Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail finally has a date. Speaking at PAX East 2024, FF14 game director and producer Naoki Yoshida, best known as ‘Yoshi-P,’ took to the stage alongside translator Aimi Tokutake to speak about the journey over the past decade of the critically acclaimed MMORPG, along with details about some new ideas the team has for the future and the long-awaited date we’ll finally get to head off on our next adventure – which you can thank Elden Ring for.
We’ve been eagerly anticipating a more specific FF14 Dawntrail release date since Yoshida announced it would be arriving in the summer, and now we know exactly when we’ll be able to head out on our trip to Tural for the new Final Fantasy 14 expansion. If you’ve already played the most recent story content in patch 6.55 of the MMORPG, you’ll have some idea of what to expect as we set off on a brand-new adventure following the conclusion of the first major overarching story arc in Endwalker.
The FF14 Dawntrail release date is Tuesday July 2. Early access will begin on Friday June 28. Yoshida says he was actually planning to launch the expansion a week earlier, but changed his mind after another announcement. “We figured everybody would be interested in playing the Elden Ring DLC,” he laughs. “I’ll give you one week to enjoy that, and then go onto your summer vacation in Dawntrail.”
To join in on the early access date, you’ll need to pre-order the game. Pre-orders begin Tuesday March 26, and you’ll get both a Wind-up Zidane minion (from Final Fantasy 9) and a pair of Azeyma’s earrings for signing up.
Much like the Menphina earrings from Endwalker, these will scale with your stats and give you an experience boost up to level 90, letting you catch up all of your jobs to the starting level for Dawntrail. You’ll get these items in-game “as soon as possible” after confirming your pre-order, meaning you’ll be able to use the earrings to level up ahead of the expansion’s arrival.
We also get a look at the in-game items included in the FF14 Dawntrail collector’s edition. There’s an Ark mount (the ship-like summon from FF9), along with a Wind-up Garnet minion (also FF9), and a special Chocobo Brush for the new FF14 Pictomancer job arriving in Dawntrail. Yoshida remarks on how many of these items are related to Final Fantasy 9, but says the reason for this remains “a secret” for now.
Alongside this news, Yoshida confirms that the Final Fantasy 16 crossover event will run in FF14 from Tuesday April 2 to Wednesday May 8. He notes that the story of the event is focused on the early game of FF16, remarking that he wouldn’t want to spoil any big moments for players awaiting the PC version of Final Fantasy 16.
During the panel, Yoshida also says he wants to bring “refined multiplayer gameplay” and “more large-scale duties” in Dawntrail and beyond. “Of course, we’re not neglecting the smaller-scale or solo content such as variant dungeons,” he adds, noting that these will continue to appear. The team is also looking at increasing the amount of rewards players get, estimating roughly a 50% boost “by around patch 7.3.”
Another emphasis Yoshida places on future content is that of “a more fulfilling gaming experience.” He says that content can often feel a little familiar, with a lot of mechanics being repeated across different dungeons and fights. He says players might be worried to hear this: “Oh no, Yoshida is going to make everything difficult again.” He explains that the team is looking more at offering increased variety rather than simply ramping up the challenge.
Yoshida closes, as always, by thanking all the Warriors of Light that have continued to play and support the game since its launch. “We will continue to strive forward for the next ten, twenty years – until the day I die, basically,” he concludes with a smile.
Get yourself ready for Dawntrail by learning about the other new job, the FF14 Viper, along with the new playable race, the FF14 female Hrothgar. We’ve also got everything you need to know to get your FF14 Island Sanctuary up to scratch before you head off on your next adventure.
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