Square Enix’s popular MMO, Final Fantasy XIV Online, has recently released its Benchmark download for its upcoming expansion, Endwalker. If you are reading this article, I can safely assume that you are someone sitting on the edge of your seat as we mark down the days until November (Endwalker’s set release). However, if you did just happen to stumble over here by accident, well… better late than never!
To start things off, let’s look at a piece of news that has recently broken Twitter and continues to be one of the most exciting reveals to date: the male Viera.
Yes, bunny boys will be coming to Endwalker. There has always been speculation that Square Enix would release this, seeing as up until this point, we have only ever seen female Viera in-game. Well, it’s been confirmed! Not only that, but you can currently even create and save the appearance data of your own male Viera if you download and run the Endwalker benchmark!
Now, if you are late to this party – perhaps you only recently picked up your copy of XIV, or maybe you simply have never been a part of a Benchmark before – let’s review what exactly a “Benchmark” is.
Because Endwalker is expected to be a very large data file, and because there are so many cutscenes that will need to run throughout this expansion, Square Enix releases a “Benchmark” that acts as a sort of “data checkpoint” for your PC. Upon downloading and starting the program, Square Enix runs a performance check that gives you a final score at the end, letting you know how well your PC will be able to run Endwalker at its fullest capacity.
Now, if you’ve been playing every other expansion up until this point, chances are your PC will already be running smoothly and have no issues during this Benchmark check. If that’s the case, prepare to see a very green and happy message at the end of your cutscene!
If you do not receive something like the above image, chances are you might either need to run updates to your PC or possibly close other applications you are running in the background. Many programs such as Steam, Bluestacks, or other high data programs will cause your Benchmark score to be lower than expected. Help yourself and your Warrior of Light reach the finish line with a positive note by giving your Benchmark download all the space it needs.
Along with the Benchmark download release, Square Enix has also released a new campaign in the form of a screenshot contest!
In essence, you simply need to take a screenshot of your adorable male Viera(#MyFFXIViera), or a screenshot of your final Benchmark score (#EndwalkerBenchmark) and post it on Twitter with the corresponding hashtags, your homeworld name, your character’s name, their Lodestone profile, your desired prize item, and the hashtag #Sweepstakes.
A list of possible prizes, as well as a full breakdown of the rules and their limitations, can be found on the Official Lodestone Campaign page.
Well, what are you waiting for? Go download the Benchmark, slap on those bunny ears, and we’ll see you for the release of Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, Endwalker!
