Smile (FULLY MERGED VERSION) - Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Credits Theme

The reason why merges need to happen for a full version is because the in-game files are quite silly.
- The in-game version of Smile is 5 minutes long and has a long intro
- There is a cropped version of Smile spanning from ~4:00 of this version to the end
- The credits version omits some parts of the beginning
This version merges first two files seamlessly (as best as I could) to create the genuine, full version of the theme.

[@grumpi-px2db]

“Alright everyone, let’s start the work on a giant bomb!” *smile starts playing*

[@ArchieGamez]

Peak HAHA

[@vikurtz]

The theme represents the collaborative effort and the coming together to get us to Yyasulani, everyone's refusal to let the attack get them down, not the bomb itself. Thought that was obvious.

[@xalmor6044]

@@vikurtz You're still in denial it looks like. Hopefully you'll come around and see why DT had 50% on MC and 59% on Steam.

[@optimaltt6070]

@@xalmor6044 you realize you haven't actually made anything resembling a point yet, right? Also, you conveniently lied about the MC score and went with user reviews only, huh? Nice try, troll. Even then, you're still lying.

[@sylvosanevariety]

​@@vikurtz tbh I agree with you, it was about the collaboration of the countless people we got to learn about throughout the journey Dawntrail had its flaws, but imo it was an amazing expansion regardless.Idk if 2nd or 3rd favourite for me (Endwalker being 1st); but I loved it

[@crowolf3862]

A smile better suits a hero indeed.

[@RonixEnclave]

"you should smile more :)"

[@theacespace9897]

This comment hurt so bad it’s criminal 😭😭

[@rexex345]

This song definitely feels like it's childed from that... Actually, considering all these classes of songs are from a person's POV (dragonsong is from Hræsvelgr, nidhogg and the rest of the dragon's perspective, tomorrow and tomorrow is likely from Raha's, shadowbringers is from emet and the fallen ancients's, to the edge is from Emet's, flow is from hyedaelin's, etc), you could argue with the WoL being a mentor role character now, this is us singing, passing on that knowledge and above all hope. That would also explain why even though it appears in times of pressure, it's so upbeat, we as a character are far beyond having fear or doubt,.

[@devilmillenium2912]

​@@rexex345to the edge is more like Elidibus, since it's the song of his fight

[@Waverse]

I just noticed something, if you listen carefully to the song, it has the same kind melody as the lvl 99 trial.

[@ArahdunGaming]

This is very much a recurring thing in XIV, Soken deals alot in leitmotifs, The main theme of each expac is part of almost all the tracks one way or another

[@Waverse]

@@ArahdunGaming Oh I know, but I didn't hear the beginning of Smile in any other song in Dawntrail (the part where she begins to sing) in another song of Dawntrail.

[@SifaDukye]

If you mean around 1:00 , that's actually in Tuliyollal and S9 as well as some cutscene bgm

[@Gnarlbones]

Insane that people don’t like this song. Not as emotional as Flow or Tomorrow and Tomorrow or Dragonsong, but it’s very fitting for the expansion.

[@i.r.raharjo8706]

I'm excited for when they eventually do this live, the choir will go so hard

[@Tsuba_Nick]

It’s really good, it grows on you even more and I enjoyed it a lot as a credits song. It just didn’t feel that fitting for me or deserved when it played during msq. If there was a bit of a better emotional or fun buildup maybe? That being said, I still enjoyed it, it’s great. As many things like the character dialogue and overall writing, it could have been executed a bit better in my opinion.

[@Tsuba_Nick]

It’s also so inspiring and uplifting and I feel we all needed that

[@pizzapete2283]

It's growing on me

[@SushiBurritoPapi]

Just opinions. That’s all.

[@MrShadowhaven]

I absolutely love this song! I can't wait until we get the official lyrics lol

[@jamesrusselleriii8284]

sounds like sht tbh famalam

[@MrShadowhaven]

@@jamesrusselleriii8284 Literally no one asked 🤡

[@RyuLightorb]

@@jamesrusselleriii8284it sounds amazing fam

[@MrKanooe]

@@jamesrusselleriii8284 Hey, chat, we found the shitter ! It's an awesome theme indeed, with easily Two layers of lecture, maybe a third one from a certain someone perspective.

