Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

Last updated
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail box cover.jpg
Collector's edition cover art depicting the Warrior of Light as a Viper in Tural
Developer(s) Square Enix Creative Studio III [1]
Publisher(s) Square Enix
Director(s) Naoki Yoshida
Producer(s) Naoki Yoshida
Composer(s) Masayoshi Soken
Series Final Fantasy
Platform(s)
ReleaseJuly 2, 2024
Genre(s) MMORPG
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail [a] is the fifth expansion pack to Final Fantasy XIV , a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix for Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It was released on July 2, 2024, over two years after Endwalker , the previous expansion. [2] Like its predecessors, Naoki Yoshida served as director and producer and Masayoshi Soken composed the soundtrack. The expansion pack will be released as a standalone product for current players; for new players, the "Complete Edition" that originally launched with Heavensward was updated to include all expansions including Dawntrail.

Contents

In Dawntrail, players travel to Tural, a continent across the sea, to participate in a rite of succession to determine the next leader of Tuliyollal. They will serve as champion for Wuk Lamat, one of the current leader's children. They are joined by allies from Eorzea who support different candidates. After the climactic events of Endwalker, Dawntrail was designed as a "summer vacation" for the player's character, the Warrior of Light. In addition to adding new areas, the expansion pack increased the level cap, debuted two character classes and a new playable race, and initiated the game's first major graphical overhaul since its relaunch in 2013.

At launch, Dawntrail received generally positive reviews, though it was notably not as well received as its widely acclaimed previous expansions, Shadowbringers and Endwalker.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Dawntrail largely matches that of the base game. Players interact with each other in a persistent world that responds to their actions. The two new jobs in Dawntrail are Viper, a dextrous dual-wielding swordsmaster, and Pictomancer, a paint-based mage. Viper is inspired by other agile swordsmen in the Final Fantasy series, such as Zidane from Final Fantasy IX . Vipers can combine their two swords into a stronger two-handed weapon for certain attacks. [3] Pictomancers brush their magical paint directly into the air, casting both damaging and supportive spells for the party. It is based on Relm Arrowny's magic in Final Fantasy VI . Krile, a fan-favorite character, changes her class to Pictomancer in this expansion. [4] [5] Director Yoshida stated that the more recently designed classes, including Viper and Pictomancer, feel "more complete" compared to ones introduced in earlier expansions. [6] Additionally, Beastmaster will be added as a "Limited" job, with the same restrictions on player matchmaking as Blue Mage. [4]

Plot

The main characters of Dawntrail, from left to right: (bottom row) Krile, Wuk Lamat, Zoraal Ja, Thancred; (second row) Erenville, the Warrior of Light, Urianger, Koana; (top) Gulool Ja Ja and Sphene (above). Dawntrail characters.jpg
The main characters of Dawntrail, from left to right: (bottom row) Krile, Wuk Lamat, Zoraal Ja, Thancred; (second row) Erenville, the Warrior of Light, Urianger, Koana; (top) Gulool Ja Ja and Sphene (above).

Setting and characters

Dawntrail takes place on Tural, a continent across the sea far to the west. Tural is inspired by Latin America [7] [8] and Southeast Asia. [9] Yok Tural, the southern half of the continent, includes the capital of Tuliyollal, a coastal city inspired by Mexico City, and Urqopacha, a mountainous region reminiscent of the Andes with Peruvian and Incan architecture. Kozama'uka is an Amazon rainforest-like region, homeland of the birdlike Hanuhanu. [7] Yak T'el is a cenote-covered jungle resembling the Yucatán Peninsula, the southern portion of which is a meteor-bombarded forest featuring the Mamool Ja homeland of Mamook. Xak Tural in the north contains Shaaloani, which is similar to the "Wild West" of America. [9] A new Field Operations area called Shades' Triangle derives from the Bermuda Triangle. [10]

