Warriors of Light everywhere received great news at PAX East today when Yoshi-P announced the long-awaited release date for Final Fantasy XIV‘s next expansion Dawntrail. With pre-orders opening on March 26, things are suspiciously Final Fantasy IX-themed.
First off, those who pre-order any edition of Dawntrail will receive a Zidane minion, and those who pre-order either the Collector’s Edition or Digital Collector’s Edition will also receive a Garnet minion and an Ark mount, resembling the summon/eidolon from FF IX. Now, you might be thinking it’s all coincidence, and I would too if Yoshi-P hadn’t made a remark during the presentation that this was intentional and the reason for it is still being kept a “secret.”
Could all of these references to Final Fantasy IX be leading up to a remake of the iconic title? Will we see Vivi, Steiner, Freya, and more in the Dawntrail expansion? Who knows, honestly. Even the new Viper Job seems Zidane-inspired, so there must be some reason why we’re leaning heavily into IX.
Of course, not every reference has to mean something. Yoshi-P called out the upcoming Elden Ring DLC in the same presentation, and we’re not speculating about the potential for a Final Fantasy 14 and Elden Ring crossover. But could you imagine? In any case, everyone has their favorite Final Fantasy title, and with the widespread success of Rebirth, hopefully fans of IX will get their time in the sun. And in the meantime, we can continue to hold onto the beautiful Memoria project.
If you’re looking for more details about the different Dawntrail editions, we’ve got you covered. The new expansion is set to release this summer on July 2, 2024.
