Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Review — A Beautiful Journey That Plays It Safe

Final Fantasy XIV has spent years building one of the most beloved worlds in the MMORPG genre. Dawntrail arrives with the difficult task of beginning something new after a story that often felt impossible to follow.

The result is an expansion that feels deliberately lighter and more adventurous.

Its new regions are some of the most beautiful environments Final Fantasy XIV has produced, while dungeons and trials continue to demonstrate just how good Square Enix has become at designing readable, spectacular MMO encounters.

Dawntrail is also comfortable being Final Fantasy XIV.

Perhaps a little too comfortable.

Many of the familiar rhythms remain unchanged: questing is heavily story-driven, progression follows a predictable structure and large portions of the experience involve travelling between conversations before the next major encounter begins.

For existing players, that familiarity can be reassuring. For anyone hoping Dawntrail would fundamentally reinvent Final Fantasy XIV, it may feel overly cautious.

Fortunately, when the expansion is at its best, those complaints become easy to forget. Exploring a new corner of the world with familiar companions remains enormously enjoyable, and the combination of music, environments and encounter design gives Dawntrail plenty of memorable moments.

It may not represent a revolution for Final Fantasy XIV, but it proves there’s still plenty of adventure left in Eorzea and beyond.