The world that Final Fantasy XI takes place in is known as "Vana'Diel". Previously this world was blessed by force known as "The Crystals". Those that believed in their power, fought against the monsters aligned with the darkness...
It has just been announced that Final Fantasy XIII will see a North American and European release date of March 9 2010.
What does this have to do with Final Fantasy XIV though? A March release for FFXIII would mean that at the earliest FFXIV would be released during the summer. Though it should also be noted that the beta (when started) for Final Fantasy XIV will probably run longer than six months, which will more than likely push the title to a Spring release if not later.
Have your own ideas on a release date for FFXIV now that we know when Final Fantasy XIII is coming out? Tell us your thoughts in the
From Square Enix comes the FINAL FANTASY XI ULTIMATE COLLECTION which includes the original game, four expansions, and three add-on scenarios for $19.99 available in the United States and Canada!
Vana'diel — a land of magic, swords and technology — welcomes new adventurers, along with seasoned FINAL FANTASY veterans, with open arms. This land cries out for fearless warriors like you to restore the peace that the citizens dream of. Heed the call and join hundreds of thousands of players from around the world to become the hero that Vana'diel needs. FINAL FANTASY XI ULTIMATE COLLECTION includes the following:
FINAL FANTASY XI: The award-winning original game
Four expansions:
Rise of the Zilart®
Chains of Promathia®
Treasures of Aht Urhgan®
Wings of the Goddess®
3 add-on scenarios:
A Crystalline Prophecy™ — Ode of Life Bestowing™
A Moogle Kupo d'Etat™ — Evil in Small Doses™
A Shantotto Ascension™ — The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born™
FINAL FANTASY XI arrives on the Steam platform for the very first time! Wee. It's available to download now for $19.99. The Steam version requires 9.5GB of hard drive space.
The November major version update, starring the third and final add-on scenario, "A Shantotto Ascension—The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born," is now available for your downloading pleasure! With compelling new Wings of the Goddess quests, more heart-pounding action with the Moblin Maze Mongers, a host of job adjustments, and throngs of game-enhancing tweaks across the board, there is bound to be something for adventurers of all stripes!
This version update contains the game data for the add-on scenario "A Shantotto Ascension—The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born." After downloading the update and purchasing a registration code, the scenario will become playable. * Players must be level 10 or above to participate in the add-on scenario missions.
* After purchasing a registration code, a period of time may be required before the in-game content becomes accessible.
* If the "A Shantotto Ascension" logo remains faded even after purchase, please wait a few minutes and exit to the PlayOnline FINAL FANTASY XI main page. After this, return to the game title screen and examine the logo again.
-
Event-related
New quests, based primarily in areas introduced since the Wings of the Goddess expansion, have been added.
The following changes have been made to Moblin Maze Mongers:
* A new Maze Voucher has been added.
Maze Voucher 8: Overcome your opponent in a test of angling prowess.
* Several new Maze Runes have been added.
* New rewards have been added.
* The variety of monsters appearing in the Sanitization Team objective has been increased.
* You can now exchange unused Maze Runes for Moblin Marbles by talking to the Lower Jeuno NPC "Chatnachoq."
The following changes have been made to the Chocobo Circuit:
* The amount of chocobucks awarded to first, second, and third place winners in chocobo racing has been increased.
* New rewards have been added.
The fast-approaching major version update will usher in auspicious adjustments spanning a wide range of in-game elements. Today, it is our pleasure to introduce the changes that are scheduled for the Chocobo Circuit, the fishing quest "Inside the Belly," and more!
Chocobo Circuit
- Bigger Rewards
The amount of chocobucks rewarded to first, second, and third place winners in chocobo racing will be significantly increased.
- Revised Race Schedule
The Chocobo Circuit schedule has undergone a full review. The C2 Chocobo Race and C1 Crystal Stakes will be held with greater frequency, and races will take place at the same time each Earth day, making it easier for players to participate than ever before.
*The red and blue race attendants above will alternately conduct races.
- New Rewards
The dashing racing silks dutifully worn by jockeys will be added to the list of reward items obtainable in exchange for chocobucks. With each color offering unique beneficial effects for its wearer, there is bound to be something for every chocobo fan!
Quest: Inside the Belly Players will be able to turn in more varieties of fish to the quest-starter NPC. Rumor has it these fishes have a penchant for swallowing up new equipment whole...?
