FFXIV Dawntrail Preview: Two Standout Jobs Highlight An Expansion That Needs To Be Great (2024)

The release of Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail is almost upon us, and the upcoming expansion to the ubiquitiously popular MMORPG brings with it the promise of change, both big and small. The newest content addition will take place in the western continent, Tural, which is colloquially known in-game as the New World. That's not a designation attributed to the location lightly - it's both a daunting and dazzlingly refreshing area and also the beginning of something much larger in FFXIV.

Dawntrail does, after all, include the first major steps into the new main story questline. For those unfamiliar with FFXIV, that primary narrative throughline - known as the MSQ to many - was a decade-long story spanning four expansions, with twists and turns along the way that put some of the most bombastic dramas to shame. This is the first expansion that won't be buoyed by the continuation of that story (at least, not directly), and the pressure to put together something that's both exciting and equal to the history behind it is certainly present.

Recently, Screen Rant was able to attend the North American leg of the FFXIV Dawntrail Media Tour. That visit included a whopping six hours spent playing Dawntrail content, including a new dungeon, the exploration of a few additional locales, and extensive hands-on time with both the Pictomancer and Viper job roles. While the reveals were, predictably, story-lite, what was present was an excellent representation of the modern FFXIV experience, right down to jobs that feel less arcane and dungeons built with care.

In other words, FFXIV Dawntrail looks like it's going to be another great addition to what's arguably the best and brightest MMORPG on the market today. Here's our key takeaways from the event, along with a few questions that linger following a few presentations and the hands-on time.

FFXIV's Job System Is In Good Hands

Both New DPS Roles Feel Unique & Fun To Play

First, the thing everyone will no doubt be eager to discuss: both new FFXIV jobs in Dawntrail are standouts, and should slot nicely into the ever-expanding roster of roles. Hands-on time with both of them revealed they have depth and style, though there is a clear favorite in terms of leaving a lasting impact for just how unique it feels relative to existing systems and design decisions within FFXIV. That would be the Pictomancer job, which was entertaining and innovative during our runs through the available dungeon.

The Pictomancer's weapon is a giant paintbrush, and that sets the tone for what players can expect from the job. The Pictomancer gradually builds out a portrait, or scene, to achieve its best damage output or effects; for example, painting Creature Motifs through Living Muse can create a Depiction of Pom, which then allows the Pictomancer to create a Depiction of Wings, which now completes a Moogle Portrait. Completing that portrait opens up another ability, Mog of the Ages, which then resets the rotation.

That's not all. The job also features a Palette Gauge, which accumulates charge as the Pictomancer naturally moves through its rotation. Once full, players can use the Subtractive Palette, which significantly enhances their aetherhue spells. White Paint, which is also built up over a rotation, allows for the execution of Holy in White, while Black Paint - which is White Paint that's been affected by Subtractive Palette - can use Comet in Black.

If it sounds complicated, it isn't. I also felt like my head was spinning when first reading what the Pictomancer did, but in practice, it takes very little to pick up the job and get a sense of what its rotations and priorities are. It's also a visual stunner, with plenty of skill animations and executions that look stylish. What I anticipated would be my distant second job preference out of the two in Dawntrail is now the first one I'll be trying once the new FFXIV expansion releases.

By contrast, the Viper job feels a bit edgier, balancing out the admittedly Splatoon-like impact the Pictomancer will have on FFXIV. Viper's most obvious point of comparison is Ninja - in our interview with Yoshida-san, he even admitted that the team noted Ninja was the only melee DPS that was prioritizing the dex stat, which helped inspire what became Viper. Viper distinguishes itself with a rotation that sees its flashy two-blade combat smoothly flexed into a combined blade finish, alongside use of their soul crystal to buff themselves mid-rotation.

Vipers are all about three-step combos which, ultimately, made the job feel vastly more beginner-friendly when I went hands-on with it. While Pictomancer took a few fights to start getting the hang of, Viper is all intuition - well, that and the helpfully glowing ability buttons that help chain its combos together. If Ninja has been, at least historically, a bit of a nightmare in terms of learning rotations and skill combos, Viper is the opposite, a dream to play and integrate into melee DPS roles.

