Square Enix finally saw the release of Final Fantasy 14's long-awaited patch 7.2 last month, and it looks like the update is just what the Dawntrail expansion needed.
Dawntrail's long-awaited release was somewhat of a disappointment to many longtime fans, despite leading to "a record number of concurrent users" initially, eventually earning "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam. Players compared the expansion to Stormblood, citing its weak characters and story, "bland job design," and an overall lack of content in negative reviews, with many hoping that post-launch patches could bring it home in the future.
It would appear that, after all, patches are doing just that. Recent Steam reviews have risen back up to "Mixed" after eight long months of sitting within the "Mostly Negative" trenches, and fans leaving positive feedback seem to largely be praising patch 7.2 and crediting it with helping Dawntrail "get better" over time. A Reddit thread echoes similar thoughts as players gather to discuss the expansion's newly improved reviews on Steam.
After 8 months, Dawntrail Steam reviews have risen back to Mixed after the release of Patch 7.2 from r/ffxiv
"7.2 is a massive improvement in all regards," comments one fan. Another says that "7.2 has been very good and for once I am genuinely interested in what's happening in the MSQ." Not all players are convinced by the patch, officially dubbed Seekers of Eternity, however. "The base game and 7.1 had very poor writing," reads one such sceptical commenter's response on the online thread. "7.2 being better doesn’t mean much for me at this time."
It's an understandable position to take, especially when considering other disappointing moments within Final Fantasy 14's history – including more recent ones, too, like this year's Hatching Tide event reward, a simple parasol. Hopefully, Square Enix pays close attention to fans' improving reviews following patch 7.2 and kicks even more solid content into gear come future Dawntrail updates. I know I'll be keeping my own fingers crossed.
