Early Impressions | FFXIV Dawntrail

[@TheNastyNamazu]

So the day after I recorded this the servers all died for the first time so it's been a little less smooth than I initially thought. I do want to restate that the whole point of this video is to give my initial unedited first opinions while my hype is at it's highest, so that it can be compared to not only my full opinion of the x.0 patch but the expansion as a whole. Part of the idea is that I am going to be more positive in this first video than I likely will in the more structed versions that will come later. That aside I would encourage people to remember that people can enjoy something even if you don't, and this is especially true when it comes to certain types of stories or even characters.

[@504Trey]

Dude said no spoilers in the title of the video then carried on to deliver spoilers 💀

[@lynxlynx8125]

Well if I recall correctly Azem was a trouble maker, "running into the volcano right before the explosion". I did not see any of this adventure spirit in Dawntrail msq.

[@powergi3996]

The best part of the Dawntrail MSQ was the credits roll, and knowing this borefest was over, and you could start post MSQ stuff.

[@25xxfrostxx]

It's really upsetting. This was the first part of 14 that even before reaching the final zone I was ready to be done with it completely. It's unfortunate that the chance to really recover from this is two and a half years out.

[@nucah7880]

What you consider brilliant with our character being sidelined for Wuk, i consider the exact opposite. It has made this expansion FAR less enjoyable than previous expansions. Playing second fiddle to a character Im not even that big of a fan of was not a good decision in my opinion.

[@AkudamaEXE]

Have you beat the expansion yet ? If not she gets a lot better and it’s by design. If you have idk better luck in 2027

[@xalmor6044]

@@AkudamaEXE She doesn't get better. And it's not by design. Stop spreading false information.

[@Narnio01]

@@xalmor6044 She does improve and mature a bunch, which is built into the writing. How is that misinformation? It's fine not to agree with the sentiment sure, but stop claiming that others are just objectively false when it's an opinionated thing.

[@Kylesico912x]

We weren't really sidelined. Would mind it if we were since the WoL has been before and it worked. The problem is, we have absolutely zero reason to even be in the story. We're kind of just there.

[@Meka-qq1tj]

@Thundah Naruto as furry with a derpy house cat face.

[@cheatermccheat6378]

Are we playing a different game? When do we guide or mentor her? When do we stop conflict with our mere presence?

[@yanipheonu]

There's actually a quest where you *actually* teach a giant to be an adventurer. You do guard duty and collect items, they watch, then they do it on their own. We never do that with Wuk.

[@admiraloreo]

Man if only Wuk Lumat was interesting

[@richs.500]

Regarding the graphics update, I can assure you that the game looks incredible on PS5. I expected improvement, but not to the degree they went. Everything looks SO much better, and I couldn't be happier.

[@Dmanharris1]

Same here

[@Celestial93]

I dont know, seems like we do most of the heavy lifting with no reward and wuk lamat gets all the recognition of our heavy lifting. I haven’t completed the story yet (because haven’t found the motivation to play daily) but so far thats what it seems.

[@The4thHorsemanIT]

It is the same as it was in ARR in 2013 but we were level 1-50 here we are level 90 and we are mentoring someone that has no leadership nor charisma. Compared to the leaders of Eorzea this lady can be really scammed by a random no one and she is supposed to be level 90 feeling like she got there with 0 experience. So really disappointed, they make me regret the 1.0 and this says it all.

[@2e45t7u]

I’m a little worried if the story continues as is… I don’t agree that the WoL is being treated as a mentor. A good friend/ally but not teacher. The only time it feels like mentorship applied was when we told G-jaja that Wuk is not fit to rule. Her personality nor belief changed much from when she started the feats. The story went full circle from peace to cultural appreciation w/ peace. I found the histories from the different locations were much more interesting. It’s a shame we didn’t follow Koana instead. We see actual character development from him.

[@RED_Theory038]

And in the end, he too didn't change all that much. He still becomes a leading figure in support of Wuk Lamat, despite what he gave up to get her there.

[@25xxfrostxx]

@@RED_Theory038 Modern western "values". The only thing that saved the expansion from going hard left was that it's largely about fatherhood through most of it.

