8 Best New Features in FFXIV: Dawntrail

Years after Endwalker made me cry, FFXIV: Dawntrail is coming! But what can we expect, other than a heart-wrenchingly beautiful story, more loot than you can shake a stick at, and the usual assortment of dungeons and raids? Well, if all that isn’t enough, don’t worry. The team at Creative Studio 3 hasn’t left us hanging.

There’s a wealth of new features, upgrades, classes, and more surprises that have yet to be revealed. Read on to find out what we do know, what we suspect, and how to enjoy it all even more with a little help from CyberGhost VPN.

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8 Best New Features in FFXIV: Dawntrail

1. Graphical Update

FFXIV was first released in September of 2010, so it’s not exactly a new game with the best of all the graphical bells and whistles. Well, it’s getting a much-needed graphical update, at least. Everything from the lighting, to the particle effects, to the clouds and water are all getting massive upgrades.

And, of course, there has been a complete overhaul of the textures, which makes me particularly happy. Yes, seeing better-looking rocks, buildings, armor, and foliage will make me happy. But the thing I’m REALLY excited for?

The hair. The hair always looked terrible in the close-up shots that are rendered in-engine. It’s a small thing that has bugged me a lot and I’m glad it’s getting fixed.

2. Xbox Release

Of course, a graphical update is just icing on the cake when you consider that we’re going to be getting a LOT of new players in the game. A whole console of them, in fact. That’s right, over ten years after its release, Xbox Series X and S players finally get to join in on the fun.

Honestly, this seems to be just one more sign that the game’s publisher, Square Enix, is more or less done with exclusivity. We’re seeing more and more of their games coming to PC and Xbox alongside PlayStation, and I’m just glad that older titles like FFXIV are getting thrown into the mix as well. Everyone deserves to experience this game.

3. Viper

Sword Art Online fans, rejoice! A DPS-focused job designed just for you is coming! That’s not even a joke. Naoki Yoshida, the game’s producer and director (better known to fans as Yoshi P) is on the record saying just that. People have been begging for a way to dual-wield swords for ages, and they’ve typically referenced Kirito, the protagonist of SAO, as an example.

The main struggle, it seems, has been to deliver the feeling of overwhelming dual-wielding power without breaking game balance. Those who have played the game early say they pulled it off.

Characters with the Viper Job equipped

4. Pictomancer

The Pictomancer is a new caster class that specializes in support buffs along with DPS. This complicates the play style, but I think the sheer stylistic genius of the class will make people take interest. After all, who wouldn’t want to wield a giant paintbrush to turn their wildest imaginings into reality?

Now, it’s not a healer class, mind you. It’s technically classified as “Ranged DPS” and will not have a resurrection ability. But if you want to wear the latest in artsy kid couture, channel cosmic powers through a paint brush, and crush your enemies from a distance in style, this might be the class for you.

characters with the Pictomancer job equipped

5. Beastmaster

Yes, they essentially went and made Pokémon in FFXIV, sort of. The Beastmaster hasn’t had its abilities described in great detail yet, but we do know that its powers involve controlling enemies on the battlefield, and even capturing beasts found in the wild. How long you get to keep said beasts is yet to be determined.

Keep in mind that this is a “Limited Job.” That’s right, it’s the second ever Limited Job, joining the ranks of the Blue Mage. This means that you can’t solo queue for some group content, and can’t use the Job in some end game content at all. This is because, like the Blue Mage, the Beastmaster was not designed or balanced around group play.

Also, the Beastmaster Job will not launch with the rest of Dawntrail, but some time later in the patch cycle.

6. Female Hrothgar 

Do you love the clearly lion-inspired race known as the Hrothgar? Do you want to live out your bipedal cat fantasies, but without the bulky appearance of the male variant? Well at long last, users can start up characters as female Hrothgar, and journey through Eorzea to find out what would happen if you gave Grumpy Cat a bunch of edged weapons.

Fun fact, female Hrothgar were, at one point, going to be given a “cuter” appearance, probably more in line with the Viera (the sort of rabbit-looking people) and the Miqo’te (the cat people who mostly just have cat ears on human bodies). However, Yoshi P and co. eventually decided on a look that was “strong and nimble.”