Past Vana'diel
- Xarcabard [s]
Monster distribution will be adjusted to allow adventurers to safely arrive at their destination when using the teleportation service requiring Allied Notes.
- Eldieme Necropolis [s]
A number of gates within the necropolis will be adjusted to remain open at all times to allow players to find their way to union treasure chests at the end of a Campaign Battle.
All this and more is coming to you in the soon-arriving major version update!
Eldieme Necropolis update is fudgin sweet! Stupid Mobs would get stuck in the back, beating on Fort, and if you killed them in that room, the doors closed and you had to roll out of there the hard way. Thank god they did that, as people stopped even campaigning there on valefor.
Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in North America, today announced that FINAL FANTASY XI Ultimate Collection will be released on November 10th in North America, in time for the holidays. A comprehensive compilation of all the content created within the title’s history, this new entry to the FINAL FANTASY XI catalog will be priced at $19.99 and available as a retail product for both Windows PC and Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, and as a PC download through select digital content distributors.
A one-size-fits-all upgrade for any FINAL FANTASY XI fan, as well as an all-access passport for players eager to begin their adventures in the world of Vana’diel, this new compilation encompasses the four previously released expansion packs – Rise of the ZilarT, Chains of Promathia, TreasureS of Aht Urhgan, and Wings of the Goddess – as well as the three add-on scenarios released in 2009: “A Crystalline Prophecy - Ode of Life Bestowing,” “A Moogle Kupo d’Etat - Evil in Small Doses” and “A Shantotto Ascension - The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born.” The third add-on scenario, “A Shantotto Ascension,” will officially launch later this year.
FINAL FANTASY XI is the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game capable of simultaneous multiplayer cooperation across three different platforms and provides service to players in North America, Europe and Japan. Now in its eighth year of service, FINAL FANTASY XI has a robust community of subscribers from around the world. The game continues to evolve and expand, offering newcomers and fans alike an immersive, engrossing and engaging universe to explore, defend and conquer.
For more information about FINAL FANTASY XI, please visit the official website: FINAL FANTASY XI.
Ladies and gentlemen! Coming to you in a version update scheduled for as early as late November is "Synergy"—the new in-game system that will add a whole new dimension to synthesis!
What Is Synergy?
Synergy is an advanced form of synthesis wherein up to six players, each with unique skills, cooperate to create a single item via an apparatus called the "synergy furnace."
There are numerous differences to be noted between synergy and traditional single-player synthesis, one of them being the maintenance of elemental balance within the abovementioned synergy furnace. Synergists-to-be, take heed! Being a new field of science with numerous theories yet unverified, synergy is not a risk-free undertaking, and practitioners are advised to steel themselves for the occasional mishap.
Communal synergy furnaces will be made available in certain cities, and "synergy engineers"—your guides into the fascinating world of synergy—will be posted beside them to teach beginners the ropes. Furthermore, by completing a new quest, players will gain access to a handy new item that will allow them to summon their very own private furnace for use in field areas, eliminating the need to wait in line to use a public one.
Synergy Skill
Synergy skill determines your ability to safely handle synergy furnaces, and can be raised by applying synergy techniques used to manipulate elemental concentration levels inside the furnace. Proficiency in these techniques, too, can be raised to a degree corresponding to your synergy skill level. We recommend all players prioritize improving their skill, because when it comes to synergy, experience is synonymous with safety.
Certain synergy recipes demand expertise in specific synthesis disciplines, but synergy will be possible so long as a participating party member possesses the requisite skill in question. No single character needs to have all skill sets, and the supplier of ingredients is not required to possess any whatsoever. Each participant in synergy plays an equally significant role in the process.
Synergizing via a Communal Furnace
1) Obtain the "synergy crucible" key item.
The synergy crucible serves as the receptacle for different varieties of elemental "fewell," the source of power for furnaces. Characters need only acquire the crucible once by completing a new quest.
The Latest Evolution in Equipment—Announcing the Evolith System! (11/04/2009)
We're pleased to announce a new system that promises to offer adventurers unprecedented customization options for their equipment! Named the "Evolith" system for the curious stones whose powers must be harnessed to reap the benefits, it will be introduced in a version update coming as early as late November.
Introducing Evolith
Little more than nondescript rocks at first glance, the substance known as evolith has long escaped the notice of the inhabitants of Vana'diel. Closer investigation, however, has revealed that these ancient stones harbor elemental power to rival that of crystals. With advances in the emerging discipline of synergy*, the time has come that their latent potential may at long last be tapped...
