A Trail Worth Following? - FF14 Dawntrail Review

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Just want to say, I'm loving all the comments. It's nice to have some engagement and being able to talk with others about the game. Keep it up!

[@bamboozled_again]

you sound like you are Erenviles English VA haha :D

[@我很菜请见谅]

Us: Nod/ smile/ nod again/ shocked pikachu face/ nod and do almost nothing else.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

To be fair, we never did much to begin with. We were just along for the ride as someone seemingly important.

[@Tylendel_]

Wuk Lamat power pains was so random, her power level was all over the place

[@BirdsOfPlay]

She just has to believe in herself! We all have a Wuk Lamat inside of us.

[@EclipseHighroller]

I honestly think that Dawntrail has the worst msq story from any expansion and ARR.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I'm inclined to agree, although I do think it does have some redeeming qualities.

[@stressedoutofexistence663]

Erenville is that you? :D

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I wish! 😀

[@PhantomSinger1]

The WoL taking a support role is a bit refreshing. We had our hero journey as we go from ordinary adventurer to Primal Slayer to savior of the cosmos. Now we get to support the most naive heir to a foreign kingdom, if her Naruto/Luffy vibes don't put you off. My partner is less thrilled about the story, though. He's tired of the Power of Friendship trope being used again and again; sometimes there is no middle ground between opponents and peace can only be had when one side is forced to stop.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I can see the Naruto/Luffy resemblance. Personally I thought of Snow from XIII and Zack from VII. I guess it's the overwhelming optimism, coupled with bravery and some naivety.

[@PhantomSinger1]

@@BirdsOfPlay The Naruto connection was most obvious, and someone else pointed out how Luffy is much the same way. On the surface, they're highly driven to become the next Hokage/Pirate King/Dawnservant and make sure everyone knows it. Loudly. At first the motivations seem shallow, but deeper reasons some to light later on. They meet a lot of people on their journey and SOMEHOW win the day with the Power of Friendship. Sometimes rivals become allies! Also, highly food motivated and goofy to the extreme until the pressure is on and they have to get serious.

[@bene5594]

Wuk lamat is just too one dimensional, her only flaw is being self conscious, but somehow with believing herself goes from getting absolutely wrecked by a character to 1 v 30ing them without any meaningfull training or obstacles that increased her martial prowess.. besides that theres multiple character assassinations not to mention that most of the scions are there just to look pretty, leaving them out would change nothing to the storyline same goes for the wol

[@fayte0618]

@@bene5594 i think it feels that way because she doesnt have trauma. She was raised sheltered and loved + has a personality of a person that loves life (similar to Venat). Her dimensionality comes from understanding those around her outside her comfort zone hence the journey.

[@aspookyscaryskeleton1474]

​@@fayte0618That's not dimension that's just derivative of her wanting to be nice with everyone. Whoever wrote Dawntrail just sort of forgot about her being shaken up after fighting a big talking bird and now she's able to take on a literal New World deity with 0 hesitation or fear.

[@Ashtari]

I've found that the expansion very much builds on the themes from the song 'Answers' specifically the line, "Let those who walk before, lead those who walk after." And that's what we're doing. We've walked our Hero's path and now we're guiding others along their own paths, only stepping in when things need someone with our sort of expertise. Now whether or not this is a theme that will continue on in further expansions, I don't know, but for now it was a breath of fresh air to be the mentor instead of the one bearing all the weight.

[@andruism7]

I wondered what accent Erenville had. But isn't it odd for him to have an icelandic accent when he is very specifically from Tural, which is supposed to be South America?

[@BirdsOfPlay]

It is a bit strange but I guess he just adopted it from the viera in the east, much like his name. Although I imagine taking a new name is considerably easier than fully changing the way you speak.

[@forte8227]

I think this is a case of the writers forgetting why Eren spoke like that. Most likely they decided he's from a North American viera tribe like 1 year after Endwalker launch.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Maybe Icelandic voice actors are too hard to come by. I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!

