Dawntrail appreciation for those who enjoy the story so far

[Lothllara]

I'm at lvl94 MSQ, discovering the second half of the third map, and I'm having a blast. So I'm dropping a message here, since I heard there were people complaining (all the power to them) to counterbalance a bit.

I think Wuk Lamat is a very enjoyable character, for starters, so I guess it helps me enjoy the MSQ. She's caring, curious, humble, genuine and strong, with realistic shortcomings for someone with her background. Helping her overcome them is satisfying, even as I watch her be already every inch a queen when it comes to interactions with her people. It's also great that her growth arc seems to reach a climax before I reached half of the MSQ, leaving room for another narrative direction to come up.

I also love that we're taking a step back and following someone else's story, still as a friend and mentor, but just taking a break from saving the world. The stakes are still kinda high (the fate of a whole continent, including its potential interactions with Eorzea later).

The maps have all been breathtakingly beautiful so far, and exploring them to learn about them and their inhabitants, culture, history, food, etc, is very rewarding. Every culture is well crafted as per usual in this game; the people are consistent, with rich histories that show in detail through their architectural and aesthetic choices, their food, their speech patterns, their clothes, their economy, and of course their beliefs and how they see the world.

I love that we're walking in the steps of a hero as big as we are ourselves, but on another continent. I find this narrative approach to be original and refreshing.

The dungeons, solo duties and trial have also been really fun, fast-paced and brain-racking so far - not hard exactly, but keeping me on my feet, requiring quick thinking and adjustment. I cannot wait for savage to drop if they keep the same spirit but crank it up to savage level.

My one complaint is that there do be a little too many cutscenes compared to the actual time spent playing - a trend that started in ShB, got worse in EW and feels even more pronounced here. I love the cutscenes and the story. But yeah, maybe next time add a little more things to do for the player in between them at the beginning of the expansion.

[Araxes]

The first half of the expac was kinda meh and Boring tbh but as soon as we get to the fourth Area it picks up a lot. The music, the Story and the Dungeons, especially the Music which was really MEH, gets so much better after the first 3 Areas.

I really feared this was gonna be another ARR but i am glad that at least the second half is good.

[Embran]

I wish there was more discussions about what the expansion is doing well, because the dungeons and trials are peak. I don't think they've EVER made better dungeons or trials. And I haven't touched EX yet.

It excites me for the raids, and for the rest of the content they have lined up for the patches. Yoshida did say they wanted to focus more on innovating when it came to mechanics and it's nice to see he wasn't blowing hot air.

[NanaWiloh]

I have really enjoyed the story and dungeons. Did skydeep right before calling it a night, last boss in there was just asking do you like ledges?? Lol

[Volfe]

Just been doing the first two zones so far, it's nothing crazy but I'm enjoying it. The WoL being just another character and not a god for once feels refreshing. Nice visuals, nice music. Love the wider variety of characters, I hope the scions take a break for a while.

It's probably too soon to speak but let's see how it goes.

[sindriiisgaming]

I'm not finished yet but I see it is picking up around 93>94. But God the wol being an accessory is really getting to me and I absolutely HATE wuk lamat

[HawkeScream]

I've only just gotten done with the two fork quests, first dungeon, and a few quests past that, but I'm loving it so far. It's so refreshing and I love that we get to just travel around and help and do "Azem things" for a bit before whatever big things the story takes us to down the road. The zones are gorgeous, the pacing feels good to me. I like Wuk Lamat and am getting more and more attached to her as we go!

[Maximilian_Staufen]

I'm not very far yet, barely made it past the first dungeon. I'm going really slow, talking to most NPCs, doing all the aetheryte currents plus full questline if applicable and I'm very much enjoying myself. Learning about new cultures, taking in the sights and not being the main character for once is super comfy. Big fan of Wuk Lamat, she feels like Lyse but with actual character development.

[Rehayem]

I finished the MSQ, the first half was really meh and was really yawning through some... but the second half was actually really good. Music and maps are of course very pretty and beautiful.

[CKNovel]

Having a blast as well, finished the MSQ.

ShB remains the golden standard, it had the best villain, Ran'jit was amazing, the scions had their first development...
DawnTrail also has way too many jokes and cartoonish moment that breaks the tone. There's good jokes but there's also bad one that breaks characters, to not spoil think about G'raha Tia that was a fantastic character that then devolved into a fanboy.

As for what I enjoyed:

• I really enjoyed the candidates and the theme of the expansions.
• One thing I really liked is how we don't have only "human" characters involved, it really makes me appreciate the fantasy aspect of Tural instead of being a story with humans, taller humans, horned human, catgirl human. Hopefully the writing team will reiterate that.
• While there's some padding and narrative issue it didn't bothered me as much as ShB or EW, but less padding would be welcomed. Compared to EW, the map really feels like traveling Tural rather than being propelled to far away locations.
• I really enjoy Wuk Lamat's character development and it being the main point of the expansion. She's relatable and doesn't feel like an overpowered new character.
• The WoL not being the main character but still an important actor, it's great to make some space for new characters.

I felt more connected to DT than EW, which themes completely missed me.