The Warrior of Light has seen and done it all. They’ve traveled across time and dimensions, befriended literal gods, and even saved the very fabric of existence. Where do you go from there?
That’s the central question that Final Fantasy XIV has had to answer in the wake of Endwalker – what does a hero that’s done it all do now? Dawntrail’s answer to that is essentially to take a vacation, but, of course, you end up getting embroiled in another universe-shaking event. But what’s fascinating about Dawntrail is the way it frames the main narrative and your Warrior of Light. You aren’t the hero of this story, and arguably it should stay that way for the foreseeable future. FFXIV should become an anthology story.
Dawntrail’s story focuses heavily on Wuk Lamat, the daughter of Tuliyollal’s king, and one of the participants in a competition for the throne. Your hero and the Scions travel to the New World to help Wuk Lamat in her journey, and part of the surprise of the story is seeing how she grows and changes. In the framework of an MMO, Square Enix has basically told a classic RPG narrative, but one where you’re actually one of the party members, instead of the protagonist.
It’s an incredibly novel approach that integrally changes how you interact with both the main narrative and the new locations you’re visiting. Your Warrior of Light acts as a confidant and advisor to Wuk Lamat, as she navigates growing up and stepping into a leadership role. It’s a great way to build on your character’s legacy, showing how far they’ve come and how much they’ve learned. This echoes some of the storytelling techniques used in post-Endwalker patches, where the story integrated the new characters Zero and Golbez, putting the focus on that pair while the Scions played a supporting role.
But perhaps more importantly, it’s a way for FFXIV to diversify its storytelling and try new things. More than any other MMO in history, FFXIV has built its reputation and fanbase on storytelling, pushing the boundaries not just on the genre, but for the Final Fantasy franchise at large.
Dawntrail has a uniquely distinct flavor from past expansions – it’s whimsical and charming, but also much slower-paced with lower stakes. That’s clearly an intentional choice, as in September director Naoki Yoshida wasn’t phased by the mixed response to Dawntrail, saying “With Endwalker, we reached a big climax to a long-standing, spanning story. To a certain extent, I had already predicted that we would have some sort of mixed response this time.”
That mixed response is perfect proof of how different Dawntrail feels and a sign that the expansion succeeded in at least that. For a decade Square Enix has built out complex lore that includes thirteen different worlds, time travel, space travel, and everything in between. It’s time for the game to capitalize on the foundation that’s been laid, and truly get experimental.
To that end, FFXIV could truly break new ground by transforming into an anthology story, casting your Warrior of Light in a wide array of different roles that introduce new main characters, while still providing roles for fan favorites. There’s still plenty to explore in the game’s main world, the Source, like the ravaged continent of Meracydia, destroyed by the ancient Allagan Empire. But there are also untold possibilities in the other worlds, called reflections.
Maybe you travel to one world and become a ruler, or play the role of the rival for another main hero, like Wuk Lamat. Maybe in another world you literally become a teacher, guiding a Fire Emblem: Three Houses kind of class in their endeavors.
It’s certainly an ambitious idea, but FFXIV has never lacked ambition, and exploring wildly different story formats, tropes, and themes could really help give the game the legs it needs to keep going for another decade, or more. At the same time, story is the one place you can truly get experimental with an MMO, considering things like battle or crafting content need to largely stick to the same rules and mechanics that players have been familiar with.
Final Fantasy is a series rich with history and beloved characters, even Dawntrail integrates a lot of elements from Final Fantasy IX, including the location of Alexandria. By adopting an anthology format, FFXIV could effectively explore even more of the series’ past, seesawing between sci-fi and fantasy as it wants.
You could argue that FFXIV might never be able to reach the emotional heights it did during Endwalker – that was such a specific set of circumstances built up across an entire decade. Trying to do another decade-long arc with that same payoff feels impossible, so the wisest choice would be to deviate from that as far as possible. Providing a fascinating new world and cast to explore with each expansion can give FFXIV a new life and purpose, even while it’s built on the foundation of everything that’s come before.