Sure it's a good idea to remove the static light dot from the eyes?

Might have been addressed in upcoming benchmark patch.

Correction. The one we currently have IS NOT STATIC. However it's unaffected by the location of the sun and instead only follows the camera. Still, point stands that it's removal from all situations is one of the key reasons the faces can look even more off than intended.

As most have noticed now there does appear to be a general issue with the new eyes looking somewhat vacant. And issue caused by the removal of the semi static eye-shine beside our pupil.

https://i.imgur.com/HY7jX2Z.png

And been replaced by a few dynamically placed ones, one major that shows when staring towards the sun/moon.

https://i.imgur.com/pmjx17t.png

And two minor appearing when staring away from it, along with a tiny one following the vertical camera.

https://i.imgur.com/ng3Nr6J.png

Lucky for me my character seems to be less affected by the change, but it's clear that for a lot others their characters expression just from the eyes themselves is a lot more vacant than previously due to the lack of the semi-static reflection.

The static dot being gone isn't as big of an issue for me as it seems to be for others. I think still pictures aren't going to do it justice and is what contributes to this "lifeless" vibe people are getting. With the added idle eye jitter they hinted to in the LL I think it'll be a lot less dull in game.

I will say though that I wouldn't mind a faked eyeshine that would suggest an unseen lightsource somewhere in front of the character. But a painted on one combined with the dynamic one would look... not great.

Edit: Moved to top.

Like how an anime character is often portrayed as traumatized/shocked with the shine removed from their eyes.

lets be serious... after all the dull deliveries and being bounced through many rifts and bonked on the head by so many bosses... I think my eyes would look a little lifeless too.

sure... you want me, saviour of the planet to delivery a batch of cookies? all over it.... (kill me now...)

I do prefer the little white shine in the eyes to always be visible from any angle, as it makes the eyes feel more alive and deeper to me!

They don't even have to fiddle it much. All it requires is that there be a set minimum reflectiveness regardless of current light sources, that means that when facing bright light it behaves like their new model but as you turn away from light sources or it gets dark there is still a minimum reflectivity that cures the deadeye look. IE: Up the brightness of the minor dots.

Completely agree with the old details on the eyes combined with the new lightning.
If there wasn't the obvious higher res texture on the hair, I would believe the current EW model to be the more detailed one.
New:
https://i.imgur.com/IW0he3p.png
Old:
https://i.imgur.com/9mm925S.png

I am extremely happy with everything so far, but I noticed it on Male Miqo'te as well. A painted dot would maybe look wierd, but I wish the reflection was brighter. As you said, it reminds me of anime characters loosing their spark.

Absolutely, yes. Catchlights are an archaic and jarring way to fake reflectivity in the eyes, so painting a static dot back in definitely isn't a fix in a system where everything now reacts to light in a way it didn't before. There's probably other things they could do, like having the entire eye catch light a little more easily, or making the eye shine they added not be quite as persnickety that it is really dull when you aren't looking directly at the light (tbh I have no idea how it'll actually look in DT).

Eh, there are many legitimate concerns with the update, but I do not think this is one of them. Sure, when you are staring at your motionless character in the face for hours in the creator, you'll feel the lack of it, but I do think this is going to make for an improvement when it actually matters in cutscenes and stuff.

Like, do you really notice this in the benchmark cutscene itself? I didn't.