Dawntrail review and feedback (SPOILERS)

[Vanitax]

I know there have been several threads like this but would like to still offer my PoV in a long post

I've put 89 hours into the msq alone and finished it with 2 jobs at 100 and other at 95 + the hours I put into doing EX2, lvling SGE and farming tomes and fates. In general, I really liked the expansion, I think the change of pacing in the story was pretty much needed considering we need to build the world and the lore for at least 10 years more. Still, I do think the expansion has several quest design issues: if you don't force yourself to do side content and take your time, as I did because I play RPGs that way, the MSQ is extremely boring to play: you go from point A to point B and finish that loop with a cutscene (either voiced or not that's RNG and part of the fun), then repeat. Outside of dungeons, trials and some instanced duty (I think we have 4 in total) we don't have any kind of gameplay and fights outside it unless the player decides to do fates or just kill mobs in the overworld (that don't offer anything more than just clicking some buttons since they die fast). This is a terrible pacing considering the story right now needs to take its time to develop itself.

Expanding more on the idea of quests design: besides being repetitive, important lore and information are always in the form of cutscene or interactable dialogue (dialogues that you get by interacting with NPCs to proceed with the quest or finish it). Newest and not that newest RPGs tend to spread its character development and lore in several forms: not only cutscenes and forced dialogue interactions but also in the form of dialogues that you get while you move from one quest point to another, while travelling with NPCs. Games like NieR, FF7 Remake and Rebirth and even FFXV do this and works extremely well... Ok, you don't want people to miss it, still you have the resources: put voiced dialogues while NPCs accompany you, use the portrait dialogues more that catch the player attention more easily, ABUSE the instanced duties, the sections when we travel in mount with another NPC (like the one with Erenville in Shaaloani). Following an NPC is not fun, make NPCs follow us while they tell this important lore in form of voiced (or not) dialogue. The company released 3 mainline FF since 2020 that are all GOTY contenders and they do all this and more, even XVI that has some similar issues it hides it very well thanks to its combat, having forced combats (something that XIV barely does outside trials and dungeons) and having a fast way to roam around its world (something that we will discuss later). Please, update and renew the way you tell your stories because, even as good as ShB and EW story were, these issues are not only from Dawntrail but XIV in general. You have the resources.

(1/4)

[Vanitax]

Now, something really great and I totally appreciated was the new zones: massive, felt amazing exploring each one, seeing the references to my own culture (thanks for including Argentina zones like Aconcagua and mate leaves in Urqopacha and taking inspiration from Iguazú waterfalls in Yak'tel). I never get bored doing content and fates in these new zones and Living Memory was really a love letter to the game and even other games from FF and maybe KH, too much inspiration and feelings put in there. (Also, Soken, you did it again mad guy). Still one thing I'd like to point: as big as these zones are, and as repetitive as the quest design got these years (or wasn't able to grow alongside new games in the genre) the way we discover and travel this zone is getting extremely slow even by mount, I know increasing movement speed is something impossible since it'd require revamping or changing older content but at least make it faster in overworld zones. Not only MSQ are going from point A to B, but also are side quests and Aether currents. Please, upgrade this too: either remove Aether currents and make us discover these hidden zones through the side quests leaving these currents only in the form of sidequests or/and make the overworld zones be explorable like other RPG games like Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, NieR Automata, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (which I think you should take more inspiration as they did in the past) or even Zelda BotW meaning: fast walk speed and more interaction with the world that surrounds us, exploring the mentioned games is fun and I can spend several hours discovering new stuff, new zones, getting to one place through different ways or different paths, I'm not asking the dash and flow motion system from Kingdom Hearts 3 but at least a more dynamic and fast way to explore these zones like NieR or PSO2NG. The way we travel the world in XIV fits games like FF12, A Realm Reborn and several zones from HW and maybe Stormblood but at this point it feels it's made to slow us down. Then the overworld enemies: please make them have some kind of threat, all of them die in 3-4 hits. I don't ask them to be annoying as Bozja that they follow you till the next continent but at least make them have more gimmicks and fun mechs. I want that feeling I get from FF12 or Xenoblade that makes me think "probably this is not the right time I engage with this enemy" or even if I try I get a hard time against it, tl;dr do it like Bozja not to the point it kills us with one hit (at least they're higher level or something like that) I'd like world mobs to even be a way to level up, not as fast as dungeons, roulettes or fates but as a way to break the loop, get out of the usual stuff or just kill some time till next fates spawn.

(2/4)

[Vanitax]

Besides that, I really enjoyed the plot: seeing the Scions taking a break from being plot devices (I'm staring at you Y'shtola), seeing Wuk Lamat growing up for the throne while also learning more from Erenville and Krile was really and enjoyable journey. Even I liked Shaaloani questline when we helped Namikka, it looked like a chore more but ended hitting my emotions a lot when we arrive to the next zone. Despite the quest design is extremely repetitive is still a great world and lore building that could be told in better and more modern ways. I'm extremely fan of the second part too: fan of cyberpunk aesthetic, that kind of plotline that gives you a bittersweet feeling, that makes you feel conflicted with the Endless and that OST was superb in the entire expansion. Bygone Serenity is my favourite OST, the zone reminds me of Versus XIII Insomnia, while also having a statue like Etro from FF13, also all the FF9 references everywhere and the OST that mixes that Yoko Shimomura style (Twilight Town and Fallen Land from Xenoblade) with Soken's own style. I'm really in love with it, and it's by far my favourite zone in game (alongside Solution Nine). I'd just point out that despite I like Wuk Lamat, and I think our WoL doesn't need to be the protagonist I felt the way our character interacts with the plot is really poor: we never propose thing, just let the Scions answer, never help Wuk Lamat to develop, and what's worse we don't even have a training instanced duty with her to force that mentor role, I felt our character interacted more in the previous expansions with other characters: one example is how we interacted with Ardbert in ShB. I really missed that kind of interaction. Also, I'd like to see more from Koana in the future.

(3/4)

[Vanitax]

And what I think is the best aspect by far is the new content: dungeons and trials are finally in the exact point of difficulty, not everything is telegraphed, now it relies more on the player remember the correct mechs and makes the content super engaging. In EW only content I found engaging was Ultimates and savage that sadly due to university and work can play as much as I want besides some PFs during the weekends but having this kind of difficulty in normal stuff again makes me really happy. Hoping to see the new exploration zone and the new alliances (if it has mechs like NieR and Ivalice I'll be even happier)

With all being said my score for the expansion is around 7/10. If it were another game, it'd be 6/10 considering how sluggish it can be to enjoy it. But considering I have more than 7000 hours, I really like the game and still I did enjoy the MSQ because I did a ton of side stuff that doesn't mean I'll take a bias towards a negative or positive way. Hope this really works as an honest feedback and not just shallow criticism or positivity. Have a great day and also would like to read others' opinions below

Also, I hope you consider Latin Spanish as a language in the future, only as text, we don't ask Spanish dub. You have Latin Spanish as language since FFXV and most of your games are in Spanish, even FF16 has Latin Spanish dub, I hope you reconsider it <3

(4/4)