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The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XI classes, round 2
It's time for the second batch of Final Fantasy XI classes to be examined under a set of criteria that have absolutely nothing to do with their actual power level. (Those change too often, and frankly I've never been a fan.) The first time around, we took a look at the three physical classes, who generally scored... all right, but not great. Each one had a clear area of expertise and some serious weaknesses in other areas -- which makes sense, being as they're starter classes. The casters, on the other hand, are a different story. Sure, Warriors wind up later being an ur-type that gets distilled into several other roles, but most of the casters retain their uniqueness far later in the game. So let's take a look at your other three options when starting a new character in Final Fantasy XI, all of which have the same last name.
Final Fantasy XI rolls out the information on the level cap increase
While we knew that the level cap was going to be raised soon in Final Fantasy XI, we hadn't heard much in terms of official details from Square-Enix. The silence has been broken, and while the official announcement neither confirms nor denies that the world's most insanely fit old man will be coming around for more limit breaking, it does offer a few interesting data points regarding the increase. This first round of increases will expand characters to level 80, complete with new equipment and newly relevant areas to suit those at the maximum level. On the negative side, certain main job abilities are confirmed to be unavailable with the concurrent jump in subjob level. The White Mage "Afflatus" skills and a Ninja's Yonin and Innin abilities will be locked away from use by main jobs. A Ranger's Shadowbind and a Scholar's Accession and Manifestation skills will also be usable, but in a weakened state. Other than these limitations, however, it's full speed ahead for the expanded caps in Final Fantasy XI -- and we can only hope that the silence on a new limit break might mean there isn't one.
The Mog Log: Each answer I give you will only lead to more questions
This column may or may not contain any real answers. But it will contain a lot of emotionally satisfying climaxes, and maybe even bring back parts from columns that we've already finished. Unfortunately, there's no way to continue the analogy without making it sound like I was disappointed with the end of a certain well-known television show, which I wasn't. So let's move straightaway to the newest collection of questions and answers about Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV. (And if we could get an island in the latter? That'd be awesome. Just saying.) Kaio asked: "What purpose does it serve to jump on top of roofs or jump off mountians with no consequence?" I've got to say that I do tend to fall with the camp that allows jumping. It's not a deal-breaker if I can't, but it's similar to people complaining about the pretty-line maps found in Mass Effect 2 and Final Fantasy XIII. Sure, it's not like it restricts much of your practical movement, but the fact that the choice is there makes you feel as if you could go anywhere you want. That having been said, it sure seems odd that every single character in most games is able to leap to Mario-like heights without even a warm-up stretch, right?
The Mog Log: Level 99 problems, of which a sub ain't one
Can you feel it? Do you wake up in the middle of the night, finding that you have scrawled the number 99 on your pillows and wall? Does each passing day grip you with a paralytic knowledge that soon, everything you know will be shattered? If so, you may want to see a doctor about that purple prose syndrome, but you're probably keenly aware that the level cap raise in Final Fantasy XI draws ever closer. With that comes chaos, madness, and the ruinous conclusion that you're going to need to do something about that there subjob. In theory, anyway. Consider: with 24 more levels on your main job, your sub will be also flying up twelve levels to 47 -- enough for new abilities even if said job is on the lighter side for that level band. The obvious thought process here is that it's going to change the face of job combinations significantly. But like much of the knee-jerk reaction to the Vanafest 2010 announcements, in a lot of cases not much is actually changing. That having been said... there are a few jobs that produce an interesting thought process.
The Mog Log: The worrying future of Final Fantasy XI
There's a growing unease in the Final Fantasy XI community. It's one of those subtle things that no one is willing to outright talk about, but it's still there, just beneath the surface of a surprising number of discussions. And it's a bit unusual for an MMO, because it's not fear or anxiousness about something being broken from the last update or an upcoming update. No, it's more about the question of whether the upcoming updates will be the last, or if there will even be any changes that could break something. There is an elephant in the room with a big number fourteen on its side, and while few fans of the game are upset that Final Fantasy XIV is coming... well, it raises no shortage of questions about the future of the game we're already playing. And it's not new. People were saying as far back as the leadup to the July update that something was rotten in the state of Jeuno. But when coupled with the promise that Final Fantasy XI isn't over... well, there's an excellent article that almost every fan needs to read on Allakhazam, summarizing what no small number of fans have been thinking. Where are we actually going to be when the dust clears?