[@ventusvero4484]

@@BirdsOfPlay Lyna in Shadowbringers was also an Icelandic VA right? (Salome R. Gunnarsdottir?) But I have a question about Erenville. In his usual dialogue, its is EXCELLENT, but in his narration I kept hearing him rolling his Rs a lot more, really leaning into it, like someone was telling him to dig deeper into his accent than usual. Was that just me? I even went back to different scenes to hear him pronounce the same words, and the narration was different than the cutscene (much thicker accent it seemed). Any of that stand out for you, or am I crazy?

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I didn't really notice it, but I think the Icelandic accent is always a bit of a performance for people who have at least some experience speaking English regularly. The roots of it might always be there but there is no special compartment in my brain which houses a pure version of it. Like you said we roll the R a bit sometimes. Another thing is that we don't differentiate between V and W. Also the emphasis should always be on the first syllable of a word. And yes, Lyna was also Icelandic. Along with I think all the Viera and Hrothgar in Shadowbringers.

[@nucah7880]

Unfortunately for me this was the least fun I've ever had going through the MSQ as a player who started over 8 years ago. The direction they took just wasn't a style that worked for me, but glad others enjoyed it.

[@GrimDarkHalfOff]

Good review! Would love a spoiler talk on the story of dawntrail!

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Would be great to be able to go more in depth! I'll see what I can do. We're currently working on the complete story of Shadowbringers before moving onto Endwalker.

[@miliart7695]

The legendary localization of FF12 assigned the Icelandic accents to the Viera.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Would have loved for them to follow through and give Fran an Icelandic accent, just for the street cred. Although it is hard to imagine it when you're so used to the voice they went with.

[@nemnem1235]

I know this is a bit stretch. If you could, can you please make a dawntrail story summary too? I am planning to skip the whole dawntrail story after 5 hours of msq makes me hate the story but love the raid content. Thank you!

[@BirdsOfPlay]

We will eventually but I imagine we will wait for the patches so we can include them as well.

[@fayte0618]

After finishing and thinking about it, the overall message of the expansion was for me about "passing the torch" while honoring "legacy". From the right of succession, to the Scions being mentors and supporting from the sidelines, to the end of the MSQ where we needed to let go of those we hold dear and look forward to the coming dawn. As for the Wuk hate, she's basically like a young Venat in her youthful positivity and love of people, and in a way also a voiced version of WoL. I can see why some people will find someone like that grating which I think is reflected on Erenville haha.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I appreciate this charitable and open minded analysis. Am I understanding you correctly that people don't like Erenville?

[@Nodnarb59]

She Lyse in cat form she ain't no Venat

[@RED_Theory038]

Erenville channeling my inner thoughts. Just exasperated and asking why?

[@viisovari4544]

Looks like quitting after Endwalker was the right thing to do

[@andysauruss]

I’m still working through the first half so not yet there to give my full review on the game. I am not as invested choice in the story as previous expansions. I do think it’s an interesting they focused so much story on a new character rather than expand on their already beloved characters.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

G'raha Tia can only handle being showered with so much love as best boy. Hope you enjoy the rest of the game... If you can. Just kidding, I'm sure you can. I did enjoy it even though some things baffled me.

[@andysauruss]

@@BirdsOfPlay They probably had to cut down on G’raha Tia given how busy the VA Jonathan Bailey is now. So they instead cloned him but dyed him green and called him Koana. 😂

[@pktreturns4912]

I was wondering what Erenvilles accent was from. Generally alot of ff14 npcs speak with various accents from the UK. I really like erenvilles accent and the fact they had Texas accents in dawntrail.

[@Asmodean1111]

After being the Lead for both Shadowbringers and Endwalker, I'm glad that the WoL was more of a support role to someone else. I agree that the MSQ will heavily be effected by Wuk Lamat landing for people or not. I feel the story was a much better handled Stormblood, where the stories wore heavily split at the halfway mark, where SB had a messy split at 71 only to come back to the early areas after 77. I feel the combat is showing the same shine of when Trials and Dungons wore made for Stormblood. They don't feel as braindead as Endwalkers.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Did you try any of the new classes? If so, what did you think?