[@MapleLunii]

As much as I laughed whenever this popped off during the MSQ, it's still a great song

[@theknack101]

For real. It was super cheesy when used ingame, but honestly is pretty good. I wasn't expecting a gospel/american musical style number for the finale song this expansion.

[@writershard5065]

I do think it would have fit a lot better if it was used solely in the credits. And we had just instrumental versions during the MSQ moments. (Though admittedly I kinda liked it when they started building the bomb train).

[@mismismism]

The vocals sound crazy to me, I don't want to be shady but I'm not gonna lie, I like the big gospel chorus toward the end, that part sounds great but the verses sound so weird.

[@Velrikk]

They dropped a Shadowbringers theme reference right at the end lol

[@Apollo-td9we]

I thought I was the only person who noticed the Tomorrow and Tomorrow motif at the end!!

[@FORESTCHARM]

I feel the unity of the people of Tural.

[@izunia8436]

I like how this also directly references the opening theme of Dawntrail its actually my favorite part I'm looking forward to fan covers of this

[@briandavion]

There are some big community done things of close the distance where a ton of people are all singing together and IMHO this song is PERFECT for that type of thing

[@izunia8436]

@briandavion yeah it is now that you mention it Husky by the Geek probably should do that with this song

[@breakleaf21]

And also the last part with we won't end from Shadowbringers theme!

[@crowolf3862]

I’m hoping they release the official lyrics soon. This song is in the musical theater style, so knowing the words helps a lot with understanding the emotion you’re meant to feel when it’s performed.

[@izunia8436]

@@crowolf3862 makes me wish they released the soundtrack and the official lyrics to coincide with the release of the new content instead of months after

[@Pauljohn98]

When this song first came on I was like “who tf is playing lion king?” 😂 that said it did start to grow on me and now I like it

[@Naoto-kun1085]

Once the surprise wore off I definitely learned to appreciate it!

[@VinnyP46]

This slaps. Motivational AF. Perfect song for this expansion.

[@Rozenque74]

This song is a celebration of our deeds, our companions, and the unity of the star. That's why it's uplifting like this, and I'm all for it!

[@hybrid00legit]

the autocaptions are on some of that new electrope

[@Irish_Ian17]

And So.. Dawn breaks on this winding trail.. To All those on this Journey we've met, All the friends we keep in our Heart.. We wish you Good Morning..

[@Colyo62]

SO SMILEEEEEEE AND LET THE RAINBOW SING

[@NovaStella_]

Loved this ending song :D Ended perfectly like an upbeat 90s feel-good movie.

[@belowaverage3451]

Thank you, it was annoying how other uploads cut off when there's clearly another buildup at the end

[@ArtOfStarseeker]

Man this song is so wholesome, and got such Disney vibes, and it reminded me a little of Lion King :D idk how to explain it but damn this song is wonderful!

[@devilmillenium2912]

Funny how the exact time it played first was when we managed to put a lion-like girl on the Dawnservant throne lol.

[@jamesrusselleriii8284]

Congratulations on your handicapped parking sticker!

[@dragocrafterr8286]

@@jamesrusselleriii8284cmon dawg

[@RatTalisman]

@@jamesrusselleriii8284 Curb your ableism

[@melissas4874]

Well I hope they like their new audience. I can't stand Disney.

[@immoralboi3158]

Sphene was a poor soul who couldn't live for the present. Despite how much she adored her subjects she was so focused on preserving the Endless that she lost sight of what was important- thanks in no small part to her creators. All she could do was fight *for those she had lost* , incapable of fighting *for those she could yet save*

[@RyuLightorb]

Has a theatre/concert chorus vibe. Love it for this

[@zed2761]

Ayyy, thanks for this! I've been looking for the full version since I first heard it in the cutscene :D Such a hopeful and wholesome song, they did an amazing job imo.

[@Ybw420]

Why is there so many dislikes on all the videos of this song?

[@Masanian]

Perpetually online people are mad people like a video game they don't like.

[@MrLusiferCh]

They probably Zoraal Ja' s minions

[@3minutestoperfection]

I'm glad I actually listened to this song out of game, because I'm enjoying it a lot more now

[@takamiyadaichi8580]

Its giving church vibes as if we giving praise to our favourite mother hydaelyn

[@tortiffy]

I know this song kind of has people split on if they like it or not (and the expansion has done that too) but for some reason it feels so nostalgic and happy to me.