The nation of Tuliyollal is a multi-ethnic federated monarchy led by Gulool Ja Ja, a two-headed Mamool Ja who united the continent under one banner during an epic journey eighty years ago. Two-headed members of his species possess fearsome strength and potent magical abilities. He and his legendary companions traveled across Tural, forging alliances, quelling conflict between warring peoples, and even sealed away the flying calamity known as Valigarmanda. As Dawnservant, his reign has been characterized by an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity. Shortly before the events of Dawntrail, Gulool Ja Ja announced a contest to determine the next ruler of the nation. Three of the candidates are his children: Zoraal Ja, his one-headed biological son known as the 'miracle' due to the belief that two-head Mamool Ja are sterile; Koana, his adopted son who studied abroad in Old Sharlayan to bring their technologies back to Tural; and Wuk Lamat, his adopted daughter who is earnest and headstrong but sheltered. Whereas both Koana and Wuk Lamat hope to maintain the peace that Gulool Ja Ja established, Zoraal Ja has ambitions to conquer and colonize the rest of the world, motivated by his inferiority complex with respect to his father's accomplishments. The last candidate is Bakool Ja Ja, another two-headed Mamool Ja from their homeland of Mamook who aims to institute Mamool Ja supremacy in Tuliyollal. Wuk Lamat journeys to Old Sharlayan to recruit the player's character, a hero known as the Warrior of Light, to aid in her succession bid. They are joined by some of the player's allies from the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, including the twins Alphinaud and Alisaie; Krile, who is pursuing the truth about her grandfather Galuf's travels to Tural; and Wuk Lamat's childhood friend Erenville. Koana, meanwhile, enlists the aid of the Scions Thancred and Urianger.

Story

The Warrior of Light's sea voyage to Tural is rocked by a massive thunderstorm, which damages structures throughout the continent. Upon arrival, Wuk Lamat introduces her entourage to the city of Tuliyollal, and Gulool Ja Ja assembles the candidates to explain the rules of the contest. The winner is the candidate who first discovers the fabled 'city of gold' after completing all seven Feats in the Tuliyollal Saga, which retells the story of the nation's founding. Wuk Lamat and her companions travel across the land to find the electors of each clan, who are in charge of administering the Feats. Following in her father's footsteps, Wuk Lamat tames an alpaca in Urqopacha and revives the failing reed crop in Kozama'uka. The candidates help the Moblins restore their economy following the devastation of the storm, completing another Feat. During a brief respite, Gulool Ja Ja confides in the player that he believes none of the candidates possess the character to become Dawnservant, and that the contest was designed to develop them. Bakool Ja Ja, who was absent during the previous Feat, abducts Wuk Lamat to steal her keystone. Her companions cooperate with Koana's entourage to rescue her. In the highlands of Urqopacha, they seek the elector of the giants, who waits at the mountain peak. While the other candidates climb, Bakool Ja Ja sabotages the ice prison encasing Valigarmanda, freeing the calamity to terrorize the region. Zoraal Ja, Koana, Wuk Lamat, and their allies work together to vanquish the fiend, earning them keystones.

In Yak T'el, the candidates cook a traditional roast pork pibil, a recipe devised by Gulool Ja Ja during his journey. It was first prepared during the peace negotiations between the Xbr'aal and Mamool Ja people, and represents their mutual understanding. After the trial, Wuk Lamat bests Bakool Ja Ja in single combat and reclaims her stolen keystone. They proceed to Mamook, where the final challenge is to defeat an apparition of Gulool Ja Ja in his prime. Zoraal Ja fails and is disqualified when he attacks the elector. Bakool Ja Ja fails too when the elector, his father, banishes him for lacking keystones from the previous Feats. Before attempting the Feat herself, Wuk Lamat seeks to understand the Mamool Ja people as she did with each of the prior clans. Bakool Ja Ja's mother reveals the secret of producing two-headed Mamool Ja: a selective breeding program with a 99% mortality rate. With Bakool Ja Ja's support, the Mamool Ja reject the brutal practice; Wuk Lamat and Koana help them discover new crops that thrive in their forest, alleviating the conflict with the Xbr'aal. Koana relinquishes his candidacy to help Wuk Lamat defeat Gulool Ja Ja's apparition, completing the last Feat. Beneath the Mamool Ja cenotaph, they find the entrance to the city of gold, though it is blocked by a technologically advanced seal.