[@Cadugaming]

Dawntrail suck ass. Worse expansion by far

[@Fredgeorge10]

I think the real problem is the lack of actual combat gameplay in the MSQ itself. CS3 took the idea of a beach episode expansion a little too far and forgot that you're the WARRIOR of Light! Wuk is a more childish version of Lyse with the exact same story beats and little development, while the first half of the story feels like a revamped and improved ARR, the second half is another story. It's just Shadowbringers but worse; and retreads themes and ideas that were already done with that expansion with a much better character as well. It's a bit unfortunate to see the first expansion of what is likely a new saga that ultimately played it so safe that it was afraid of having an original idea of its own.

[@shadowlord3813]

I finish the story yesterday, I did not skip any scenes though god i wanted to a few times with Wuk Lamat at times. I do understand what they were tring with Wuk Lamat and the WOL they just did not show it good enough for me. I will say the Dungeons and Trails design are always good overall so giving them credit for that a give me, I do think they are over tune make two mistakes unless you are lucky you will need a REZ, and add way to much spam alot of AOE in some of the fights will get players with Lag alot. For me the story never really came together, the first half which is the first three zones were boring overall to me. The second half had some good ideas i just do not feel like it was done as good as it could of been but to be fair i could change my mind later on this is what i feel after finishing the MSQ.

[@porecemusnox8805]

How often can we talk to three locals? :

[@davibergamin5943]

yes

[@SuperRamos619]

Hold on lemme talk to three other people and I'll get back to you.

[@Synthpopper]

Can't belive they actually gave us Stormblood 2 immediately after Shadowbringers 2 (Golbez saga), the madlads.

[@25xxfrostxx]

Unironically makes me wish we could have Lyse back.

[@broson2480]

Should've called it Yawntrail

[@masterdeathize]

We are not looked to be a mentor. So far wuk has never looked to us and been like “hey person who adventured past the stars and fought the gods, how can I become a better person.” It’s been “help me do these things and talk to these people” we are looked to as a side cast char. We are a glorified retainer doing side quest and fetching bull until it’s actually time to fight. Heck, I don’t even know why we agreed to help her. We don’t know her, her land or anything but we meet her one day and go “eh why not you can rule and I’ll help” it’s just bad writing.

[@TheZman289]

The WoL, as a reflection of Azem the Traveler, likes adventure and always seeks a new one and thus wanted to obtain that by going to the new world. Also her brother wanted to attack the remaining population of Garlemald. Two reasons enough for em if you ask me.

[@masterdeathize]

@@TheZman289 that’s ignoring my point. Course we are going adventuring it’s what we do. The brothers being a factor is irrelevant. We don’t know wuk, we knew her for like an hr before deciding sure let’s help her win a crown and becoming her handler. It doesn’t feel good to be a side character in her story.

[@TheZman289]

@@masterdeathize You can also add in Emet mentioning the "Golden Cities of the New World" before he faded off forever, as another reasoning to spur the WoL to accept her request. It's not like it was accepted outright, there was thought put into it beforehand. She explained her reasoning cut and clear, the brother being a factor is not irrelevant, as is part of the reason the twins join you since they just spent the entirety of 5 patches trying to help the citizens and Garlemald get back up on their feet. I highly doubt the WoL would not have put that into consideration either. We have helped people for far less.

[@slashthedancingwalrus1510]

You are absolutely right. When Graha asked me if I wanted to go to Tural to help Wuk Lamat I said No, and at the end of DT I find myself desperately wishing that dialogue option could've actually had weight and kept me from going. Maybe I could've just travelled with Estinien instead and actually had fun.

[@Death2all546]

@@TheZman289the problem is we’re told there’s 4 candidates. 1 is Wuk, 1 wants to invade Garlemald, and 2 we don’t know anything about. And, instead of going to Tural and seeing the other two contestants to decide who would make the best dawnservant (since this seems like kind of an important decision), we’re going to help Wuk Lamat (person we just met) become dawnservant/king of a country (that we know nothing about) because she asked nicely. And even then, why do we need Wuk to get to Tural? Estinian seems to get there just fine (and even met Galool Ja Ja before we did) just by boarding a random boat heading west.

[@calebnelson58]

We need more people talking about how lackluster this story is I hope the major FFXIV creators make one to.

[@Berserker604]

Worst MSQ Expansion ever!!!

[@fagarou]

Would be fine if Wuk Lamat ever evolved past early Naruto "going to be the Hokage and protect my people!!!" This is fine as a start but this drags on for way too long and quickly become boring. The world info dump from the npc is also a huge issue, feels like reading Wikipedia recap in every new zones.

