Benchmark/Graphics Update - Show your WoL's before and after

[lunartears]

The appeal of FFXIV's graphics to me were that they were stylized more than leaning into aspects of realism such as with pores. I don't think this is an aesthetic change that I can get used to seeing even further down the line.

I feel the same way, like I 100% understand this sentence completely. One of the reasons I fell in love with the game.

There's so much in this thread that resonates with the way I have been feeling about this upgrade, but I can't give a unique response to it all so just let it be known there are plenty of us who get it.

[HawkeScream]

I feel the same way, like I 100% understand this sentence completely. One of the reasons I fell in love with the game.

There's so much in this thread that resonates with the way I have been feeling about this upgrade, but I can't give a unique response to it all so just let it be known there are plenty of us who get it.

Seconding this. I can't give a unique response either, but not everything needs to be realistic. We're playing a video game not real life. Stylized is okay. Good even! It's okay that FF14 doesn't look like every single other uncanny valley "realistic" game out there. I like that it looks like anime. It's more immersive for me BECAUSE of the art style, because it at present doesn't make me think "it's trying too hard to be real and missing the mark."

But yes. I get it. My partner gets it. Y'all aren't alone.

[JaydeDancer]

Before:


After:


I really like this! My only complaints are the lip textures look better pre 7.0, and the hair seems unusually flat. I miss my "lip gloss" and I feel like the hair should have some shine to it.

But, overall those are very minor things that I can learn to live with. This is still Jayde to me. Just with better skin and maybe some lip filler lol. I did have to adjust the limbal ring. The one I was set to pre 7.0 hardly showed up at all. I had to scoot to the left a couple of squares to get the same effect.

[seasalts]

Had mixed feelings at first but it's starting to grow on me.



While I miss the gloss of the old lipstick, it's a huge improvement that it no longer has this weird pale reflection in certain lighting that's always bugged me. (Note: in DT vers I changed lipstick opacity from dark to light to match the original shade better though it's still the same color.)




Unfortunately the structure of her eyes and nose that I loved so much has been lost. Black hair also looks a bit washed out and grey in bright lighting. On a positive note, I personally think the nose shine and skin textures suit her well and add a really nice life-like depth to her skin tone... though there are some instances where the body shine looks extremely greasy! I also don't think she's subjected to the dead eye look others have been struggling with. I actually think the opposite and that given a solid light source the dynamic eye reflections light up her eyes beautifully in a way that screenshots don't do justice.




I think this angle showcases well my biggest personal gripe w/ her feature changes that really had no reason to be altered. Her eyelid shape is quite different! I picked that eye because of it's beautiful angular flare but they just had to give it a more rounded look w/ thicker lashes... I really sympathize w/ those that had their WoL's unique features ironed out, even the subtle details can be really important for giving our characters a personal charm we love and it's hard to process them simply no longer having those features suddenly.