Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
A rich world and amazing dungeon design more than make up for dips in the story.
Dawntrail ups the ante with exhilarating combat experiences and builds a stunning new world, but meandering storytelling highlights the MMO's flaws.
Dawntrail may have some growing pains as it establishes a compelling new era for Final Fantasy XIV, but in its best moments, it lives up to what has made this MMORPG so special for all these years.
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail starts with a slow burn that builds into an emotional, captivating inferno that tackles some deep themes and effectively balances new elements with old beats in more ways than one. Overall, it’s a brilliant first chapter to the new story arc that has left me eager to learn more about what the future holds in new patches and later expansions. I’ve fallen in love with Tural and its characters, and more importantly, Dawntrail has me obsessed on a new level with FF14 in a way the game has never achieved before.
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.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail excels in its promise to bring exciting new jobs and combat scenarios to the New World. Unfortunately, it falls short of expectations when it comes to the narrative, which ends up being a mess of issues.
Industry Coverage
Final Fantasy 14 Composer Says He Wasn't "Forced To Make" Dawntrail's Smile Theme
Final Fantasy 14's Masayoshi Soken says he wasn't "forced to make" Dawntrail's controversial Smile theme, even though he's not keen on musicals.
Read more
Final Fantasy 14 Fans Are Upset With Patch 7.1's Release Schedule
Final Fantasy 14 releasing Patch 7.1 content near Thanksgiving and Christmas has ruffled some feathers.
Read more
Final Fantasy 14 Patch 7.1 Might Introduce Gulool Ja's Mother
He's not a clone after all.
Read more
Yoshi-P Says Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail's Wuk Lamat Abuse "Broke His Heart"
"I think it would be great if we could continue to work to reduce the amount of pointless attacks against each other."
Read more
