Everything new in the updated FFXIV Dawntrail Benchmark v1.1

FFXIV: Dawntrail is very close to launching and you can now preview more of the graphical updates coming with it in the v1.1 Benchmark. Here’s a summary of everything that changed since the first version and why you should benchmark again before Dawntrail.

All changes in the FFXIV Dawntrail Benchmark v1.1

Most of the FFXIV Dawntrail benchmark v1.1 changes focus on lighting, character models’ reactions to the new lighting, and optimizations of their faces and hair. All the updates made to the benchmark will be introduced in the live game when the Dawntrail expansion comes out on June 28 in early access. Here’s what’s new:

• Character creation lighting and visual effects changes: Added options to change lighting and time of day when creating a new character, with an option to remove blue lighting. The vignette effect that caused characters to look darker than they would appear in the game was also removed.
• Face quality adjustments: Characters’ pupils and lips now look more natural under different lighting settings. Wrinkles, smile lines, and other facial features have also been adjusted to achieve more natural shades and shadows in various environments.
• Hair texture improvements: Low-texture sections of certain hairstyles have been fixed and replaced with high-resolution textures.
• Visual adjustments with backlight and fog: Characters and the environment looked flat when lit by a backlight. This has been fixed to preserve three-dimensional details.

Should you perform the benchmarking again?

You should perform the FFXIV: Dawntrail benchmark again if you created a character using the old benchmarking software. The v1.1 version will give you a more accurate preview of how your character will look in the new expansion compared to the first version, so it’s a good idea to ensure everything looks the way you want it to.

If you’re only concerned about performance, you can skip the benchmarking. These changes are adjustments rather than major additions or texture overhauls, so they shouldn’t significantly impact your original score.

You can check out the full details of the new benchmarking in the game’s official blog post.