Final Fantasy XIV’s latest expansion, Dawntrail, has finally arrived! The race is on to find the legendary City of Gold in Tural! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

This review will still be updated in the coming days, so check back soon!

FFXIV Dawntrail Review Overview

What is FFXIV Dawntrail?

FFXIV Dawntrail is the fifth expansion of the series, which marks the new beginning of the game’s overall story. Journey to the faraway continent of Tural, where new adventures, unexpected surprises, and gigantic discoveries await!

FFXIV Dawntrail features:.
　⚫︎　 Marks New Story for the Historic MMO
　⚫︎　 Level Cap Raised to 100
　⚫︎　 New Playable Race - Female Hrothgar
　⚫︎　 New Playable Jobs - Viper and Pictomancer
　⚫︎　 New Cities, Towns, and Areas to Explore
　⚫︎　 New Dungeons, Raids, and Threats to Conquer

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about FFXIV Dawntrail's gameplay and story.

FFXIV Dawntrail
Steam			Official SE Store
PlayStation			Xbox

FFXIV Dawntrail Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Graphical Improvements Are Noticeable Music and Audio Design are Still Amazing Story Still Has More Then Meets the Eye	Monthly Sub MMO Catching Up is Daunting Certain Raids Are Currently Bugged

FFXIV Dawntrail Overall - 84/100

The new expansion, Dawntrail, improves on what many call the popular MMO’s weakness, which is its dated graphics. With the 7.0 graphical overhaul, the big focus on lighting is clearly noticeable, giving the character models more dimension. Other than that, the music still holds its own as the MMO’s main strength, with bold and jazzy scores for the expansion’s hub areas. While it’s still early to tell the expansion’s story and gameplay as the raids have yet to be released, Dawntrail is starting off strong with what it offers.

FFXIV Dawntrail Story - 8/10

While I have yet to finish the 7.0 story, the early parts of Dawntrail’s story has enough interesting points to keep you going. The characters involved in the race for the Dawn Throne have an air mystery behind them, especially regarding their motives. Furthermore, the separate objectives that the Scions have keep it all the more compelling, as Krile’s back story has yet to be explained in full after all these years.

FFXIV Dawntrail Gameplay - 8/10

The core gameplay of FFXIV remains the same but has small reworks across the board for all the combat jobs and the addition of two new DPS jobs in Viper and Pictomancer. Other than longtime players being thrown for yet another loop with the skills being rotated around again, not much really has changed with the gameplay, as it is still comparable to older MMOs like World of Warcraft.

FFXIV Dawntrail Visuals - 9/10

The expansion’s biggest improvement is the game’s visuals, as it is very noticeable that the lighting has immensely improved. Even in lower settings, the changes are noticeable, especially in outdoor scenes where the positional lighting is prevalent and affects the different textures and character models. Another noticeable change is how the metallic textures and details were improved, as evidenced by the different accents in the armor pieces that are worn by the characters.

FFXIV Dawntrail Audio - 10/10

The music of the early part of the expansion has a very welcoming jazz and traditional tone, depending on which part of Tural you are in. It could even be said that the score is similar to the tunes of Super Mario Odyssey, with a little bit of Donkey Kong on the side. In addition to the amazing music, the audio design of the game remains one of its strongest aspects. The voice acting, sound effects, and everything in between are simply superb.

FFXIV Dawntrail Value for Money - 7/10

For $39.99, the expansion is still quite expensive. Add the fact that the game is on a monthly subscription, and it may be a stretch to call it a worthwhile investment. Newer players will also have to play through the game’s initial expansions before being able to access Dawntrail, which could prove to be a daunting task if you don’t enjoy the story or the rigid MMO gameplay.

FFXIV Dawntrail Review: Even Heroes Have Summer Vacations

As a longtime player of Final Fantasy XIV, dating back to the days before Heavensward was even released and having completed some of the game’s hardest fights, the wait for Dawntrail has been different than every other expansion. I still appreciate the game’s core design as a story-first MMO, but approaching the game from what can be considered a hardcore player’s point-of-view puts the game in a very different light. On one hand, Dawntrail has improved on the aspect that could be considered one of the game’s weaknesses, which is the overall visuals of the game, and continues to flex its sound design, story, and gameplay.

