Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: Release date, early access, Benchmark, specs, more

Joaquín Frere
Meteor in the FF14 Dawntrail splash screen.Square Enix

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail is drawing near, and with its release date coming soon, Square Enix has revealed a new trailer showcasing the Benchmark to test out the new graphics update coming with the expansion, and here’s all you need to know.

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail is the latest upcoming expansion of the Square Enix MMO. With its release date confirmed, and tons of details on what’s coming, the company released its Benchmark for players to test out the new graphic changes coming for Dawntrail.

So, here is all the latest news on Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, including its release date, platforms, trailers, Benchmark details, and more.

Contents

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: Release date

Naoki Yoshida has confirmed that Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail will arrive on July 2, 2024.

Besides Endwalker, FF XIV’s last expansion and the last part of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark saga, all past expansions were released between June and August. Now, with Dawntrail, the game will go back to its usual release window.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail platforms

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail will be available on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S systems.

With its Xbox Open Beta test now over, and the fully released Xbox version on March 21, 2024, Dawntrail will join the other four expansions released on Xbox consoles in its July 2, 2024 release date.

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: Early access date & time

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail early access will begin on Friday, June 28, 2024, at 2 AM PDT, 5 AM EST, and 9 AM GMT, allowing users to play Dawntrail ahead of the official release.

This early access date will only be available to those who pre-order any of the FFXIV Dawntrail Physical Editions from selected retailers, or digitally via Steam and the Square Enix Online Store.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail: Physical & Digital Collector’s Edition

Besides the Standard Edition of Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail, players will be able to snatch the Physical or Digital Collector’s Edition, which includes different items depending on which version you purchase.

FFXIV Dawntrail Collector's Edition.Square Enix
The Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Collector’s Edition includes a Meteor statue in the Viper job.

The FFXIV Dawntrail physical Collector’s Edition includes the following:

  • Dawntrail Special Art Box – A unique art box with a shimmering golden base, evocative of a fabled city of gold. It features a Dawntrail illustration by artist Yoshitaka Amano.
  • Meteor Viper Figure – A high-quality figure that showcases the Warrior of Light as a Viper.
  • Adventurer’s Cloth Map – The latest version of the FFXIV world map, which includes new locations debuting in Dawntrail.
  • The Unending Journey – A ruled notebook inspired by a favorite journal of adventurers.
  • Adventurer’s Pen Case – A roll-up pen case to hold writing instruments and other small items essential to your adventures.

Adding to these, the physical version of this sought-after edition will include the bonuses from the Digital version as well, which are the Ark Mount, Garnet Minion, and the Chocobo Brush for the new Pictomancer job.

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: New Pictomancer job

The Pictomancer, a new Magical DPS job, has been announced and will join the Viper Melee DPS job and the Beastmaster limited job as the new additions to Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail.

The Pictomancer was introduced in Final Fantasy VI, and it was used by the character Relm. The Magical DPS job focuses on drawing pictures of monsters, weapons, and more inspirations to attack using its magic brush.

As described by the official FFXIV press release, the Pictomancer “works in the medium of mixed Aether, wielding a specialized brush to render their imaginings reality.”

The description continues stating that its “creations include not only creatures and weapons but landscapes as well. As evoking such wonders takes time, the Pictomancer also keeps instant-cast abilities and spells at the ready.”

Pictomancer job in FF 14.Square Enix
The Pictomancer is the new Magical DPS job for FF XIV Dawntrail.

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: New gender for classic FF XIV’s race

The classic lionesque race Hrothgar, first introduced back in the 2019 expansion Shadowbringers, will have its Female form available in Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail.

Players who want to switch to this race will have to save up their remaining Phantasia or buy a new one in the FFXIV’s item store. When the expansion fully releases, any new character created on an account that owns Dawntrail will be able to select Female Hrothgar as their starting race.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail: Story details

The new details of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail include a description of the game’s new adventures, that will put players on course to the new world of Tural.

As was mentioned during the FF XIV Tokyo Fan Fest keynote, this is the official story description for the new Warrior of Light’s mission:

“Warriors of Light will receive a very special guest. Winds of opportunity bring a visitor from the new world, seeking the Warrior of Light’s aid in a rite of succession to determine Tural’s next ruler.

Alongside Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Erenville, the warrior of light embarks upon a journey across the Indigo Deep. Should rumor be true, the contest may lead them to the fabled gates of a city of gold. Little do they know that it will also see the scions divided.”

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: All Benchmark details & how to use

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail is bringing graphic changes into the 10-year-old MMO, and Square Enix have released a Benchmark for players to test out their rigs.

You can check out if your rig is ready for all the new graphics Dawntrail is bringing into FFXIV by downloading and running the program on your computer. This will show you an analysis of how ready your PC is for Dawntrail.

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: New minimum & recommended specs

The new graphic changes coming to Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail mean that the 10-year-old MMO will change its minimum and recommended specs to run the game on PC, so here are all of them:

FFXIV minimum specs

  • OS: Windows® 10 64 bit, Windows® 11 64 bit
  • Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-7700 or higher
  • Memory: 8GB RAM or higher
  • Graphics: NVIDIA® Geforce® GTX970 (4GB) or higher, AMD Radeon™ RX 480 or higher.
  • DirectX: Version 11

These specs aim for a 1280×720 resolution, and Square Enix states on its official system requirements page that these are subject to change.

FFXIV recommended specs

  • OS: Windows® 10 64 bit, Windows® 11 64 bit
  • Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-9700 or higher
  • Memory: 16GB RAM or higher
  • Graphics: NVIDIA® Geforce® RTX2060 (6GB) or higher, AMD Radeon™ RX 5600 XT or higher.
  • DirectX: Version 11

These specs aim for a 1920×1080 resolution, and for both specs, the aimed file size of FF14 Dawntrail is 140 GB.

All Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail trailers

Since July 2023, Square Enix have released five different trailers for Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, including two teasers, a full trailer, a new mount showcase, and its Benchmark trailer, which showcases all the graphic changes coming to Dawntrail.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail Teaser Trailer

FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail Extended Teaser Trailer

FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail Full Trailer

New Mount “Ark” trailer

Benchmark Trailer

And that was everything you need to know about Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail, the latest expansion of the Square Enix hit MMO. For more information about recent and upcoming releases, you can also check the following links:

Grand Theft Auto 6 | The Division Heartland | Marathon | Wolverine | Elder Scrolls 6 | Dragon’s Dogma 2 | Rise of the Ronin

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