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Final Fantasy XI

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Final Fantasy XI
ファイナルファンタジーXI
Fainaru Fantajī XI
Developer(s) Square Co., Ltd.
Publisher(s) Square Co., Ltd.
Release date
Playstation 2 version:
Japan May 16, 2002
United States/Canada March 23, 2004

PC version:

United States Canada October 28, 2003
Europe Australia September 27, 2004

Xbox 360 version:

United States Canada April 18, 2006
Japan April 20, 2006
Europe/Australia April 21, 2006
Genre MMORPG
Game modes Massive Multiplayer Online
Ratings ESRB:TeenTeen
PEGI:12+12+
USK: 12+ 12+
OFLC: G8+ (PC); PG (X360)
CERO:12+12+
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Final Fantasy XI, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is the eleventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It is currently available for Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360. Final Fantasy XI is also available on PlayStation 3, though this version of the game plays through emulation, and there is no noticeable graphic improvement playing on a PlayStation 3. Final Fantasy XI strays away from other Final Fantasy games, being the first Final Fantasy MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online RPG). It is also much different in the sense that you are not the only hero. Each player experiences the storylines as though they are the protagonist, bringer of great change to Vana'diel, but each must cooperate with other players. Leveling up may be accomplished solo, though at a great expense of time, but almost all quests require the help of other players. Also, battles are all real-time, taking the ATB system to a new level, which was emulated again, to a certain extent, in Final Fantasy XII.

This game has four expansion packs:

Each expansion pack adds its own story which players can choose to complete. Also, each adds new areas that are available to explore, many of which require the player to complete all or part of the story, weapons, armor, equipment, creatures, and sometimes even new methods of gameplay (e.g. Assault, Campaign, or Besieged).

Additionally, three expansion chapters will be made available for download starting in Spring 2009:

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

[edit] Controls

The controls for the PC version are all based around the Num-pad, but can also be switched for keyboards without one, such as those built in most laptops.

[edit] Button Configuration (PC, W/Num-pad)

Num-Pad
Button Function
4 Move Left
8 Move Forward
6 Move Right
2 Move Back
5 First Person View
9 Zoom In
3 Zoom Out
/ Walk
* Rest shortcut
0 Select nearest target.
- Open Menu
Enter (num-pad) Confirm


F keys
Button Function
F1 First Party Member (Determined on the list located at the lower right hand corner.)
F2 Second Party Member ""
F3 Third Party Member ""
F4 Fourth Party Member ""
F5 Fifth Party Member ""
F6 Sixth Party Member ""
F7 Target Self
F8 Select nearest NPC (Party members' avatars in between the player and a target will prevent easy manual targeting; this targeting method enables other players a failsafe means of assisting with a single target)
F9 Select the nearest PC.


Arrow Keys
Button Function
Up Arrow Rotate camera (Up)
Down Arrow Rotate camera (Down)
Left Arrow Rotate camera (Left)
Right Arrow Rotate camera (Right)
  • Note: When engaged in combat or in another window where Arrow Keys have an alternate function, holding Shift + Arrow Key will operate the camera.


Other Keys
Button Function
Tab Target nearest target
Ctrl + [#1 - 9] Use scripted "Macros" or shortcuts that the player makes to quickly cast spells and use abilities.
Alt + [#1 - 9] Use macros #10 - 18, 10 being 1 and 18 being 9.
[Alt or Ctrl] + [Up or Down] Change between macro configurations, good when the player decides to switch jobs or use a different macro set up.
Enter Confirm
Esc Back
Scroll Up Zoom In
Scroll Down Zoom out
Pause/Break Log out


[edit] Jobs

Final Fantasy XI uses the concept of "changing jobs". The six standard jobs from the base game are:

Beside the six "standard" jobs, there are also six "extra" jobs in the game. These are accessible by leveling a "standard" job to level 30 and then completing a quest in order to unlock the new job. The "advanced" jobs are:

Note: The Summoner job was introduced simultaneously with Ninja, Samurai, and Dragoon (see below) with the version update that accompanied that expansion's release. It is often listed apart from those jobs because the player does not need the Rise of the Zilart expansion to unlock or use the job.

