FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers Official Benchmark

See just how well FINAL FANTASY XIV will run on your computer. This official benchmark software uses actual maps and playable characters to assign a score to your PC and rate its performance. A character creation tool is also included, allowing you to view a playable character as they will appear in-game. Includes Viera and Hrothgar New to Shadowbringers are the Viera and Hrothgar playable races, which are available in the benchmark's character creator. Any characters that you create in the benchmark may be carried over to the full release of Shadowbringers. See Character Creation for more information. High Definition Display Support In addition to the standard 1280x720 pixel display, the benchmark also supports a 1920x1080 high definition display. Enjoy every crisp detail of the gorgeous realm of Eorzea.

5.1 Channel Surround Sound High-quality surround sound completes the experience, wrapping players in the stirring music and the atmospheric effects of FINAL FANTASY XIV.

Multilingual Support Features Japanese, English, German, and French.

SLI and CrossFire Support Please use NVIDIA drivers 350.12 WHQL or later when using SLI, or AMD drivers 13.9 or later when using CrossFire. Warning:

- This software is not a trial version. Please be aware that you cannot play FINAL FANTASY XIV using this software.

- You must read and agree to the terms and conditions before downloading the software.

Downloading and Running the Software

Download the ZIP file.

Click on the download link below, agree to the Software License Agreement, and download the file.

Click on the download link below, agree to the Software License Agreement, and download the file. Uncompress the ZIP file.

Uncompress the downloaded file and specify a destination to save the unzipped files.

Uncompress the downloaded file and specify a destination to save the unzipped files. Execute the EXE file.

Execute the uncompressed file – ffxiv-shadowbringers-bench.exe.

Execute the uncompressed file – ffxiv-shadowbringers-bench.exe. Select the language to display, read through the Software License Agreement, and use the software. FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers Official Benchmark Software Overview Operating System Windows 8.1/10 * The 64-bit version of the above mentioned operating systems is required. * This benchmark is not available on Mac OS. System Requirements Graphics card and drivers compatible with DirectX® 11.

(DirectX® 9 is not supported.)

Minimum resolution of 1024x720. File Name ffxiv-shadowbringers-bench.zip File Size Approx. 1.98GB If you receive a Microsoft .NET Framework update notice when attempting to launch the benchmark, your Microsoft .NET Framework may be out of date. Please follow the link below to download and install the latest version of the Microsoft .NET Framework.

Microsoft .NET Framework Web Installer

Using the Benchmark Software

Starting the Benchmark Executing the ffxiv-shadowbringers-bench.exe file will bring up a splash page, followed by the Software License Agreement window. * If your PC does not fulfill the system requirements to run the benchmark, the program will close. A notification will prompt you to adjust screen resolution or other settings if necessary. Please review the aforementioned FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers Official Benchmark Software Overview to determine whether your PC fulfills the system requirements.

Software License Agreement You can change language settings at the upper-right corner of the window. The language selected will be used in the benchmark launcher window and the benchmark score display.

By default, the agreement window will appear every time you launch this software. Check this box and click the Agree button if you wish to skip this window and jump directly to the benchmark launcher the next time you use the software.

Read the Software License Agreement. If you agree to all the terms and conditions, click the Agree button.

Launcher Once you accept the terms of the Software License Agreement, a launcher window for the benchmark will appear. Here you can adjust various settings for the cutscenes used to measure system performance. Displays your most recent benchmark score along with a timestamp.

Click the banner to view the official FINAL FANTASY XIV site in your default browser.

Visit the product page.

Download the free trial version of FINAL FANTASY XIV.

Scores can be posted on the Lodestone or on social networking sites. You may use the provided text, or revise it to your liking. The cutscenes must play in their entirety and generate a score for this feature to be available.

Displays system specifications including your version of Windows, CPU, and GPU. Also displays the graphics and resolution settings to be used upon starting the benchmark.