[@MrCarlWax]

Literally every expansion has world info dump in each zone

[@bilngding]

I’m not sure but my point of view is that the story is very weak. Also the progression of the classes combat wise is so bad, nothing exiting is going on. Square needs to innovate because the current formula each expansion is just the same each time, tibia getting old..

[@medekhgui]

I've finished the story. Didn't skip a single Cutscene, or Dialog box, and read everything every side character had to say before progressing the MSQ. I liked nearly everything about the story. Except Wuk Lamat. She never progresses past the "I'm going to be Hokage!" Phase. It's so cringey, and the rest of the story deserved better. I like her voice and VA, but her writing is horrendous.

[@Vieriz]

I thought the worst part of wuk lamat was the voice acting, I have no idea who they hired but she seems like she was forced and did it as a side job

[@OldManDoom]

Relegating our character to an afterthought in our own story, especially when the character we are “mentoring” is so incompetent, unlikable and poorly implemented is not brilliant The massive number of awful reviews on steam and thread after thread on the forums talking about what an awful and boring story this expac is are not all just haters and lying. The toxic positivity of the usual suspects can’t just fairy dust the major issues of the expansion away. Balmung didn’t have even a slight queue wait on launch day. There is your sign. This fawning and gushing over a below average MSQ is even worse than anyone who is being accused of just hating on the game Wuk Lamat sucks, and that is all square’s fault. My WoL would never be proud or happy to be the mentor of such an awful, trash character. And I am not even given a choice to resist. Dawntrail has failed to present an enjoyable story

[@PumpkinHeadLemure]

Perfectly said.

[@stevensanders4642]

Hmm, I found the story interesting and liked the direction they took. I suppose I am part of your "toxic positivity" now for sharing a different opinion?

[@anteprs7908]

you do understand this is the new epxantion after 10 years it cant be as good or big, as for wuk she is goofy chr that her point it the hopefulness that make her likeable sure she has early naruto vibes but the expantion story isnt over she has time ot fully mature .

[@OldManDoom]

@@stevensanders4642 If you call this crap “brilliant” then yes. You can like it. Fine. I hate Shadowbringers more than I disliked Dawntrail and people call me a hater who doesn’t get it. You can like something that isn’t good

[@OldManDoom]

@@anteprs7908 But Naruto is a shit character from a mediocre anime. He is a meme and a cliche. If your comparison for Wuk Lamat is Naruto, then I stand by all my criticisms. You can make a plucky underdog character who has a lot to learn without making them annoying. And forcing my WoL to co-sign her incompetence without even the chance to say “Nah, don’t do that. That’s dumb” makes it even worse. I was even allowed to crap on Ardbert’s whining in Shadowbringers. The WoL has no agency in Dawntrail

[@kippy657]

The msq writing feels more designed like a XI expansion. In XI you were never really the "hero" of the story as much as the adventurer the main cast leaned and confided in. Never the focal point or reason the story progressed.

[@arphayas2826]

But in this case we get to tasks: 1. Be a Mentor to help her claim the throne as well as become a proper ruler. 2. Make sure that, even if she fails, no Warmonger gets the throne. So basically in favor of the world we saved, we ensure to prevent more conflicts to arise, while using our experience to help someone else improve for their role. Also, we got some interesting plothooks and hints towards the end which make me optimistic our character could get an even bigger focus then before.

[@bojangler9685]

I hear you and i agree.... ffxi was nameless adventures/but there were very cool world building/gameplay aspects tied to fame. But make no mistake.... FFXIV will never come as close to FFXI unique story telling/mmo/gameplay. NEVER.

[@Coffee219-jo4gh]

Well, we're all entitled to our opinions I suppose. For me this is the worst expansion out of all of them. It's hard to be invested in a story where you never build a connection with the characters. There's no heart-to-heart moments really where you peel back the curtain on Wuk so what you're left with is a whiny, childish, and annoying person you are basically escorting around doing trivial fetch quests or other monotonous things. The story dungeons are way too over tuned. To the point where if you aren't skilled or are just new to the game, it might be impossible to clear which will put strain on groups. It's more of the same stuff in regard to content with not enough change or hype to warrant much excitement. The new jobs are pretty cool though.

[@OuchXXI]

Wuktrail is worse than Stormblood.

[@blaizemarquez2967]

I liked Stormblood actually. Dawntrail is an utter disappointment though. Estinien got to feel more like Azem than we did this time around as we lost our protagonist position to a new NPC.

