Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is the next expansion for the beloved MMO, and it whisks players away to a brave new world full of adventure, expected to make landfall in Summer 2024. FFXIV London Fan Festival 2023 was held over the weekend, and we got an extended teaser trailer showing off Square Enix's trademark cinematic flair, giving us a better idea of what lies ahead.
In addition, we got the reveal of the next job coming to the game, the dual-wielding Viper, which should appeal to the Final Fantasy IX fans in the audience. Like Zidane Tribal, the Viper is a melee combatant who favours dual blades and can even combine the two to form a single two-handed weapon reminiscent of the protagonist's iconic, double-bladed thief swords.
Previously, Square Enix granted our most fervent wish, including the Gunbreaker job class alongside the Shadowbringers expansion, which allowed us to cosplay Final Fantasy VIII's Squall Leonheart in suitably epic fashion. We had a whale of a time wielding the infinitely cooler gunblade, and we hope FFIX stans find similar satisfaction with the Viper.
You can get a better understanding of the job's basic combat rotation in the trailer below:
In other Dawntrail news, a crossover event with Final Fantasy XVI is in the works, which will see players teaming up with Clive in a new quest line. In addition, his faithful companion, Torgal, will be unlockable in mount and minion form.
A recap of previously announced content confirmed for Dawntrail, as described by Square Enix, reads as follows:
- Journey to the New World, Tural, and its capital, Tuliyollal
- Explore new areas, including the mountainous Urqopacha and the forest of Yak T’el
- New Allied Tribes, including the diminutive Pelupelu who wear distinctive masks and inhabit Urqopacha
- Level Cap increase from 90 to 100
- Multiple New Jobs
- Core Battle Content including FATEs, Hunts, Treasure Hunts, and Sidequests
- New Dungeons
- New Threats, including Valigarmanda
- Duty Support Update
- New Gear and Recipes
- Expansive New Lifestyle Content
- New Variant Dungeons, Alliance Raid, Eight-Player Raid, and Ultimate Raid
- Player-versus-Player Update
Ongoing Content Updates, including a Blue Mage Update, Inconceivably Further Hildibrand Adventures, New Plans for Deep Dungeons and a Gold Saucer Update
In addition to these features, Dawntrail will introduce the game’s first graphical update for both character and world visuals, including:
- Improvements to screen-wide aesthetic appeal
- Higher-resolution textures and shadows
- Improved material qualities