Gulool Ja Ja announces that Wuk Lamat is the winner of the contest. She nominates Koana to become co-Dawnservant with her, mirroring Gulool Ja Ja's two heads representing Resolve and Reason. During the coronation ceremony, Zoraal Ja steals the key to the golden city, which he learns is Alexandria, a civilization in an alternate dimension facing a crisis. He attacks and leaves his confidant Sareel Ja for dead when he makes his ambitions to usurp Zoraal Ja known, and allies with the queen of Alexandria, Sphene, pledging to deliver them from disaster and becomes their king. While exploring Xak Tural after the coronation, the Warrior of Light discovers a massive electric barrier has descended over a region called Yyasulani. Airships emerge from the barrier, carrying mechanical shock troops who lay siege upon Tuliyollal. Their commander is Zoraal Ja, now augmented by Alexandrian technology, who challenges Gulool Ja Ja to a duel for the throne. Though Gulool Ja Ja defeats him easily, his headpiece activates, resurrecting him from the dead and empowering him to victory. Unsatisfied that he needed a handicap to kill his elderly father, he challenges Wuk Lamat to find and kill him in Alexandria, or his army will resume its assault. The Scions devise a plan to pierce the barrier using a train-delivered bomb, which succeeds with the help of all the Turali clans. Inside, they discover that thirty years have passed within the dome since Zoraal Ja first arrived and used the power of the key to fuse the land of Yyasulani with a portion of Alexandria's dimension. The people of Xak Tural who were trapped inside the dome have assimilated into Alexandrian society, including the use of regulators—headpieces which allow the user to come back to life by expending souls harvested from the dead. Citizens who die of natural causes have their memories uploaded to a server in the Everkeep, Alexandria's central fortress, but this also causes any living regulator users to lose all memories and knowledge of the deceased.

Wuk Lamat befriends Queen Sphene, who is beloved by her people, both ex-Turali and Alexandrian, and is devoted to their welfare. Sphene dislikes Zoraal Ja's methods, and entreats Wuk Lamat to help her remove him from power. They also meet Cahciua, Erenville's mother, who leads a resistance group called Oblivion, which is dedicated to ousting Zoraal Ja and stopping the process of dimensional fusion. While exploring Everkeep, they encounter a vagabond child, who resembles Zoraal Ja and occasionally accepts food and shelter from Oblivion. They follow the child, Gulool Ja, to the ruins of Old Alexandria where they meet his guardian, Otis, a knight who volunteered as the first test subject for memory extraction centuries ago, and has since been trapped in a robotic body. This technology allowed scientists to revive Sphene as a digital avatar who has been ruling Alexandria since.

Growing impatient, Zoraal Ja orders the attack on Tuliyollal, but the better prepared Koana and the Scions rebuff it with the aid of Bakool Ja Ja and new allies from the east. Zoraal Ja reveals that the reason for the attack is to harvest the nation's souls, in order to power the server that maintains the memories of all of Alexandria's dead citizens—the energy crisis that forced Sphene to ally with Zoraal Ja. With the genocide of Tuliyollal thwarted, he turns his soldiers on the living residents of Everkeep to power his ambitions. Sphene, Wuk Lamat, and the Scions do what they can to protect the citizens, and confront Zoraal Ja at the summit of Everkeep. He spends all of his souls on enhancing his strength, saving none for resurrection; but he is ultimately defeated, entrusting his authority to Gulool Ja, his son. [11] Sphene claims the key and uses it to continue dimensional fusion—she considers the memories of her people to be worth the sacrifice of all of Tural. The Scions travel to Living Memory in Sphene's dimension, a place where dead Alexandrians' memories can manifest in corporeal form as the Endless. There, they find the memory of Cahciua, who asks them to help her shut down the storage servers and allow their digital shades to rest. They encounter Otis in his human form, and Krile's parents, the founders of Oblivion, who sent her with the key across dimensions as an infant to stop Sphene from using it. With the servers deactivated, the Scions pursue Sphene through her digitized memories of Alexandria, before confronting her as Queen Eternal, who purges the Warrior's allies from the servers. During the final battle, Queen Eternal attempts to delete Sphene's human memories to prevent remorse for her actions, but Wuk Lamat breaks through to her, restoring her personality. They reconcile and lament not meeting sooner when Sphene was alive, as the last servers shut down. Sphene entrusts the safety of her living citizens to Wuk Lamat, and the key to the Warrior and Scions, [12] before she too is deactivated. Young Gulool Ja becomes king of Alexandria, [13] and Tuliyollal celebrates the Dawnservants' victory.

Mourning

Wuk Lamat and Koana invite the Warrior of Light to attend Sphene's funeral in Everkeep, where its citizens struggle to process their grief due to their use of regulators. During the funeral, Gulool Ja expresses desire to know about his mother, leading the Scions to an abandoned research facility where Zoraal Ja performed soul transfer experiments on captive beasts. They recover audio logs recorded by Teeshal Ja, one of the scientists who worked there, and give them to Oblivion for decryption. In Shaaloani, the Warrior, Wuk Lamat, and Erenville assist Koana in restarting railway operations by neutralizing an apex predator disrupting its ecosystem.

