FFXIV Dawntrail: Release Date, Preorder, Patch Notes & More

FFXIV Dawntrail is officially here, and the highly-anticipated next expansion for the Final Fantasy 14 MMORPG is set to take players on a massive adventure across the seas to an entirely new region. 

Ever since the new Final Fantasy XIV expansion was announced in July 2023, fans have been getting more and more sneak peeks at what to expect at various Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fests, thanks to producer and director Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P). 

There’s a whole lot of new content for players to look forward to in FFXIV Dawntrail, and we’ve collated everything we know about the expansion in one place, from news, setting info, guides, and more. 

Latest Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Expansion News

• July 2, 2024: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, As Told By Steam Reviews
  • Final Fantasy XIV fans on Steam weigh in on the Dawntrail expansion and (predictably) struggle to reach any consensus.
• July 1, 2024: FFXIV Dawntrail Has Serious Problems On Xbox, Producer Apologises
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail has had a very rough launch weekend on Xbox, bad enough that producer Yoshi-P has issued an apology.
• June 28, 2024: Watch Beloved NZ Comedian Rhys Darby Spruik Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail’s New World
  • Legendary New Zealand comic Rhys Darby has been tapped by Square Enix to sell the new Final Fantasy 14 expac and boy does he ever sell it.
• June 26, 2024: Final Fantasy 14’s Huge Dawntrail Patch Brings The Game’s First Visual Upgrade And More
  • Final Fantasy XIV Online just got a huge update ahead of the Dawntrail expansion that finally updates the game’s visuals.
• June 18, 2024: Frustrated Final Fantasy XIV Healers Are Planning To Strike When Dawntrail Debuts
  • Final Fantasy XIV healers are planning to strike when Dawntrail launches due to their frustration with how the role is being treated.
• June 8, 2024: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Wants To Give You The Best Summer Vacation Ever
  • Moises goes hands on with an early build of Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, an expansion that makes a lot of hanges to the popular MMO.
• March 26, 2024: Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Finally Has A Release Date
• March 25, 2024: FFXIV Dawntrail Has ‘Secret’ References To Final Fantasy 9, Remake Rumours Abound
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail includes Final Fantasy 9 references, but producer and director Yoshi-P says the reason is “a secret.”
• August 1, 2023: 6 Things We Just Learned About Final Fantasy XIV And Its Upcoming Expansion
  • Here’s everything we know so far about Final Fantasy XIV’s future roadmap and its new, upcoming expansion Dawntrail.

When Is The FFXIV Dawntrail release date?

The Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail release date is July 2, although early access is currently already live ahead of the game’s full launch. Yoshi-P previously noted that the expansion’s launch was slightly delayed to avoid a clash with Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

Is There A FFXIV Dawntrail Pre-Order or Collector’s Edition?

Players who pre-order FFXIV Dawntrail will receive the Wind-up Zidane Minion (FF9 fans, look out), Azeyama’s Earrings (including a 30% EXP bonus up to level 90), and early access to the expansion.

Whether or not you’re playing Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail on PC or console, the Collector’s Edition is also up for grabs alongside a range of bonus in-game items too. Players who order this edition will receive the Ark Mount, Wind-up Garnet Minion, and a Chocobo Brush. The Collector’s Edition will set Aussie players back $90.95 on the PlayStation store, $89.95 for Xbox, or $79.99 for PC downloads via the Square Enix store.

Will There Be Early Access For FFXIV Dawntrail?

FFXIV Dawntrail Early Access has already begun after kicking off on Friday, 28 June. To gain early access, all players need to do is pre-order any edition of the expansion. However, early access will be ending shortly as the full release kicks into gear, so even if you’ve not pre-ordered you won’t have to wait long to get in and amongst the brand new region and story.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Story And Setting

FFXIV Dawntrail continues the story of the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, in what’s been described by Yoshi-P as the “summer vacation” expansion. After the end of the Light and Darkness saga in Endwalker, players will set off on an adventure to the new region of Tural, where a contest is being held to determine the new leader of the region. Based on trailer content, we’re in for a very FF10-coded setting of clear skies, blue waters and beaches – perfect for the vacation the Warrior of Light deserves. 

During the Tokyo Fan Fest, several new locations coming to the game alongside Dawntrail were also revealed, including Heritage Found and Solution Nine. Solution Nine is a futuristic place described as “a city of towering facades constructed by an entirely different civilisation than that of Tuliyollal,” while Heritage Found is a “region overflowing with lightning energies” where “thick thunderclouds blot out the sun, while streaks of purple Levin illuminate the land day and night.”

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Trailer

There’s been a range of FFXIV Dawntrail trailers since the expansion was first announced last year. You can check them all out below:

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail PC Specs

FFXIV Dawntrail Minimum System Requirements

OS: Windows 10 64 bit, Windows 11 64 bit

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 or higher

Memory: 8GB or higher

SSD Space: 140GB+

Graphics Card: NVIDIA Geforce GTX970 (4GB) or higher/ AMD Radeon RX 480 or higher

Screen Resolution: 1280×720

Direct X: DirectX 11

FFXIV Dawntrail Recommended System Requirements

OS: Windows 10 64 bit, Windows 11 64 bit

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700 or higher

Memory: 16GB or higher

SSD Space: 140GB+

Graphics Card: NVIDIA Geforce RTX2060 (6GB) or higher/ AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT or higher

Screen Resolution: 1920×1080

Direct X: DirectX 11

FF14 Dawntrail Patch Notes

While Dawntrail is the main affair, version 7.0 will also include a major visual overhaul that will help freshen up the ageing MMO. We’re talking shinier metals, more detailed foliage, higher resolution objects and shadows, and more realistic skin. The new look will be most noticeable in the expansion, but old content will be getting tweaked over time as well. The FFXIV Dawntrail patch notes also include a tenacity buff, crafter rebalance, and a whole heap of other amendments. If you want to go through them all you can read the full patch notes here.

FFXIV Dawntrail New Jobs

There’s a range of new jobs coming to Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail, with the dual-wielding melee Viper, and magical ranged DPS Pictomancer.

Wielding a paintbrush and a palette, the Pictomancer Job comes from Final Fantasy VI, expanding on the original abilities. Footage of the Pictomancer in action shows colourful abilities that involve painting (and summoning) landscapes, creatures and weapons, as well as the character summoning a Moogle with a flick of their brush. The Lalafell Krile will take up the role of Pictomancer, and the starting city for this particular Job is Gridania. Once Dawntrail launches, the Job will be immediately playable.

On the other hand, the melee DPS Viper job coming to FFXIV Dawntrail sees players dual wielding single blades which can be combined into a twin-blade for high-impact combos. Yoshi-P has said that the new job is for players who want a dual wield class that feels distinct from the Ninja. Viper mainly engages enemies through three-step combos, and is based on the hunting style of the new region of Tural.

How Many Final Fantasy XIV Expansions Are There?

Since first launching in 2013 (after replacing the failed original version), there have been five major Final Fantasy XIV expansions including the newest: Heavensward (2015), Stormblood (2017), Shadowbringers (2019), Endwalker (2021), and Dawntrail (2024). 

FFXIV Dawntrail Review

Keep your eyes peeled for our review of Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail – we’ll update this piece when it goes live.

Image: Square Enix / Kotaku Australia