[@RomanticPhantom0]

i imagine the main vocals mostly as explaining the feelings of Wuk Lamat and Sphene, and the backup vocals as the WoL, Scions, and the people of Tural voicing their support. the lyrics are very deep, the song is a representation of the soul of this new story with many voices and clapping hands joining the chorus. and once again the leit motif slaps! i agree with the Disney vibe, but in a good way! when this plays, it reminds me of how i felt seeing the joyous resolution moments from Moana, Frozen, or Encanto, all of which i unironically enjoyed very much. Lamaty'i is unofficially the coolest Disney princess, and i love it! and people who hate this story are probably just cutscene skipping so they can go ERP or whatever. not everyone plays for the story, i suppose.

[@1finallygotunleashed]

Personally I read the main vocals as Sphene and the backing vocals as the Endless. The lyrics are specifically about Alexandria and Living Memory

[@devilmillenium2912]

I don't care what people say. Dawntrail is a good expansion, to this day it's still the only MMORPG that managed to keep my full attention for 13 years, i loved every second of it and i hope that Square Enix won't stop it juste because many people cried that they wanted another Endwalker level story directly after. Ideas like this are the exact reason why World of Warcraft became the dumpster of MMO's while it was the biggest of them all at the start.

[@melissas4874]

You must have played WoW a lot. Why exactly was ARR done? Oh yeah, because players were unhappy. How can someone playing for 13 years not know that if enough people unsub then they will maybe put some more thought into their stories. DT is a Blizzard-qualty MSQ. It checks all the Blizzard boxes.

[@Naoto-kun1085]

Indeed, Dawntrail was beautiful, I hope Yoshi-P knows what a phenomenal job he did, especially on that final area! There are flaws, but I hope they'll learn and keep making amazing stories!

[@manbearpigsereal]

there's more to an expansion than its story, the story is only temporary, the content is forever, and the content in Dawntrail has been excellent.

[@devilmillenium2912]

​​@@melissas4874well tell me an exemple of where FF14 got as Shitty as WoW ? Also please remind me where FF rebooted his lore multiple time only to keep coming with expansions that had no interest at all ? To say more about what i said for Dawntrail, you can't expect the beginning of a new narrative to be like the climax of the one before. Endwalker wouldn't have been that great without ARR, Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers before. Also saying that Dawntrail is story-wise "a new ARR" it's not my words but Yoshi-P's.

[@m3lod552]

This is such a disney princess song also Dawntrail is just Lion King

[@SorasShadow1]

much like the expansion itself, this is something different. i really loved hearing that choir kick in during the msq and looking forward to having enough of my fc through msq that i can pop this music roll in the house.

[@SeasickTaco]

The vocals here are…weird. Reminds me of Eric Cartman when he sings

[@incap6038]

ngl, wasn't expecting this song during the MSQ, but it did make me smile

[@RimeRock]

soul

[@AresLodin]

I want people to understand. This is ESSENTIALLY, ARR. the story ended after endwalker and now were onto another 10 year arc. And this is the beginning of it. There has to he setup and new character intorductions for the future. The first half was boring sure, but the 2nd half was great!

[@silvinity4939]

I personally didn't mind it now that I'm all the way through, but there were some ups and downs along the way. The thing with saying this is a restart like ARR is that sometimes it feels like they haven't learned anything even though ARR came out 10 years ago. We'll see where they go from here though before we can say for sure.

[@NekkoBlue]

Between ARR and DT it’s like night and day, they really learned a lot in the “engaging world building” department imo. Even as a huge Doma weeb, Stormblood kinda pales in comparison, I love all the different areas we got to go to and the people we got to meet.

[@DHTGK]

It kinda crashed again when you had to do another cultural tour through the final area of the expansion, after all the build-up beforehand. Like I get it, its one of the major themes of the game, but damn I really wanted to punch the final boss in the face.

[@grumpi-px2db]

Weird, I feel the opposite. I enjoyed the first half more 😅

[@silvinity4939]

@@AresLodin Another thing regarding this being the new ARR (spoilers): At the end of DT we’re left in pretty much the exact same place we were at the end of the void arc, which is the same place we were at the end of EW proper. All the current world-ending threats have been resolved and we’re just generically looking forward to our next new adventure that totally won’t involve us saving the world this time, probably. Sure a lot of their continuations in previous expansions boiled to “what are the ascians/garlemald planning” and we’ve resolved those issues, but how long are we going to be getting these episodic ‘bad-guy-of-the-expac’ stories?

