Here's why Final Fantasy 14's upgraded characters looked so bad in its Benchmark test, and how Square Enix is improving them for 7.0's launch

GamesJRPGFinal FantasyFinal Fantasy XIVHere’s why Final Fantasy 14’s upgraded characters looked so bad in its Benchmark test, and how Square Enix is improving them for 7.0’s launchWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesJRPGFinal FantasyFinal Fantasy XIVHere’s why Final Fantasy 14’s upgraded characters looked so bad in its Benchmark test, and how Square Enix is improving them for 7.0’s launchWhen 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) After Final Fantasy 14’s recent Benchmark test left players less than impressed with its graphical overhaul,Square Enixhas revealed how it’s improving characters based on feedback. Last month in April, the latest version of Final Fantasy 14’s Benchmark test software went live, letting players get a glimpse of how their characters would look after the big new graphical overhaul is implemented this year. Unfortunately, many found their Warriors of Light looked like cursed beings with lifeless eyes, and at the time,game director Naoki Yoshida apologizedfor the less-than-stellar results. Also at the time of the disappointing test, Yoshida pledged a new Benchmark test would give players a better look at their Warriors of Light with the graphical overhaul, and now Square Enix has come through on that pledge. Earlier today during a Letter From the Producer broadcast, Yoshida revealed Square Enix is working to implement feedback on character models from the Benchmark test. Yoshida also revealed the improvements would be implemented not just in the test software, but also in Final Fantasy 14 itself, when the major 7.0 update arrives alongside the Dawntrail expansion next month on June 28. Right now, the goal is to have the improvements in the Benchmark software later this month on May 30, but Yoshida stressed this is a temporary goal, and could very easily slip given the amount of work still left to do. Speaking of, Yoshida revealed the cursed characters was actually down to lighting difficulties, and not the character models themselves. For example, lighting caused smile lines to look weird on certain character’s faces, so not only has the lighting been reworked, but certain character’s mouths have been rebuilt to improve their smile lines and facial expressions. Yoshida and company showed off some in-progress screenshot comparisons during the broadcast, two of which you can see just below. As the Reddit post’s title alludes to, Miqote characters having their teeth reduced in size was a sore point among players with the graphical overhaul, and a lot of players are very glad Miqote teeth are now bigger in the improvements. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean we’ll be able to manually adjust Miqote teeth size when editing or creating our Warriors of Light in Final Fantasy 14. Yoshida didn’t delve into specifics, but the director said this feature simply wasn’t possible. Given the huge amount of work done to overhaul the character designs, I think we can let this slide. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Final Fantasy 14’s 7.0 update arrives with the graphical overhaul next month on June 28, which just happens to be when the new Dawntrail expansion launches into early access, before a full launch a few days later on July 2. Elsewhere in the broadcast today,Yoshida revealed Dawntrail won’t be delayed like Endwalker, because it’s well into the final stage of development. Earlier this month,Final Fantasy 14 was hit with 3 days of DDoS attacks just weeks from Dawntrail, and Square Enix was scrambling to fix the MMO’s servers. 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Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1 Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”