Final Fantasy 14's Dawntrail ends with a prologue

The final story patch for Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail has been released. According to PC Gamer, it serves as a direct prologue to the next expansion, Evercold, which arrives in January.

Dawntrail's narrative reception has been a journey. As the first expansion to start a new story arc after a decade of established plot, its initial launch did not fully land with players. Criticism has eased with subsequent updates. The author from PC Gamer declares this final Main Scenario Quest patch might be the greatest the game has ever received.

A Prologue, Not a Teaser

This batch of quests breaks from tradition. Past final patches typically offer light teasers, introducing a new character or setting to build hype. Patch 7.56 feels different. It drops players directly into the ice-covered Fourth reflection, the setting for Evercold. An encounter with future antagonists happens almost immediately.

The patch introduces Visna, a charismatic young catgirl skilled with a crossbow. She serves as the player's guide. Visna explains the Fourth's society, where people with different brands are confined to separate, gigantic airships because the surface has been frozen for 500 years. Approaching someone with a different brand carries a lethal risk. This setup provides a substantial info dump, clearly outlining the expansion's premise.

Showcasing the New Job

Visna's appearance also seems to shows the next physical ranged job, which has not been officially revealed. Creative Studio 3 is keeping details close, but her animations include cleaving enemy clusters and calling to a falcon. Simply seeing the job in action, even without specifics, generates significant pre-expansion excitement for the author.

Setting the Stage for Naglfar

The quests build toward reaching Naglfar, Evercold's first major location. Cleverly, the patch confines players to a small, separate area that still offers a glimpse of the expansion's atmosphere. It feels like dipping a toe into Evercold while being restricted to a single floating platform.

The story concludes right before the journey to Naglfar begins. This leaves Evercold poised to start with immediate action. The author notes that placing this preamble in Dawntrail's final patch is a refreshing way to accelerate the next expansion's momentum.

Refreshing the Formula

This direction is seen as excellent for Dawntrail, an expansion often criticized for its narrative. It sets the stage differently than past expansions. While it's hard to predict Evercold's full scope from a short preview, the prologue has successfully built anticipation. The four-month wait now feels longer, the author concludes, because the hype has genuinely begun.