The group returns to Everkeep, where Gulool Ja listens to the logs of Teeshal Ja and the infant Gulool Ja being spurned by Zoraal Ja, but is satisfied with his answers. Wuk Lamat and the Warrior return to the funeral site, but are surprised to see Sphene apparently alive and unharmed, declaring to the people that they are to be made Endless to alleviate their fears of death using "neo regulators". The Alexandrians' memories have been altered and rewritten to remember the funeral being held for those killed in Zoraal Ja's attack rather than Sphene's death. With no way of proving to the Alexandrians that Sphene died, they return to Oblivion's headquarters to plan their next move. Meanwhile, Y'shtola visits Living Memory with Oblivion member Shale. As they arrive, an unseen figure approaches the pair and then collapses after wondering where she is.

Development

After concluding a 10-year long storyline in Endwalker, Dawntrail was designed as a "summer vacation" for the Warrior of Light, the player's character. [14] Naoki Yoshida, producer and director for the series, considers it the start of "season two" of a long-running television show, [6] and hopes to use it to lay the groundwork for another 10 years of service. [15] For Yoshida, it was important to reset the stakes of the conflict from a universe-ending threat to a more personal one. [9]

Square Enix commissioned a mural depicting (from left to right) Erenville, the Warrior of Light and G'raha Tia to promote the release of Dawntrail. Dawntrail Promotional Mural.png
Square Enix commissioned a mural depicting (from left to right) Erenville, the Warrior of Light and G'raha Tia to promote the release of Dawntrail.

A central endeavor of this expansion was the game's first major graphical overhaul since the original 2010 launch, which includes improved shadows, environmental and player textures, realtime lighting, and more detailed and varied environmental features like grass and flowers. [16] [17] It also includes support for a number of graphics upscaling technologies, such as DLSS and FSR. [18] Yoshida called this the "first phase" of graphical improvements to the game because certain techniques were still unfeasible to apply to a realtime online game and he aimed to employ them in the future. [9]

The focus on the "New World" in this expansion drew some pre-release criticism. [19] The development team did additional research to properly and respectfully depict indigenous cultures in the game. [7] [20] A major theme of the game is the coming together of diverse cultures and values into a mutual understanding. [20] [9]

Release and patches

Early access to Dawntrail began on June 28, 2024 for players who pre-ordered the game with the full release on July 2. [21] To promote the expansion, Square Enix created a parody tourism website, TourTural.com, that depicts activities and locations within the game as part of a travel brochure. Rhys Darby starred in commercials filmed for the website as the new Interim Deputy Director of 'Turalism' tasked with promoting a vacation to Tural. [22]

Square Enix commemorated the release of Dawntrail in several cities worldwide. A replica of an 'Aetheryte' was installed at King's Cross in London, while murals featuring various characters were painted in Los Angeles, Melbourne, and Sydney. [23] [24]

Patches and expansions
PatchTitleRelease dateNotes
7.0DawntrailJuly 2, 2024Weekly limited content and Savage difficulty Arcadion raids were not made available on the expansion's launch day in order to allow players to enjoy the story at their own pace. The Arcadion: AAC Light-heavyweight raids debuted two weeks post-launch with a Savage difficulty mode releasing two weeks after that. In this storyline, the Warrior of Light is approached by Metem, a representative of the Ascension Arcadia Championship where Alexandria's augmented fighters face off to become the strongest. The Warrior enters this competition, befriending their first opponent, Yaana, and her younger sister Neyuni. Upon becoming division champion, they are suddenly challenged by Yaana's elder sister Eutrope, who mysteriously disappeared one day prior to being "immortalized". The Warrior defeats Eutrope, who reveals the truth of immortalized fighters: they, including herself, are afflicted by a fatal disease called psychonekrosis that eats away at their soul, and the only known cure is to consume an exceedingly dense soul, such as the Warrior's. Eutrope vows a rematch with the Warrior to claim their soul and save herself. Metem overhears their conversation, urging the Warrior to continue climbing the ranks and releasing the Arcadion's souls without arousing the president's suspicion, while Yaana continues working with the Warrior to look for an alternative cure to psychonekrosis.
7.1"Crossroads"November 12, 2024The main feature of this patch is the first part of the Echoes of Vana'diel 24-man raid series collaboration with Final Fantasy XI , Jeuno: The First Walk. In this storyline, the Warrior of Light and Bakool Ja Ja investigate the appearance of an amnesiac adventurer and reappearance of Gulool Ja Ja's apparition in Mamook, leading them to a city called in another world called Jeuno. A group of adventurers defeat the inhabitants within, including a girl named Prishe. During their investigation of Jeuno, they are joined by Prishe and the adventurer, named Alxaal by Bakool Ja Ja, and are confronted by Sareel Ja, who survived Zoraal Ja's attempt on his life. Sareel Ja explains that after he was left for dead, he traversed through a portal and glimpsed visions of a world called Vana'diel, and recreated that world with the intent to conquer the star with phantoms from Vana'diel's history. Additional features include Pelupelu allied society quests, Chaotic difficulty alliance raids, an Extreme trial against Queen Eternal, and the sixth Ultimate raid, Futures Rewritten.