[@diegeticfridge9167]

I always excepted this expansion to be much more low key. Much more of a “summer vacation” vibe than a true story expansion.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I would have liked it to be even more of a vacation. Maybe even add some Blitzball! Also, less rain. When I go on vacation to somewhere with a nicer climate than Iceland I want the local populace to have suffered a drought for at least a week before I even turn up. Just so I can enjoy my few days in the sun.

[@jesusarmandocontreras2742]

That first zone showed looks a lot like ESO's Elsweyr but the one from the 2019 dlcs (Northen/Southern Elsweyr), not the base game.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I see it. Similar inspiration I guess (although I haven't really played ESO).

[@jesusarmandocontreras2742]

@@BirdsOfPlay most likely, the style of some buildings is also the same hahaha.

[@nameless.greyceo]

Do the ff14 trailers the expansions ever live upto itself in the real game? As i played ff11 for 3 years, my favorite game ever, i played ff14 in 2014 for a few weeks but i just didn't like it with it's over the top tables on the screen and magic stuff and camera being far away during group battles, i miss the simple romanticness of being a real warrior needing to team up in ffxi having a real adventure with people around the world instead of the solo ff14 but ever since i stopped playing i watched the expansions trailers and are blown away by them, heavensward and all tbe others, is the game like the trailers thst blow me away and it gets better and like those trailers after the little weeks i played? If so if it gets like the trailers i might come back.

[@swarmX]

You're the first one ive seen saying the first half was good and second not

[@BirdsOfPlay]

And I stand by it. Is the second half generally receiving much praise?

[@jakeastside]

I’d like to hear your opinion after the last trial. It made a lot of people (including me) physically recoil.

[@swarmX]

@@jakeastside youre talking about wuk lamats arrival into it?

[@RED_Theory038]

​@@BirdsOfPlay Some feel the first half is too slow and the second half is where things pick up. Others are drinking too deeply in their feelings and letting the story sway them on an emotional level, even though I feel they're very cheap and hamfisted the way the writers went about it.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

​@@RED_Theory038 I somewhat enjoyed the slowness of the first half, not that I felt it was particularly slow. Maybe more so that the stakes weren't as high, and that's not necessarily a bad thing considering where we are coming from. I still don't understand the second half. It feels like backtracking in terms of themes others expansions have already done more justice to. Also, I'm still in bit of a shock regarding how they chose to incorporate Final Fantasy IX. There was potential there but ultimately I feel like the way they were combined ended up doing a disservice to IX and XIV both.

[@dew_b_dew]

I've been trying to get into this game for a long time. I want to like it, but I struggle. I think what does it for me is the MSQ and lack of player agency in their job. This game would be so much better if you had skill trees and could tweak jobs to fit different roles and play styles. Combat for me is just not interesting. It's a shame, it seems like there is a lot of potential, but it's way too easy.

[@kandjproductions3563]

Ez? Go play black mage and get back to me.

[@dew_b_dew]

@kandjproductions3563 I hear black mage is tough lol I'm sure there are classes that have higher skill ceilings. I just enjoy having more agency over my build and theory crafting.

[@metalmilitia89]

Wuk Lamat is such a boring character.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

She's a bit one-note. I do like her to a certain extent though and I imagine I might have liked her even more if I was fully on board with the second half of the game.

[@Je-suis-une-dolly]

For me personally the story severely lacks seriousness for 90% of it’s run… the whole kingship contest feels like childsplay and not like political intrigue, the promised conflict between the scions being on different sides is presented laughably… Valigarmanda was hyped up and ended up doing nothing. Also if one (like me) doesn’t vibe with Wuk Lamat you are in for a tough ride… Koana is presented as way more interesting imho. The biggest gripe for me ist the nods to FF9 they are done really poorly imho, bordering on disrespectful. I personally think this is by far the weakest expansion so far, the whole experience feels vapid and/ or hollow

[@BirdsOfPlay]

The nods to IX are what worries me the most in regard to the future of the XIV. Just hope that if they go down this path with another game it will be done more thoughtfully.

