Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, Dawn Trail, is arriving this summer with the game’s first graphical update. As such, Square Enix has released a new benchmark software to allow PC players to test how well their machines will handle these new bells and whistles while a small start on the Dawn Trail.
Available as a free download for Windows, the benchmark software uses playable characters and real maps to assign your computer a performance score. It will provide a sneak peek at the new graphical update, which fleshes out the game with improved textures, shadows, material properties and other elements. You can download the benchmark. Here.
The benchmark includes a character creator for players to craft a new hero before the start of Dawn Trail. It also includes access to the new female Hrothgar race. Existing characters can also be imported into Benchmark, and appearance data from those characters can be imported into the full release of Dawn Trail on Windows.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawn Trail launches on July 2. You can learn more about the extension here. The game currently has a crossover event with Final Fantasy XVI that runs until May 8.