At the first in-person Fan Fest in five years, Square Enix announced the fifth expansion for Final Fantasy XIV, Dawntrail. Hot off the heels of the Endwalker finale, this expansion marks a “new beginning” for FFXIV’s story, and seems to be far more light-hearted in tone.
Producer and director Naoki Yoshida had a wealth of details to share on Dawntrail and some other massive changes coming to FFXIV in 7.0, so we’ll recap everything here.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Release Date
Dawntrail is described as a “summer vacation” that takes players to the New World in the West. Square Enix
FFXIV: Dawntrail will launch sometime in summer 2024, and also mark the start of the 7.0 version. Yoshida did not specify an exact date beyond that seasonal window.
Final Fantasy XIV Xbox Release Date
During the keynote, Yoshida also announced FFXIV is finally coming to Xbox Series X|S in spring 2024, with an open beta happening before the end of 2023. This means when Dawntrail launches the game will be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
FFXIV: Dawntrail Story Details
Dawntrail’s trailer featured all of the usual companions, including Thancred, Graha, Urianger, Y’shtola, Alisae, Alphinaud, and Estinien. Square Enix
Dawntrail picks up after the events of Endwalker and is described as a “Summer Vaction” for the Warrior of Light and their allies. The expansion introduces an entirely new region of the world, Tural, which is also known as the New World. This continent lies to the West of Eorzea, and Yoshida described it as the “first step” in FFXIV’s new story arc.
The start of Dawntrail sees the WoL travelling with Alisae and Alphinaud, helping Erenville on his journey as a Gleaner. The New World is a less technologically advanced realm, ruled over by various tribes. Apparently, a struggle for the crown of Tural will see the Scions split into two opposing factions, with Yoshida saying players will have to wait and see “who’s an ally and who’s a rival.”
While exploring the new continent player will discover the new hub city of Tuliyollal, as well as the massive tropical forest of Yak Te’l. Dawntrail also introduces a new Beast Tribe for players to befriend named the PeluPelu. These diminutive people are known as great traders renowned for their expertise in creating drinks like coffee and tea. The PeluPelu were actually introduced in Final Fantasy X and X-2 and the tropical theme at large could suggest more of a connection with those games, much like Endwalker took inspiration from Final Fantasy IV.
FFXIV: Dawntrail New Jobs and Features
Valigarmanda is the first Trial boss shown off for Dawntrail. Square Enix
While most of the Fan Fest keynote focused on the new location and story details, there were a few gameplay updates announced as well. Just like past expansions, Dawntrail will feature two brand new jobs, a melee DPS job and a caster DPS job. To go along with this the level cap will also be raised from 90 to 100, with new skills coming for all jobs.
While Square Enix didn’t announce new jobs, Yoshida strangely indicated his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt was a hint. Considering the Turtles are all named after iconic painters, it’s possiblet the DPS caster will be Painter, a job that’s featured in past games like Final Fantasy VI.
Dawntrail will also feature the customary new dungeons and trails, with Yoshida showing off one boss, Valigarmanda, which you can see artwork for above. This enemy is seemingly based on the boss of the same name from Final Fantasy VI, and will be “important” to the struggle for Tural’s crown in some way.
FFXIV 7.0 Graphics Update and Other Changes
All of Dawntrail will be built around the graphics update. Square Enix
Outside of Dawntrail, Square Enix has big plans for FFXIV leading into the 7.x series of patches. The big news is the graphical overhaul, which is currently planned for launch alongside Dawntrail. At Fan Fest, screenshots and footage was provided to show off the graphical changes, including more objects in environments, big improvement to plant and foliage quality and density, upped texture qualiyt, and more detailed character models.
Yoshida noted that the graphical updates will roll out over time, so while things like higher resolutions and shadow quality will be instantly added at 7.0, not every NPC or piece of gear will immediately be updated. He also clarified that the team is making sure the general look of characters won’t change, and player characters will still retain the look they have now.
The 7.0 series of patches will introduce new Variant Dungeons, a new 8-player Raid, a new Alliance Raid, an Ultimate Raid, a Blue Mage update, and all the typical content like Hunts and FATEs.
There are a few smaller mechanical updates planned that fans will likely be very excited for, primarily the ability to use two dyes per gear piece, allowing for more customization. The furnishing limit for housing will be increased sometime in the 7.x patch series, and eyeglasses are being added as a fashion accessory, but will not affect stats. A concept for a “Strategy Board” was shown off, which will be a digital white board that groups can use to help plan Trails, Raids, and other activities.
New System Requirements
Dawntrail will largely take place in entirely new areas and zones. Square Enix
FFXIV’s system requirements will increase to accommodate the graphical update. The PS4 version will still be supported with the update. Below you can find the new minimum and suggested requirements, with maximum settings to come at a later time.
Minimum
OS: Windows® 10 64 bit, Windows® 11 64 bit
Processor: Intel® Core™i7-6700 or higher
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Storage: 140GB or more on HDD
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or higher, AMD Radeon RX 480 or higher
Screen Resolution: 1280×720
Recommended
OS: Windows® 10 64 bit, Windows® 11 64 bit
Processor: Intel® Core™i7-9700 or higher
Memory: 16GB RAM
Storage: 140 GB or more on SSD
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or higher, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT or higher
Screen Resolution: 1920×1080
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail comes to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in Summer 2024.
Dawntrail’ Release Date, Xbox Version, Story Details, and New Jobs