*Synergy is a new form of synthesis conducted using a "synergy furnace."
This system will be introduced in detail in a future Topics article.
With each piece of evolith possessing unique properties (*see example screenshots), adventurers may mix and match them in various combinations to bolster compatible equipment with the exact combination of attributes they desire.
*Development screenshot—subject to change.
Evolith 101
Adventurers may enhance their equipment with evolith through the following procedure:
1. Acquire evolith
- Evolith can be obtained by completing new NM hunting regimes accessible from "Hunt Registries" that will be introduced to certain areas alongside the Evolith system.
- Note that each piece of evolith is defined by a unique shape, size and elemental affinity.
2. Choose the base equipment you wish to enhance
- A vast assortment of equipment will support evolith, from several hundred existing items spanning a wide range... [Read More]
To commemorate the release of the third and final add-on scenario, we are proud to introduce the "Nexus Cape," an in-game bonus item for players who have purchased the entire trilogy. All characters under a single player account registered for all three add-ons will be eligible for this gift.
Owners of the FINAL FANTASY XI ULTIMATE COLLECTION, scheduled for release on November 10, can also shout with glee, as the gift will be available to them also.
Read on for the juicy details.
To commemorate the release of the third and final add-on scenario, we are proud to introduce the "Nexus Cape," an in-game bonus item for players who have purchased the entire trilogy. All characters under a single player account registered for all three add-ons will be eligible for this gift.
Owners of the FINAL FANTASY XI ULTIMATE COLLECTION, scheduled for release on November 10, can also shout with glee, as the gift will be available to them also.
Following the release of the next version update, eligible characters may collect their Nexus Cape from the treasure coffer located within the Tenshodo Headquarters in Lower Jeuno.
The Nexus Cape is an enchanted item that allows characters in a party to teleport to their party leader's location. Please note, however, that the enchantment's effectiveness is limited to certain destinations only. Provided that all requisite conditions are fulfilled, characters may teleport to the areas listed below:
Uleguerand Range / Attohwa Chasm / West Ronfaure / East Ronfaure / La Theine Plateau / Valkurm Dunes / Jugner Forest / Batallia Downs / North Gustaberg / South Gustaberg / Konschtat Highlands / Pashhow Marshlands / Rolanberry Fields / Beaucedine Glacier / Xarcabard / Cape Teriggan / Eastern Altepa Desert / West Sarutabaruta / East Sarutabaruta / Tahrongi Canyon / Buburimu Peninsula / Meriphataud Mountains / Sauromugue Champaign / Yuhtunga Jungle / Yhoator Jungle / Western Altepa Desert / Qufim Island / Behemoth's Dominion / Valley of Sorrows / Southern San d'Oria / Northern San d'Oria / Port San d'Oria / Bastok Mines / Bastok Markets / Port Bastok / Windurst Waters / Windurst Walls / Port Windurst /... [Read More]
It is our pleasure to announce that registration codes for "A Shantotto Ascension—The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born" are now available for purchase. The official site has been updated to mark this momentous occasion, so head on over and see what's in store!
Follow the "A Shantotto Ascension" banner on the PlayOnline Viewer's main FINAL FANTASY XI page to purchase your registration code.
*Purchasing users will be able to access the new content with the release of the next FINAL FANTASY XI version update, currently scheduled for November 9.
*One registration code will grant all characters within a single PlayOnline account access to "A Shantotto Ascension."
The next version update of FINAL FANTASY XI will be split into the following three parts.
- 1st Part (Oct. 29, 2009)
This will be a version update without maintenance.
* There will be no in-game changes with this version update.
- 2nd Part (Nov. 9, 2009)
This will be a version update with maintenance.
- 3rd Part (During the last part of November) This will be a version update with maintenance.
* We will provide more details on the maintenance and version updates at a later date.
Additionally, the third add-on scenario, available for purchase on Oct. 26, 2009, "A Shantotto Ascension: The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born" will be available for play after the Nov. 9 version update.
Additionally, due to congestion on or around the date of the version update, it may take some time for the contents of "A Shantotto Ascension" to show up in FINAL FANTASY XI after purchase. It is recommended that if you are considering a purchase of "A Shantotto Ascension," you do so before the version update.
Top 5 Stats 
- New Rewards
Players will be able to turn in more varieties of fish to the quest-starter NPC. Rumor has it these fishes have a penchant for swallowing up new equipment whole...?
