On the beaten path.
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail review
And then: back to reality.
But what about me?
I hear you ask.
Dawntrail shares some DNA with Stormblood and Heavensward, with the player fulfilling a supportive role to Wuk Lamat.
This means that getting through the early hours can feel slow, with minimal action for the player character.
Wuk Lamat has quickly become a topic of heated debate.
She may be Marmite, but I neither love nor hate her.
By the end, she becomes a solid addition to the cast.
The routine of speaking to x, then y, then x again feels more drawn out.
It aims to appear exciting, as icons triumphantly pop to showcase a successful trade after each conversational detour.
I was promised El Dorado and got an angry Owen Wilson instead.
And thus, in making my own fun, I turned to corn.
Yes, the foodstuff.
I had become nomadic, wandering the beguiling new world of Tural looking for my own sense of purpose.
In Tural’s capital, Tuliyollal, I found it.
You’re on holiday, after all!
Do we need 100 main quests?
Can we trim the fat and have a tighter story?
Dawntrail is most arresting in its approach to family, without being too Vin Diesel about it.
This being said, Dawntrail ups the ante in all other conceivable ways.
There are several user experience improvements that, alone, may seem insignificant but make a huge difference combined.
Dawntrail’s phenomenal battle instances, known as Duties, are the star of the show.
Viper is a fast-paced and frenetic dual wielder, with the fluidity and debuff management of Reaper.
It may be more complex than Viper, but is just as efficient.
Each Motif offers different advantages in any given combat scenario and allows for rotation flexibility.
Its increased survivability with Shadowed Vigil is also a welcome addition.
Peaks and troughs is the only way to describe the overall experience of pre-patch Dawntrail.
It scratches the exploration itch, and adventure awaits if you take initiative to find it.
I don’t think the best of Final Fantasy 14 is behind us - not by a long shot.
A copy of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail was provided for review bySquare Enix.
Review updated 16th July to note the patch which has arrived to address the issue with DPS imbalance.
