Millions of fans around the world have been eager to know when Final Fantasy XIV’s upcoming expansion Dawntrail will release, and after months of waiting since the first reveal trailer, we finally have a date. Head developer Yoshi-P visited PAX East this weekend to give plenty of updates regarding Dawntrail, from its official release to pre-order details, and needless to say, it’s time to get excited. If you’re wondering what all to expect with Dawntrail’s release, here’s our handy guide with all details regarding dates and pre-order bonuses.
FFXIV Dawntrail’s Early Access & Official Release Dates
As many of us expected, Yoshi-P took to the stage at PAX East today to give some much-needed updates about Final Fantasy XIV’s upcoming expansion, Dawntrail, including the official release date. He had indicated at previous events that the development team was still hard at work on nailing down a summer deadline they could affirmatively stick to without delays, and for fans to be as patient as they could.
Well, that patience has paid off as Dawntrail now has an official release date of July 2, 2024. For those who pre-order the game, the Early Access release date will be June 28, 2024. That gives players an extra weekend to set sail for the land of Tural if they so wish, which is certainly beneficial for those who may not be able to get time off from work.
Those dates also apply to every platform that FFXIV is available on, including Xbox which finally joined the game’s community last week with its release.
Yoshi-P also jokingly noted that they had wanted to release Dawntrail a week earlier, but decided to give just enough time for those who wanted to enjoy the upcoming Elden Ring DLC, including him.
All FFXIV Pre-Order Details Including Editions & Bonuses
On the heels of announcing Dawntrail‘s release date, Yoshi-P also provided all details regarding pre-orders for the expansion. As with all other expansions, there will indeed be a Collector’s Edition available, as well as some perks for pre-ordering ahead of time.
First off, players will be able to start pre-ordering Dawntrail as early as March 26, which is next week. That will of course extend all the way until July 1, the day before the expansion’s official release. That gives players a little over three months to start preparing.
Those who choose to pre-order any edition of Dawntrail will receive two in-game bonus items: a Wind-Up Zidane Minion & Azeyma’s Earrings (as seen above).
In keeping with the expansion’s FF9 themes, players will be able to add Zidane Tribal, the inspiration for the Viper class, to their minion collection. Meanwhile, Azeyma’s Earrings are an accessory that players can equip that will provide them a 30% EXP boost.
Next, there are four different editions of the Dawntrail expansion that players can choose from, and per Yoshi-P’s presentation they include:
- Collector’s Edition (the expansion, physical items, and digital items)
- Collector’s Box (physical Collector’s edition items only)
- Digital Collector’s Edition (the expansion and digital items)
- Standard Edition (the expansion only)
Those who specifically opt for the Collector’s Edition (box or digital) will receive three more in-game bonus items.
Those items include Dawntrail’s official pre-order mount called Ark, a Wind-Up Garnet Minion (also from FF9), and a Chocobo Brush glamour skin for the Pictomancer’s weapon.
To further clarify, you must pre-order either the physical box or digital Collector’s Edition of Dawntrail to receive these items.
Yoshi-P has not yet revealed the prices for the Dawntrail expansion editions, but those will be readily available on March 26 when the special site for pre-orders goes live. Once it does, we’ll link it here along with all subsequent prices.
FFXIV’s Crossover Event With FF16 Gets Confirmed Date
Yoshi-P wrapped up the presentation with a surprise announcement of the official start date for FFXIV’s in-game crossover event commemorating Final Fantasy 16. Players will get to embark on special quests that yield unique rewards such as a glamour set of Clive Rosfield’s armor, a Torgal mount, a Torgal minion, and various Orchestrion Rolls with actual music tracks from FF16.
This event will debut in-game starting on April 2, 2024, right after the end of the Hatching-tide/Little Ladies Day event that’s still going on right now. It will last for just over a month until May 8, 2024.
That concludes our guide for the release date and all pre-order details for Final Fantasy XIV’s Dawntrail. We hope you found this helpful and informative, and let us know what you’re looking forward to most in the new expansion.
Be sure to check out all of our other guides for Final Fantasy XIV, such as the biggest takeaways regarding Dawntrail from JP Fanfest.