Music

Masayoshi Soken composed the soundtrack to Dawntrail. The Primals @ Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest 2016.jpg
Masayoshi Soken composed the soundtrack to Dawntrail.

Masayoshi Soken composed the majority of the expansion's score in addition to his duties as sound director. The soundtrack uses jazz as a basis due to fitting with the theme of diverse elements coming together. [9]

The raid series Arcadion features a number of guest vocalists including Chrissy Costanza of Against the Current, who provided vocals for "Give It All". [25]

Reception

Dawntrail received generally positive reviews, though notably lower than the critical acclaim Shadowbringers and Endwalker received. On review aggregator Metacritic, Dawntrail has an average score of 79/100 based on 35 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews, but the lowest score of the five expansions released. [26] [27]

Responding to what PC Gamer described as a mixed reception of Dawntrail, Yoshida acknowledged players' divided opinions on the expansion's main scenario questline. Despite a generally positive response to the game's new content, the story's pacing and character prioritization have drawn criticism. Yoshida admitted that the development team anticipated some level of mixed reactions, particularly after the high expectations set by previous expansions. Yoshida attributed the pacing issues to the development team's effort to thoroughly introduce the new continent, cultures, and characters in Dawntrail. He recognized that some story elements could have been better suited to side quests, allowing players to explore them at their own pace. Yoshida reflected on the portrayal of and critical reaction to Wuk Lamat, acknowledging that her lack of confidence and complex background may have contributed to the perceived slow pacing and frustration among players. [28]

Notes

  1. ↑ In Japanese: ファイナルファンタジーXIV: 黄金の遺産（レガシー） (Hepburn: Fainaru Fantajī Fōtīn: Ōgon no Regashī, lit. Final Fantasy XIV: Gilded Legacy)

Related Research Articles

<i>Final Fantasy Tactics</i> 1997 video game

Final Fantasy Tactics is a 1997 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. Released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998 by Sony Computer Entertainment, it is the first game of the Tactics series within the Final Fantasy franchise, and the first entry set in the fictional world later known as Ivalice. The story follows Ramza Beoulve, a highborn cadet placed in the middle of a military conflict known as The Lion War, where two opposing noble factions are coveting the throne of the kingdom.

Akihiko Yoshida is a Japanese video game artist. Yoshida was born in 1967 and joined Square in 1995, before the company merged with Enix. He then left Square Enix in September 2013 and became freelance. In October 2014, he became the company director of CyDesignation, a subsidiary of Cygames. He is well known for his work on the Final Fantasy series. He is a frequent collaborator of game designer Yasumi Matsuno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiroshi Minagawa</span> Japanese video game designer and director

Hiroshi Minagawa, also known by the nickname Nigoro, is a Japanese video game artist, designer and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Relm Arrowny</span> Final Fantasy VI characters

Relm Arrowny is a character in the 1994 video game Final Fantasy VI. She is one of the last characters recruited into the main party, and is often accompanied by her grandfather, Strago Magus. Her mother died when she was young, and her father later left her. Despite her father, Shadow, eventually reuniting with her, she never learns his true identity. She was designed by various people; Yoshitaka Amano, Tetsuya Nomura, and Kazuko Shibuya all do art for her, while Akiyoshi Ota and other writers devised her backstory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triple Triad</span> Final Fantasy minigame

Triple Triad is a digital collectible card game and minigame first included in the 1999 Square-developed role-playing video game Final Fantasy VIII. Revolving around collecting and battling cards with images of different in-game monsters, many NPCs within the game world could be challenged to a match, which played out in a diegetic, in-universe manner. Triple Triad is known as one of the most popular minigames of all time, and was seen by many critics as equally as enjoyable as the game itself, if not moreso, gaining a large cult following. It was made into a homebrew PlayStation Portable massively multiplayer online game by fans in 2007, and was later included as a minigame in the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, where it became a regular fixture. In 2015, an official freemium Triple Triad mobile game was released by Square Enix as part of the Final Fantasy Portal. It is sometimes played in real life using fan-made physical decks. Future games in the Final Fantasy franchise introduced similar minigames, such as Queen's Blood in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Charles Miller</span> American musician

