Following a successful reveal of various exciting details during its London edition last fall. Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest returns for its latest and final stop this year in Tokyo, accompanied by additional information about the major expansion for the hugely successful MMORPG.
As per the trend, the festival begins with the expansion trailer. However, this time, fans were treated to the complete trailer, showcasing everything the expansion has to offer in terms of aesthetics and jobs.
The trailer showcases beloved Final Fantasy XIV characters embarking on an adventure in the tropical and tribal islands of Tural. These islands are rich with treasures, jungles, temples, and exotic cuisine, hinting at the grand journey awaiting the Warrior of Light and their companions.
In the previous trailer reveal, we were introduced to the first job in the expansion, Viper – a close-combat melee job with dual swords. In this new trailer, we witness the lively character Krile leaping and twirling using a… brush?
Yes, it’s the Pictomancer job, a job known to us from its initial appearance in Final Fantasy VI with the character Relm.
The Pictomancer is set to be a ranged caster job where you’ll have to use a bursh as the main weapon to draw specific elements, creatures, weapons, and landscapes to either mount an offensive attack or defend your team. Pictomancers will feature not only time-consuming casting abilities and spells but also instant ones. The new job will start at level 80 and will be available at the greeny-land of Gridania.
To what this adventure want to tell us this time, the Warrior of Light embarks on a new adventure within a fresh arc and story following the conclusion of the initial main storyline, which spanned 10 years up to the end of Endwalker. Having been invited by a new female character named Wuklamat, the daughter of the current ruler of the distant lands of Tural, this journey leads our heroes far west, venturing into uncharted territories unknown to many inhabitants of the main lands of Eorzea and it appears that the Warrior of Light will partake in a ritual to choose the new ruler of those distant lands.
Tural is a vast continent divided into two distinct regions, as depicted in the previously shared trailer, it will be separated by a significant geographical bridge. It serves as the homeland for a new race known as the Hrothgar, an all-female lioness tribal group. Players will encounter the first representative of this race, Wuklamat, who will be introduced in the latest Endwalker patches (6.55), setting the stage for the forthcoming adventure.
Based on what we have seen thus far, Dawntrail has captivated us with scenes that evoke a tropical ambiance for this adventure. They even released a new trailer highlighting the expansive greenery featured in this expansion.
But the surprise comes when Final Fantasy XIV producer, Naoki Yoshida, surprised the fans with a contemporary metropolis named “Solution Nine.” a name that mirrors the name of a special attack used by Final Fantasy IX’s protagonist, Zidane. Described as “a city of towering facades built by a distinct civilization compared to that of Tuliyollal.”
Yoshida confirmed the return of all the fundamental features from previous expansions: dungeons, savage raids, extreme trials, and treasure hunts. However, notably present are the game’s most challenging raids known as Ultimates. This time, these raids will revisit Eden, the beloved raid from the Shadowbringers expansion, and will be titled ‘Future Rewritten (Ultimate).’
And that’s not all. Yoshida had previously announced during London’s festival that the alliance raid for this upcoming expansion would be unique—a collaboration with the first-ever Final Fantasy MMORPG, Final Fantasy XI. Now, he unveiled the first boss that players will encounter, Shadowlord, the concluding boss of the inaugural arc in Final Fantasy XI.
To leave us with an intriguing taste, Naoki Yoshida unveiled, for the first time, the main key art for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. It showcases all the characters alongside a mysterious new character that hadn’t been previously mentioned, sparking speculation among fans.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is set to release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S this summer. Notably, the Xbox version of the base game and its subsequent expansions will enter beta testing on February 21st, marking the first opportunity for Xbox players to explore the world of Eorzea.
