Final Fantasy 14's massive graphics overhaul, due in update 7.0, shows how far the MMO has come in 10 years

Final Fantasy 14 is readying up to release its massive Dawntrail expansion and 7.0 update this July, featuring a gorgeous graphical overhaul that shows how far the MMO has come since its rebirth over 10 years ago.

Publisher Square Enix released a trailer to show off the game's fancy graphics update that's coming alongside the next expansion, where we can see improved lighting, overhauled textures, and vastly more detailed materials. Some Jobs appear to be enjoying new animations too. See for yourself below. 

The above trailer gives us a pretty beefy idea of what Final Fantasy 14 will look later this year as the camera sweeps through big landscapes and zooms into finer character details. The Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail benchmark will be available tomorrow, April 14, so you can see how well your PC can run the hefty improvements.

Dawntrail is certainly a looker from everything we've seen so far, but producer Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida also jumped on a livestream to emphasize just how dramatic the changes will be. The side-by-side comparisons begin at roughly the 2-hour mark or you can find a quick embedded clip below that compares the same environment from 6.58 to the improved version in 7.0.

グラフィックアップデート後のイルメグの変化具合が凄すぎる pic.twitter.com/fyjTQGQL8GApril 13, 2024

Yoshida previously expressed regret over how the game lit darker-skinned characters, acknowledging the MMO was "bad" at displaying certain skin tones properly. This upcoming update aims to rectify such criticisms, but we won't know how it shakes out until Dawntrail sets sail this summer. Things are certainly looking up, though. 

As Final Fantasy 14 heads to Dawntrail, Yoshi-P promises the MMO won't forget the unanswered mysteries of the past decade. 

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