The Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Benchmark became available on April 14, and players eager for the Summer release of FFXIV’s latest expansion were able to push their PCs to the limit to see if they were up to scratch. But beyond just a method of making sure that rig is ready for Dawntrail, the benchmark is also a teaser for what players can expect from FFXIV in the coming year.
Beyond just a look at the graphical revamp, the benchmark also contained a collection of teasers and Easter eggs for players to discover as they experience the benchmark and benchmark trailer. From the reveal of four new minions, to straight up hidden characters and in-game models, there’s plenty to spot. Below is a list of eight such Easter eggs you might have missed.
You Can Play the Benchmark as Hildibrand or Brandihild
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Perhaps the most well-known easter egg in the Dawntrail Benchmark due to it going incredibly viral is the fact you can have play the Benchmark with the main character as Hildibrand or his low-poly doppelganger Brandihild. To do this, you’ll need to set your PC’s date to April 1, or to August 27, 2013 (the release date of A Realm Reborn). The character that appears depends on your rank. At High or above, Hildibrand appears, and lower Brandihild appears. You'll need to be using the default character model for either to appear.
Get a Sneak Peak of Potential Viper Weapons if You Change Your Gear
Did you know changing your gear completely changes which weapons you’ll have equipped during the benchmark? Keen-eyed observers were able to spot that changing into the Dreadwyrm, Omega, or Alexandrian gear gave you a new set of Viper weapons. The fact these were seemingly Ultimate reward weapons hinted that there was a potential for newer jobs, like the Viper, would be receiving weapons as a reward for clearing past Ultimates. However, these models also might just reused assets, rather than new additions.
The NPCs and WoL Have Different Reactions Depending On Your Benchmark Score
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Are you one of those lucky people who scored “Extremely High” on your benchmark? Then you might have only seen your WoL cheering and shouting. Unfortunately, that’s not the case if your score is lower. Each rank has a different set of animations for your WoL and the different job NPCs. If you score highly, they’ll be cheering. If you score low, well it's sadness and slumped shoulders. It’s not super great to be guilting people about the setups, but largely harmless. Still, it can be a hard pill to swallow that your MMO character can be made to feel bad because of your PC setup.
The Benchmark Showed Off Familiar Enemies from Final Fantasy IX
We’ve already seen the influences from Final Fantasy IX leak into FFXIV: Dawntrail with the two-sword wielding Viper reminding players of FF9 protagonist Zidane, a new location called Solution 9 (sharing an name one of Zidane’s moves), and the rewards for the Dawntrail pre-order and Digital Collector’s Edition being Garnet and Zidane minions and an Ark mount. But if you thought it was going to end there, you’d be mistaken.
Artist and storyteller Mana (@scarletify on Twitter/X) pointed out that one of the huge bug monsters seen in the Dawntrail Benchmark is definitely from FF9. Mana also has a full video on how FF9 might be referenced in Dawntrail.
You Can See Wuk Lamat’s In-Game Model Without Her Hat for the First Time
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Wuk Lamat has already become a fan-favorite in FFXIV as the exemplar of the new Female Hrothgar race and as a bold new character for Dawntrail. However, her in-game appearances so far have differed slightly from her initial appearance in the trailer. Namely, her ears and hair have been somewhat obscured by the turban-like headgear she’s been sporting since her arrival in Old Sharlyan. Now, for the first time, we see the full model of Wuk Lamat on display in the benchmark. With rendered cutscene models often being so different to in-game ones, seeing Wuk Lamat without her hat feels like a big deal.
Keen-eyed Fishers Spotted Dozens of Fish Types
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One of the biggest viral posts after the benchmark trailer dropped came from a dedicated Fisher of FFXIV. Twitter/X User, owner of the Eorzean Aquarium project (NA) and guide maker Fruity Snacks shared a comprehensive annotated guide to the fish seen in the Dawntrail Benchmark Trailer.
From Goby to Gar, and from Marlins to Mullets, Fruity Snacks pointed out the in-game models used on each fish. The fishing guru cautioned players not to expect this to be the only fish in Dawntrail, suggesting that these were merely stand-ins until the main release. Still, this was a crazy insight into a niche part of FFXIV.
You Can See All the New Job Gear in the Benchmark
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This one might be obvious, but in case you didn’t notice it, the FFXIV: Dawntrail benchmark showed off gear for each and every new and existing job. This gear will likely be similar to the level 89-90 gear players received in Endwalker, which was iconic gear for that expansion that quickly geared you up for level 90 content without any grinding. Sadly there weren't too many exciting new gear pieces for each job. White Mage still has a white robe, Red Mage still has a red outfit with a brimmed hat, etc. Fans are saying it would have been nice to see some influence from Tural and the surrounding areas come into these outfits.
You Canonically Take Your Chocobo to Tural via Boat
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Blink and you’ll miss it, but in the very opening of the FFXIV: Dawntrail benchmark, your chocobo is sleeping in the boat. It’s safe to say most of us don’t stop to think exactly how our chocobo appears when we whistle for them. We didn’t exactly ask too many questions about it. But the benchmark for Dawntrail answers the question no one asked by showing our feathery friend sleeping in the back of the boat. Who knew? I thought maybe there was some kind of Chocobo aetheryte system, but maybe shipping them by boat makes more sense.
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