Final Fantasy XIV

There is apparently a workaround to try out your custom hairstyles by dropping your entire character profile into the benchmark, but some hairstyles are still WIP with being ported over tot he new graphics, so they might not work properly.

Yeah I wondered, the template I had was from when I created my character (in early 2020), and obviously I had not unlocked the hairstyles yet.

Some hairstyles looked fine. Not as crisp as the braids of course, but good enough that I'm not worried.

My character either wears a helmet or hood for my mains so I didn't even bother checking.

A statement from Yoshida about the benchmark. Basically talking about how some of the stuff on the actual character creation screen wasn't reflected correctly to the benchmark because it's still using the original ARR benchmark code and this was an oversight they're fixing. So if you felt like your character had the problems he lists off, it might be worth waiting for it to update and running it again later to double check if you think your character looks wrong.

There we also some problems in the benchmark itself like the upgraded character textures not applying correctly, broken neck seams, and issue with the scaling of the mouths for certain races/options.

Knock on wood this is our only production troubles before launch and having them now will save us from server issues.

Edited by NaraNumas on Apr 19th 2024 at 6:56:53 AM

Oh jeez.

Why, was there a change in graphics?

Next expansion is coming with a huge graphical update to the overall game, part of the reason they were pushing this benchmark so hard is that character models are also part of what's being upgraded. Some characters looking different after the update to skin/polycount/shaders was a concession they had to make so we're all getting a free Fantasia (the item that lets you recustomize your character) when Dawntrail comes out whether you buy the expansion or not, just in case.

Edited by NaraNumas on Apr 19th 2024 at 6:48:17 AM

Well I hope it doesn't affect my character too badly.

If you're playing on PC, you can download the benchmark and import a saved copy of your character from the character creator, then use it in the benchmark to get a look at what they'll look like in action in Dawntrail.

I don't think there's any actual spoilers, aside from maybe the Viper's LB 3, if you count that as a spoiler.

Spoiler: I can't believe Tataru was behind the Garlean Empire and Ascians all along.

Based on previous benchmarks... the only things it 'spoils' is some new monster models, some new animations, a glance at a few areas and class outfits. None are where they should be or anything like that so you cant really even extrapolate spoilers.

Also there are some new animations and outfits that don't even make it to the actual game without an extensive redesign.

@ultimatepheer: Eventually that'll be the case, yeah. The benchmark character creator that's out right now apparently doesn't have the right code in it, so they're saying it's not a good indicator of how characters will look in the 7.0 graphics.

Closer look at some of the Dawntrail job sets in the benchmark. Some of the materials used in the new sets look really good. Loving the Dark Knight and Paladin sets especially myself.

Similarly, closer look at the new ability animations.

Edited by StormKnight on Apr 23rd 2024 at 2:50:53 PM

You can kinda infer what a lot of them are from that closer look, which is appreciable. Overall it looks like a lot of them are probably upgrades instead of new buttons.

Just throwing out my early guesses;

DRK maybe a bloodspiller and quietus upgrade? BLM a new Thunder, maybe a "when thundstorm procs, Thunder 3/4 turn into this", DRG I can't safely say since we know a rework is coming. GNB is almost certainly a Continuation for Fated Circle since that's the only spender that doesn't have one. MCN is probably an upgrade to Drill since it looks single target. MNK... maybe upgrades the combo when using perfect balance, since there were 3 of them? NIN is self-explanatory. PLD maybe an upgraded Requiescat with a cone AoE. RDM I'm not sure about, maybe Impact 2? I can't see them adding another combo finisher. RPR might be an upgraded gluttony, doesn't seem to be an Enshroud skill. SAM is a huge cleave, maybe using Tsubami-Gaeshi on their cleave Iajutsu upgrades it? I can't really tell what any of the healers get, but it looks like WHM might get Medica 3, and SMN looks like a Fester upgrade, and WAR gets a new defensive which uses Vengeance's animation, so maybe an upgrade to that.

Edited by NaraNumas on Apr 23rd 2024 at 8:32:20 AM

My 2 cents

Great: DNC, DRG, RDM (the usual suspects), MCH, PIC, PLD, RPR (♥♥♥)

Nice: BRD, GNB, SAM, SMN (very exotic vibes), WAR

Meh: BLM, DRK (PLD but black and less interesting), MNK (might rise with different dyes), NIN , SGE, VPR (they could have done so much better with the hood), WHM

Urk: AST (serious level 30 vibes there considering the sublime sets they've had before), SCH (as usual),

Getting a subsequent job to level 50 really is like pulling teeth in this game.

That’s only if you aren’t subbed and don’t have the appropriate lvl 80 and below items exp boosts.

So I'm at level 75 in Shadowbringers and I gotta say, I adore the story. And Ran'jit is easily the worst part of it. He's just Zenos but less interesting, less intimidating, and very obviously much more heavily plot armored. Like it's painfully blatant and I NEVER feel intimidated by him when he's on-screen. I just know the story won't let me kill him even though it's very clearly within my power. He doesn't hit as hard as Zenos did in the solo duties against him. And for that matter, while Vauthry is a thoroughly despicable person, his army is so far enough of a Goldfish Poop Gang that I don't take them seriously either.

The Eulmore army getting absolutely clowned on by the fairies killed any threat they might conceivably pose

In actual myth... Fairies are an absolute nightmare.

The XIV Fairies are more closer to the actual myth than most you see in fiction.

Oh but don’t forget, it’s not the mortals with flesh and armor you should worry about.

It’s the Sin Eaters.

Apart from the lacking gameplay presentation (which I agree with), I honestly don't think Ran'jit is as bad as people say? This dude is an old kung fu man with a powerful familiar who's been fighting the sin eaters since he was a kid, like he didn't just become strong out of nowhere, he's earned that strength (story-wise). He also does drop hints of his backstory and why he's obsessed with keeping "Minfilia" safe, mirroring Thancred's own guilt.

I feel like people would hate him less if they had actually made his encounters more mechanically difficult and beat you fairly, but that's an issue Zenos also has I feel. They get a lot better at presenting the solo duties as actually a bit more challenging later on in Endwalker. Also retroactively in A Realm Reborn with the Rhitahtyn and Lahabrea solo duties in 6.1, which made them feel like much bigger threats than before.

Edited by StormKnight on May 2nd 2024 at 9:26:15 PM

Yeah I have no problem with Ran'jit being able to match the WOL since it's clear that any old man who is active on the field during the the light apocalypse has to be one hell of a fighter.

Gameplay presentation favors Zenos far more than Ran'jit since Zenos is supposed to be the big bad of the expac and personal rival to the WOL, so it makes sense to establish him as the top of the mountain the WOL has to climb.

Edited by RedHunter543 on May 3rd 2024 at 3:31:26 AM

tbh even if you're subbed getting any job to 50 is a pain. The EXP booster only goes so far when you have one singular roulette, and there aren't any other good options. Like spam Palace of the Dead I guess, but it'll still take a ton of time.

Honestly when I need to do some hardcore grinding from lvl 1-50 like I did for BRD. I just turn off music and play some background noise from youtube to keep me invested.

REALLY helps with the grind. It's to the point it only took me 2-3 days to get the levels.

Edited by RedHunter543 on May 3rd 2024 at 3:54:53 AM