Filed under: Final Fantasy XI

Doll Festival returning to Final Fantasy XI

by Eliot Lefebvre Feb 9th 2010 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Culture, Events, in-game, Lore

There are a lot of ways that Final Fantasy XI is unique, and one of the major ones is its holidays. Not that the usual suspects are absent, of course... but where else would you see something like the Doll Festival? More to the point, where else would you see a Doll Festival where even the most battle-hardened veterans are expected to eat magical cakes that turn you into little girls? Returning for its fifth year in the game, the Doll Festival is scheduled to begin on February 19th and end on March 3rd, celebrating the arrival of spring and... whatever else you would logically celebrate by turning into a little girl.

As has become de rigeur for the game's holidays, there's a short piece of fiction about the holiday, detailing the adventures of a young knight of San d'Oria and his time at two festivals. It's a cute piece, if a bit saccharine, and it sets the tone for the holiday very well. Take a look at last year's guide on FFXIclopedia for an idea of what the upcoming festival will play like, and keep enjoying the uniquely vibrant (and occasionally disturbing) world of Final Fantasy XI!

The Mog Log: Starting new in Vana'diel

by Eliot Lefebvre Feb 6th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Guides, Leveling, Opinion, The Mog Log

Getting started with Final Fantasy XI can be rather daunting the first time. You might be lucky to have a friend right there holding your hand through the starting areas... or you might accidentally wind up vendoring several thousand gil worth of items because you didn't properly grasp how the auction house works. Or you might throw away a bunch of zinc ore because it's taking up too much space. Or you might put yourself on everyone's blacklist by accidentally locking your chat mode in /yell.

You can draw whatever conclusions you want about my early memories of the game. They're not pretty.

Assuming you've mastered moving, the basics of looking around in your inventory and interacting with NPCs, and so forth, it's not always immediately evident what you're supposed to do, what the best job for a starter character is supposed to be, and so on. Thus, for those of you newly interested in the game, we have a small guide on some of the less immediately transparent elements of the game. (For those of you who already know Sky and Sea inside and out, you can skip ahead to the end. I can promise there's something there.)

Mog Bonanza winners announced in Final Fantasy XI

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 31st 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Contests, News items

Picking numbers for a contest always defaults to something familiar - your zip code, your birthdate, the number of times police have been called to your house because you were shouting so much the neighbors thought you were assaulting someone. At least that way you can blame cosmic randomness instead of just guessing wrong. The many residents of Final Fantasy XI can start blaming fate, as the winning numbers for the Moggy New Year Bonanza have been announced, right on schedule.

In ascending order, the winning number for the Rank 5 prize is 8, Rank 4 is 9-6, Rank 3 is 7-3-3, Rank 2 is 1-1-6-4, and the supreme Rank 1 winning numbers are 5-8-8-4-6. The official site has assembled a small chart showing both the winning numbers and the number of winners of each prize category. Over five hundred thousand players won the Rank 5 prize, narrowing to only 43 people winning the top award.

Of course, there's a limited timeframe to pick up your prize -- anything not claimed by February 15th will be lost forever, so it's best to move in quickly to pick up your reward. Congratulations to those who won, and for those who didn't, well, a Shadow Lord statue isn't that cool.

The Mog Log: The worrying future of Final Fantasy XI

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 30th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Opinion, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

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?

Love is in the air in Final Fantasy XI

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 27th 2010 at 10:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Events, in-game, Previews

For most people, Valentine's Day either means either buying something nice for your partner if you're in a relationship, or staring in silent rage at the endless array of heart-shaped candy boxes if you're single. Unless you're a player in Final Fantasy XI, in which case it means yet another opportunity to get yourself a heart-shaped wand and possibly fulfill your dream of being a magical girl. The not-so-deceptively named Valentione's Day is fast approaching yet again, and as per tradition, the official site has put together a short piece of fiction to commemorate and preview the event.

This year seems to hint at a slight twist to the events of prior years -- while the charm wand has become strongly associated with the event (since that was how one earned it in the first place), it's usually the end reward of the process. The small preview story seems to hint that we'll be called upon to slay more than a few monsters with said wand before everything is said and done... or perhaps it's just a sweet little vignette. Either way, Final Fantasy XI players will get a chance to find out between February 4th through February 15th.

The Mog Log: Community guide to Final Fantasy XI and XIV

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 24th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Opinion, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

The great thing about being a fan of Final Fantasy XI is that you're not lacking in any sort of resources online. After such a long lifespan, pages have been created to suit almost any need the community might have. And for a game whose mechanics can be obtuse at times, that's a good thing.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we? The Mog Log is Massively's new weekly column focusing on all things both Final Fantasy and online, meaning both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV. For our first installment, we're taking a look at the multitude of fan pages, guides, and other resources for players. Needless to say there are a few more options for the former game than the latter (due to only one of them actually being released yet), but there's already a community building in anticipation of Eorzea's adventures.