[@ninnoofthelastunicorn2693]

They decided to hit us with the happy Nier Automata ending

[@mariovssonic184]

its a little Disney Channel sure, but idk why thats a bad thing? Last i checked Disney been making bangers since i was i kid. I like a good cheesy montage of friends working together set to upbeat fun music, sue me. Certified banger.

[@melissas4874]

If your taste is still the same as when you were a child, then that's on you.

[@mariovssonic184]

@@melissas4874 ok bud

[@AppleshyJedi]

Can't speak for others, but it was just too jarring for the expansion's finale for me. If they swapped the credits' first song with this, zero complaints. It's not remotely a bad song at all, just don't like it for the final cutscene.

[@weebcraft6829]

I feel like this fits the first half, but not the 2nd half after the literal genocide and especially not the train scene

[@optimaltt6070]

Song: *is remotely happy* "HRRR DISNEY" Some people haven't watched a single Disney movie, and it shows.

[@thisismyprivateaccount6546]

why am i crying when this song is named smile

[@Naoto-kun1085]

So real

[@iankittay]

This song definitely grew on me as it went through those ending scenes

[@grumpi-px2db]

This song is so close to being up there with the greats. The recording or sound distortion for the backup choir just feels… off.

[@kaikojiro]

Just like Dawntrail itself, this song grows on me more and more each time I revisit.

[@frosthound_8594]

This song is basically the reverse of Komm sußer Tod and it's ight

[@aabbcc40]

Oh Disney really !!!

[@ArchieGamez]

Peak, ngl it has strong Disney/American Broadway vibes. I cannot wait to hear many renditions of this

[@xicision2533]

What a great expansion. People not liking is understandable because it is different from the other expansions. But the story being bad is ABSOLUTELY DEAD WRONG!!! First half was cozy and Wuk Lamat was forced to be padded out over time. But that second half was done so much better for every single character. Love this song too! Threw me off for a second when i heard it the first time but I still very much like it! I hope future expansions learn from dawntrail's mistakes and improves even more! Cheers to a fun expansion :D

[@jpl523]

i think the main problem is sphene and emett have too much in common, so it feel reused stuff

[@Raine-SSR]

@@jpl523 Personally, I think it was MEANT to be like that. At the end of Dawntrail, Sphene says basically to Wuk Lamat what Emet-Selch said to the WoL. It made me go "Oh, they're a reflection of the WoL and Emet." Sphene says something VERY close to Emet's "Remember that we once lived" when giving farewells to Wuk Lamat. Although, in a more upbeat context I suppose. It's like a love letter to the WoL's story, shown through a different lens.

[@xicision2533]

@@jpl523 very fair. After this expansion, I no longer trust young girls or old foreign nation leaders XD

[@carbonide1290]

This song slaps. Stop being miserable

[@eiriksundby]

Overhated song. It just has great vibes.

[@PunnyFuzz]

Gives me ps2 jrpg credits theme vibes in the best kind of way

[@OizenX]

Damn is this from the bonus section of the Tangled DVD?

[@giannabrown867]

The beginning is kinda weird and the chorus feels like a worship song, but it fits the theme lol

[@Vintus7]

Not my favorite but I appreciate that they did something different and fresh

[@Rhiannercakes]

I am one of few who did not like this song. Or this particular version. The female vocals feel all over the place in tone and pitch and I over all just had a hard time enjoying it. I think a lot had to do with a lot of the words being held out in some spots to be longer than they usually would be and the pitch and volume changing mid word-- it felt odd with the background music still going onward without the lyrics. The song is very much still good and I really like the lyrics and the choir parts were great, but not my favourite version of this overall theme.

[@JustJohn816]

what does anyone else think the pov of the song is? to me SPOILERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , with what lyrics i can parse, I think it's a sweet idea if its from the people of Living Memory. As they "physically", aetherically leave the world I think its sweet if its from them as they fade away, or even as "live on" in our hearts, like the game was saying. The main singer reminds me of Cahciua which is what made me think of it

[@mylesjackson801]

To me I think it's Sphene singing with the people of lost memory like you said

[@Mindlessfun100]

I really love the composition of this song, I think it is fitting, I just think the choice of vocalist and the way vocals of the choir are mixed to be very very questionable.

