Dawntrail Benchmark

[Jeeqbit]

The benchmark trailer releases along with the Job Actions Trailer. Which is about 1 month before release.

[Taliriah]

I'm gonna guess it's gonna be available when the graphics update is like 99% done so probably closer to release.

It's only going to show off new locations, and the player character revamp is probably done by now.

I think the timing of the benchmark release is going to be decided by marketing needs. This will create a lot of hype, so they probably want to release it closer to the actual games release. Then again they may also decide to use it to drive pre-orders, so maybe they'll release it at the same time they open pre-orders (which might be soon ish as pre-orders items have been datamined in the 6.58 patch)

[Jeeqbit]

I'm gonna guess it's gonna be available when the graphics update is like 99% done so probably closer to release.

They usually have done a lot of things far in advance of release, so that they can have over 100 people thoroughly test it over months and identify bugs.

The graphics update for characters will obviously be done when Dawntrail releases, but it won't be done for all the areas or for all the NPCs necessarily. That is going to happen throughout the 7.x patches.

[Valence]

Unlike the job trailer benchmarks have dropped at very odd and wild intervals between expansions: April for Stormblood (release 3 months later), May for Shadowbringers (release 2 months later), July for Endwalker (release 5 months later). It's one of the few things that are very not formulaic so far.

[Jeeqbit]

Unlike the job trailer benchmarks have dropped at very odd and wild intervals between expansions: April for Stormblood (release 3 months later), May for Shadowbringers (release 2 months later), July for Endwalker (release 5 months later). It's one of the few things that are very not formulaic so far.

Not true!

Endwalker Benchmark: 11th July 2021
Endwalker Release: 7th December, 2021 (5 months due to covid)

Shadowbringers Benchmark: 24th May 2019
Shadowbringers Release: 2nd July 2019 (1 month ish)

Stormblood Benchmark: 1st May 2017
Stormblood Release: 20th June 2017 (1 month and a half ish)

Heavensward Benchmark: 27th April 2015
Heavensward Release: 23rd June 2015 (2 months ish)

[EstelleCere]

Not true!

Endwalker Benchmark: 11th July 2021
Endwalker Release: 7th December, 2021 (5 months due to covid)

Shadowbringers Benchmark: 24th May 2019
Shadowbringers Release: 2nd July 2019 (1 month ish)

Stormblood Benchmark: 1st May 2017
Stormblood Release: 20th June 2017 (1 month and a half ish)

Heavensward Benchmark: 27th April 2015
Heavensward Release: 23rd June 2015 (2 months ish)

When I looked it up I keep seeing a lot of different dates for Stormblood benchmark and Heavensward one, but at least the Shadowbringers one and Endwalker ones are as you say here.

But I'm also not sure how well we can go by these since I think Endwalker was not going to be released in August or September. I guess right now we are all just speculating, but I hope it comes out sooner than later lol, would be better if sooner so people could actually see how it would run on their pc months prior to Dawntrail release.

[Jeeqbit]

When I looked it up I keep seeing a lot of different dates for Stormblood benchmark and Heavensward one, but at least the Shadowbringers one and Endwalker ones are as you say here.

What I did to look it up was two things. I found the lodestone post, and the YouTube trailer, of the benchmark. Both of these were on the same days and titled the same for all expansions. They also released on the same day as the Job Actions Trailer.

They are all about 1 month apart, 2 months max. It appears like 2-3 months in some cases but if you look at the detail, it's for example the end of May and the beginning of July, which looks like 3 months, but actually it's just 1 month if you get out a calculator.

But I'm also not sure how well we can go by these since I think Endwalker was not going to be released in August or September.

We don't acknowledge Endwalker because it broke all precedents, releasing all of this material 5 months in advance and then announcing a delay.

[Raikai]

Needless to say it's probably their best interest to release the Benchmark as early as possible, since that will have one extra unprecedent thing: graphics update. This kind of allows them to collect some feedback on that and make adjustments before release. IIRC they adjusted Male Viera default posture because of player feedback.

[Jade_Tyrant]

We don't acknowledge Endwalker because it broke all precedents, releasing all of this material 5 months in advance and then announcing a delay.

That's not quite true. I mentioned it earlier in the thread:

[...]their previous pattern for all the past expansions puts the benchmark as releasing within two weeks (before or after) the last normal patch (hotfixes not included)[...]

Endwalker followed this pattern as well. The Benchmark released on 7/11/2021, as you said, and the final patch of Shadowbringers was 7/19/2021, 8 days afterward.

For all the dates:

• HW: Benchmark = 4/27/15, 2.57 = 5/11/15. 2 week gap exactly (Benchmark before final patch)
• SB: Benchmark = 4/30/17, 3.57 = 4/17/15. 13 day gap (Benchmark after final patch)
• ShB: Benchmark = 5/23/19, 4.58 = 5/14/19. 9 day gap (Benchmark after final patch)
• EW: Benchmark = 7/11/21, 5.58 = 7/19/21. 8 day gap (Benchmark before final patch)

EDIT: Had some wrong math somehow, whoops. Fixed that (had "1 week" instead of "9 days" on ShB). Also, even using your dates instead of the ones I had found, not much changes; SB gap becomes 2 weeks exactly with 5/1/17 instead of 4/30/17, ShB gap becomes 10 days instead of 9 with 5/24/19 instead of 5/23/19. Both still within the 2 week timing.

[Jeeqbit]

Endwalker followed this pattern as well. The Benchmark released on 7/11/2021, as you said, and the final patch of Shadowbringers was 7/19/2021, 8 days afterward.

I suppose. We should also note SE increased the timeframe between patches and this has already been playing out like Endwalker, because normally there is about 5 months between the main .5 patch and the expansion, but we're on course for it to be more like 8-9 months as Endwalker was if it releases in June (or longer if it's after June).

Also, even using your dates instead of the ones I had found, not much changes; SB gap becomes 2 weeks exactly with 5/1/17 instead of 4/30/17, ShB gap becomes 10 days instead of 9 with 5/24/19 instead of 5/23/19. Both still within the 2 week timing.

The disparity in dates is due to timezones since it's just a 1 day difference.