Final Fantasy 14 is finally fixing its infamous 'driver's license' character portraits... sort of

• Final Fantasy 14's character portrait system is getting a welcome update
• It resolves an issue that reverts portraits to default upon making changes
• A pop-up will now let players instantly update their portraits for duties

Final Fantasy 14's much-loved - but clearly somewhat unfinished - character portrait system is getting a much-needed update in the MMORPG's next patch.

Patch 7.1, Crossroads, is the first major patch for the Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail expansion. It's launching on November 12 and bringing with it a bunch of new content to get stuck into, including new main scenario quests, a new 24-man raid based on Final Fantasy 11 and no shortage of quality-of-life additions.

One such quality-of-life change, located deep within the 7.1 patch notes, finally addresses a long-standing issue with the character portrait system first introduced in early 2023. The patch notes read:

"If the gear shown in a saved instant portrait differs from what you have equipped after updating or swapping gear sets, you can update your instant portrait via the displayed window. Adjust this setting by checking or unchecking the 'Use as Instant Portrait' option in the Edit Portrait window."

For context, Final Fantasy 14 allows players to craft bespoke portraits for their characters which show up for all players to see at the beginning of a light party, full party or alliance duty. Everything from pose and expression to background, flair and camera angle can be adjusted.

It's a lovely feature, but until now, if the player changes their character's armor in any way, the portrait reverts to a default state while in these duties. It's often begrudgingly referred to as the 'DMV portrait' by Final Fantasy 14 players, as it reverts the portrait to a default blue background with their character directly facing the camera with an expressionless face.

As of patch 7.1, a pop-up will let players instantly update their portraits after making armor or gear set changes, which saves you from having to delve into the feature's quite convoluted menu system. Sure it's more of a band aid fix than the overhaul it arguably needs, but it's an extremely welcome change that should have less players despairing over default portraits.

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