Somel thoughts about the Dawntrail

I first started playing FFXIV in 2.3 just before Ninja was released, which means I’ve been playing this game for ten years this summer. I have taken longer breaks during those years, but according to Steam, I have between 6,000 and 7,000 hours played. I have been quite casual when it comes to harder content. I have cleared some savage fights while they were current from Heavensward onwards, but never the whole tier before a new one launched. My only real experience with ultimate fights so far has been when I tried The Weapon’s Refrain (Ultimate) at the end of Endwalker with my current static raid group, and we made it to Ultimate Annihilation before running out of raid nights before the launch of Dawntrail. At the end of Heavensward, I got all jobs to level cap, and after Stormblood, I have been leveling all jobs to level cap during the time between expansion launch and the first mainline patch. I tell all this to give some context about my experience with the game and its content as I want to share my opinions about the expansion so far.

Dawntrail's story has received mixed reception, and I can understand why. After the masterpiece that was Shadowbringers and a satisfying final act to a decade of story in Endwalker, it is hard to write a story in the same universe (multiverse?) that seems to be a worthy continuation of the previous story arcs. I liked the story quite a lot and would rank it above Stormblood and Heavensward in my personal ranking, but still below Endwalker and Shadowbringers. I liked that the story has a new direction after Endwalker, which makes the ending of the story in 6.0 better, and it is not cheapened by introducing a bigger bad guy in the background. Also, since we are one of the most powerful individuals in the known story at the moment, it is good that we are not the ones doing every single heroic act ourselves since we have probably achieved greater things before the story of Dawntrail. My biggest complaint would be that Wuk Lamat (whom I like as a new character, by the way) is given maybe too much focus, which leaves Erenville’s and Krile’s parts more hollow, and they would have been very interesting to explore now that we had the chance.

The music in Dawntrail has also been very good. I personally loved the Shaaloani themes and the theme in the final story dungeon. My friend, who plays FFXIV but is still doing Heavensward story, also said that she would like to dance to the dungeon final boss theme at her wedding. I know that Smile has also faced criticism as too “Disney” or for including the gospel choir parts. I personally loved it for trying new things and still referencing melodically themes from previous expansions. However, I’m not sure about using the song while building a bomb in the story, even though it is done with the help of people that we have met in the journey so far. Also, I love the big band and jazz themes of Tuliyollal, but I have turned the background music off there sometimes because I personally think that jazz solos should not be repeated on loop as many times as I have experienced while being there for longer periods of time.

The battle content in this expansion has so far been maybe the best that it has ever been. Dungeon bosses actually try to kill the player, trials and raids have interesting mechanics, and even regular trash pulls between bosses have mechanics like invisible cleaves or a tortoise that can be interrupted with sleeping spells. So many things are more challenging, and I, as a player, feel more involved. So far, nothing has been too punishing, and even though after my first runs in the additional expert dungeons made me question if I even wanted to consider doing them with randoms in duty finder roulette, now that I have done them almost daily for a couple of weeks, my trust in the capabilities of others is at least somewhat returned.

Now for the area that I have had maybe the most discussion since the launch: jobs and their balance. In most cases, job balance dictates what players actually do when doing the content for the next couple of years. I decided quite early that I should maybe do a post like this, but wanted to level all jobs to level cap before even starting to write this. I’m pleased with many jobs even though I would have maybe hoped for a bit more changes overall. I will next share my thoughts on individual jobs and maybe, in some cases, overall roles.

I did the expansion story this time as a Ninja. I have played Ninja quite a lot in previous expansions and have done the story on it in every expansion other than Endwalker. I have liked most iterations of Ninja before, and I think that it is now in its best form since removing enmity and TP tools from its toolbox in Shadowbringers. I still don’t like how easy it is to lose Raijus by doing other weaponskills or lose Ninjutsu by double-clicking Mudra by accident, but it luckily does not happen that often. I personally would maybe wish for more flexibility with Raijus and maybe an option to use Kazematoi to empower more skills and Mudras to be greyed out when used in Ninjutsu, similar to how Ten-Chi-Jin works now.