Jason Charles Miller is an American musician, singer, and songwriter known for his solo career as well as being the lead vocalist and guitarist of the industrial rock band Godhead. He is a voice actor, appearing in various animation and video games. He is also part of the duo The Deadly Grind, and the duo RezoDrone; which has rose to fame for being featured in the acclaimed videogame Cyberpunk 2077. He has released solo albums in the country music, southern rock, and Americana genres.

<i>Final Fantasy XIV</i> (2010 video game) 2010 defunct MMORPG

Final Fantasy XIV was a 2010 massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Windows, developed and published by Square Enix. It was the original version of the fourteenth entry in the main Final Fantasy series and the second MMORPG in the series after Final Fantasy XI. Set in the fantasy realm of Eorzea, players took control of a customized avatar as they explored the land and were caught up in both an invasion by the hostile Garlean Empire and the threat of the primals, the deities of the land's beastmen tribes. Eventually, they were embroiled in a plot by a Garlean Legatus to destroy the primals by bringing one of the planet's moons down on Eorzea.

<i>Final Fantasy XVI</i> 2023 video game

Final Fantasy XVI is a 2023 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The sixteenth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, it was released for the PlayStation 5 in June 2023, with a Windows version released in September 2024. The game features segmented open environments and an action-based combat system involving melee and magic-based attacks. There are recurring series features including Chocobos for area travel, and summoned monsters called Eikons, which are both fought as bosses and used through channelling their power in combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naoki Yoshida</span> Japanese video game producer (born 1973)

Naoki Yoshida, also known by the nickname Yoshi-P, is a Japanese video game producer, director and designer working for Square Enix. He is best known for his work on massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), mainly as director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and its expansions.

<i>Final Fantasy XIV</i> 2013 video game

Final Fantasy XIV is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix. Directed and produced by Naoki Yoshida and released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Windows in August 2013, it replaced the failed 2010 version, with subsequent support for PlayStation 4, macOS, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Final Fantasy XIV is set in the fantasy region of Eorzea, five years after the devastating Seventh Umbral Calamity which ended the original version. In the Calamity, the elder primal Bahamut escaped from his prison, an ancient space station called Dalamud, unleashing an apocalypse across Eorzea. Through temporal magic, the player character of the original version escaped, reappearing at the start of A Realm Reborn. As Eorzea cements its recovery, the player must fend off a reignited invasion from the Garlean Empire.

The music for the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV was composed by Nobuo Uematsu, a regular contributor to the music of the Final Fantasy series. Several other composers including Masayoshi Soken and Naoshi Mizuta contributed music for updates to the game. The music for the game's reboot, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and subsequent expansions, is compiled of a collection of original and remixed songs by numerous composers, namely Uematsu, Soken, as well as others including guest composers such as Okabe of the NIER series. Soken was the sound director for both releases of the game. Music from both releases of the game has been released in several albums. A pair of mini-albums containing a handful of selected tracks from XIV, Final Fantasy XIV: Battle Tracks and Final Fantasy XIV: Field Tracks, were released by Square Enix in 2010 when XIV first launched. A soundtrack album titled Final Fantasy XIV - Eorzean Frontiers, containing most of the music that had been released by that point for XIV, was digitally released in 2012. A final soundtrack album for the original release of the game, Before Meteor: Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack, was released in 2013 just before the launch of A Realm Reborn, and contains all of the music that was composed for XIV throughout its lifetime. The latest soundtrack album, Shadowbringers: Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack, was released in 2019. This album contains the music for the third expansion, Shadowbringers, and music from the previous expansion, Stormblood, that was added to the game via patches after the release of that expansion's soundtrack.

<i>Mobius Final Fantasy</i> 2015 video game

Mobius Final Fantasy was an episodic role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for iOS, Android, and Microsoft Windows. It was released in Japan in June 2015, and internationally in August 2016. The players could control Warrior of Light (Wol), a man who wakes with amnesia in the world of Palamecia, and must help conquer the dark forces attacking its people. The game featured gameplay elements from previous Final Fantasy titles, including leveling, exploration via standard navigation and fast-travel systems, and turn-based combat tied to a job system. Common themes were also drawn from the original Final Fantasy title, such as "warriors of light" and their fight against chaos and darkness.