Enhancements and Enfeeblements are a major part of Viper's kit and what mostly caught my eye during play. It can increase damage dealt by the Viper to its target, increase their own damage output more broadly, or increase attack speed. Reawaken - a skill available as the Viper generates Serpent's Ire through its rotation - alters the combo to include powerful Generation and Legacy abilities that pay tribute to Turali hunters while achieving pretty high numbers in combat.

Is Viper as groundbreaking as Pictomancer? No, but I also don't think it has to be. Balancing one gaudy addition with a more "safe" bet in the form of a cool dexterity melee was smart, and the fact that both options paid off as both viable and exciting new FFXIV jobs makes Dawntrail immediately compelling for that reason alone. Luckily for adventurers, there's much more to the expansion than just its jobs.

FFXIV's New Continent Feels Like It Has Character Already

An Important First Step For The New Main Story

Tural felt fun in our hands-on with FFXIV Dawntrail, though, admittedly, that experience was very stifled; the environments explored had restrictions on what characters were visible to mitigate spoiler potential, but it also made it a bit harder to get a sense for the vibe of some areas. Overall the environmental design feels compelling enough to necessitate deep exploration of the maps - we had access to the town of Tuliyollal and field areas Urqopacha and Kozama'uka, and each was intriguing in its own way.

Underwater exploration also factored into the testing, though as a very minor element that didn't feature any combat or items to find. It looks pretty, though, and should make for more in-depth map design throughout Tural. NPCs mostly just welcomed us to Tural so it's especially difficult to make a judgement on Tuliyollal but, if nothing else, its design does scream "beach city" and it has plenty of character without any words being exchanged among important characters.

The Ihuykatumu dungeon was the standout for exploration and combat, so much so that I played it three times before my session was done - once each as Pictomancer, Viper, and Ninja. I used Duty Support to see what the solo experience was like and to learn mechanics, and there were some fun boss battles present that might even feature a wipe or two for unprepared players. Most interesting were the minor story tidbits the dungeon hints at, which sees what appears to be a succession battle among multiple groups - including a split among the main characters! - and some trickery from one of the new primary characters in Dawntrail.

The areas all exuded the charm and character that FFXIV is known for, and the dungeon was especially engaging. Absent the context of their stories and characters, that's an immensely rewarding and promising aspect of the Dawntrail expansion. I care about where I was and who I was with even thrown into Tural without knowing much about it - I can only imagine the story will build on that sense, and the new continent should be fertile ground for the beginning of another lengthy narrative.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Could Be Fundamental To Its Next Decade

Why This Expansion Matters So Much

Ultimately, what I went hands on with helped answer some of the questions I had about the viability of the new FFXIV Dawntrail jobs, and I'm already interested in learning more about Tural. What I didn't manage to garner is just how much this expansion could mean as a cornerstone of the franchise's next decade or more - with its new narrative planned to be ambitiously long and players ready for fresh content, Dawntrail might actually be more important than Endwalker in the grand scheme of things.

So far, however, I do firmly believe this is the best time to get into FFXIV, whether that's as a new player or someone returning after a break. Dawntrail's new jobs felt exciting, with plenty of depth to learn once players end up getting the basics down. Tural is visually memorable and has plenty of room to tell a new story based on its own history and culture, which should help provide the groundwork for a grand tale different from the one FFXIV just finished telling. Reworks on jobs feel more accessible - we tested Ninja, Monk, and Dragoon a little - and the game is now migrating to a focus on addressing the needs of people who enjoy multiplayer and "midcore" content.

This expansion has a lot riding on it. From what I can see, it's going to meet its lofty expectations head on - and conditions are right for a monumental first chapter in the next great FFXIV adventure.

Final Fantasy 14

Franchise

Final Fantasy

Platform(s)

PC , PS3 , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

August 27, 2013

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix

Genre(s)

MMORPG

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

Crystal Tools

ESRB

T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

How Long To Beat

Metascore

90

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PC, PS4 &PS5

PS Plus Availability

N/A