So is there anything good about Dawntrail at all?

[Vahlnir]

People can keep trying to spread the lies of "You expected it to be bad, so of course you thought it was bad!" like some defense of the absolutely depressing quality of this expansion, but it's not taking. The vast majority of us were expecting lower quality, sure, as there was no way this was going to be Endwalker tier. But we adjusted our expections to that. And we were still disappointed. This expansion was SO bad that it literally became that "Our expectations for you were low, but holy f-" meme.

Yeah, I definitely wasn't expecting it to be bad. I wasn't expecting Shakespeare, but I was expecting to be entertained. I was not entertained. In fact, I was so bored even I surprised myself at how far I was willing to go to make it all stop. I skipped literally every cutscene the game would allow after a certain point and I never, EVER did that before with the MSQ.

To the writers, I mean this as respectfully as possible:

[Eyrilona]

Reading the forums, there seems to be nothing good about DT at all.
Maybe it's my fault reading before even completing DT. But the negativity starts to affect me, and I'm losing motivation. I just landed in Tural, and I immediately feel like logging off, because I've been hearing all bad things about Wuk Lamat.

So is there anything good to look forward to from DT?

There is a lot of good about it!

Just about everything that isn't the story or the narrative devices by which the story is told, is almost universally considered well done. The dungeons are some of the most intense and mechanically interesting they've ever put out, as are the trials. Sure, some people are less fond of the fast AoEs in this expansion, but that is a personal preference. The zone design too is truly beautiful. Once you get past the msq (and any sour taste that may leave in your mouth or not) and get to where you just do your own endgame thing and get these duties in your roulettes, you are most likely going to have a great time.

[KurenXIV]

Actually yes there are several good things about DT, just none of them have to do with the MSQ haha.

The dungeons and trial fights are all exceptionally well done. They are fast paced and engaging and I think that if the rest of the battle content is like this that'll save the expansion from any bad story they come up with.

The music is solid (sans that one pop song...you know the one...)

The Japanese VA's continue to be phenomenal.

Viper and Pictomancer seem to be relatively well received and I personally enjoy Viper.

The graphics update is nice (though it still needs some fine tuning).

The server stability from launch till now has been mostly rock solid.

[Ririta]

- Wuk Lamat is probably the most pure and honest character since Graha
- the new zones, especially the last 2 ones, plus all zones are connected in a coherent manner
- the new leveling dungeons
- Valigarmanda fight
- pictomancer is a very creative job
- the best solo duties yet, especially Gulool Ja Ja
- duty support makes the trials really fun plus it has some interesting character choices
- more complex level cap dungeons (not really a plus for me tbh, I'm super bad at them)
- more relatable stories focused on family connections

The only thing that I truly dislike is how they changed black mage.

[NiceNox]

The fights are great and musics are superb! From the normal to expert duties, from trial to extreme, the fights are well made and fluid!

Overall, I would give Dawntrail 6/10
Fights and trials: 8/10
Musics: 7/10
But story…. 4/10 only the last zone impressed me imo

[Turtledeluxe]

Maps are beautiful. Combat gets better and better over time. Story has a handful of good moments between a lot of what feels like filler. There's some good songs in the ost.

Anyone saying it's mostly good or mostly bad are just lying to themselves imo. It feels pretty rushed/budget constrained/mixed experience.

[missTori]

Reading the forums, there seems to be nothing good about DT at all.
Maybe it's my fault reading before even completing DT. But the negativity starts to affect me, and I'm losing motivation. I just landed in Tural, and I immediately feel like logging off, because I've been hearing all bad things about Wuk Lamat.

So is there anything good to look forward to from DT?

It's really not /that/bad. like 6.5/10 ? But yeah, browsing forums before you play is not a good way to boost morale for any game lol.
The maps are amazing and fights fun. I skipped most of the unvoiced scenes, and the food eating scenes with Wuk. I also played in Japanese audio, which might have made me enjoy it more. Zoraal Ja VA is Sebastian from black butler/Jotaro from Jojo!!

I guess I'm just frustrated that it's another endwalker depression 2.0 story.

[EusisLandale]

The expert dungeons, barring the first boss in The Strayborough Deadwalk, are actually pretty fun. That fight isn't even hard, it's just obnoxious as hell.

[Mostly_Raxus]

some of the zones are pretty and the new classes are fun, but the story is not so well received though, and it being one of the main selling points, makes it hurt all the more.

[MarianneviBrittania]

It's really not /that/bad. like 6.5/10 ? But yeah, browsing forums before you play is not a good way to boost morale for any game lol.
The maps are amazing and fights fun. I skipped most of the unvoiced scenes, and the testing food scenes with Wuk. I also played in Japanese audio, which might have made me enjoy it more. I guess I'm just frustrated that it's another endwalker depression 2.0 story.

Categorically speaking, forums (no matter the game in question), are typically reserved for critical feedback. That is what they are designed to be most receptive to. To wit, if what you're seeking is a morale boost, the forums of any MMORPG is generally not the place to go to seek that out.