[@Stone_Stronghold]

i think the story this time was a disaster, the writer wanted to do shadowbringers with a little bit of endwalker with his super special totally awesome OC. It was low grade slop and every charcter was harmed by this, it wasn't just poochy lamat most characters got done dirty.

[@HotaruGlaive]

I guess I can see why people would like the WoL being a quasi-mentor since it elevates our status. The issue is I don't like our status being elevated. The whole thing about Azem is they were an observer of different cultures and worlds who did help others all be it in a more secretive fashion. That is kind of who our character was as well. We were not the main character in HW or StB - we basically just did what certain characters asked of us like Hien, Lyse, Aymeric, Alphinaud, etc. I kind of like that we were just a nobody. I know many people are always chomping at the bit with "we are the WoL - acknowledge our power!!!" but that is not me. So to me this is a break in a lot of ways. I didn't feel I got to learn as much about different characters as we did when we were a nobody.

[@4mb127]

I really appreciate how much better Il Mehg and Elpis look like.

[@skyesfury8511]

2:53 U wot m8? We stopped being a "nameless adventurer" after we defeated Ifirit around level 20. Where did you get this idea that we're a nameless adventurer beyond that point? We're constantly recognized by people throughout the MSQ as the WoL, hero of Eorzea, and several other titles. We're not even in an mentor role with Lamat. We don't teach her anything or guide her. We're a useless tag along that's barely more important than any of the other people pointlessly following her around. We went from being important to being literally nothing.

[@GazGoodtime]

15k hours in this game and prob the worse expan ever, the story is terrible just shit, copy and paste does nothing new and Wuk Lamat is just insufferable. was really looking foward to this expan and im just going cancel my sub.

[@Dingus2]

Brother chill lmao. I don't like the story either, but you only play though it once and then you play the end game content. Which is pretty good this time around

[@TeemoTemosson]

@@Dingus2 This is a story focused game. The devs even said that FFXIV is not an MMORPG, but rather a RPGMMO. The game is an RPG with MMO elements.

[@GazGoodtime]

@@Dingus2 Bro its all about the story, thats why i play ffxiv lol

[@Dingus2]

@@GazGoodtime then unsub and don't come back. You won't be missed. I'll be enjoying extreme trials and leveling my crafters

[@GazGoodtime]

@@Dingus2 Y u mad bro, somebody has an opinion and u get all defensive 🤣 enjoying Ex trials as if there hard or something lol

[@FieryKanata]

Started playing DT on Friday, been playing it as my only game since then and Im at about the same spot you are and I have to say I agree with your opinions. Im really looking forward to exploring the next three zones as well!

[@Quake199]

lmao, I played a different game

[@castoputa]

Sorry the whiney whinge brigade found your review, I loved it, it was a master stroke making us backup. Graphics glow up made the emotional stuff more resonant and the future has loads of really interesting possibilities.

[@slashthedancingwalrus1510]

Calling this story a masterstroke is like calling McDonalds fine dining, but you do you I guess.

[@Mephiidross]

I'm honestly shocked at how negative the comments are in regards to the story. Did y'all start skipping at 91 or something? While I won't deny people being upset that Wuk Lamat takes the center role, I have to agree with Namazu here that it was the only real way they could've set the story up.The two major reasons being: 1. The obvious reset. The big story got wrapped up, we're now setting up the sequels. By design it has to be less impactful and more about introducing concepts for things going forward. 2. The new player experience. It's been hinted at multiple times that Dawntrail might become a new entry point for people new to FFXIV. As such, they'd be coming in not as the WoL, but a new adventurer in Tural. And so, just like in ARR where we hooked up with the Scions, in DT we hook up with Wuk Lamat and her possé. With all that said though, it's not like they threw out a random story and called it good enough. It has the proper narrative flow with highs and lows, it goes to great effort to show character growth, and it has a lot of good trope usages and proper use of foreshadowing. It's just that the character focus is not on us, but the newly introduced cast. Which is a fair critique, but also very subjective. I loved the mentor role we had, and the ability to just shut up people by simply being around when they talk shit. So yeah, with all that rambling out of the way, back to my original questions. Did y'all start skipping at 91 or something, because it feels like you missed all the important parts somehow.

