Summary

• FFXIV: Dawntrail takes place in Tural, known as the New World, with the Warrior of Light in a ive role for the Rite of Succession.
• Blue Magic, originating in Tural, receives only a ing mention in Dawntrail despite the expansion's setting.
• Blue Mages and the Whalaqee being omitted are two of many missed opportunities in the expansion's main story quest.

FFXIV: Dawntrail takes place in Tural, which is often called the New World by the residents of Eorzea. This time, the Warrior of Light takes a step aside as the main character and plays a largely ive role throughout the series of trials that make up the Rite of Succession to help one of the candidates try to become the next Dawnservant. While exploring the new areas, Warriors of Light who complete the quests for a specific job will find something missing, and that might come as a disappointment considering the lost potential.

Even before Dawntrail, Tural was mentioned as an existing location, but it's more commonly known as simply the New World by Eorzeans. Heavily inspired by Native American culture, as well as South and Central America, Tural is vibrant and full of color, even if the people living there are divided about who they want to replace their Dawnservant, since Gulool Ja Ja is the first Dawnservant and no succession for his possession has taken place before. While Viper gets a lot of attention as a job originating in Tural, there's an older job that the Warrior of Light can learn that also comes from there, but it's woefully omitted.

Blue Magic Originated In Tural In Final Fantasy XIV

It Receives A ing Mention In Dawntrail

Blue Mages are a limited job in FFXIV that were first introduced during Stormblood's post-Main Scenario Quest patches. During these quests, the Warrior of Light learns about Blue Magic from a man named Martyn Goodfellow, who studied it from the Whalaqee in the New World. Then, when Dawntrail was revealed, it showed that the primary setting for the expansion would be Tural. It felt like Blue Mages would finally get more attention, and the Whalaqee could be formally introduced, especially since the first half of the expansion involves meeting new people and learning about their cultures.

Well, neither Blue Mages nor the Whalaqee make an appearance in Dawntrail. There's hardly even a mention of them, aside from a side quest NPC mentioning that their son traveled with a Blue Mage in the past. Considering the potential that the Whalaqee in particular could've brought to the MSQ, it's disappointing that they didn't make an appearance in what's supposed to be their homeland: Tural. While there's a chance that either of these groups could be included in patches, it feels late to bring them in, especially when the Whalaqee could've been part of the Rite of Succession, challenging the beliefs of claimants working with Eorzeans.

The Whalaqee Have A Grudge Against Eorzeans

Eorzeans Disrespected Them In The Past

Through the Blue Mage quests, the Warrior of Light learns about the Whalaqee and how they consider Lapis Canyon to be a sacred location. It turns out that Lapis Canyon is full of ceruleum, which is a valuable resource across the salt, especially for the Garlean population due to their inability to use magic. Martyn's companion at the time, Whastrach, tried to exploit the Whalaqee when they fell ill with an Eorzean disease carried over by travelers by asking them to sign away their land in exchange for medicine so he'd be able to mine the ceruleum.

Although he was stopped, Whastrach's plan left the Whalaqee with a grudge towards foreigners, Eorzeans in particular. Because of this, they would've added a challenge to Wuk Lamat and Koana during the Rite of Succession if they were included as a trial, because both of them were traveling with Eorzeans to help them with their bid for the throne. As a result, Wuk Lamat would be forced to deal with a much more difficult situation to find a solution to the Whalaqee's hate compared to how smoothly the trials go for her, opening a chance for character growth.

There are missed opportunities in Dawntrail's MSQ, and the omission of Blue Mages and the Whalaqee are only a few examples. As a result, the MSQ is the main focus of criticism towards this expansion, with the fun fights and great music being seen as highlights. It's not easy to come off a high point in a series like Endwalker and start setting up a new story arc for the next decade, but bringing in the Whalaqee could've added new challenges to the first half of FFXIV: Dawntrail.