Highlights
- Players on PC can change the date to April 1 for an Easter egg in Final Fantasy 14’s Dawntrail benchmark to get Hildibrand or Brandihild to appear.
- Which character appears depends on the time of day, making for an extra special secret.
- Players can import benchmark characters into Dawntrail once early access arrives on June 28.
Following the launch of the Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail benchmark, some players discovered an Easter egg that changes the default benchmark character to Hildibrand or Brandihild, depending on which PC time settings were changed. Final Fantasy 14 players shared the Easter egg on social media and discussed the methods that caused either character to appear.
During the annual 14-hour Broadcast live stream, Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida pulled back the curtain on the official Dawntrail benchmark. While the program requires Windows 10 or 11, the benchmark offers players a glimpse of the upcoming graphics update for Final Fantasy 14 coming with Dawntrail. In addition, players can use their character’s appearance data to see how they look while wearing the garments of the Viper. Plus, the female Hrothgar, the last playable race coming to Final Fantasy 14, can be previewed in the benchmark, and players can import benchmark character appearances into Dawntrail once the expansion enters early access on June 28. Players can also forego using their character in the Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail benchmark and run it using the pre-made male Hyur Midlander character instead.
Final Fantasy 14 Announces Changes to Player Blacklist
During the 14-Hour Broadcast, Final Fantasy 14 confirms that a significant upgrade to the player blacklist feature will arrive in Dawntrail.
However, some Final Fantasy 14 players discovered that the default benchmark character can be hilariously replaced. Twitter user @kiritannplum stated that a previous benchmark Easter egg returned in Dawntrail, and it changed the default benchmark character into Inspector Hildibrand Manderville, the main character of one of Final Fantasy 14‘s funniest side quests. In their post, @kiritannplum stated they changed their PC’s date to April 1, or April Fools’ Day, to get the inspector to appear instead of the default male Midlander. With Hildibrand taking up the mantle of the Viper, @kiritannplum scored an “Extremely High” mark in the Dawntrail benchmark.
FF14 Dawntrail Benchmark Easter Egg Causes Hildibrand or Brandihild To Appear
In addition to Hildibrand, another character from the Endwalker chapter of the Manderville quests can appear in the Dawntrail benchmark. According to @magitekwitch on Twitter, they got Brandihild, the Minecraft-inspired “clone” of Hildibrand, to appear instead. Some Final Fantasy 14 players pointed out that Brandihild shows up if the system clock is set for 2:00 PM, or 14:00, on April 1. While this trick will require time synchronization to be disabled in Windows Settings, Final Fantasy 14 players have confirmed that the appearance of Hildibrand and Brandihild had no real bearing on their benchmark results.
Between the benchmark and a loaded calendar of events, Final Fantasy 14 has given players plenty of reason to get excited about the upcoming Dawntrail expansion. It remains to be seen if more Easter eggs are hidden in the benchmark.
Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy XIV’s original release was less-than-stellar, with many fans blasting the game for its array of issues. This prompted developers to cancel the MMO and rebuild it as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Since then, the title has seen a massive resurgence and has quickly become one of the best MMOs ever made, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers online at any given time.
- Released
- August 27, 2013
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Engine
- Crystal Tools
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Metascore
- 90
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, PS4 & PS5
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
