Dawntrail graphics update is very disappointing.

[UNDEAD10000]

When i read news about FFXIV getting graphics update, i was very excited.
But when Dawntrail got released, i got very disappointed to see how poorly the graphics update is made and it clearly shows that the graphics update is made in hurry without any quality checks.

The new lighting is really bad that makes many of areas looks either way too dark or way too bright, no matter what kind the lighting condition is in the area.

Shadows are mostly broken that makes most shadows looks very boxy no matter what shadow settings i use, there is few areas that are missing shadows completelyt and in some old areas the shadows are shown incorrectly.

New textures in many old areas are quite bad when some textures are way too shiny no matter what lighting condition is, some textures looks even worse then it did in Endwalker.
(for example, in level-80 dungeon Anamnesis Anyder, the final boss new floor textures is so shiny that makes seeing the unnatural ripples mechanic really hard)

Characters face update is terrible that made my character look like a lifeless doll and character expressions are so bad that i really wish i had ability to turn expressions off.

By far worst thing in graphics update is always on FSR upscaling that using 3D resolution scaling at 100 makes game look bit soft and 3D resolution scaling at 99 - 50 makes game look too sharp. (Note: I can't use DLSS because my GPU doesn't support DLSS).

Other thing i hate is that glare setting can't be turned off and i really turn glare opff when glare is simply way too bright.

Lastly the bloom is by far most annoying graphics effect that in some areas there is huge very bright glow on light sources and it can't even turned off.

Right now i really wish i had ability to revert back to Endwalker graphics that in my opinion did look lot better then Dawntrail does.

[Kaurhz]

I think a part of their problem is that they are intending to phase their graphical changes, and ways in which they have phased it doesn't necessarily make much sense, and leads to sluggish looks in other areas.

I do prefer the current graphics over the old ones, but the current/new graphics are not without fault.

[pclarkson85]

I definitely feel the graphics update quality wasn't worth the downgrade to other parts of the game. Did they put all their resources into the graphics while totally ignoring the writing, narrative, MSQ gameplay? If they did, it wasn't worth it.

[Einnecy]

I think a part of their problem is that they are intending to phase their graphical changes, and ways in which they have phased it doesn't necessarily make much sense, and leads to sluggish looks in other areas.

That is the impression I am getting too. The game looks very inconsistent right now. I honestly think they should have taken one more expansion cycle and released a more complete overhaul, while simultaneously showing progress and paying attention to feedback. I am not opposed to the graphical update, even though I think it was unnecessary, but it was implemented very badly and it could use a lot more work. In addendum, the communication between developers and players was also terrible on account of the first benchmark being released two months before the expansion. They should have done better.

OP is right for everything they pointed out. I too would revert back to EW graphics in a heartbeat if I could.

[Cheapshot]

They shouldn’t have done this alongside a whole new expansion. Everything ended up rushed feeling. Faces and lighting needed way way more time, attention to detail and Q&A to get right.

[Daralii]

They shouldn’t have done this alongside a whole new expansion. Everything ended up rushed feeling. Faces and lighting needed way way more time, attention to detail and Q&A to get right.

Them doing it in waves also leaves the game as a whole feeling disjointed visually.

[Aurumis]

Definetly it was not worth it, specially for the player's characters. They changed them too much and most of them look horrible now, including how bad the eyes of the miqo'te face 4 look... and many others. I would revert to how it looked before.

[Jeeqbit]

They didn't necessarily upscale old expansion textures yet. That is expected in 7.x patches.

They most likely adjusted old shaders and grass though, so it may look uneven and strange due to that for a while.

[CidHeiral]

The positives far outweigh the negatives IMO but there are definitely some issues that need to be worked out, like the shadows being low quality and getting caught in weird ways on character geometry. Different player character faces have some issues here and there as well, including the one I use.

[DiaDeem]

The thing about all the examples on the left is that... some people like vegemite, I guess.

While I wholeheartedly agree with the poor implementation of DLSS and FSR, and the lack of proper customization options for the visuals, downplaying all the work done here while being irrationally attached to rather ugly PS3 models is something I just don't understand.