<i>Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward</i> 2015 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn expansion pack

Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward is the first expansion pack to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix for macOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Windows. It was released on June 23, 2015, nearly two years after the debut of A Realm Reborn. Naoki Yoshida served as director and producer and Nobuo Uematsu, who had not worked on the title since the ill-fated 2010 launch of the original Final Fantasy XIV, returned to collaborate with Masayoshi Soken on the soundtrack. The expansion pack was released as a standalone product for current players, as well as an "all-in-one" bundle containing A Realm Reborn and Heavensward. The latter was the only way to access the OS X version of the game, which premiered on the same day as the expansion pack's launch.

Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and developed and owned by Square Enix. The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games (RPGs). The eponymous first game in the series, published in 1987, was conceived by Sakaguchi as his last-ditch effort in the game industry; the game was a success and spawned sequels. While most entries in the series are separate from each other, they have recurring elements carrying over between entries, including plot themes and motifs, gameplay mechanics, and visual elements.

<i>Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood</i> 2017 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn expansion pack

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is the second expansion pack to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix for macOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows, then later on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It was released on June 20, 2017, just under two years after Heavensward, the previous expansion. Like for its predecessor, Naoki Yoshida served as director and producer and Masayoshi Soken composed the soundtrack, with Nobuo Uematsu contributing the theme song. The expansion pack was released as a standalone product for current players; for new players, the "Complete Edition" of Final Fantasy XIV that originally launched with Heavensward was updated to include both expansions. In order to make necessary engine improvements, service for the PlayStation 3 game client was terminated with the expansion's early access period. A special upgrade campaign allowed affected players to obtain the PlayStation 4 version for free.

<i>Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers</i> 2019 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn expansion pack

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is the third expansion pack to Final Fantasy XIV, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix for macOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows, then later on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It was released on July 2, 2019, two years after Stormblood. As before, Naoki Yoshida served as director and producer and Masayoshi Soken composed the soundtrack. It released as a standalone product for current players; for new players, the "Complete Edition", originally launched with Heavensward, was updated to include all available expansions.

2B (<i>Nier: Automata</i>) Fictional character of the Drakengard series

YoRHa No. 2 Type B, commonly known as 2B, is a fictional android from the 2017 video game Nier: Automata, a spin-off of the Drakengard series developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. One of the game's three protagonists, 2B is a soldier for YoRHa, an android task force fighting a proxy war with alien-created Machine Lifeforms. Her story arc focuses on her backstory within YoRHa, and her relationship with her partner 9S, a reconnaissance android. She is also featured in related media, such as the anime Nier: Automata Ver1.1a.

<i>Brave Father Online: Our Story of Final Fantasy XIV</i> 2019 Japanese film

Brave Father Online: Our Story of Final Fantasy XIV is a 2019 Japanese comedy drama film based on a Japanese television drama miniseries Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light, which is based on blog post Dad of Light written by Maidy. The film stars Kentaro Sakaguchi, Kōtarō Yoshida, Maika Yamamoto and Naomi Zaizen.

<i>Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker</i> 2021 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn expansion pack

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is the fourth expansion pack to Final Fantasy XIV, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix for macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows, then later on Xbox Series X/S. It was released on December 7, 2021, over two years after Shadowbringers, the previous expansion, with its production delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like its predecessors, Naoki Yoshida served as director and producer and Masayoshi Soken composed the soundtrack. The expansion pack was released as a standalone product for current players; for new players, the "Complete Edition" that originally launched with Heavensward was updated to include all expansions including Endwalker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hildibrand Manderville</span> Final Fantasy XIV character

Hildibrand Helidor Maximilian Manderville is a character in the 2013 video game Final Fantasy XIV. He was featured in the original version of the game as an "inspector extraordinaire" who could be found in inns to help others. He later appears in A Realm Reborn with a questline, which lead to him getting a questline in most expansions to Final Fantasy XIV down the line. The only exception to this was Shadowbringers, which director Naoki Yoshida noted was because he was in a rut. He eventually returned in Endwalker due to fan demand, being handled by a different staff member.

