As somebody who has solely been taking part in Remaining Fantasy XIV On-line because it arrived on Xbox, I’m positively a brand new participant. Even after almost 150 hours, I nonetheless have the brand new adventurer sprout icon, and I present it off proudly.
However the name of Tural within the new enlargement, Dawntrail, is an excessive amount of to disregard. So, armed with a Tales of Journey, I’m venturing onwards.
To those who this offends, I’ve each intention of going again and taking part in the opposite expansions. Remaining Fantasy XIV has its claws in me like no different sport maybe ever has. However I had heard good issues concerning the tacos on Tural, and wished to expertise all of it first hand.
Seen as the start of the following ten years in Remaining Fantasy XIV, Dawntrail arrives because the fifth main enlargement to the MMORPG. It seems like a lifetime in the past since Remaining Fantasy XIV 1.0 launched to some stinking critiques, however the sport is now in an incredible place. Every enlargement is rightly lauded, and Dawntrail feels no totally different, however doesn’t fairly attain the heights of earlier expansions. Nonetheless, a great Remaining Fantasy XIV enlargement remains to be head and shoulders above most different releases this yr.
The primary shocking addition got here as I used to be logging in. I had Sudoku all loaded up on my telephone anticipating to be sat in a digital queue while the servers quaked below stress. However there was none of that, in contrast to earlier enlargement Endwalker. The guarantees that the servers would cope appeared to fall on deaf ears however they actually have dealt with the surge of returning and new gamers effectively. When the 7.0 patch went stay I used to be in a queue of round 400 folks however since then the numbers haven’t been any increased than I often obtained pre-patch.
As an alternative, it’s maybe the opening moments of the enlargement that may depart gamers sat twiddling their thumbs greater than if they might be in a digital queue. Remaining Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail takes place on a completely new continent to the west of Eorzea, and the opening moments are all about you setting sail and getting there.
The opposite main problem – on Xbox at the least – appears to be the freezing points when transitioning between areas. Nevertheless, as somebody who performs on an apparently much less congested server, these points haven’t affected me in any respect.
Your Warrior of Mild is accompanying Wuk Lamat as she returns to Tural. Over the past MSQ of Endwalker gamers had been launched to her as she seemed to recruit the Warrior of Mild to assist her in her succession try as her paternal father appears to be like to vacate the throne.
Your arrival on the brand new foremost metropolis shores of Tuliyollal doesn’t come wherever as quickly as you’ll hope. Dawntrail retains you on a really tight lead for a great few hours in the beginning. However, I get it although. There’s a completely new continent, cultures and extra to study, and it does an terrible lot of this upfront. Usually, these warnings in earlier expansions stating that there might be a collection of cutscenes to take a seat via are discovered in the direction of the climax of their particular person tales. Right here, in Dawntrail, they’re in the beginning.
Throughout your guided tour of Tuliyollal, you study that Wuk Lamat’s father is planning on vacating the throne, however isn’t certain who’s the perfect match out of 4 candidates to succeed him. So, he plans a little bit event that sees potential successors looking for the fabled metropolis of gold in Tural.
Wuk Lamat is up in opposition to her two brothers and one other entrant who’s there on benefit. She, in contrast to the others, desires to proceed her father’s work of sustaining peace throughout Tural and maintain the totally different races aligned below the one banner. Nevertheless, she isn’t seen as the most well-liked alternative, and the Turali bookies would have her manner down the pecking order.
Now, Wuk Lamat may be very a lot the star of the present in Dawntrail. Your god-like Warrior of Mild finally ends up taking a again seat all through many of the new enlargement, performing in a help function for Wuk Lamat. However, help her you could, as she may be very naïve. Early cutscenes present her aversion to boats and alpacas, however her love of tacos. She is a little bit of a goofball, however supplies levity at virtually the proper second each time.
This isn’t to everybody’s style, and two of the largest criticisms of Dawntrail are Wuk Lamat herself and the Warrior of Mild taking part in second fiddle to her. This doesn’t change all through the primary story, even when the sport tonally shifts to arguably extra acquainted territory round two thirds of the way in which via.
However getting there might be some thirty hours into your Dawntrail journey. And in case you are a kind of who Wuk Lamat grates on, then I’m afraid I’ve some dangerous information. This huge portion of Dawntrail focuses on the continuing event, and might at occasions really feel like you’re watching a shonen Saturday morning cartoon. This shift in tone isn’t a foul factor, but it surely does make an alarming change of tempo.
