Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Review – Shonen Summer Sojourn

In its fifth major expansion, Dawntrail, Final Fantasy XIV is facing its biggest existential crisis yet: where does your story go now that its 10-year A-plot is over? Dawntrail forges ahead with an enjoyable summer adventure to the land of Tural, doubling as a trojan horse for what lies in store for the future of the long-running MMO’s story. Dawntrail doesn’t match the narrative highs of the previous pair of expansions and is flawed in several ways, but its themes of legacy, the importance of culture, and responsible use of technology ring throughout.

Feeling more like a Shonen anime than a fantasy epic of past expansions, Dawntrail has an entirely different feel from the hundreds of hours I’ve poured into FFXIV thus far. It starts with a tournament of sorts, where four claimants are vying for the title of Dawnservant, replacing the retiring beloved ruler of the new continent of Tural. Instead of being the center of attention, I’m assisting this expansion’s main character, the energetic and passionate Wuk Lamat, in her bid to ascend to the ruler of her people, competing in a rite of succession by completing trials.

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Rather than being driven by conflict, these refreshing trials are leadership lessons, proving whether each competitor is worthy of the Dawnservant’s throne. I wish the act of completing these quests were more than menial tasks, but Dawntrail’s masterful worldbuilding greatly outweighs my boredom from the lack of action in the early hours. At the core of each trial are fascinating lessons about the diverse cultures and regions of Tural based on Latin American countries. I’m in awe of how much I connected with the mercantile trade-centric Pelupelu and found joy in reconnecting the colorful bird folk called Hanuhanu with the importance and magic of their harvest rituals. Making me care about the people of Tural goes a long way toward bolstering my desire to make things right for them when things inevitably go south later in the expansion.

Despite its simple premise, Dawntrail tackles some heavy subjects within the rite of succession and beyond. Wuk Lamat aims to take the throne to retain the current peace her father has built for Tural over many decades. However, she isn’t alone in vying for the title of Dawnservant. Her brother Koana favors bettering society with foreign science. Another brother wants to seize peace by conquering everything, while the powerful and ruthless Bakool Ja Ja envisions returning to the old ways where the strongest rule and the weak serve beneath them. Through each of their actions, Dawntrail explores how we deal with grief, the legacy we leave when our time on this mortal coil ends, and the perversion of the natural order by utilizing advanced technology. The deeper down the philosophical rabbit hole Dawntrail goes, the more invested I became and more forgiving of some of its hard tonal shifts and occasional character inconsistencies.
While I love her anime main character energy, it’s sometimes hard to have the back of Wuk Lamat as an ideal ruler of her nation. Her passion is infectious, and her curiosity and willingness to listen and learn are admirable, but her actions often conflict with her devout beliefs. While striving to be a beacon for justice and peace, Wuk Lamat sometimes sacrifices her convictions and sweeps rather big atrocities under the rug that she would otherwise demand accountability for. It’s disappointing that these aren’t the moments she learns her biggest lessons from, but rather breaking points, swerving away from intriguing and complicated interactions that should have been explored.

Dawntrail’s dungeons and trials are consistently a delight, serving great combat scenarios paired with the best tunes on the expansion’s catchy soundtrack. Each boss fight sports unique mechanics that are intuitive to learn and build on one another, forming complex and satisfying combat puzzles to solve if you’re paying attention. After playing an MMO for hundreds of hours, it’s nice to have challenging content that tests what I’ve learned and introduces new ways to keep me on my toes.

Dawntrail doesn’t reach the peak of earlier Final Fantasy XIV expansions, but its path is different. Its mission is to begin a new grand tale, and it absolutely succeeds in placing the threads for the future while weaving an effective story about legacy and loss. Although I have grievances about the pace of questing and the main character’s contradictory actions, I’ve loved my time exploring Tural and can’t wait to see what the next chapter of the story brings.