First off, let’s talk about the game’s massive upgrade to the visuals. As said earlier, I have been able to play the game in its early stages, and while there have been efforts to add more details to the different gear that players have access to, there has never been quite as drastic as this change. The graphics overhaul focused on the lighting, which is very noticeable in the metallic textures on the different armor pieces in the game. Other noticeable changes are the weather effects, grass, foliage, anti-aliasing, and more. It’s something that you can tell easily when you’ve been exposed to how it was before for a long time.

Next, the audio. As usual, Masayoshi Soken continues to impress with his amazing musical scores, as you are immediately hit with funky and jazzy tunes when you first step foot in Tural. Voice acting and sound effects remain a strong aspect of the game’s sound design, with an emphasis on the former since they’ve started experimenting with VAs with different accents to showcase the region’s identity even more.

With FFXIV being a story-first MMO game by design, they have created an identity for having a pretty good narrative that’s carried over through its inception. However, Dawntrail features a completely new story arc that explores more of Krile’s past and the drama surrounding the Rite of Succession of Tural’s Dawn Throne. It’s more of a "side quest" for the battle-hardened Warrior of Light, as this trip is a well-deserved vacation from saving the world a few times. I have yet to complete the expansion’s story, but the characters involved in the Rite of Succession and the mystery of the City of Gold have been intriguing enough to keep playing.

Gameplay-wise, the game remains the same at its core, with small reworks and changes for the jobs across the board. As a Monk main myself, I was excited to try the new Viper class, as it seemed to be a more selfish version of the Monk. It features a lightning fast rotation, debuffs and buffs to maintain, and a finisher akin to the Reaper’s Enshroud ability. I’ve yet to reach max level on the job, but so far it’s been a blast to play.

I have no doubt in my mind that Dawntrail is shaping up to be a great expansion, as it’s already starting off strong with the graphics updates, amazing sound design, compelling story, and familiar gameplay. However, the biggest issue I have with this is that the game is an MMO, which can be very expensive investments to put in. While I have no problem shelling out $40 to buy the expansion and an additional $15 to buy a monthly subscription, you could easily buy another game for the same price.

I welcome interested players to try out the game via the game’s free trial first before diving into the MMO genre, as it may not be worth it to those who are just in it with their friends. If you find yourself hooked on the unique MMO gameplay, amazing narrative, or anything else, then maybe you could think about going on the journey to Tural.

Pros of FFXIV Dawntrail

Things FFXIV Dawntrail Got Right
Graphical Improvements Are Noticeable Music and Audio Design is Still Amazing Story Still Has More Then Meets the Eye

Graphical Improvements Are Noticeable

For a full year, Square Enix has advertised that the 7.0 update of Dawntrail will overhaul the game’s graphics. It’s good to see that they’ve delivered on this promise, as graphical improvements are noticeable from the jump. They’ve put a massive focus on the game’s lighting systems and how they affect the textures and character models, which is still noticeable even on lower end systems. Additionally, the game now supports AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS upscaling to help the aforementioned systems get a considerable performance boost.

Music and Audio Design are Still Amazing

The early areas of the expansion have an unexpected score that’s very similar to the music of Super Mario Odyssey. True to the reputation of the composer, Masayoshi Soken, the game’s music is still an amazing aspect of the game. With jazzy tunes and string-based, plus percussion traditional compositions, Dawntrail might actually have the most diverse score out of the five expansions. In addition to this, the game’s audio design has always been one of its strengths. The voice acting and sound effects are always a marvel to listen to and these add a lot to an already great story.

Story Still Has More Then Meets the Eye

The story of Dawntrail is that the Warrior of Light gets to unwind by exploring more of the world beyond Eorzea after saving the world from the brink of destruction multiple times. However, the other allies that join you have goals and stories to be told as well, specifically Krile Baldesion, who hasn’t really had a fleshed out backstory ever since her introduction in Heavensward. FFXIV has always been popular for having a great narrative, and a key to this is how they set things up by using the characters that are introduced and kept by the wayside for future storylines. Dawntrail proves to be no different, as this time it’s Krile’s time to shine as the mission of her grandfather, Galuf, will finally be explored and shed some light on.