At occasions, it reminds of Remaining Fantasy X. You and your entourage are the Guardians to Wuk Lamat’s Yuna. You journey from city to city to not accumulate an Aeon however one other plot-specific merchandise, studying concerning the historical past and cultures of the world on the way in which. And every member of your entourage has a purpose for being there too, comparable to Erenville and Krile, each getting their moments to shine on this newest journey.
The principle story quests are the bread and butter of Remaining Fantasy XIV, and they’re no totally different right here. That may be taken actually in addition to a lot of them contain both gathering X quantity of an merchandise, speaking to numerous NPCs or travelling to a particular location. It’s MMORPG 101, and Dawntrail doesn’t change up the formulation in any respect.
Interspersing these quests are loads of dungeons and trials to undertake, and they’re a few of the finest within the collection. The primary one you’ll encounter, Ihuykatumu, is immediately one in every of my favourites within the sport. A leisurely jungle cruise shortly turns into one thing extra akin to Anaconda as enemies run amok in your ship earlier than you’re compelled to journey on foot via the jungle.
However I really like how these could also be referred to as dungeons, however their settings are something however. Ihuykatumu is a jungle, The Strayborough Deadwalk contains an amusement park and Vanguard begins out on a practice. There’s implausible variation between these, they usually really feel an enormous enchancment over a few of the early sport dungeons.
They usually’re so much harder than earlier dungeons too. This can be partly as a result of new mechanics nonetheless being totally labored out, however with the sheer variety of mechanics, brute forcing these bosses is probably not a foolproof plan anymore.
It’s a good job then that there are two new DPS jobs accessible to check out in Dawntrail which have been placing some fairly excessive numbers up on the DPS charts. Each unlock at stage 80 supplying you with time to get acquainted with them earlier than beginning the extent 90 Dawntrail foremost story.
Viper is nice, however Pictomancer is healthier. To be truthful although, some other Job would battle in opposition to Pictomancer. Filled with brilliant colors, it’s an all spherical enjoyable method to smash opponents with absolute pleasure. The rotation can be so much simpler to understand than Viper, the place the latter’s combo heavy branching assaults can take a little bit of time to get used to. And the introductory quest is pants compared to that of Pictomancer. However, as some who primarily performs as a Paladin, something that includes deviating from a set assault sample goes to confuse me.
Pictomancer has you ‘portray’ as much as three items of artwork earlier than primarily manifesting them into existence to completely pummel people who stand in your manner. There are additionally extra fundamental magic assaults, however cutely renamed to issues like ‘Aero in Inexperienced’ to match the artist’s aesthetics.
It is also all the way down to the graphical replace that helps Pictomancer to shine. It isn’t maybe the foremost overhaul that some had been anticipating, however what it does enhance, it does so very effectively. Exploring Tural with its already brilliant colors and Latin American inspirations permits it to pop. Many textures have been improved, as has the lighting too. That can possible be the very first thing you discover when touchdown in Tural, seeing the rays of the solar brighten up your summer season trip.
One particular second occurred early on once I was viewing the stone pillars that depict the historical past of Tural, simply because the solar was rising in-game. Graphically, Remaining Fantasy XIV nonetheless doesn’t examine to extra trendy titles, however there isn’t a denying that the replace has improved issues considerably.
Many older areas have additionally been improved, with extra to return. As is custom, Patch 7.x guarantees way more throughout its cycle together with new raids and one other particular Job, plus no matter surprises we haven’t but been instructed about.
And what would a summer season trip be and not using a new soundtrack? Properly, as soon as once more, Masayoshi Soken has delivered with a large plethora of genres to accompany your journey. Metallic, synth, blues and extra are all on present all through the totally different areas. you’re in for a deal with once you first dock into Tuliyollal and are welcomed in with some jazz. This piece alone units the usual for the remainder of the soundtrack and once you spend an extended opening part operating round this place, fortunately this music doesn’t develop previous.
Remaining Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail will without end be divisive. And that’s primarily all the way down to the place you stand on Wuk Lamat. To some (rightly) she is a loveable but naïve goofball whereas others may even see her as the primary nail within the Remaining Fantasy XIV coffin. However there might be no denying that she is the star of the present, and your Warrior of Mild is however a help character for almost all of the story. There’s nonetheless a ton of different stuff to do nonetheless, the place you’re entrance and centre together with new Job quests, dungeons, trials and extra. However it’s going to take a while for the mud to choose Dawntrail to see the place it ranks amongst different Remaining Fantasy XIV expansions.