Aaron Williams

If I am writing a review for DawnTrail, then the most likely viewer is someone who is already embedded in the series. So, the short version is: if you play and like Final Fantasy XIV, then DawnTrail delivers on pretty much all of your expectations. This is largely one of my main criticisms of the expansion, however, as it was marketed as being a 'new dawn' for the series and 'a vacation'. But much like Shadowbringers was marketed as our Warrior of Light turning into a Warrior of Darkness, and thus may be doing some morally questionable things, it turns out this expansion and arc is the same run around the old Final Fantasy XIV bush you're used to. It does not change up the formula, whatsoever. I actually would go for a 3.5 rating as I do think the sum of its parts are 'better than average'. But there were several things that impacted my experience this expansion: 1. uninspired design in enemies and in some environments - I mostly mean aesthetically. There are a ton of re-skins and a lot of original enemies are so bland they look like they came straight off the Unreal Epic asset store but also from the year 2010. 2. an OST that has fantastic tracks, to completely forgettable muzak, to just...annoying. I've never been so confused by the music team's additions and choices as I have been with this expansion. There were some loops that were just too short and become grating for a game that is played for hundreds of hours. 3. Let me play. The number of opportunities for solo instances was very high throughout but there is very little actual gameplay outside of listening to character monologues and clicking on sparkles. I may be wrong if you do an actual count per each expansion, but this one *felt* like there was very little content that engaged me as a player. It's not bad. It's not the best. It's worth playing and was worth investing in another expansion. But honestly, I see myself not staying subbed for the entire lifetime of DT, unlike past expansions. I will likely dip in and out with the future content.