Say what you like about Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail's story, but these bosses and dungeons are some of the dev's best work so far

GamesRPGFinal FantasyFinal Fantasy 14Say what you like about Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail’s story, but these bosses and dungeons are some of the dev’s best work so farWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Krile, a lalafell pictomancer from Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, smiles happily while lit by a campfire.

Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail’s story has had a bit of amixed receptionall-told, with ‘divisive’ being the word of the hour. I recently wrapped up the MSQ and, to keep things spoiler-light, I’d say that reception is very much deserved, even if there were plenty of parts I liked.

Unlike most MMORPGs, the story is the beating heart of Final Fantasy 14—but its combat encounters serve as the rib cage protecting it. As vital as a good plot is to FF14’s identity, the lion’s share of your hours are going to be spent running dungeons over and over. Luckily, they’re so good here that I’m more excited for this expansion’sfuturethan I was for Endwalker and Shadowbringers, even if their stories were lightyears ahead of Dawntrail’s.

First, though, some context. Endwalker, the game’s previous expansion, had amassive gaping hole where its midcore audience was—“midcore” being a player with a decent skill level who likes a challenge, but lacks either the time or willingness to hop into “hardcore” content.

The game’s fights were either punishing, ultra-hard gauntlets—like the Dragonsong’s Reprise—or battles you could sleep your way through. Variant Dungeons skirted close to bridging this gap, but their reward structure was incredibly poor, and there was no real reason to go back to them after you’d explored every route and snagged your mount.

Dawntrail, so far, hasn’t just fixed this difficulty problem—it’s produced some of the best dungeons in the game’s history. There’s just really no competition.

Delicious in dungeon(s)

(Image credit: Square Enix)

A lizard lets out a triumphant scream in one of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail’s dungeons.

Dawntrail’s dungeons are all-time greats, and the only one that falls short is the introductory level 91 dungeon—which is more of an ease-in to the new design standard, anyway.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

My favourite examples so far include a rotating conal AoE with added, electrified fences to dodge as you move, a set of spinning teacups you have to keep track of, and Takeshi’s Castle. Those who have done the fight know what I’m talking about.

It helps these mechanics actually hit hard enough to kill you. Square has become far meaner with its damage numbers, though that’s counter-balanced with more forgiving dungeon shortcuts—which’ll spit you out right in front of the boss you messed up. This mirrors the studio’s philosophy with its harder content (Extremes and Savages), where death is typically a minor inconvenience, and you can go again in moments.

(Image credit: Square Enix)

A boss in one of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail’s dungeons stands, menacingly, over a platform.

For the unfamiliar: Final Fantasy 14 will often introduce you to mechanics in isolation first before combining them. In Endwalker, these mid-fight pseudo-tutorials were so slowly paced that the boss would only start doing interesting stuff when it was almost dead.

Not so in Dawntrail. Particularly in the level 100 “Expert” dungeons, the game’s happy to let failure be your teacher instead. I have, while playing Dawntrail, said out loud: “Oh, you cheeky bastard” as my character either eats a vulnerability debuff or drops to the floor, ass-up, several times.Mischiefis the word that comes to mind. The encounter design team is messing with us, and it’s simply delightful.

The best thing is, these bosses aren’t that much harder in the traditional sense. Once you get accustomed to their shtick, they’re a slight step-up—but they straddle the line between beingjustdifficult enough to keep your eyes open, while still being manageable for your daily roulettes.

Mischief is the word that comes to mind. The encounter design team is messing with us, and it’s simply delightful.

One genius move on Square’s part is how many of these bosses make use of mechanics from harder content in the game’s history, but with their teeth filed down for public consumption—after all, why not? Why assume that your layman can only deal with telegraphs they’ve seen 100 times?

As for the more hardcore content, we’ll need to wait and see. I’ve only beaten one out of two of Dawntrail’s current Extreme trials, and while the difference is less noticeable I’ve still had a blast—one mechanic I adored was “Mountain Fire”, a breath attack so fierce that even with a tank taking the brunt of it, flames still spread out either side of them, forcing the whole group to clump up behind them as the boss hopped around to melt us from different angles.

Despite all of my frustrations with story, I’m excited beyond belief for Dawntrail’s patches. If Square Enix keeps this pace up, its dungeon bosses, Alliance Raids, and trials are going to elevate the entire expansion into a league of its own, middling MSQ or no.

Director Naoki Yoshida absolutely meant it when he said that the team was revamping thegame’s battle content: Dawntrail’s writers might be on thin ice, but its encounter designers have won my trust in buckets and spades.

More about final fantasyFinal Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their altsFinal Fantasy 14 data sleuth gathers more info on the game’s script, finds Alphinaud is the king of yappers—though Wuk Lamat’s in the top 3 after just 1 expansionLatestThe 11 big FPS games of 2025See more latest►

More about final fantasy

Final Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their altsFinal Fantasy 14 data sleuth gathers more info on the game’s script, finds Alphinaud is the king of yappers—though Wuk Lamat’s in the top 3 after just 1 expansion

Alisaie, a side character in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, folds her arms with a confident smirk on her face.

Final Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their alts

An image of Alphinaud and Alisaie sitting together at a table. Alphinaud, a studious young elezen, takes a sip of his tea while Alisaie sulks into her chair.

Final Fantasy 14 data sleuth gathers more info on the game’s script, finds Alphinaud is the king of yappers—though Wuk Lamat’s in the top 3 after just 1 expansion

LatestThe 11 big FPS games of 2025See more latest►

Latest

The 11 big FPS games of 2025

Doom: The Dark Ages screnshot

The 11 big FPS games of 2025

See more latest►

Most Popular

This bizarre roguelike has a new take on the Vampire Survivors formula: letting you build your own custom weapons out of brains, eyeballs, and chimpanzee spines

18 games the PC Gamer team can’t wait to play in 2025

The Witcher 3’s now 2-year-old bonus quest is our first taste of the ‘vibe’ CD Projekt is going for in The Witcher 4

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Delicious in dungeon(s)#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

Delicious in dungeon(s)

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals