There’s a lot of pressure on Dawntrail, the newest expansion for Square Enix’s critically acclaimed MMO Final Fantasy XIV. As the first expansion after the game finished off a decades-long story with world-ending stakes in Endwalker, Dawntrail’s adventure in the tropical locale of Tural is a new start and also a much-needed summer vacation for the Warrior of Light. But can it be a relaxing expansion while also setting up the stakes for the MMO’s next decade? Steam reviews seem mixed on how well Dawntrail pulls it all off.
Many are praising Dawntrail, with some even calling it the best expansion the game has ever received (which is incredibly high praise considering how good Shadowbringers was). Generally, positive reviews highlight the new world of Tural and its diverse cast of characters, including everyone’s favorite Hrothgar, Wuk Lamat. It’s no surprise that a lower-stakes adventure for the Warrior of Light and their best buddies through a tropical wonderland is hitting perfectly for a lot of long-time players. But it isn’t just the relaxing vibes and beautiful setting getting high praise, Dawntrail also brought with it quality-of-life features like a graphical update which has made the game shine like new. The overall takeaway from positive Steam reviews is that Dawntrail is a breath of fresh air for the aging MMO in almost every way.
Shocking nobody, however, the fanbase is hardly unanimous on the matter. Dawntrail haters have two major problems. The first is Wuk Lamat. Yes, some of these people just hate Wuk Lamat! I cannot understand it but a lot of negative reviews are criticizing the character many other players adore. Specifically, the critique is that Wuk Lamat is so central to the overarching Dawntrail story that she effectively becomes the main character over the Warrior of Light. Second, some feel that the relaxing vibes of the expansion, rather than making it work as a vacation-like adventure, diminish it instead, making it too low-stakes with a boring nothing-burger of a plot. Some reviews go so far as to say that Dawntrail is as bad (if not worse) than Stormblood, the second and most-derided expansion to Final Fantasy 14.
Some of the criticism of Dawntrail is probably a result of how different its goals are from those of past expansions. From the release of A Realm Reborn until the conclusion of Endwalker, each expansion raised the stakes of the story and led to a climactic finale to a decades-long story. Dawntrail couldn’t have raised the stakes from Endwalker, and it’s meant as a de-escalation. Inherently that may be less exciting, but it is intentional. To tell a new exciting story you have to start from square one.
At the end of the day, Steam reviews have given me a sense of what to expect in Dawntrail when I finally get around to it. Most importantly, I now know that I will encounter sentient corn at some point, so I have more motivation than ever to get to Tural. Check out what else players are saying.
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