Viper, I feel, is a good addition to the melee DPS role as a selfish option for those who might already be gearing Ninja. It is fast and quite easy to play once you get the basics down. I think that Viper is in a good spot as long as it is played in level 90 content and above, but if played below, the absence of Reawaken feels terrible. The job itself feels good to play, but it seems to lack identity. I personally would have hoped for two basic filler rotations that have a noticeable difference in speed or overall feel for the two modes of the weapon, or a combination of both modes in those combos that makes the recast time vary while doing the filler rotation. Off-globals are okay as they are right now, but I might feel better if they were resources with charges on a timer instead of being granted by weaponskills, and I’d have to make choices in the basic rotation to weave either one or two cooldowns.

Reaper has been one of the best-feeling jobs, at least for now, in this expansion. The additions are nice, and the changes have made the job better, in my opinion, and I have not heard anyone disliking it so far. However, I think that Reaper’s basic rotation is the least interesting out of all DPS jobs, and at the moment, the single target combo and AoE combo could be just two buttons with the option to separate them since combos now have just varying potencies and grant a flat amount of Soul Gauge at every step. Also, Death’s Design as a mechanic feels more like a chore than it should. The most interesting thing about it right now is using it as padding during Enshroud to get two Communios in the Arcane Circle window, and even then, it feels so awkward that I would not mind losing the possibility to double Enshroud.

Dragoon got some changes in this expansion, and I think that it is now in a better place than it was in Endwalker. The new gap closer might feel a bit weird on a job that is supposed to jump very high very often, but I prefer non-damaging gap closers overall. I’m also not sure why the streamlining was not taken further since the job is now busier at level cap than it was in Endwalker. I will probably not play Dragoon as much as other melee DPS jobs this expansion and am not that interested in the job overall, but would like to see maybe the third Nastrond removed and its damage split to the remaining two, and maybe combining Lance Charge with Geirskogul since they should always be used together anyway.

On Monk, I must mention that in this expansion I played it mostly before patch 7.01, so the optimal rotation did Dragon Kick after Bootshine/Leaping Opo-Opo and the AoE was quite weak compared to the single target rotation. At the moment, I feel like Monk is still very good and the new buff system in the basic rotation is fun. I also like that during Brotherhood, chakra management has more flexibility, and Six-sided Star feels nice. I would like the option to go over 5 chakra outside of Brotherhood, but I understand that the risk of overcapping was most prevalent during the even minute buff windows.

Samurai is my least favorite melee DPS. I don’t know exactly why, but I have just never enjoyed it that much. I like that now there is only one Shoha and don’t mind the changes to Tsubame-gaeshi as much as some people, but even I must admit that it feels a bit restrictive. I also am not the biggest fan of how Ikishoten gives 50 Kenki and Zanshin ready, and Zanshin requires those 50 gauge immediately. I feel about Samurai similarly to before: If for some reason I have to play melee DPS and every other melee DPS job is already in the party, I might consider playing it.

Dancer has been one of my comfort picks for a long time. Generally, I would like to say that I still like playing Dancer, but I’m just a little confused about some of the changes that the job received for Dawntrail. The finishing move is Standard Step, but without dancing so that there are more options to weave off-global abilities while bursting, but during burst there are in most cases possibly fewer abilities to weave since the feathers are maybe the most hectic to weave, and the new skill Last Dance does not give feathers. Also, Tillana increasing Esprit gauge by 50 instead of granting free use of Saber Dance/Dance of the Dawn causes severe overcapping during even minute burst windows. I still like Dancer, but feel that there is a need for some adjustments.

Machinist got more tools to use, making the primary weapon or its glamour even less visible in fights. I don’t care about that too much, so I really like the Dawntrail Machinist, and especially the second Drill charge helps to avoid drifting it in longer encounters. In single target rotation and burst, the job feels very good, and something about the opener just feels so right, but in AoE situations, things start to fall apart. Queen works only on single target, Reassemble should not be used with Bioblaster, Air Anchor is single target, and it is often optimal to do single target Hypercharge spam on multiple targets now that Double Check and Checkmate are both AoE abilities and Auto Crossbow does not refund their cooldown. Flamethrower is also still the same and has very few instances where it is worth using it. I will probably play more Machinist in Dawntrail even if it stays the same, but mostly in content that has only one target to damage.

Bard in Endwalker felt very clunky to me, and I didn’t play it very much in level 90 content. Something about using five buffs in the opener and even minute buff windows just felt like too much, at least for me. In Dawntrail, Bard received very good changes when Pitch Perfect was made good in AoE situations and songs were made usable without a target. Resonant Arrow also felt surprisingly good to use with the little screen shake that it does. However, my biggest problem with Bard is still the same, but since Bard does not suffer too badly from button bloat right now, I understand that combining buttons is not actually needed. Some people probably like the job, but it is not meant for me in its current state.

