If there’s one game I constantly find myself coming back to, it’s Final Fantasy 14. Every now and then I get the itch to pick up my Viera ninja and dive back into the fray, and with Dawntrail happily ticking along, I’m even more tempted. While I haven’t played any of the latest expansion, I have it on good authority that it’s pretty damn special, and with Square Enix now offering returning players free game time, I might just need to reinstall FF14.
According to Ken’s stellar FF14 Dawntrail review, the expansion “introduces some of the game’s best dungeons and trials yet alongside a compelling story that, while slow to ramp up, delivers resoundingly in its second act.” The sunbathed island adventure “sets a promising precedent for the future of the MMORPG on all counts,” and honestly it’s criminal that I haven’t managed to play it yet.
Shifting to Tural, a gorgeous, Mayan-esque tropical paradise that lies to the West of the wounded shores of Aldenard, Dawntrail kicks off a new era of Final Fantasy 14. Our Scions are venturing out to Tuliyollal, where a new Dawnservant is primed to take the throne. It’s a contested role, however, and as Wuk Lamat begins the rite of succession, the squad will have to unravel myriad schemes in order to keep the peace.
So far we’ve seen one major patch for Dawntrail, which added more to the MSQ and the first chapter of the upcoming FF11 Alliance Raid. On Tuesday January 21, we’ll see things continue with 7.16, which concludes Dawntrail’s role quest series and Season 12 of Crystalline Conflict, the game’s PvP mode.
Looking beyond that, there’s patch 7.2, which is set to launch around March. 7.3 will then close out the Dawntrail story content, and who knows what will come next.
If you, like me, are missing Eorzea, then Square Enix’s new free login campaign is a dream come true. Specifically aimed at returning players, you’ll receive 96 hours (4 days) of free game time, beginning from the first day you log into the launcher.
You’ll be able to claim your four free FF14 days from now (Thursday, January 9) until Thursday February 6 at 2:59pm GMT. Note that this is for four consistent days, not four days that can be spent at random.
If you’re looking for some other adventures in the meantime, however, check out our list of the best free MMOs to try out this year. MMOs are huge games, however, so if you fancy something a little more streamlined here’s our guide to all the best fantasy games instead.
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