The language setting can be changed for both the launcher window and the cutscene overlay. This setting is shared with the Software License Agreement window.

Characters created via the character creation tool can be selected to appear in benchmark cutscenes.

Check this box to see cutscenes play in a loop. The cutscenes will play back only once by default. * If set to repeat, the maximum framerate will be limited to 60FPS in order to reduce stress on your system. You can end playback at any time by clicking X or pressing the ESC key. Please note that you will not receive a score when looping playback.

Creates a report containing your score and system specifications. The report will be saved as a txt file in the same folder as the "ffxiv-shadowbringers-bench.exe".

The Software License Agreement will be displayed once again. If you chose not to show the agreement on startup, you may review it again here.

Change the graphics settings at which you would like to benchmark your system. Five graphics presets are available: Maximum, High (Desktop), High (Laptop), Standard (Desktop), and Standard (Laptop). Selecting "Save as Preset" will allow you to save up to three custom graphics settings. You can also include a comment when saving preset settings, which will display as a description to the left of the dropdown menu. Players who have already installed FINAL FANTASY XIV may choose to import their graphics settings. After selecting "Import My Settings," the "My Settings" option will appear in the preset dropdown menu. Selecting "Default" will restore all default settings and delete all saved presets. Three monitor resolutions are available: 1024x768, 1280x720, and 1920x1080. Other resolution options may be available depending on your monitor. High graphics and resolution settings will place more stress on your system.

Start cutscene playback and measure your system's performance. * The cutscenes are approximately 7 minutes in length. Results will not be displayed if playback is stopped before completion.

Closes the benchmark software.

Visit the official Nvidia site.

Viewing the Benchmark During the cutscenes, you can view your score, the specifications of your system, and a frame rate performance graph. Indicates fluctuations in frame rate. Higher graph lines indicate a higher frame rate.

Displays system specifications including your CPU and GPU.

Displays current benchmark score. Increases based on the performance of your system.

Results When the cutscenes end, the launcher will reappear and display your benchmark results. Your system will receive one of eight ratings depending on your score. Please refer to the table at the bottom of this page for further details.

Total loading time between all cutscenes.

Your system's overall score.

Character Selection This benchmark will not only gauge your computer's performance running FINAL FANTASY XIV, but also allow you to use the game's character creation tool. Appearance data can be saved for use when creating characters in the retail version. You may choose to have your character appear in place of the default Hyur male dark knight in the benchmark cutscenes. * This benchmark and included character creation tool can be used without a Square Enix account or a connection to the game's servers. * Data from the character creation tool will be saved to the following folder: My Games/FINAL FANTASY XIV - A Realm Reborn (Benchmark). * To use an Au Ra character in the full release, you must own a license for FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward.

* To use a Viera or Hrothgar character, you must own a license for FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers.

* Character appearance data saved using this benchmark software can only be used on the PC on which the Windows version has been installed. You may choose to have a character appear in place of the default Midlander dark knight in the benchmark cutscenes.

You can include a comment when saving character data in the benchmark.

Click to launch the character creation tool.

Select from 25 sets of gear for your character. * Gear cannot be changed when selecting the pre-made Midlander male.

Click to select the character you wish to use.

Click to return to the launcher without changing settings.

Character Creation When launching the character creation tool, you may choose to create a new character or load existing character data. This data can also be loaded from the benchmarks for FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn and its expansions, as well as the beta and retail versions of the game. Begin creating your character by selecting a race, gender, and clan. You will then be given the option to customize appearance. You may return to an earlier step of the creation process at any time. When your character is ready, a save prompt will appear. Select Yes if you wish to save appearance data, then specify a location. Data for up to 40 characters may be saved, and can be selected to be used during cutscene playback at the main character selection screen. * We have discovered an issue wherein the option to pin favorite hairstyles has been incorrectly named "Hide All Bangs." Please note this does not affect the functionality of the feature.