The 2023 Las Vegas Fan Fest set the tone for the future of Final Fantasy 14, as Square Enix revealed the first teaser trailer for Dawntrail, the fifth expansion for the critically-acclaimed MMORPG. Following the events of Endwalker, which will come to a conclusion in Patch 6.5, Dawntrail will be a major tonal shift in the main story, with themes of discovery and vibrant adventures under the sun as the key points.

In addition, some technical upgrades will take place when Dawntrail is released to give Final Fantasy 14 a fresh look fitting for the new environment that players will explore. So far, only a few details were revealed by game producer and director Naoki Yoshida during his keynote address at the 2023 North American Fan Fest. With the London Fan Fest coming in October, and the Tokyo Fan Fest in January, more details about Dawntrail will come to light and may change some perceptions surrounding it.

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The New World of Tural and Its Golden Secrets

Originally called the New World in Final Fantasy 14 lore, the continent of Tural will be the main setting for the Dawntrail expansion. Located southwest of Vylbrand, which is the island continent home of Limsa Lominsa, the Warriors of Light and the Scions are invited to Tural at the request of a mysterious client to help with a contest of succession to determine Tural's next ruler. Drawing inspiration from Mesoamerica, Tural is home to a myriad of races, tribes, and cultures.

Tural's gilded capital city of Tuliyollal may sound like a mouthful, but it will serve as Dawntrail's main player hub, similar to Old Sharlayan in Endwalker. Despite its lack of technological prowess compared to previous capital cities, the vibrant culture and bountiful commerce of Tuliyollal immediately stand out as one of the most colorful in Final Fantasy 14. Plus, Tural is one of the few places that Sharlayan has established a seafaring trade agreement with, which may serve as a metaphorical and political bridge for the Warrior of Light and their companions to cross in Dawntrail.

One of the most prominent tribes that players will deal with in Tural is the Mamool Ja, a lizard-like race that was featured in the Blue Mage job quests and in some FATEs scattered throughout La Noscea. Tuliyollal is ruled by a two-headed Mamool Ja named Gulool Ja Ja, which is a reference to a character of the same name from Final Fantasy 11. While they make up a majority of Tural's populace, the Mamool Ja coexist with other races such as the Hyur, the Hrothgar, and the Pelupelu, a diminutive bird-like race that made its series debut in Final Fantasy 10. The Pelupelu will be a new allied tribe that players will do quests for after the release of Dawntrail.

Discovering New Sights and Facing New Threats

While the main scenario of Dawntrail was also stated to divide the Scions into two competing camps, the history of Final Fantasy 14 may signal that Dawntrail's plot could revolve around more than just Tural's contest of succession. Outside Tuliyolllal, which is located in the northern part of the continent, Dawntrail's main story would take players to new zones that feature different challenges and environments.

Yoshida stated that Yok Tural would be a major region within Tural that players would explore and that Yok Tural would have some zones that show off the various forms of plant life. The mountainous Urqopacha is home to a fallen empire of giants, and the rainforest of Yak T'el can only be reached via a dirigible flight from Tuliyollal.

Though expansions usually have six zones, players will have to wait to see what the rest of them will be in Dawntrail. However, with each new zone comes new dungeons and trials for players to contend with. While Yoshida remained tight-lipped about the names of these challenges, he revealed that Valigarmanda, a serpentine Esper from Final Fantasy 6, would be one such foe. During the lead-up to Endwalker, Yoshida revealed that the Magus Sisters and Anima would be enemies, but did not state that they would be dungeon bosses rather than Trial bosses due to spoilers.

Though Valigarmanda was never among the most powerful Summons in Final Fantasy history, its ability to wield the elements of fire, ice, and lightning is not a common trait. Whether Valigarmanda will be a dungeon boss, an 8-player trial, or something else entirely is a mystery that players will uncover during the main story of Dawntrail.

The Graphical Update and New PC System Requirements

By the time Dawntrail is out, Final Fantasy 14 will be approaching 11 years since its relaunch as A Realm Reborn. As a result, the game's graphics have aged significantly. Fortunately, Dawntrail will mark Final Fantasy 14's first major graphical update for PC, PS5, and even Xbox Series X/S users to enjoy. With changes made to the lighting, shadows, and the way reflections bounce off of characters' armor and eyes, the graphics update will be quite a step up from what is currently in Final Fantasy 14.

Square Enix stressed that all the work shown off during Fan Fest is still subject to change, and reiterated that Dawntrail's graphics update will not be available on the PS4 version. Though Square Enix stated that PS4 support will continue in Dawntrail, it remains to be seen when PS4 support for Final Fantasy 14 will end.

The Xbox Series X/S version of Final Fantasy 14 enters open beta just a few months before the launch of Dawntrail, and will only be available as a digital download. The Xbox Series X version will support 4K resolution, and will also take advantage of the system's hardware to make load times fast.

Still, the graphical update will require a change to the system requirements on PC, and Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail's recommended graphics cards for playing the game at 1080p include the Nvidia RTX 2060, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, or better. While the system requirements will not be that much of an increase compared to the current recommendations of a GTX 970 or a Radeon RX 480, Final Fantasy 14's PC players should check if they will need to upgrade beforehand.

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Two New Jobs and The New Level Cap

As has been the case in previous Final Fantasy 14 expansions, the level cap will go up by 10 in Dawntrail, up to the fabled level 100. With the level cap being raised, that means each current Job will get new abilities and changes to previous ones. Two new Jobs were also confirmed to arrive in Dawntrail, and they would have the roles of melee DPS and caster DPS. While two DPS Jobs were predicted in the lead-up to Fan Fest, the addition of another melee DPS after Endwalker bucked a trend from past expansions that previously did not include Jobs within the same role for two consecutive expansions.

While Yoshida refused to elaborate further on what the identities of the new Jobs would be, he left behind a cryptic hint that veteran Final Fantasy 14 players were quick to spot. During the keynote, Yoshida wore a t-shirt that featured art from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which led to players guessing its meaning. Though guesses have ranged from Jobs such as Corsair, Pictomancer, and Green Mage, a common consensus among players was that the new melee DPS job will wear Scouting armor, which is currently exclusive to the Ninja Job.

Beyond Dawntrail, Yoshida stated that he plans to keep Final Fantasy 14 going for at least two more expansions over the next decade. Nonetheless, Yoshida reiterated that players who want to learn more about Dawntrail will want to keep tabs on the London and Tokyo Fan Fests in the coming months.

Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5, with an Xbox Series X/S version launching in Spring 2024.

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