Summary
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrailisout now in early accessbut those with their hands on the expansion are torn, with many criticising its characters and pacing while others praise the graphical update and new jobs. At the time of writing, the overall Steam score sits at “Mixed”, with just 57 percent of reviews being positive.
A major topic of contention across Steam reviews and discussions is Wuk Lamat, the Hrothgar princess we’re helping as she makes her claim for the throne. She’s essentially the main character of the DLC and our job is to hold her hand throughout the entire adventure. But pushing players to the backseat has proven controversial.
Story slow at start, amazing later on. Wuk Lamat has good development, normal content is actually fun and engaging unlike in Endwalker.
“Enjoy the history of Tural and the richness of the peoples' culture while you have to hold the leash of this Hrothgar princess,” reads a popularSteam discussion thread, mocking Dawntrail’s synopsis.
“The story is [set up] in such a way that you as a player contribute nothing of value at all and if we were removed not much would have changed,” one fan commented. “At least with 4.0 we were there for a reason, we had a purpose and a function to the story where here you could have [grabbed] any random adventurer”.
It’s not all doom and gloom with fans, though. Over half of the reviews are positive, and there’s already a wealth of Wuk Lamat fanart cropping up on Twitter and other platforms.
“Hard to follow acts like Endwalker or Shadowbringers, but I think Dawntrail does well, having us act as more of a side character to help with the journey of a character into a proper ruler for a nation,” one review reads.
[Thumbs up]. It has tacos.
“This isnota bad expansion by any means,” another writes. “I think a lot of players forgot what it’s like to world build, and that tends to have a slow start […] I’ve seen a lot of people complain about talking to Wuk Lumat and about their character, and I don’t think they gave them the shot they deserve because they’re used to their scions, the same thing happened with Zero andGaiaand look at them now!”
Many Of The Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail Complaints Are Transphobic
Wuk Lumat is voiced by trans actor Sena Bryer, who you may also know as Justicia inNeed for Speed Unboundand Gargoyle in theSand LandTV series. Because she takes centre stage in this expansion, countless transphobic posts are popping up on Steam.
I won’t link to any here, but comments misgender Bryer and encourage other players to use different localisations just to avoid hearing a trans woman, while even attacking English localisation lead Kate Cwynar for having pink hair.
Final Fantasy 14 (2010)
WHERE TO PLAY
Square Enix’s popular MMO, Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, has players step into the role of the Warrior of Light in the world of Eorzea. There, they find themselves testing their mettle against Primals, the Garlean Empire, the Ascians, and plenty of other threats.This award-winning MMO now has multiple expansions to its name, with the most recent Endwalker expansion bringing the Hydaelyn/Zodiark arc to a close. Director and producer Yoshi-P has promised lots of plans for future content and the game has regular updates to keep players occupied.
