Seriously, you are calling this a graphic update?

[Wildheaven182]

It was never a graphics *upgrade*. It is a compatibility update for xbox and ps3 performance for the changes they want to make to environmental lighting and shadows to make the game look brighter and more lighthearted in the new expansion after how intense Endwalker was.
Graphics on all platforms is limited to what the oldest console the game is available on can handle.
Due to the desired changes in environmental lighting and shaders, they have to change or get rid of some detail shaders that appear on characters and even go so far as to change models slightly. Characters are also now a light source themselves.

[KisaiTenshi]

It was never a graphics *upgrade*. It is a compatibility update for xbox and ps3 performance for the changes they want to make to environmental lighting and shadows to make the game look brighter and more lighthearted in the new expansion after how intense Endwalker was.

PS3 support was removed with Shadowbringers. The PS4 and PS5 are functionally identical and you just get a resolution nerf for the PS4. I don't know if the console versions have access to the high resolution textures or not.

Like the focus I've largely seen is on the character faces and the fabrics of the clothing (not all clothing actually looks better, some gear just looks the same probably because it was already higher resolution in the first place, like the Shisui sets.) It's very likely gear released during endwalker was already higher resolution, but not all the textures were exported as such during endwalker, like the crafted gear.

At any rate what they did to the faces was very much a shader code thing, but it also still has the problem of dark characters (eg Erenville) basically having no visible features unless standing directly in the light.

[LaylaTsarra]

My character looks great and so do the environments I've seen thus far. Lighting is a lot different and is certainly a major change in my view. Resolution is also much improved and I run in 4K.

[Kaelah]

I'm lucky, I'm in the camp of liking how my WoL looks. I can see OP's point though, theirs looks quite different. Subtle, but different.

[Zaniel]

Well, technically it IS a graphical upgrade, the lighting is more effective and natural and the textures are better. However on a personal level you might have been screwed by some element that changed which altered your precise appearance.

I got SUPER SUPER lucky, my character is completely identical to her original appearance to a T, except 2 tiny points but those 2 points make her look even better than she did before (lips are more naturally lustrous and hair is thicker and more realistic). So I am very lucky, not everyone got the same roll of the dice and when we stare at our character for 10 years even the tiniest detail which another person would not see can break that link. So really its not up to anyone to judge how someone else feels about how their character looks.

[Yeol]

[Rikizza]

I just dont really understand why they toned down makeup and lashes

[Einnecy]

I feel you. It's not my character anymore either:

[ana_naa]

I feel you. It's not my character anymore either:

Yes, Aura Face 2 seems to be one of the types that changed the most. It's really sad for those who liked the original distinctive face.

[Dogempire]

While the changes are kinda subtle, I really don't like how they softened my character's facial features, even if it's not by much, it kinda feels like they infused my character with 10% G'raha face, and while some people absolutely love him, I absolutely hate Male Miqo' face (3?) and don't find it pleasant to look at, so it's kinda disappointing having it forced onto me.

Oh well, I'll tweak it with a fantasia at some point, just not now when logging out means waiting in a 2500+ person queue