References

  1. ↑ Bueno, Daniel (May 1, 2024). "Creative Business Unit III Name and Naoki Yoshida Job Title Changed".
  2. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (March 25, 2024). "Final Fantasy 14's new expansion is staying the hell out of Elden Ring DLC's way". Polygon .
  3. ↑ Parrish, Ash (October 23, 2023). "Final Fantasy XIV has a new class and a couple of new crossovers coming soon". The Verge.
  4. 1 2 Lefebvre, Eliot (January 6, 2024). "Final Fantasy XIV Tokyo Fan Festival: Pictomancer, lady Hrothgar, and release ambiguity | Massively Overpowered".
  5. ↑ Allsop, Ken (January 7, 2024). "The FF14 Pictomancer is the second new Dawntrail job and it's gorgeous". PCGamesN .
  6. 1 2 Mancosu, Lorenzo (June 6, 2024). "Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: Naoki Yoshida ci parla di narrazione, identità dei Job e design" [Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: Naoki Yoshida talks about narrative, Job identity and design]. Multiplayer.it (in Italian).
  7. 1 2 3 Sánchez, Kate (June 6, 2024). "FFXIV Dawntrail: Yoshi-P On Getting Latin American Inspiration Right". But Why Tho?.
  8. ↑ Hashimoto, Kazuma (June 6, 2024). "Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail is a Latin America-inspired 'vacation' setting". Polygon .
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "「FFXIV: 黄金のレガシー」メディアツアーインタビュー もっと楽しく、自分たちが面白いと思うものを作りたい。そんな思いが詰まった拡張". GAME Watch (in Japanese). June 6, 2024.
  10. ↑ Randall, Harvey (May 31, 2024). "Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail's official site goes up, casually reveals that we're doing both a tournament arc and a field trip to the Bermuda Triangle". PC Gamer .
  11. ↑ Square Enix Creative Studio III. Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. Level/area: Through the Gate of Gold. Shale: Gulool Ja, would you give it a try? / Gulool Ja: Me? / Shale: If the king's authority has passed to you, then the gate ought to open.
  12. ↑ Square Enix Creative Studio III. Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. Erenville: The key that started it all was entrusted to the adventurer. Such an artifact certainly lies within the Scions' realm of expertise, and no objection was raised to their retaining it for research.
  13. ↑ Square Enix Creative Studio III. Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. Erenville: As anticipated, the news that young Gulool Ja had succeeded his father as king was greeted with trepidation.
  14. ↑ Rowe, Willa (March 25, 2024). "Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Finally Has A Release Date". Kotaku .
  15. ↑ Bueno, Daniel (September 15, 2023). "Yoshi-P Plans to Support FFXIV for Another 10 Years". Siliconera .
  16. ↑ Alexander, Cristina (July 28, 2023). "Final Fantasy 14 Getting a Major Graphics Update with New Requirements for Dawntrail Expansion". IGN .
  17. ↑ Taylor, Mollie (June 6, 2024). "I can't believe I had to go back to regular crusty Final Fantasy 14 after witnessing Dawntrail's stunning graphical overhaul first-hand". PC Gamer .
  18. ↑ Rose, Victoria (April 13, 2024). "Check Your PC Before Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail's Graphics Update with Official Benchmark Release Tomorrow". MMORPG.com.
  19. ↑ Bryne, Alex (August 29, 2023). "Final Fantasy XIV fans fear the game's new colonial storyline – here's why they don't need to". The Conversation.
  20. 1 2 Higham, Michael (June 6, 2024). "Dawntrail Takes New Jobs And Stories Where Final Fantasy XIV Has Never Been". GameSpot .
  21. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (2024-03-25). "Final Fantasy 14's new expansion is staying the hell out of Elden Ring DLC's way". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  22. ↑ Rowe, Willa (2024-06-27). "There's A Fantastic Fake Tourism Site For Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail's New World". Kotaku. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  23. ↑ Lada, Jenni (2024-06-26). "FFXIV Dawntrail Art and Aetheryte Appeared in LA and London". Siliconera. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  24. ↑ Verbrugge, Kieron (2024-07-10). "Gorgeous Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Murals Have Appeared In Melbourne And Sydney". Press Start. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  25. ↑ Heaney, Duncan (July 23, 2024). "Q&A: Against the Current's Chrissy Costanza talks FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail". Square-Enix-Games.com.
  26. ↑ "Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail". Metacritic . Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  27. ↑ Aguila, Charlene (8 July 2024). "Dawntrail's Mixed Reviews Doesn't Stop FFXIV from Hitting Record Numbers". Game8. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  28. ↑ Randall, Harvey (August 27, 2024). "Final Fantasy 14's Yoshi-P says 'if the question is whether I was shocked' by the mixed reception to Dawntrail's story, 'the answer is no, not really'". PC Gamer . Retrieved August 27, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.