Dawntrail’s Homage to an Iconic Journey
If you’re a Final Fantasy 14 veteran or just a lover of RPG nostalgia, you’ll notice something familiar weaving its way through the new Dawntrail expansion. That’s not by accident. Producer Naoki Yoshida—most fans know him as Yoshi-P—says he once hesitated to reference Final Fantasy 9 at all. For a while, it looked like Dawntrail would steer clear of anything reminiscent of FFIX’s world. But as the 25th anniversary for FFIX loomed, things changed. Suddenly, those echoes got louder. Instead of denying the influence, the FFXIV team decided to lean into it, baking in tributes that sharp-eyed fans have latched onto right away.
Take the sweeping capital city in Dawntrail. Its design and vibe? It’s not a direct copy, but if you’ve spent any time wandering Alexandria in FFIX, the resemblance is hard to ignore. There’s also a desert oasis that feels a lot like Cleyra—right down to its atmospheric surprises and the knotty intrigues of its denizens. The visual winks aren’t just set dressing. You’ll meet Sphene, a mysterious character with shades of Garnet’s inward strength but cloaked in shadow rather than royalty. Then there’s Otis, a knight whose honor-first attitude feels like a modern love letter to Steiner. Even the enemies you fight seem like they could have ambled out of FFIX’s more offbeat encounters.
Leaning Into Fan Anticipation
This isn’t just a cute anniversary party, though. The main plot in this expansion borrows a theme that FFIX fans know all too well—the lingering question of what becomes of a soul after death. In FFIX, that soul cycle became deeply personal in the game’s emotionally packed climax. Dawntrail drags that thread through its own soul-preservation storyline, making it much more than just an Easter egg hunt.
Yoshi-P admits he held back at first, worried that dropping in too many references would derail Dawntrail’s fresh feel. But according to what he’s shared, the plan for patch 7.3 will dial up the parallels even more. As Dawntrail barrels toward its most dramatic chapters, expect the story to double down on these links. That’s set off loads of chatter among fans. Some hope it’s a clever way to celebrate what made FFIX special while others see it as a quiet signal that the long-rumored FFIX remake might finally get its day in the sun.
It’s not all fan service, though—the references add layers, tying FFXIV’s sprawling universe even tighter to the legacy it draws from. It sets the stage for new players while rewarding long-timers who still feel a pang of nostalgia for Vivi, Zidane, and the rest. With anniversary fever in full swing, this crossover feels more like a reunion than a throwback.
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