Rise of the Zilart added three more "advanced" jobs to the game:

Chains of Promathia did not add any new jobs to the game, but Treasures of Aht Urhgan added three:

Wings of the Goddess added even more new jobs to the game:

The unique job capability of Final Fantasy XI is the ability to equip a "main job" and a "subjob" or "support job". The "support job" ability is a quest based in the towns of Mhaura and Selbina, and you are eligible for the quest at level 18. The purpose of a "support job" is to enhance your "main job" and is always half the level of your "main job"; for example, a level 75 White Mage could choose a "support job" of Black Mage, and would have all the abilities that a Black Mage has access to up until level 37 (provided their Black Mage is leveled that high). The player can typically choose what job he wants to use for his sub job, but some combinations fail to work and typically don't allow the person to get invited to a party. Since getting into a party is crucial to the game play aspect of FFXI, it is important for the player to choose what job he is going to level up to 75 and know what job he needs to level to support his main job. This makes the game rather hard for novice players to grasp and fully understand what main job needs what support job.

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

20 years after defeating The Shadow Lord in the Great Crystal War, the three great nations of Vana'diel, the The Republic of Bastok, The Kingdom of San d'Oria, and the The Federation of Windurst experience a period of relative peace. However, the toll of the war is so tremendous that they have started relying on adventurers to do their bidding in the form of missions. During one of the missions to infiltrate a beastmen's lair, adventurers team up with Lion, a scout for an undercover organization named Tenshodo to discover that the beastmen are working to revive the Shadowlord. Distraught, Lion decides to report back to Tenshodo. Meanwhile, the embassy of each nation has requested the adventurers to be sent to Jeuno to help with several tasks.

Archduke Kam'lanaut, leader of Jeuno and hero of the Crystal War, learns about the adventurers and requests their presence in his audience room. Kam'lanaut and his brother Eald'narche ask the adventurers to infiltrate the three beastmen strongholds and retrieve magicites which he believes can be used to resurrect The Shadow Lord. They request the help of Aldo, leader of Tenshodo to infiltrate one of the stronghold. During this mission, the adventurers learn about an incident 30 years ago during an expedition to the northlands in which a female hume named Cornelia was accidently killed trying to protect her lover and fellow adventurer, a Galka named Raogrimm. Raogrimm disappeared after the incident while the other three members of the expedition mysteriously died as soon as they returned home. After receiving the magicites, Kam'lanaut sends the adventurers away. Their embassies send them home to report to their nations.

Upon returning to their home nations, their leaders decide to send them to check on the final seal in Fei'Yin to make sure that it has not been broken. In Fei'Yin, the adventurers meet Zeid, another hero of the Crystal War. Following Lion's investigation, Zeid goes to Fei'Yin to also check on the seal. However, they are too late. The final seal has been broken and the resurrection of The Shadow Lord is imminent. Together with Zeid and Lion, the adventurers infiltrate Castle Zvahl, The Shadow Lord's former stronghold during the Crystal War. They reached the throne room just in time to see The Shadow Lord gets resurrected. Zeid and the adventurers defeat The Shadow Lord and discover that he is actually Raogrimm, Zeid's close friend who went missing 30 years ago. Zeid lays his friend's soul to rest and Raogrimm is finally reunited with Cornelia. After escaping Castle Zvahl, Lion invites the adventurers to visit her in the Outlands, which is featured heavily in the first expansion, Rise of the Zilart.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Development

A photograph of the movie shown during the event showing artwork. From left to right, a man, a White Mage, a small dragon and a Dragoon are seen.

The original idea for Final Fantasy XI was conceived by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and the game was first announced in 2000 at the Square Millennium Event in Japan along with the announcement for Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XI. The very first teaser trailer can be seen here: [1].

[edit] See Also

[edit] External Links


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