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Lead your Legion into Final Fantasy XI's March version update
Final Fantasy XI's March version update has hit the live servers, and it brings with it a few new bits of content as well as a wealth of updates and adjustments to current systems. The big new feature with this content update is the new Legion battle system, which "is a new battle system intended to challenge high-level adventurers in alliances of eighteen to thirty-six combatants." The Legion system seems to play out like a cross between a survival and a time-attack game mode wherein players are tasked with eliminating as many high-level notorious monsters as they can within a 30-minute time limit. Each notorious monster the team successfully defeats will yield valuable items and Legion points that can be redeemed for a number of rewards. This is only a part of the new additions to the game available with the March update, though, so if you're interested in the complete details, just head on over to the Final Fantasy XI official forums and have a look.
Final Fantasy XI releases April newsletter
The end of April is nearly upon us, so of course it's time for Square-Enix to release their most recent newsletter for Final Fantasy XI highlighting the still-fresh March update. Admittedly, the content doesn't quite have that new patch smell any longer, but the newsletter does its usual job of rounding up and pointing out some of the things that the players might otherwise miss. It also contains a cryptic hint from the development team in response to one of the biggest mysteries and frustrations for the update. In the "good news" department, the newsletter highlights a current sale for the game, $11 for the Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection at Gamestop via download. It also mentions the somewhat baffling habit that the new Voidwalker Notorious Monsters have of not always granting a title to players who kill them, with the development team teasing that "you will all discover the answer soon enough." Last but not least, it reminds former players that the Character Reactivation Service is set up to work with characters from the now-merged servers -- a chance for lapsed Final Fantasy XI players to get back in on the action.
March update comes to Final Fantasy XI
According to the old saying, March should be shuffling out meekly like a lamb at the moment, but the March version update to Final Fantasy XI has just come roaring on to the live servers. Usually we get a bit more warning from Square-Enix before a patch goes live, but with all of the information we'd heard about the contents of the update from VanaFest 2010 it came with no warning other than an early rumor. That means that trivia contest winners and attendees of the festival will gain access to their special hats, and it means that everyone gets a huge load of content added to the game. The latest patch's inclusion of Odin and Alexander as summons was well-known, as was the continuation of the Wings of the Goddess storyline as it nears its conclusion. Less sweeping but still significant is a number of boosts to Puppetmasters, including an upgrade in hand-to-hand skill to B+ level and the removal of range-based calculations from automaton ranged attacks. There are also new Notorious Monsters and new Campaign locations for players to enjoy, so if you're a Final Fantasy XI player you should probably get to downloading the update.
More on Final Fantasy XI's VanaFest prize and March update
Although VanaFest 2010 is moving into the memories (fond or otherwise) of Final Fantasy XI fans everywhere, there are still bits and pieces that remained unanswered questions. For instance, what exactly are the prized Chocobo Berets going to do when players get their hands on them? Thanks to Corinth on the popular fan translation site JP Button, we finally have our answer: they turn players into chocobos. Using the hat turns everyone in the party into an egg which, when hatched (by removing the buff), will temporarily turn a player into an adolescent chocobo that improves their movement speed somewhat. High time to start making friends with attendees or trivia contest winners for that. The translated information also points to the hats being available with the March version update, which looks to be going live on March 23rd. The VanaFest site has a full breakdown of what's due with the update, but in short it's set to include the penultimate parts of the Wings of the Goddess storyline, job adjustments, and the long-awaited Odin and Alexander summon spells. It's also introducing the new "Trial of the Magians" quests. so the end of the month promises to be very busy for Final Fantasy XI -- even if you're not waiting to hatch from a hat-induced egg.
The breakdown of Final Fantasy XI's VanaFest 2010 announcements
After a month of heavy anticipation from the fans, VanaFest 2010 finally has come and given us all the information that we could want about where the game is heading from here. And the show did stay focused upon Final Fantasy XI -- the only mention of Final Fantasy XIV was the announcement that its first wave of beta testing will start on March 11th with a limited number of participants. That left quite a bit of show left to detail all of the changes coming to the game. And there was certainly a lot of news to be shared. An increase in level cap, new add-on zones, job reviews, conclusions to existing content, server merges, new seasonal gear -- there was no shortage of surprising announcements. Continue on past the cut for the short version of what came out during the show and what players can expect.
Rumor: Final Fantasy XI's March update may be the last for the game
It looks like we're getting another version update to Final Fantasy XI in March. The update's existence was broken by the official site today, promising more information when VanaFest rolls around in only five days. All we know at the moment is that it will feature expanded missions and improvements across the board, which is more or less standard fare for the game's large updates. Of course, that means the update certainly isn't the big news that's promised at the upcoming fan festival. But there's a rumor flying around that we might want to enjoy this update a lot. Square-Enix, it's hinted, won't have the game slowly bleed out as Final Fantasy XIV comes into its own -- they're going to outright shut the game down. An employee posted and then retracted a statement implying that the venerable game would shut its doors to make way for Final Fantasy XIV. Confirmed? Not by a long shot. Square has stated they've got more in store for the game, and more than a few players are hoping that a new expansion is the big secret to be revealed at the fan festival. Still, we'll find out soon enough what the future holds for Final Fantasy XI... and perhaps we'd best treasure our time with it now, just in case.