[@meshiajunryou]

...didn't they play this as we were building a giant bomb? Oh lawd.

[@freekuponuts9227]

This song grows on me, 'am jamming now.

[@Gexon1000]

Reminds me of that song of Lion King. You know the "Circle of Life"

[@amsaa91]

After finishing dawntrail K can say the story is really up there, it’s just that the first half was way too long. Make the rite of succession a third instead of a half of the game and people woulda praised the second half way much more

[@gumi2521]

Meanwhile here i was wishing it was LONGER 😔

[@ksNanoSquid]

The entire second half felt predictable and boring. I would have vastly preferred the entire expansion be about exploring jungles and delving into ancient temples, with a race-to-the-finish plot like what we started to get in the first dungeon.

[@Ultamate8superme]

Really sounded out of place when I first heard this in the msq. I just burst out laughing at how absurd it was that this was the choice they went with.

[@piconio]

to all you people STOP EXPECTING 10 YEAR SAGA FINALE FROM THIS EXPANSION From the start we were told that it will be chill and summer time

[@weebcraft6829]

Except it wasn't and we got AI alien invasion and a mess of shard rejoinings instead. This expac is 2 seperate expacs mashed together and thats whats causing all the conflict because of all the tonal dissonance and how each plot isnt given time to grow

[@itsaivan]

ngl, hearing the chorus out of nowhere was cringe but when you put the full thing it slaps hard

[@ksNanoSquid]

My Indiana Jones jungle adventure got cut short for THIS?

[@kynjetasevnos9965]

SE tried too hard to spin an extremely positive song from a singer who is known for traditional anime works, not to mention Scream. This would have been better with a singer that had a little bit of a lower tone. Her higher pitch is grating and detracts from how the song is set up to sound. And in the end I have to ask just based on how this song sounds...When is the Tural Tour Ride coming to Walt Disney World? Lol

[@iceman3317]

Not my favorite song. Honestly it is too upbeat and happy for the lyrics. So I am glad someone did a slow version cover that honestly sounds much better.

[@burhan4052]

I cri everitim. Dis song saved mi lif, UwU meow.

[@RonixEnclave]

This song perfectly encapsulates why I hate FFXIV, I love it for that reason.

[@DFell3]

When this played after the succession ceremony, I was convinced whatever was behind the gate was giving us all hallucinations and I was having a fever dream. I also wonder who the lead singer is.... her singing is really whiny lol

[@crowolf3862]

Akino from bless4. It is higher than her other famous eng language anime song - genesis of aquarion. But she lived in phoenix for a bit so Idk why they didn’t let her do a more american pronunciation on stuff.

[@UCvow2TUIH0d2Ax2vik9ILzg]

@@crowolf3862 I can't believe THAT was the singer in this song. Scream is one of my favorite pieces of music I've ever seen, and this is a truly horrible, unpleasant piece of music to listen to and I can't believe they went with it.

[@melissas4874]

I hate music like this so... eh. It's not just feeling too Disney. Soken said YoshiP asked him to write this stuff and it isn't the music that he typically likes. The reality is most of us like the music Soken likes. I guess they just want a new audience and the rest of us have to unsub since we aren't wanted. And I know you all would probably answer that this is just me "crying" or talking shit... except I unsubbed from WoW until they "fixed" a mount I had obtained via a class quest. I have a lot of hobbies to throw my money at.

[@Rides1283man]

@@melissas4874 this is very strange comment that I would be embarrassed of posting to be honest

[@cha7er]

I dont think them trying a different genre for a song is them abandoning "their audience" lol

[@williams00]

I don't like this song, but to say you aren't wanted and have to unsub is really bizarre. lol

[@ozwoodsy82]

Unsubbing from an MMO because of one thing seems a strange hill to choose to die on.

[@SilverRive]

High school musical vibe, seems so wrong in FFXIV to be honest

[@PurpleCubeCast]

I just can't bring myself to like this song sadly. I've come around to every part of it, but the lead singer's voice sounds so whiny it just makes me want to turn it off every time. I really loved when she did Scream, so it's a surprise they went this direction with her voice. Sadly this is probably my least favourite ffxiv track so far cause of that, the only miss in the entire score in my eyes.

