Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, FFXIV: Dawntrail, is just under a month away, but Square Enix is still rushing to clear up issues about its disastrous benchmark release. The company first released the software in mid-April, which would allow players to recreate their characters and test whether their PCs were good enough for Dawntrail.

However, a disastrous launch saw many players complain that their characters looked worse in the upcoming expansion than they did currently. Lighting issues, missing character elements such as teeth, and poor facial structure meant many were unhappy with the April benchmark.

What’s more, this benchmark was extra important, because Final Fantasy XIV is having a dramatic visual update for the release of Dawntrail. The game, whose graphics have only had minor updates since 2010, are having a complete overhaul for the next expansion.

Does the New FFXIV: Dawntrail Benchmark Fix the Issues?

Luckily, it appears the new benchmark has indeed addressed these issues, with almost all users celebrating that their Warriors of Light (A name for player characters in FFXIV) look, well, good again.

We tested out the benchmark ourselves, and indeed, the characteristic cat girls of FFXIV look even better in this test than the last. What’s more, they’re no longer missing their characteristic fangs — something players had complained about before.

The benchmark issue caused the game’s director, Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida, to issue a heartfelt apology. He provided some pretty detailed updates for players, and with only two and a half months until the release of Dawntrail, had his team whip up another iteration of the benchmark just in time.

Honestly, some developers would have just let it be, and told players that the full release of Dawntrail would be fine. But FFXIV fans are little more intense than many fan bases, and Yoshida and company were probably right to put something together – even if it did mean some crunch at Square Enix Creative Business Unit III.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail releases on July 2, although players will early access can start five days before on June 27.

Today was a busy news day for Square Enix and FFXIV who also released details about changes to in-game currency (Tomestones), confirmed the dates for their next Live Letter, and unveiled a new collaboration with Secretlab gaming chairs. With Dawntrail on the horizon, FFXIV’s developers are keen to keep excitement at a fever pitch.