Highlights

  • Naoki Yoshida shared a New Year's greeting with a cryptic hint about Dawntrail, leaving players excited for what's to come in Final Fantasy 14.
  • Speculation about Dawntrail suggests that players may encounter an iconic villain like Jenova and can expect unexpected twists in the upcoming expansion.
  • The Final Fantasy 14 development team is preparing for at least 10 more years of the game, showcasing their commitment to long-term service.

Naoki Yoshida, the director and producer for Final Fantasy 14, recently shared a New Year’s greeting that contained a cryptic hint about Dawntrail. The heartfelt letter welcomed in the new year of Final Fantasy 14, and showed just how excited the development team is for players to see what comes next.

Yoshida, affectionately known as Yoshi-P, has an annual tradition where he shares a letter with the Final Fantasy 14 community to celebrate the new year. Most of these heartwarming communications come with a cryptic clue as to what is in store for Final Fantasy 14 in the near future.

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Now, Yoshi-P has followed his own precedent with a brand-new clue for players to ponder over while they wait for Dawntrail. “I awake at the break of dawn, as I always do,” the passage Yoshida shared reads, “Turning to scan the western sea, I contemplate the journey ahead. Will it seem a homecoming, or a new beginning? Time will tell–though the salt winds whisper to me of things unknown…” This teaser was nestled in the middle of Yoshi-P’s greeting to the Final Fantasy 14 community, which laid out the immediate and future plans for the critically acclaimed MMORPG.

yoshi-p teaser letter for dawntrail in the new year

Other Points from the FF14 New Year’s Letter from Yoshi-P

  • Final Fantasy 14 is excited about the final Fan Festival in Japan on January 6, as well as Dawntrail this summer.
  • The team is preparing for at least 10 more years of Final Fantasy 14.
  • Parts of the graphical update and other “steady improvements to [Final Fantasy 14’s] development and operational processes with an eye towards long-term service” may take several years to become noticeable.
  • Final Fantasy 14 plans to tackle problems with “deliberate thoroughness,” and swears by the mantra, “haste makes waste.”

The cryptic nature of this clue has players wondering what surprises are in store for them in Dawntrail. Though first marketed as a “summer vacation,” details shared from the previous Fan Festivals have players speculating that something crazy is happening in Tural, and the suggestion Dawntrail could be a "homecoming" implies they might encounter an iconic villain like Jenova in the Final Fantasy 14 expansion. Speculation aside, it seems all but certain that Dawntrail is going to have some unexpected twists in it.

Luckily, players won’t have to wait long to find out. The final Fan Festival takes place soon, with the keynote address for the convention in Japan beginning at 8 P.M. EST on Saturday, January 6. Fans can expect to learn about the second new job coming in Dawntrail, plus other details–possibly even a launch date for the expansion. Players will also likely learn the release date for Patch 6.55 soon, as the final update before Dawntrail is expected somewhere in January. In the meantime, fans can log in and complete the 2024 Heavensturn event in Final Fantasy 14 right now to earn an adorable new chocobo minion.