Personally, I approve.

examples of female Hrothgar characters

7. Cosmic Exploration

Comparatively little is known about this game mode. As far as anyone can tell, it will be a set of activities that are centered around helping the Loporrits (the tiny bunny people, remember them?) to restore life to dying worlds beyond the main world we know and love. Some think this will be a sort of expanded activity for the various crafting and gathering Jobs, but I’m not so sure.

While I don’t think it’ll be combat-focused, as such, I think it might well be designed as a sort of relaxing alternative to the usual questing and grinding. On the other hand, it might be a bit like rebuilding the Doman Enclave in Stormblood, which mostly consisted of handing over resources and money to see progress.

8. Quality-of-Life Changes

Yes, the various tweaks and adjustments to the game’s systems are absolutely worthy of their own entry. First off, obsessive decorators will be happy to know that the housing furnishing limit will be increased. Fashion obsessives will likewise be glad to know that eyeglasses cosmetics will be wearable with helmets now, and you’ll be able to apply two color dyes per gear piece, to further customize your appearance.

But the award for Most Exciting Small Feature has to go to the Strategy Board. This is a way to visually map out boss mechanics and your strategies for dealing with them, and it will be available in-game. Fans of high-difficulty raids and trials have traditionally used third-party tools for this, so having one in-game will simplify things.

a screenshot of the Strategy Board feature.
Caption: This is going to make planning boss fights a LOT easier.

Why CyberGhost Is the Best VPN for Gaming

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It’s available on PC, of course, but Xbox and PlayStation players can also use CyberGhost VPN by configuring their router or modem to use it. Combine the speed and availability with great security features, built-in DDoS mitigation, 24/7 customer support, and a 45-day money-back guarantee, and you have a winner.

Read up on more reasons you should use a VPN while gaming.

Conclusion

FFXIV has been going from strength to strength since… well, since it was completely rebooted that one time. Over 10 years later, it’s hard to imagine a time when this game wasn’t flat-out amazing.

Dawntrail promises to be the start of a brand new saga, and a fitting continuation of the story of the Warrior of Light. I am hesitant to ever recommend pre-ordering anything, but I would encourage you to check it out at launch, and see for yourself what Yoshi P and the rest of the team have wrought.

Don’t forget to enhance your experience with a no-lag VPN.

FAQ

What’s new in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail?

So many things! FFXIV is getting the usual mountain of new content, of course: the story campaign, dungeons, raids, trials, and so much more gear to collect. But the things that came as a surprise included three new jobs, a graphical update of the whole game, the release of the female Hrothgar race… oh, and FFXIV is finally coming to Xbox. ‘Bout time.

Will FFXIV: Dawntrail upgrade graphics?

Absolutely! In fact, a couple of graphical benchmarking apps have been released to allow users to test out the new graphics on their current PC hardware. Major changes have certainly been made to the lighting, particle effects, general rendering technology, textures and, to my personal relief, the quality of the hair. It looks BAD in close-up shots right now.

What is the strongest DPS in FFXIV: Dawntrail?

This is a hard thing to judge since the expansion isn’t actually out yet. I suspect that the Viper job will likely come out of the game swinging, and might need to be reigned back in over time. As it stands, you can’t go wrong with the Black Mage for pure damage potential… if you can get past the complexity required to play a Black Mage effectively.

What is the most powerful job in FFXIV: Dawntrail?

Arguably, in group content, it’s any of the healer Jobs. FFXIV is an MMO, after all, and while tanks and DPS are certainly important, healers hold the power of life and death over them all. Group logistics aside, FFXIV excels in terms of game balance. Jobs are mostly kept in line with each other, and designed so you can play any Job in your preferred role.

What is the best solo class in FFXIV: Dawntrail?

The short answer? Warrior or Paladin. While the campaign content is designed to be doable with any job, Warrior and Paladin provide enough damage, along with good defense and decent self healing to make solo play easier. They’re also tank Jobs, which makes finding groups for dungeons, trials, and raids easier.

What is the easiest first class in FFXIV: Dawntrail?

Again, Warrior is probably the easiest Job to start with. Its skill rotations are comparatively simple to manage, and comes with a lot of self-healing potential. Of the mage classes, White Mage is a fairly simple caster/healer option. However, playing either a tank or healer Job does come with added responsibilities in group settings, so keep that in mind.

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