update 7.1.

By the way, if you’re on the “healer strike” side, you might want to think twice about trying Valigarmanda’s permanent damage over time.

Upgraded graphics

One highlight that Naoki Yoshida – Director of Final Fantasy XIV – constantly emphasizes is that Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail will begin a journey of “graphic upgrades” of Final Fantasy XIV , helping the game have a much fresher and more modern graphics.

With the release of update 7.0, Final Fantasy XIV received its first batch of upgrades, focusing mainly on object lighting, hair texture details, and leaves and blades of grass now moving more naturally, to the point where they will sway slightly when you approach them.

Thanks to this lighting upgrade and texture enhancement, houses, doors, clothes and even weapons all become much more beautiful.

For example, the writer’s glowing spear, in Endwalker it was relatively ugly because many details were blurred, but after upgrading it became relatively eye-catching and suitable for the context.

The most impressive point is the brilliant color of the landscapes in Tural: mysterious deep forests, majestic high mountains, majestic waterfalls… all are beautifully decorated by upgraded graphics, allowing players to “indulge” for hours in the world of Tural without getting bored!

The game’s frame stability is also quite good, with no lag or FPS fluctuations. Even when the author turned on everything possible, the game still ran smoothly and well. Notably, this is just the first “batch”, with many other graphics upgrades promised in the future.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail will begin a journey of “graphic upgrades” forFinal Fantasy XIV, giving the game a much fresher and more modern graphics.

Amazing music!

Music is easily one of the most important pieces of Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail in particular and Final Fantasy XIV in general, no, the entire Final Fantasy series in general.

With Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail , Masayoshi Soken and his collaborators have truly brought us new emotions, with music that is full of American influences, ranging from the lands of the West to the little-known tribes of the Amazon region.

If you’re a Final Fantasy IX fan , you’ll be extremely pleased with the familiar melodies that are incorporated into the music in the second half of the game. In fact, the author even believes that the final area of ​​the game was made with the sole purpose of mentioning Final Fantasy IX as much as possible, from the remade music, to the play that Zidane and his circus perform at the beginning of Final Fantasy IX (whether this is a “foreshadowing” for Final Fantasy IX Remake or not, we’ll have to wait and see).

The music is both beautiful and extremely suitable for the setting, when it needs to be melodious, it is melodious, when it needs to be deeply sad, it will be infinitely sad, combined with beautiful graphics, creating a solid foundation and momentum for the new storyline of Final Fantasy XIV .

The writer can sit for hours in picturesque landscapes, listening to the melodious and gentle music that those lands bring, isn’t that a clear testament to the excellence of the music in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail ?

With Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail , Masayoshi Soken and his colleagues have truly brought us new emotions, with music that is full of American influences.

YOU WILL HATE

Wuk Lamat!

Putting the character’s name in the “You will hate” section is a bit… heavy-handed, but this is also understandable, because Wuk Lamat is actually a somewhat annoying character, and you will have to stick with this girl for dozens of hours listening to her babble about things called friendship, peace, etc.

Specifically, she is… most of the problems that occur in the first half of Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail . When I first met Wuk Lamat, I was really surprised why this furry cat girl had not been… eliminated, because of Wuk Lamat’s pitiful naivety and innocence.

During the journey to find the Golden City, Wuk Lamat, instead of using his brain like his second brother or his muscles like his eldest brother, spent all day… lecturing about so-called love and friendship, causing the player to have to “get off his ass” at least three times to rescue her from danger. After saving her, Wuk Lamat took over the “stage” and had to listen to something deafening about national harmony and the prosperity of Tural being in your hands…

It takes a lot of determination and patience to not quickly press the “skip” button every time Lamat “gets ready to go on stage” and say a few words to cheer up his teammates, or not to faint every time the quest pops up and says “Tell Wuk Lamat again and again”, and the writer had to “endure” this scene to the fullest throughout the duration of playing Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail , both the first and second half.

The first part was actually not bad, mainly a healing journey, going sightseeing and exploring was fun, but because of Wuk Lamat, the writer got to feel: what is it like to bring a three-year-old child on a trip with…

Because of Wuk Lamat, the writer felt: what is it like to bring a three-year-old child traveling with…

Unstable story rhythm, many outdated quest lines

A “deep-rooted” problem of Final Fantasy XIV is that the story’s pacing is quite unstable, and this continues in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail , to the point that the author thinks whether it is necessary to make this “feature” the default.

There are times when the story is being pushed to a very high climax, but suddenly everything seems to come to a sudden stop, the Light Warrior has to do something very… trivial like carrying this box from A to B, running to C waiting for 10 seconds, then running to D waiting for 20 seconds.

Speaking of quests, although there are quite a few main quests with new mechanics, there are also many main quests that use the same old, old motif. For example, the author has had to do quests like “go out there and talk to 3 NPCs to find out about xyz issue” countless times, and the familiar motif is that person 1, person 2 are stupid, person 3 says something insinuating to make you run to some “heaven and earth” location to continue.

Or, the player has to run across half the huge map just to get some random item…

This happened so often that the author had to “fight internally” whether to stop reading the dialogue of these NPCs, but this is Final Fantasy XIV after all , who knows, there might be a surprise… (spoiler alert, there was no surprise at all, and the author felt regretful every time he completed a quest like this).

Although there are quite a few main quests with new mechanics, there are also many main quests that use the same old, old motifs that can’t get any older.