Cons of FFXIV Dawntrail

Things That FFXIV Dawntrail Can Improve
Monthly Sub MMO You Have to Go Through 4 Expansions to Catch Up Certain Raids Are Currently Bugged

Monthly Sub MMO

Final Fantasy XIV has a monthly subscription similar to older MMOs like World of Warcraft, EVE Online, and the like. This means that you have to fork over $15 each month just to be able to continue playing. While newer players can play through the first two expansions of the game for free, which is already amazing in itself, the monthly subscription is a huge commitment, and only those who truly enjoyed the MMO gameplay or the story will find it worth paying for.

Catching Up is Daunting

In addition to the monthly subscription, new players will have to play through four different expansions just to be able to access Dawntrail. Regardless of whether you skip all the cutscenes or not, playing through the entirety of the expansions will take a considerable amount of time. Don’t get me wrong, the expansions are all great in their own right; however, the time it takes for a new player just to get to Dawntrail is massive and should be considered.

If you wish to skip through the four different expansions entirely, then the alternative is to buy the necessary boosts. You can buy both a Story Boost, which lands you right before the start of the newest expansion’s questline, and a Job Level Boost, which instantly levels one of your desired job to level 90. Both of these cost $25 a piece, which is a very expensive investment as it already costs more than the actual expansion.

Certain Raids Are Currently Bugged

At the moment, the game’s earliest Alliance Raids, specifically Syrcus Tower and Labyrinth of the Ancients, are currently bugged. To the point where one of the bosses is almost impossible to kill in time before he starts decimating your party. While this will be fixed soon, it’s still worth pointing this out since Alliance Raids are a huge source of experience points to level up your jobs.

Is FFXIV Dawntrail Worth It?

Try Out the Free Trial First Before Diving In!

For longtime players of the historic MMO, it could quite literally be the one expansion to bring them back due to the improvements they’ve made to the visuals. However, the same players will also be quick to notice that, other than the additional stuff they’ve added, it’s still FFXIV to its core. And that it’s considerably an expensive undertaking because of its identity as a monthly subscription MMO.

There’s a saying about MMOs being a lifestyle, and that is completely true. Dawntrail in itself is an amazing expansion so far, but the amount of time and money you will need to put in to play the latest expansion is a significant amount that should be deliberated. You are welcome to try the game’s free trial, which includes the entirety of Heavensward and Stormblood, but I would advise against diving headlong into buying Dawntrail immediately, especially if you’re trying FFXIV for the first time.

Digital Storefront
Steam			Official SE Store
PlayStation			Xbox
$39.99

FFXIV Dawntrail FAQ

How do I redeem my registration code for FFXIV Dawntrail?

Log-in to your MogStation Account and input the code that you received from your order in the Item Code Registration page. Please note that these will only be considered valid when the game officially releases on July 2nd.

Where are the locations of the new jobs (Viper and Pictomancer) in FFXIV Dawntrail?

For Viper, you must talk to the Worried Weaver NPC in Ul'dah - Steps of Nald (X:9.3, Y:9.2). As for Pictomancer, you must talk to the Cheerless Hearer NPC in Old Gridania (X:8.0, Y:10.3). Please note that you must have a Disciple of War or Magic job that is at least level 80 to be able to undertake either quest.

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FFXIV Dawntrail Product Information

Title	FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAIL
Release Date	July 2, 2024
Developer	Square Enix
Publisher	Square Enix
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam, Mac), PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre	MMORPG
Number of Players	99 Online Players
ESRB Rating	T
Official Website	FFXIV Dawntrail Website

Michael Gerra-Clarin

Resident fighting game nerd, avid FFXIV fan, and enjoyer of mostly anything gaming. Currently, he is enjoying Dawntrail as a Viper, while dying to Messmer's flames in Shadow of the Erdtree.