[@Vieriz]

I watched everything, and my god it was brutal the story is really beyond uninteresting. In my opinion it was the worst of anything ive played including arr, wuk lamat says some of the most cringe lines with the most uninspired voice acting ive seen in the game so far. I understand were all entitled to our opinions and I might be wrong but I think looking at it objectively helps the development team avoid this type of stuff in the future, its not hate but constructive criticism. If dawntrail is an entry point for new players its gonna be brutal, Im a tank and I can tell the dungeons especially are not easy for someone that's new or maybe not very skilled. Maybe to us that have been playing mmos for decades it might seem fine but its in my opinion not a good entry point for a new player, the voice acting and writing on wuk lamat just shocked me. The story even from an understanding that its a new beginning and more relaxed is just not good. They can do better, this in my opinion was just not acceptable, they have made such incredible stuff in the past.

[@forte8227]

What is this copium? lmao

[@Mephiidross]

@@Vieriz Opinions are not constructive criticisms. To clarify, you saying that the story is beyond uninteresting and me saying that it was very enjoyable are at best only worthwhile in gauging audience expectations going forward. Especially in the case of FFXIV, where the story for the entire expansion is already written, but we don't have access to it yet. From here on out, there be spoilers for the story, so be careful. With that said, *why* did you think the story is beyond uninteresting? I can tell you why I thought the story was great. The character arcs of all the people involved. Wuk Lamat going from sheltered princess, who just wanted people to live in peace, to the Vow of Resolve who knows how hard that peace was fought for, and who realized just how many issues there still are and that she needs the help of Koana to properly handle them. Koana who realized that as helpful as his innovations would be, the culture and traditions of a land can be just as important. The failed arc of Zoraal Ja, which caused him to lose everything, because he couldn't let go of his obsession. The direct opposite with Bakool Ja Ja, who failed all along but managed to turn himself around after hitting rock bottom. And of course the bitter realization that Queen Sphene could never grow, because she was literally programmed that way. Then there's all the emotional scenes, and the presentation. Living Memory getting shut down and everything becoming quiet; the mirror opposite of what happened in Ultima Thule. The second attack on Tulloiyal that got repelled thanks to everyone working together, proving once again FFXIV's core theme of the power of friendship. You could argue that some of this is rehashing things we've already had, and you're correct. However, I believe it's closer to reinforcing the message, showing that it's still valid. And if they do start people off in Dawntrail, it's an introduction to that theme. All of this is just a small part of why I enjoyed the story so much, I could go on. About the voice acting I'm afraid I cannot give an opinion, as I play with the Japanese voices. I have heard from my friends that they massively enjoyed the overall VA work in the expansion, however. So yeah, I have to disagree that this was an unacceptable wreck. I most likely won't change your opinion, but I'm willing to try.

[@Mephiidross]

@Thundah If you're touting your opinion as objective facts, then you do have to provide more than just "I disliked it". That said, I wasn't dismissing their opinion to begin with, I was trying to figure out why they had that opinion and understand it. Hence why I asked 'em to explain their reasoning. It's the exact opposite of what you accuse me of!

[@Naoto-kun1085]

Ignore all the debbie downers in the comments, enjoy the expansion!!

[@trip30s]

in the future, you will kick yourself in the ass for not mentioning Wuk Lamat, and how the VA brought her to life.

[@makolodon7527]

100% correct take. Negative reviews seem to entirely come from story skippers and people who hate Wuk Lamat for 0 good reasons.

[@Vieriz]

I can give you the reasons why I thought she was terrible. The lines she says are really cringe most of the time, I have no idea who the woman they hired for the voice acting is but its just so bad it sounds like she really didn't even care about it. I wonder if its the same in the Japanese version and its on purpose and not her fault. I skipped nothing btw, and it was brutal

[@makolodon7527]

@@Vieriz Gotta say I disagree. Yeah she had anime protagonist energy, but that's for the first part of the DLC where she is literally filled with childlike wonder finding out about all the people she loves. Its.. Natural, for someone of her making to react that way. I felt that she matured as the story went on. That's just me. Yes, she is bubbly and loud, but I think that when she was, its what the story called for.

[@Vieriz]

@@makolodon7527 Ill give it another chance, ill just use the japanese version and try it again, maybe I am being too harsh

[@xaahd]

Keep breathing that copium and projecting that toxic positivity. Yoshi-P will never be friends with you btw.

[@castoputa]

@@xaahdwell, you sound like such a blast he’ll be knocking your door down.