[@Furlockthe666th]

Oh wow, that's the same singer? I never would have guessed! Yeah, I love pretty much every part of this song BUT her voice, and for the exact reasons you gave.

[@TheLQGaming]

Thanks for the upload! Imo not being a hater but this is my least favourite FFXIV track to date. The singer sounds out of tune half the time like she can't keep up with the pitch of the song. Again most of the soundtrack in FFXIV is great including in this expansion, but this track is a miss for me.

[@Neveryn]

Luckily you're no musician. This is Akino, she's been active since 2003.

[@Rides1283man]

The singer is not out of tune in this song, moreover most studio productions will use Melodyne to correct pitch anyway

[@giannabrown867]

@@Neveryn he said the singer's voice doesn't fit the song, what's the length of her career have to do with that?

[@Neveryn]

@@giannabrown867 No he didn't. He said it was out of pitch, which it definitely isn't. That is relevant to the length of her career.

[@giannabrown867]

hmm well she sounds either out of pitch or straining her voice, whichever amateurs might use to say "something sounds wrong". Her part is so far the most grating bit. Shame because I love her voice in Scream. edit: might be not her fault, maybe direction problem. Idk.

[@NPC-1337]

hate, Hate. HATE!

[@MadamePianissima]

Rare Soken L

[@xalmor6044]

This song makes my ears bleed

[@VorpalVixen]

I am so glad I'm not alone; I was scrolling through these comments stunned to see how many people actually like it... I mean, everyone has their own music tastes and that's fine, but this singing is...objectively bad. Not that the singer is bad, I just don't think they were the right choice for what the team was going for. And the background "singers" are basically just yelling.

[@chimarielucie]

​@@VorpalVixen if the singing was "objectively bad" then why would they release this song as it is? It's stylized, and if you don't like this style that's a shame but plenty of people like the vocals.

[@alyssal.7763]

@@VorpalVixen It's crazy to go to a *video* of this song and expect everyone that's purposely coming here to hate it. There's actually a TON of sentiment toward hating this song, especially off youtube. I've actually seen fewer people talk about liking it, so these comments are rather refreshing. Just like you said, everyone has their tastes. But objectively, the background singers are not "basically yelling" lmao. I would agree though that the lead singer's voice does not fit this song. This song is pretty much gospel, so they really should have hired someone with experience in that.

[@Ybw420]

It makes your ears bleed so you intentionally look it up? lol these haters have no lives whatsoever.

[@RyuLightorb]

@@VorpalVixenit’s not objectively bad

[@tufanoz9696]

cringe 😬

[@Rides1283man]

@@tufanoz9696 I feel sorry for you

[@Klonkus]

Wuk is a uh..very handsome..woman...

[@rightwing707]

Song's good and all, but wow the MSQ sucked this time around. To the point where when this played I felt nothing but apathy toward the game. It's actually impressive.

[@Neveryn]

Your opinion sucks.

[@alternativefivevt]

but it plays twice. and when it plays at the end is not that bad. the second half of the MSQ wasnt that bad at least better than Stormblood imo

[@atelierbagur3831]

Actual brain damage take.

[@MadamePianissima]

@@atelierbagur3831 Nah, hes right. Dawntrail sitting at a mixed review on Steam and everyones saying the same thing. This MSQ blew chunks out its ass.

[@atelierbagur3831]

@@MadamePianissima listen, Ive played so many rpgs in my life and loved shadowbringers despite it was overhyped but people like you who somehow got through DTs msq and dismiss it so easily like this are actually braindead. It has the best set dressing, narrative and actual character development we had in the longest while. Its a good first step to the next story arc after the whole Ascian thing. Also people on steam like to reveiw bomb on anything so I dont even trust them to even actually seriously play the games they review. The only thing that stinks and bombs are your attitudes. Might need to change out those diapers

[@tcubd]

Worst song ever written for FFXIV

[@malafazzle7966]

Very disappointing song, completely dropping any type of Final Fantasy sound and becoming a generic disney anthem.

[@happyellowl7973]

Story sucked but thanks to Soken it was somehow saved by good music