Final Fantasy XIVneeds to take the right lessons fromDawntrail. Released a little over a year ago,DawntrailwasFFXIV’s first expansion after the conclusion of the Hydaelyn arc, which saw the Warrior of Light and their companions travel to the far-off continent of Tural.
Dawntrailhad a hard act to follow: it came on the heels of four of the most critically-acclaimed, fan-beloved MMO expansions of all time. And it really did attempt to do something different with its story, setting, and gameplay concepts, all of which weremostly well-received at launch. But now, having dropped to Mostly Negative recent reviews on Steam,Dawntrailmight be considered the worst ofFFXIV’s expansions to date. So what happened, and how can the game recoup?
The Most Divisive Expansion
Dawntrailhas always had its fans, but, asScreen Rant’s reviewer Austin King put it, “Dawntrail will be a divisive entry in FFXIV’s history.” He was right on almost every single count:the story was the first point of contention. Players called it “boring,” disliking its lower stakes compared toEndwalker,Shadowbringers, evenHeavensward. They disliked its new characters,especially Wuk Lamat.
Now, I’d argue the boring, lower-stakes nature of the expansion was the point:the devs always marketed it as a “summer vacation"for your WoL, so I had a little more patience for it. It’s not my favoriteFFXIVexpansion by far, but it’s a perfectly fine diversion from the emotional gut punches of the MSQ.
But even those gameplay mechanics that would ordinarily save a lackluster story were widely criticized. Long-time players felt thatFFXIV’s classes had become too simple, too “casual” to play, and that its content was starting to get too repetitive.
FFXIVis gettingtooconsistent.
Interim patches toFFXIVhave only made theDawntrailsituation worse, and it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel with no new expansion on the horizon. The most recent update,Patch 7.3, met with widespread fan criticism. The most common complaint was a lack of meaningful differences from the prior patch:FFXIVis gettingtooconsistent.
Meanwhile, long-standing issues with the game - i.e.,the Eorzean housing crisis- have yet to see meaningful, long-term fixes.This is endlessly frustrating to veteran players, who, may I remind you, still pay a subscription fee to keep up with the game.
The Next Expansion Needs To Get People Excited Again
A Primal-Sized Shakeup
But hey,an MMO can recover from a bad expansion.FFXIV’sStormbloodwas nearly as divisive, but look what followed: the one-two punch ofShadowbringersandEndwalkersilenced all criticism.Dawntrail, likeStormblood, will always be a dull stretch inFFXIV’s hundreds of hours of MSQ. But with a little streamlining and some minor improvements - plus a groundbreaking new expansion to follow - I think it can redeem itself.
In order to do that,FFXIVwill need to take a two-pronged approach. First,fix what’s wrong: come up with a real housing solution akin toWorld of Warcraft’s neighborhoods. Maybe streamlineDawntrailso that its MSQ doesn’t take quite as long to get through, just like the post-A Realm Reborncontent was trimmed down earlier.
Second,makeFFXIV’s next expansion a monumental shakeup. Introduce some new classes that feel truly, meaningfully different to play, some new dungeon mechanics unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. There needs to be a better balance between casual and hardcore content -something Yoshi-P is already trying, with varying degrees of success.
Summer vacation can only last so long.
Besides that,FFXIV’s story needs to go in a whole new direction. Not likeDawntraildid: I say make it big and high-stakes. Summer vacation can only last so long. Whatever the case, the expansion also needs to leave room at the end, so it can eventually grow into a multipart epic like the Hydaelyn saga.
FFXIV’s recent woes have been frustrating, but that doesn’t mean it can’t recover. It has a clear path ahead of it, and, with its developers’changing approach to its patches, there’s a real chance it could rally. Either way,Final Fantasy XIVhas a lot of work ahead of it if it wants to learn the right lessons from theDawntraildebacle.
