Gab Hernandez 
Final Fantasy 14 has just dropped a trailer for its upcoming Dawntrail expansion, revealing some of the new classes, races, and story beats that players can look forward to.
Final Fantasy 14 is one of the biggest redemption stories in Square Enix’s history. Although the original release of Final Fantasy 14 Online in 2010 was a commercial and critical failure, the MMORPG has since made a massive comeback.
A new version was released in April 2013 and by 2021, Final Fantasy 14 became the most profitable entry in the franchise according to statements made by the company, surpassing classics such as Final Fantasy 7. Square Enix specifically cites its success as a major reason for its financial recovery in 2014. This summer, Final Fantasy 14 is set to release its fifth expansion, Dawntrail and it will bring a load of new content that will change how players approach the game.
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail story revealed
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail is set in a new location, Tural, with the player pushed into the middle of a war of succession between two rival factions.
After the darker tone of the Endwalker expansion, many longtime fans joke that Dawntrail is a “beach episode” in comparison, giving players a break from the doom and gloom. The trailers showcase tropical regions and have a generally lighter tone that make it easy to see why fans believe this.
However, FF14 director Naoki Yoshida clarified that this will not be a “filler arc” and is still set to feature a packed story. It’s also not necessarily going to be a cheery affair, with an A Game of Thrones-style dynastic struggle already in full swing. Whether the Dawntrail story picks up right after Endwalker or will begin a brand new arc remains to be seen.
Are there new classes and races in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail?
There are two new classes, viper and pictomancer, as well as a new race, the female Hrothgar.
The viper class is a DPS-focused dual-wielder that offers big single-target damage in the same vein as typical assassin or rogue classes. The other job is pictomancer, with an unorthodox style of magic based around paintbrushes. The art-based magician trope has been hot of late, following characters like Hwei in League of Legends.
Finally, Dawntrail will bring a new playable race to Final Fantasy 14 with the female Hrothgar. The unfamiliar, the Hrothgar are a race of feline humanoids notable for their physical prowess. This is reflected in-game by Hrothgar having the highest base vitality alongside the Roegadyn. Male Hrothgar have been available in the game, but females have not been to this point.
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail will be released in Summer 2024 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, and Mac. There is no exact release date confirmed for the expansion.