[@Je-suis-une-dolly]

@@BirdsOfPlay I hope so too! I mean it can’t get any worse as Turing one of the lore heaviest locations in FF9 (Oeil Vert) into an amusement park “attraction” I was speechless when that happened.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

@@Je-suis-une-dolly For me it was the whole eloctrobe thing which didn't really seem to have any relation to the lore of IX. Also, didn't we already do this with Eulmore in Shadowbringers, where there was a class of people high up in their tower benefitting from the suffering of others?

[@Je-suis-une-dolly]

@@BirdsOfPlay omg! you are right 😹 I didn’t even notice that

[@ventusvero4484]

I finished the MSQ last night, and have to say I enjoyed the Rite of Succession, but the second half is bad, and feels like a lot of steps back. Dialogue is extremely rough (written for young children maybe?). They gave up on 'show, dont tell' and just tell you what your feelings are, which often feels jarring, esp when WoL would not/should not be happy about X. Diversity falls flat imo, as there is 1 NPC model per race (SE cant afford more, apparently?). I have a list of "this makes no sense" or "what are these new plot rules? How come they apply sometimes, but not other times? Huh" and to me comes off as a re-telling of the Ascian story again; Ascians where trying to bring back their dead at the expense of the reflections living, and Venat sundered the world because mankind failed to accept sorrow as its constant companion. Nothing about the 2nd half of the story felt original.

[@rhoguex6041]

Agreed with you till you dissed on the music.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I might have to turn the volume up a bit. There was nothing bad about it but I expected it to grab me a bit more.

[@rhoguex6041]

@@BirdsOfPlay I usually play with a headset on. Helps the sound stand out more.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I'll try that. My family might even thank me for it.

[@rhoguex6041]

@@BirdsOfPlay 😅😅 I have to so mine can watch there shows

[@CheatingZubat]

I actually unsubscribed. Sadly.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Why is that? Just curious.

[@CheatingZubat]

​@@BirdsOfPlay Honestly? I just wasn't feeling the story. When the story of FFXIV peeled back and didn't grip me, I realized how barren the game is of features. Everything is a homogenized, on-rails set piece with no real player choice or diversity. They are so afraid to give players agency and that in turn destroys any and all diversity. There's nothing to do in the open worlds, there's no loot, no fun things to discover. Nothing.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Ah I see, I thought you unsubscribed to the channel because of the video 😀 But yeah, unsubscribing to the game makes sense. I'm still on board with it but the expansion makes me a bit worried about what's to come.

[@DK-oy6mp]

I just subscribed to the channel. I liked your review 👍

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Thanks so much! Appreciate it 😀

[@AllMyJalens]

This story, and Wuk Lamat, fall completely flat. Hours and hours of dialogue with almost no soul or range of emotion, and at no point does the WoL ever even play a role beyond “I’m in this person entourage, don’t ask me”. Bring on the Post patch content.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I thought the first half was very refreshing and I don't mind the warrior being an extra in someone else's story since they don't really have a personality of their own. I actually liked the character piece approach, like I mentioned in the review, but Wuk Lamat doesn't always manage to carry it, especially in the latter half. It will be interesting to see what the patches have to offer, although the post credit scene didn't really manage to whet my appetite.

[@furbyoats1]

I hated how WL just dropped in on the last trial. I tolerated what they did at the end of 6.0 but this...along with some other stort elements makes me think that they either ran out of ideas or are scared to try anything new.

[@Exaltable]

No they don’t lmao. Go touch grass

[@forte8227]

​@@Exaltablewhat do you mean they don't? The ending literally apes shadowbringers, Wukkie does a zenos, Sphene uses Emet's animation, Wukkie also goes "I need to hear, feel, think" several times (remember Hydaelyn?) and so on. Not to mention how they butcher the lore.