So is there anything good about Dawntrail at all?

[Jojoya]

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?

That depends on what you personally enjoy.

The negativity comes from basic human nature. We're more likely to discuss what we don't like than what we do.

For me, it's been mixed so far. There are parts I've enjoyed. There are parts that left me going "what were they thinking?".

It could be that you will enjoy all of it, none of it, or will feel mixed like I do. Don't let others form your opinions for you. Experience the expansion and decide for yourself.

[Souljacker]

I am a huge FF fan. Played all of them, am old enough to have played all of them when they were relevant. Have my own little 'museum' of FF titles I've collected over the years. It's hands down my favorite IP of all time.

This xpac is very 'safe and predictable'. If you never saw an earlier expac, never played through the quests in their original forms before the compressions they did, you probably won't be nearly as annoyed at using the keyboard to type in a phrase three times in three slightly different locations or zoom in at three places on an object and press a button to trigger a dialogue.

So if you liked it, thought that was engaging, it's more of the same. The maps are more of the same. Starter zone looks exactly like the starter zones outside of Gridania, just maybe a little denser with the trees.

It didn't veer very far at all from the 'formula', and for me, that's what makes it weaker overall. A good story and engaging characters could carry that, it's not a heavy lift, but the weaker story, weaker characters, just for me, makes this a very, very weak experience. I actually turned it off and went to play something else. I was THAT tired of Wuk Lamat Fantasy.

And I LIKE Wuk Lamat.....

[HyoMinPark]

I’ve enjoyed everything about Dawntrail except for the MSQ. Pictomancer is fun. Viper is fun. The areas are gorgeous, if not a bit empty. Music is good. I was personally pleased with the graphics update. It was just the MSQ I was dissatisfied with. It felt exhausting to do, and I’ve never felt that way about the MSQ before. Not even ARR or SB.

[ShariusTC]

fight is good, map design is good, story is horrible, our character nearly non-exist in msq plot, we will turn into wow if this trending keep go on

[Larom]

I have no idea what you are reading, but this expansion is AMAZING!!!!
The story is well voice acted and well thought out, the gear designs look great, the music, which I will admit threw me off upon landing in Tuliyollal, is actually FABULOUS!

The MSQ pacing is great and will pretty much get you to 100 if you only do MSQ, aether currents and 6 fates per zone for riding maps on a single job.

TBH, I love everything about this expansion thus far. Experience it for yourself! Dont let others ruin stuff for you. It sounds like just nitpicky people coming on the forums to gripe.

This is what you call a bad faith actor.

[SirShady]

It was just disheartening to see the complaints run the gamut (from "disaster" MSQ, to "terrible" voice-acting, to "eye-straining" graphics, to "odd choice" jazzy music, to "boring" role quests, to "insufferable" character, to "squandered" zone design, to "wasted" 2 dye potential). That almost touches all of Dawntrail's promotional material.

But, no, you are right -- it's my fault entirely. Great to hear that there are still great things to look forward to based on all that was shared here.

I also have a high tolerance for annoying characters, so let me be the judge of that for my own experience.

At the end of the day, it's all subjective man. I have no doubt some folks get sucked into a negative feedback loop when they don't enjoy the MSQ and probably blow other things a little out of proportion. It's easy to become critical about everything when one major aspect disappoints you. Like the jazz is kind of an odd choice, but I'm still bopping to it anyway.

Yeah, I'd say go in with an open mind and see where it lands for you. And if you can tolerate Wuk, you're probably set up for being able to appreciate it a lot more than I did haha.

[TBerry]

I think people are looking back at endwalker with rose tinted glasses. Every expansion has always had a lot of fluff and pacing issues. Remember when the world was ending & the sky was red in radz at Han and we were playing dress up with bunnies on the moon? Yeah lol. Writers need to do better all around.

And the carrots. My god, the carrots.

[Zaniel]

I think people are looking back at endwalker with rose tinted glasses. Every expansion has always had a lot of fluff and pacing issues. Remember when the world was ending & the sky was red in radz at Han and we were playing dress up with bunnies on the moon? Yeah lol. Writers need to do better all around.

Dressing up with bunnies was jarring and silly but it lasted 2-3 quests, not the whole MSQ. The additional problem with the MSQ is that by FF14's design (obviously) you have to do the MSQ to get to the good bits so you're walled off from those excellent dungeons by an insane slog of a visual novel written by a 12 year old.

[Karkarov]

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?

The music is ok. It isn't ShB or EW quality, but it is still better than anything you will get in most if not all other MMO's. The dungeons are mostly good, though some of the expert fights are extremely melee unfriendly to an obnoxious degree and have some very annoying mechanics that aren't "difficult" just not fun. The trials (minus something that happens in the last one) are all solid, have very creative new mechanics, and are fun to play out.

The problems are all 100% in the MSQ. Which is a major issue because... this is a MMO that's claim to fame has always been having one of if not the best story and plot of any MMO to the point many people only play when new story content is added. Not new expansions... new story content. I have even previously said the ARR->EW plot is actually the best FF story ever made even better than the actual single player games.

I will definitely not be telling anyone Dawntrail has a better plot/story than the single player FF's.

[Raikai]

Story: X
Job gameplay: X
PVE content: Good so far! There's a LOT to be seen still.

If they don't drop the ball with that one, I may endure, or else, I'll just find another MMORPG to focus and resub only at 7.75 so I can see the rest of the patch MSQ without cliffhangers. If they get really fazed by the unpopular way the .o MSQ was conceived, they'll change things around in the patch ones and hopefully it will be good.

I think it was more or less the case with Stormblood if I wasn't mistaken. People generally disliked the .o story, but the patch content made up for it.