Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

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.

Dawntrail ups the ante with exhilarating combat experiences and builds a stunning new world, but meandering storytelling highlights the MMO's flaws.

A rich world and amazing dungeon design more than make up for dips in the story.

Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail is a slow start to a new chapter.

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.

As a whole, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is a stronger start to the next ten years of the game than we expected. But that doesn't make it immune to key criticisms. The game has come a long way, and there's only so much you can expect to change again without a full-blown sequel. Even still, the highs and lows felt too much like a literal rollercoaster over the 2+ weeks of evenings it took to power through its story content.

Dawntrail is another excellent expansion for Final Fantasy 14. The story takes a while to get going, but once it's finished setting the scene it takes some pretty big swings in the second half that left us captivated. The dungeons are the best the game has ever had, the new Pictomancer class is an absolute joy to play, it's got incredible art design, and a soundtrack that's gorgeous. Here's to another 10 years of Final Fantasy 14.

While it hasn't completely lost its luster, Dawntrail proves that it's about time for Final Fantasy XIV to change.

Crossroads fittingly bridges some of Dawntrail's weaknesses with strong new gameplay and long-awaited improvements.

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.