Summoner was my main job in Endwalker. It got a very big rework and was made a very simple and capable magical DPS. It is a shame that the previous Summoner was lost in progress, but I liked the simple and flashy caster with the option to resurrect party members if needed. I was hoping quite a lot from the Dawntrail Summoner, and I must admit that I was disappointed. The job is ironically one of the few that received an actual new button to put on the hotbar in Exodus, but since it is just an AoE heal to compensate Phoenix, it does not feel like much. I still play the job and like the job, but only because I already had fun with it in Endwalker.

I like playing Red Mage for similar reasons that I like Summoner. It is relatively simple, flashy, and can Verraise. Since the launch of Endwalker, Red Mage has been the more complex of the casters that can resurrect, but that is mostly because Summoner is just that simple. I usually have fun when leveling Red Mage and when I take it to level cap content for a change of pace from the Summoner. I like the additions and changes in Dawntrail so far, with the exception of Jolt III being superior to Verstone and Verfire before level 94, since that makes level 90 content optimal rotation to ignore one of the central mechanics in the job. Other than that, I like the job more than before and might play it even more now.

Pictomancer was the second new job in Dawntrail, and I was initially less interested in it. Now, after having first-hand experience with all jobs, I actually like it very much because of its uniqueness. There is a lot to plan and optimize with the paintings, and Smudge is maybe my favorite mobility tool in the entire game for now. However, I probably will not be playing Pictomancer that much since I prefer having resurrection on my caster.

Black Mage has always been one of my least favorite jobs. It lacks resurrection, wants to stay still as much as possible, and in some cases forces other party members to change plans for encounters just because it deals much damage and might require significant accommodation from others. I have never been good at the job and never want to be the player that brings Black Mage to a party. The changes in Dawntrail have not changed my opinion on the job, and many who liked the job before seem to like it less now that it lost some of its skill expression. I hope that one day all casters have an equal possibility to resurrect people even if it meant changing the spell on other casters to have a long cooldown, because right now I feel like I’m too harsh on some casters just because they don’t have it.

Scholar has been my most used healer job probably in every expansion. It has serious problems with how the tools don’t interact with each other and sometimes block some options entirely. The job identity is all over the place too, and Seraphism did not help that at all. The job also depends very heavily on the fairy that must be summoned always after changing jobs or death, which does make the job unique but makes the job immediately more punishing on deaths. Even if I seem very negative about the job, it is the one healer that I use most because it has a very diverse and powerful toolkit. I hope that one day the fairy gauge could be used for things other than Aetherpact, Seraph could use Fey Blessing, Recitation could be used on Seraphism spells, and Baneful Impaction could be used more often. Still, I will play the job and enjoy it even if it does not know if it is a fairy healer, military tactician, or angel.

Sage is also one of my favorite jobs in the game. For me, it feels easier to manage and less punishing than Scholar. I was very interested in the job when I heard about Eukrasian Dyskrasia and Psyche as damage spells, but after leveling all healers to cap, I just defaulted to Scholar for the utility. Out of all healers, I feel like Sage got the least changes to actual healing tools, and that is a shame even though the toolbox already was and still is very good and more than enough. I will probably play some Sage in this expansion, but only to take a break from Scholar and summoning the fairy.

White Mage is my pick if I want to play a regen healer or have very big heals. White Mage has been a good healer for dungeons for a long time as it is the only job that has a stun in its AoE spell. This means that when played correctly, every trash pull starts with 10 seconds of stun, during which the tank player can save mitigation tools. White Mage’s healing kit also is not that heavily reliant on pre-emptive usage of skills and abilities, so it is often a safer pick for new content. Dawntrail gave White Mage some new tools for damage and healing and, most importantly, the option to dash freely. White Mage had decent mobility before, but in my opinion, the dash has been the most important upgrade to White Mage so far. If I had to complain about something about the current White Mage, it would probably be the restrictiveness of Divine Caress, since it can only be used after Temperance, and its shield lasts only 10 seconds while almost every other shield effect in the game lasts for 30 seconds.

