What you need to know
- At Pax East 2024, Square Enix announces the release date for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail along with the launch date for early access and special editions.
- Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail will be released on July 2, 2024, and early access to the expansion will begin on June 28, 2024.
- There will be several special Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail to pre-order and they'll include special mounts, minions, and items based on Final Fantasy IX.
At this year's Pax East gaming convention, the director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida (a.k.a. Yoshi-P) held a panel (which was broadcasted on Twitch) for the MMORPG where he revealed when its next expansion, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, will be released.
He confirms that Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail will be released on July 2, 2024, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-orders for the game will open on March 26, 2024, and anybody who pre-orders the game will be eligible for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail's early access release on June 28, 2024.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail editions and pre-order bonuses
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In addition to Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail's release date, Naoki Yoshida announces a few special editions of the game you can pre-order, each of which contains several in-game items.
These items include the Ark mount (a mount inspired by the boss monster and Eidolon Summon from Final Fantasy IX), a Wind-Up Garnet Minion (based on Princess Garnet from Final Fantasy IX), a Chocobo Brush (a weapon wielded by the new Pictomancer Job).
If you pre-order any edition of Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, you will receive two in-game items ahead of the expansion's release. These are the Wind-Up Zidane Minion (based on Final Fantasy IX's protagonist Zidane) and Azeyma's Earrings (a pair of earrings that will boost your EXP gains by 30% until you reach Lv. 90 on a Job).
| Edition | Content |
|---|---|
| Standard Edition | The Standard Edition will only contain the base game of Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. |
| Digital Collector's Edition | The Digital Collector's Edition will include the base game, the Ark mount, the Wind-Up Garnet Minion, and the Chocobo Brush. |
| Collector's Box | The Collector's Box is a special item bundle that includes the Dawntrail Special Art Box, Expertly Crafted Viper Figure, Adventurer’s Cloth Map, the Unending Journey, and Adventurer’s Pen Case. Do note that Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, the pre-order bonuses, and in-game bonus items are included in the Collector's Box. |
| Collector's Edition | The Collector's Edition of Final Fantasy XIV includes the base game, the Ark mount, the Wind-Up Garnet Minion, the Chocobo Brush, and the Collector's Box together into one definitive package. |
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail PC and Mac specs
Naoki Yoshida has also announced that the upcoming PC version of Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail will be getting updated PC requirements. Here is the full of the minimum and recommended PC specs you will need for this expansion.
| Minimum system requirements |
|---|
| OS: Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 11 64-bit |
| CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 or higher |
| Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or higher, AMD Radeon RX 480 or higher. |
| Memory: 8GB |
| Screen Resolution: 1280x720 |
| Available HDD/SDD space: 140GB or more on HDD |
| Recommended system requirements |
|---|
| OS: Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 11 64-bit |
| CPU: Intel Core i7-9700 or higher |
| Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060 or higher, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT or higher. |
| Memory: 16GB |
| Screen Resolution: 1920x1080 |
| Available HDD/SDD space: 140GB or more on SDD |
In addition, the specs for the Mac version of Final Fantasy XIV have finally been announced and they are as follows:
| Minimum system requirements |
|---|
| OS: macOS Monterery 12.4, macOS Ventura 13.0, macOS Sonoma 14.1 |
| Model: iMac (M1, 2021), Mac mini (M1, 2020) or higher, Macbook Pro/Air (M1, 2020) or higher |
| Graphics: M1 or higher |
| Memory: 8GB or higher |
| Screen Resolution: 1440x900 |
| Available HDD/SDD space: SSD: 140GB or higher |
| Recommended system requirements |
|---|
| OS: macOS Monterery 12.4, macOS Ventura 13.0, macOS Sonoma 14.1 |
| CPU: Mac mini (M1, 2023) or higher, Macbook Pro (14-inch, 2023) or higher |
| Graphics: M2 Pro or higher |
| Memory: 16GB or higher |
| Screen Resolution: 1920x1080 |
| Available HDD/SDD space: 140GB or higher. |
Final Fantasy XIV x Final Fantasy XVI crossover
The last piece of important news Naoki Yoshida had to share for Final Fantasy XIV is that its upcoming crossover event with Final Fantasy XVI is set to begin on April 2, 2024, and will last until May 8, 2024.
This event will entail an exciting questline where players get to go on adventures with Clive Rosfield, the protagonist of Final Fantasy XVI, and fight the Infernal Eikon Ifrit to earn special rewards like cosmetic outfits and mounts.
Final Fantasy IX fans, embrace for a nostalgic adventure in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
The excitement is starting to ramp up for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail now that the release date has been revealed.
Judging from the Final Fantasy IX-themed bonus in-game items like the Ark mount, new locales, and the game's new Viper Job, it's becoming clear Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail's story is going to be heavily inspired by Final Fantasy IX, one of my favorite games of all time.
If my prediction turns out to be true in the final product, then I can't wait to get my hands on this upcoming Xbox title. Of course, there will be other things to look forward to in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail like new mounts to collect, new Jobs to master, new bosses to beat, new locales to explore, new Raids to conquer, and much more.
