Final Fantasy XIV‘s fifth expansion Dawntrail has just been announced at its Fan Festival in Las Vegas. Scheduled to release in Summer 2024, director and producer Naoki Yoshida shared details on some of the story, characters, and locations you’ll see in Patch 7.0.

With the conclusion of Endwalker the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn have succeeded in saving the universe. As Yoshida put it, after these events they want to give the players the very best summer vacation a hero could possibly have, which may have a sudden change from the feeling of Endwalker, and they want to give you just a little break.

For this “summer vacation” we will be venturing to the lands of Tural, referred to as the “New World”, which is situated to the southwest of the Three Great Continents. The Warrior of Light will receive a very special guest, and that person will request your aid in Tural’s rite of succession. When it involves a journey to a fabled “city of gold” the adventurer’s instincts kick in.

“As hope’s light dawns once more, a hero looks to the new horizons. Winds of opportunity bring a visitor from the New World, seeking the Warrior of Light’s aid in a rite of succession to determine Tural’s next ruler. Alongside Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Erenville, the Warrior of Light embarks upon a journey across the Indigo Deep. Should rumor be true, the contest may lead them to the fabled gates of a city of gold. Little do they know that it will also see the Scions divided.”

All of the Scion “team members” return, but the contest may divide them into two rival groups, and the team wants players to look forward to who will be your allies and who will be your rivals.

The theme of the game is a “journey of discovery”. The story arc that has stretched from Version 1.0 to Endwalker has concluded and Dawntrail will be the first step into a new arc for Final Fantasy XIV. Within 7.0 they plan to give you a story experience worthy of a “full package RPG title.” A few questions for players to ponder as Dawntrailer approaches: “What does the contest of succession mean?”, “What awaits in Tural?”, “What is the truth of the ‘city of gold'”? The team states they have a surprises in store and players should keep their expectations high. Yoshida teased the audience, stating that longtime Final Fantasy XIV fans know the team wasn’t “just going to give you a summer vacation, right?”

The New World: Tural

As previously mentioned Tural is located to the southwest of The Three Great Continents across the Indigo Deep. Of course, not all areas were revealed at today’s keynote and you can expect more to be revealed in later updates.

“We expand our horizons from the well-traveled Three Great Continents to beyond the Indigo Deep, where adventures wait beneath western skies.”

Yuk Tural: Tuliyollal

Tulliyollal is located in an area of Tural called “Yok Tural”, it is a new hub city similar to Ishgard, Kugane, The Crystarium, and Old Sharlayan. This city is depicted in the logo artwork designed by Yoshitaka Amano; it is a city that has an emphasis on diversity, much more than cities you’ve previously been to.

This city is not very industrialized because it is inhabited by people who are living with nature. Ruled by Gulool Ja Ja, a two-headed Mamool Ja, he is known for being both strong and wise. He is one of many new characters that will be introduced in Dawntrail. The contest that is mentioned as one of the core beats of the story is the contest for Gulool Ja Ja’s throne — who will succeed him?

Tuliyollal is not the only city you’ll adventure to and more information on the places you’ll go to will be revealed later.

In the in-game screenshots below, the new graphics update highlights a better object density, lighting, and shadows the game is capable of. Here you can see a harbor and a marketplace at different parts of the day. While you can’t swim in the city itself, there are many places in Tural where you can.

“The seat of the federal nation-state governing Tural, Tuliyollal. It is located in the northern reaches of Yok Tural. The nations ruler is currently Gulool Ja Ja, a two-headed Mamool Ja. Tuliyollal is a pluralistic city with an established sea route to Old Sharlayan.”

Yak Tural: Urqopacha

Urqopacha is located in the mountains in Yok Tural and is home to the ruins of an ancient empire of Giants. Their descendants live on in the region, but only ruins of the Empire remain, and the people live harmoniously with nature.

As an aside, Yoshida notes that you may see fog in the air, a new effect that the team worked hard on, as well as better shadows. Additionally there are new types of plants that the team could not make previously before the planned graphics update.

“A mountainous region in Yok Tural, home to peoples both exeedingly large and unusually small in stature. Over a thousand years ago—long before Tuliyollal came to be—Urqopacha was the proud heart of the Giants’ Empire, which spanned the entirety of Yok Tural. While their descendance liv on in the region, only reuins remain of the Empire’s glory days.”

Yak Tural: Yak T’el

Yak T’el is a densely forested area unlike any other forest you’ve seen in the game so far. It has a higher level area and a lower level area, each with a different vibe. There are lots of underground springs and cenotes (natural sinkholes that expose groundwater).

The team has never been able to create such dense foliage in a forest before and they’ve done a lot to include different varieties. From the sky you can see the abundance of fog, and the scenery will change a lot between day and night.

“A thick forest accessible from Tuliyollal via dirigible flight over the southeastern mountains. So dense is its foliage that the forest floor sees little sunlight. Home to the primary settlements of Tural’s Hrothgar and Mamool Ja, and replete with stunning cenotes harboring cerulean ponds and springs. “

Allied Tribes: The Pelupelu

The Pelupelu maybe familiar to Final Fantasy series fans [see Final Fantasy X]. They are a dimiuntive people inhabiting Urqopacha. They are seldom seen without their distinctive masks and are natural entrepreneurs who travel the continent on alpacaback. They are renowned producers of tea, coffee, and mezcal.

New Dungeons & Threats

Of course, new dungeons will be added to the game – as many as players would expect in previous expansions. These will have varied locales as well. One new threat players will come across is Valigarmanda (known as Tritoch in the first North American translation of Final Fantasy VI). Duty Support will also be updated to be compatible with Dawntrail‘s story dungeons, and the team is looking at additional ways to expand the feature but since it is intertwined with the story they don’t want to risk spoilers. So far the Scions have been prominent here, but new characters will be available in Dawntrail.