Astrologian got another rework on its card system and is still a healer that uses regens but plays more like a proactive shield healer. I used to like Astro very much, but since the job changes every expansion, I have not mastered the job as much as other healers. My biggest problem with Astro is that it seems to be made artificially busy. Many of the healing abilities seem weaker or less effective when compared to other healers, and some of the strongest effects like Earthly Star, Exaltation, and Macrocosmos have some kind of delay built into the ability. I prefer this version to the Endwalker version for the cards, but in its current state, I will pick other healer jobs before even considering Astrologian. I also hope that the cards get some adjustments still. I know that I and at least some people more interested in the job would prefer to change the healing recovery bonus of The Arrow to the shield of The Spire since it would be a more mitigative effect and give The Spire a new effect like a small heal that is triggered by missing HP or time similarly to Scholar’s Excogitation or Gunbreaker’s Heart of Corundum.

Warrior is usually the tank that I want to level to max level first, and after Endwalker, that choice is even easier to make. Warrior is just a simple and fun job that can heal itself very easily with several actions. This time, Warrior got some more healing, one new damage ability, one new damage skill, and a very good new animation for an older skill. The job is very similar to the Endwalker version, and it will still probably be the tank that I take to dungeons when I’m not in a premade party.

Gunbreaker is a job that I liked very much in Shadowbringers, less in Endwalker, and now I like it more than ever before. My biggest problem with the job was how it felt during burst windows if there was downtime or deaths so that I did not have a full gauge when pressing No Mercy. The Lionheart combo helped solve that, at least in even minutes, and now Sonic Break can’t drift since it is tied to No Mercy. Great Nebula is also a nice addition to Gunbreaker’s mitigation tools, and since the job no longer has a damaging gap closer, it has an easier time using those tools overall. However, since the gap closer was already changed, I would have hoped to see more drastic changes to make it feel more unique. Some part of me hopes that Trajectory would allow Gunbreaker to dash freely to a selected position similarly to Ninja’s Shukuchi, but it might be too clunky on a job that usually wants to be on the boss anyway. Gunbreaker will very likely be my pick for all content with only one target or a premade party.

Paladin has been in a good place since the light rework during Endwalker patches, and Dawntrail Paladin just builds on that foundation. Playing Paladin feels very safe, but it also makes the Paladin feel maybe a bit more boring than other tanks. The only complaints about the job that I can think of are that it would be nice to use Cover a bit more often for job fantasy by either lowering or removing the cost or giving it some other function like a dash to the target. Also, getting a gap closer for level 70 ultimates would be nice. Overall, I like Paladin, but for me, it feels like a more boring Warrior.

Dark Knight is now in a very rough spot. The job needed some pruning for burst for sure, but it did not get enough back to compensate. In Endwalker, Dark Knight was very busy during the even-minute burst window, but very boring while doing the basic filler rotation outside of it. It also had serious problems with sustain compared to other tanks. I have seen many suggestions to improve Dark Knight, and many of them involve separating Carve and Spit and Abyssal Drain once again or giving Carve and Spit lifesteal. Recently, I saw someone suggesting that the abilities should be on a similar timer and charge system to Sage’s Phlegma, and that would once again help Dark Knight sustain itself if both skills healed the player. Also, the trait Enhanced Unmend is very odd now that Plunge has been changed to Shadowstride. My suggestion would be to either make Shadowstride a free dash like En Avant or Aetherial Shift, which would make the dash a defensive tool in dungeons between bosses that can be done more if using Unmend during the pulls, or make the skill empower some other skill or ability. It would be nice, for example, to gain the ability to use melee weaponskills as ranged skills if Unmend is used before. Dark Knight already has the weapon with the most reach out of the tanks and utilizes Living Shadow to do damage. Dark Knight could also use some buffs to the defensive kit. The Blackest Night was a nice ability in Stormblood, but nowadays using resources for defense that are also used for damage makes it unappealing. Using The Blackest Night and not getting the Dark Arts as a refund for the shield breaking feels similar to getting a bunny while doing ninjutsu as a Ninja or dropping Astral Fire or Umbral Ice as Black Mage, even if the shield has helped in the situation. This leads to me at least sometimes leaving other mitigations unused to make sure that I get the full value out of the ability. It would be nice to see the cost removed or at least granting the Dark Arts if any damage is taken. Dark Knight could also benefit from getting Dark Missionary earlier, before level 70, because right now it is the only tank that does not have party mitigation outside of Reprisal in the first two ultimate fights. I hope that Dark Knight gets something during this expansion because right now it feels the worst out of all tanks.