Even though we are only halfway through the year, 2024 has so far managed to give us some truly incredible gaming experiences. But there’s one game I’m really looking forward to, and that will be available from next July 2nd. It’s about FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAILnew expansion of the highly acclaimed branded MMO SQUARE ENIX who will bring ours Warriors of Light to face a truly new beginning on the continent of Tural after closing the chapter of the saga concerning Hydaelyn And Zodiark.
It’s no secret how much I love this chapter of the franchise, as much as I recognize its problems. For this reason when SQUARE ENIX he invited me to Germany to be able to preview the new expansion and I couldn’t help but immediately accept. Last week I flew to Potsdam and, despite some organizational difficulties for the trip, I was able to pass a day completely immersed in DAWNTRAIL.
In this article I decided to collect my first impressions of the expansion, revealing what has struck me so far. However, we must keep in mind one very important thing, this article is in fact based on a version currently in development of FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAILhence the contents I played will undergo changes before launch.
Having said that, get ready Warriors of Lightwe’re off to a new adventure!
Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most intriguing elements of the expansion is the upgrade that will be made to the graphics sector of the fourteenth chapter thanks to this expansion. During my test I was able to get a taste of what awaits us and, although I had available a still incomplete version graphic improvements, the difference is quite noticeable starting from the character models. Before venturing to Tural I actually had the opportunity to change the appearance of the Warrior of Light assigned to me, immediately noticing how much the software house has managed to improve certain details of each race in the game. Elements such as eyes and hair, as well as skin tone, have really benefited a lot from the new light and shadow system introduced by the software house, I’m really curious to see what awaits us in the final version of the game.
During my test I was also able to get my hands on the new race that will be introduced in this expansion, the Hrothgar feminineand I must admit that the software house has really included many options for customizing elements such as the coat and even the fangs of this type of character. The upgrade is not limited only to the character models, both the textures of objects and clothes and the environments have in fact undergone many improvements. I found very interesting design Tuliyollal which, despite being in an incomplete version, presented a greater sense of life than other cities present at the time FFXIV. I also had the opportunity to wander around two of the explorable areas present, Urqopacha And Kozama’ukawhich really fascinated me. The design inspired by Central/South America is indeed very captivatingI found it very relaxing to fly through the flowery fields and rocky areas and found some truly enchanting views.
Obviously the changes to the gameplay will not be any less, and in my test of FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAIL I had the opportunity to experiment first hand some of the improvements and additions that will be made to the different classes already present in the game. While for some, reaching level 100 will only consist of a few additional techniques, for others they have been radically modified some elements For example the Astrologian card-drawing system. From what I have seen it also appears that most classrooms now have a new positional commandwhich in the past was only present for some, with which it will be possible to quickly change our position to protect ourselves from enemy attacks or get closer to them.
But I must admit that rather than doing an in-depth analysis of the changes to the old classes, which I will talk about in more detail during the review, I mainly focused on trying the two Jobs that will be introduced with the expansion. The Vipersa physical DPS equipped with two swords, is characterized by rapid attacks capable of chaining together resulting in fairly simple gameplay to follow. The Pictomancera magical DPS who will use brush and colors to bring his creations to light, has more complex mechanics allowing us to modify the effect of our spells based on the type of color accumulated in combat. Of the two, I personally appreciated the latter more, even if it is purely a matter of personal taste.
Last, but not least, one of the dungeons we will encounter in the expansion was present in this test build: Ihuykatumu. I had the opportunity to face it both in the company of the other players present and thanks to the function Duty Supportwhich will see us joined by Alphinaud, Krile in the Pictomancer version and the new entry Wuk Lamat. Although its structure is quite simple, the design of the dungeon is really captivating and the mechanics we will encounter will be quite familiar. From what I could see, the software house didn’t change anything we know, but has honed his ability to create clashes full of frenetic action in which you just need to be careful to understand how to avoid your opponent’s attacks.
Although there weren’t some story elements in the version I tried, I was able to notice them inside the dungeon the presence of some of our old allies who will try to put a spoke in our wheels. This is a plot element referred to Naoki Yoshida he has already spoken in the past, in fact, the former Scions will find themselves divided during the expansion and each of them will try to pursue their own objectives. Already from this little taste I am really curious to find out what this new adventure has in store for the group.
Ultimately my proof of FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAIL he didn’t do that increase the hype I already had towards this expansion. After the very emotional finale of the saga of Hydaelyn And Zodiark the company seems to have packaged a new adventure which, although it seems more relaxing, I’m sure it will contain several mysteries to discover. Even if not present in its definitive version the graphics upgrade seems to be going in the right directionand the two new classes featured are both tons of fun.
We just have to wait for the next one 2nd of July when FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAIL will be available worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 and PC. In the meantime you can satisfy some curiosities about the behind the scenes of the game’s development thanks to mine Exclusive interview with Naoki Yoshida during the Media Tour in the company of our colleagues from Tom’s Hardwareyou can find it at this link!
Thanks again to SQUARE ENIX for the invitation to participate in the FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAIL Media Tour held in Potsdam, Germany.
#FINAL #FANTASY #XIV #DAWNTRAIL
