GamerEscape

The North American FFXIV Fan Fest kicked off things in Las Vegas this morning with the reveal of the next expansion, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail releasing Summer 2024. FFXIV Producer and Directory Naoki Yoshida led the presentation, saying that he hopes to release earlier in that Summer window.

The trailer showed the Warrior of Light and our beloved crew in the New World- known as Tural, showcasing food and architecture stylized to the historical Americas.

As hope’s light dawns once more, a hero looks to new horizons…

Winds of opportunity bring a visitor from the New World, seeking the Warrior of Light’s aid in a rite of succession to determine Tural’s next ruler.

Alongside Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Erenville, the Warrior of Light embarks upon a journey across the indigo deep. Should rumor be true, the contest may lead them to the fabled gates of a city of gold.

Little do they know that it will also see the scions divided…

What does the contest entail?

What awaits in Tural?

What is the truth of the City of Gold?

Tural has been revealed to be across the indigo sea in the West and has an established sea route to Old Sharlyan.

The new hub for Dawntrail will be Tuliyollal in the region of Yok Tural, with the city having a heavy focus on diversity. It is the seat of the federal nation state which governs Tural.

The nation’s ruler is currently Gulool Ja Ja, a two-headed Mamool Ja. The story will revolve around a contest to determine who will succeed him. This will split the Scions into two opposing groups.

The keynote continued and showcased multiple new areas.

Urqopacha is a mountainous region in Yok Tural, home to peoples both exceedingly large and unusually small in stature.

Over a thousand years ago – long before Tuliyollal came to be – Urqopacha was the proud heart of the giants’ empire, which spanned the entirety of Yok Tural. While their descendants live on in the region, only ruins remain of the empire’s glory days.

Yak T’el is a thick forest accessible from Tuliyollal via dirigible flight over the southeastern mountains. So dense is its foliage that the forest floor sees little sunlight. Home to the primary settlements of Tural’s Hrothgar and Mamool Ja, and replete with stunning cenotes harboring cerulean ponds and springs.

Those that have played Final Fantasy X may recognize the first announced tribe for Dawntrail– the Pelupelu. They’re a diminutive people inhabiting Urqopacha. Seldom seen without their distinctive masks, renowned producers of tea, coffee, and mezcal who travel the continent of alpaca-back.

After discussing everything that he can about the new expansion, Yoshida went on to discuss upcoming system changes.

The audience was given a new look at the previously announced graphics update. Shaders and textures will be overhauled to improve the look of the game. Some short videos where shown showing these changes on all of the races, some armor, and some environments.

In case there was any question about going up to level 99, it was revealed we’ll be going into the triple digits, with the new cap going to level 100 in Dawntrail.

Two new DPS jobs will be added in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail: a melee DPS and a magic DPS job. While he wouldn’t reveal either of the new jobs on the Las Vegas Stage, Yoshida did strip down a layer and reveal a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt, which provides some kind of hint as to what one of the new jobs will be.

There will of course be new threats to encounter, including normal and hard modes. The first of these was revealed to be Valigarmanda, who may be recognizable to FFVI fans.

Duty support will be implemented for all new dungeons released in Dawntrail. In addition, there will be new Variant Dungeons, a new Alliance Raid, a new 8-player Raid, and a new Ultimate Raid. Yoshida commented that the next alliance raid will feel “even more Final Fantasy-ish” than the current Alliance Raid in Endwalker.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail will also feature new expansion lifestyle content in the same vein of Endwalker’s Island Sanctuary.

Those that have been diving into PVP will be happy to know that Crystalline Conflict and Frontlines will see updates.

Final Fantasy XIV’s true endgame will also be receiving a massive update. Items will now have two dye slots, allowing players to further enhance their fashion game. They will also be including a new gear slot that players can use to wear items alongside headgear! Items from this new slot won’t work like traditional gear, and you won’t have to worry about them taking up space in your Armoury Chest!

Mentioned previously, the furnishing limit will be increased! It won’t make it at the release of 7.0 however, instead coming out sometime during the 7.x patch cycle.

Because of the upcoming graphic updates, the specs for Final Fantasy XIV on PC will be changing. PlayStation 4 will also continue to be supported.

Another announcement today came in the form of the Strategy Board. While the UI isn’t finished yet, Yoshida described the new feature as a sort of white board that players can use to help plan strategies for fights.

Since a new expansion is on the horizon, Square Enix wants to let players experience a little more with the free trial. Beginning with the release of Patch 6.5, players on the free trial will now be able to experience all of the Stormblood expansion!

A Fall Guys collaboration was also revealed, with a gold saucer Fall Guys activity mode will be showing up in 6.5x.

For the last big announcement of the morning, Naoki Yoshida welcomed Xbox’s Phil Spencer to the stage. After years of players asking about it, it was announced that Final Fantasy XIV is finally coming to Xbox Series S and X. The open beta will begin in Patch 6.5x, with a release planned for Spring 2024.

Stay tuned for even more coverage of the North American Fan Fest 2023 in Las Vegas in the coming days!

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Images and video courtesy of Square Enix.