Become a Square-Enix member, win an autographed Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 20th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Contests, News items, Consoles

The game might be no spring chicken, but Final Fantasy XI is still an overall success, and has more than a few accomplishments under its belt. It's a successful MMORPG on a console, has its own fan convention, has eight years of history, and clearly has made enough an impact to have two subsequent Final Fantasy games with clear ties to it.

All that being said, though, it's possible that you may still not have played it, despite a variety of excellent deals available. If you fall under that header and want an excuse at checking it out in anticipation of Final Fantasy XIV, or if you're a longtime fan hoping for a unique piece of memorabilia, Square-Enix is giving away an excellent little incentive.

Register as a Square-Enix member by February 22nd, and you have a chance to win one of four copies of the Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection -- signed by the game's producer, Hiromichi Tanaka. Fans eagerly anticipating Final Fantasy XIV will likely recall that registering for the game's beta also required a member account, so this only further sweetens the deal. If the chance sounds appealing, it's well worth the few minutes it takes to register.

Square-Enix announces VanaFest 2010

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 16th 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Events, real-world, News items, Final Fantasy XIV

With Final Fantasy XI entering its eighth year of operation and Final Fantasy XIV just around the corner, fans of Square-Enix have plenty to be excited about. But there's even more good news -- the company has just announced VanaFest 2010, the official fan gathering for the game, on February 28th in Tokyo.

The official announcement, mirrored on Pet Food Alpha, makes a strong point that there will be a great deal of information about upcoming job changes and game updates coming for Final Fantasy XI. It seems that even with its big brother on the horizon, Square is still committed to its older game, a welcome sight for many fans. There's also an undisclosed "special announcement" rumored to be coming at the convention.

Pet Food Alpha also has a few additional pieces of information. The tickets for the event will be free of charge, but will only be available to players with an active Japanese POL ID since December 2008. Attendees will be lucky enough to receive the pictured chocobo cap, while those unable to attend will have to be content with the new information coming out of the convention. With any luck, a similar event will be held for American and European players, but even just knowing that new facts are incoming for the game should be enough to get fans worked up.

The sad fate of the PlayOnline Viewer

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 13th 2010 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion

Those of you who are currently playing Final Fantasy XI or who have played it in the past will remember the PlayOnline Viewer. Those of you who haven't will have no idea what it is, which might be for the best. Square-Enix originally included the program with the launch of Final Fantasy XI with the expectation that it would serve as a hub for a variety of different online games, so it would serve as a chat program, a launcher, a social network hub, and a support site.

Of course, when you think of all those things, what you probably think of is Steam, which does all of those things quite well. The PlayOnline Viewer, on the other hand, has proved excellent at doing... well, it mostly means more clicks before you get into FFXI. And as Pet Food Alpha has recently noted, it also seems to be hosting wholly unmoderated explicit chat rooms.

Square-Enix has stated that Final Fantasy XIV will not use the viewer, which means they seem to have abandoned it as a poor idea. Steam works, in part, because it sells a variety of both online and offline games, most of which don't come from its parent company. With a clunky interface and strange functional restrictions on it, it's hardly a surprise that the service never took off... but in light of recent events, the company's policy to ignore it completely might not be the best plan.

Final Fantasy XI launches event for the new year

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 2nd 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Events, in-game, Player Housing

The new year isn't one of the major holidays celebrated by MMOs -- the favorites are the recent winter holiday season and Halloween events, with the possible Valentine's Day or middle-of-summer event. But there's still a time and place for ringing in the new year, and if there's one thing that Final Fantasy XI loves, it's holiday events. (Or killing players in Dynamis. It's a fine line.) This year's event focuses on the spirit of the tiger, with two celebration NPCs roaming the world surrounded by the auspicious spirits of tigers.

While the official posting only tells the story explaining the event, FFXIclopedia has a preliminary guide explaining the event. Chasing the NPCs and trading enough items to them allows you to receive furnishings for you house, or a vanity weapon that can then be used to pick up a unique painting. The event seems to be taking place at random spots all across Vana'diel, with a list of confirmed spots on the guide to help players obtain their new toys. While the game's spiritual sequel is due out this year, it's still a good time for Final Fantasy XI players to celebrate another year in their game of choice.

Final Fantasy XI Developer's Tour: The November version update

by Seraphina Brennan Dec 29th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Expansions, Patches, Consoles, Massively Hands-on

There's a new version update out on the Vana'dielian streets, and that means we've journeyed to Jeuno to meet up with our super-seekret contacts at Square-Enix and talk shop on what's new in Final Fantasy XI.

This latest expansion pack, A Shantotto Ascension, comes bundled with the November version update, as is customary for the past few updates to the title. So, in addition to being able to pay 10 bucks to attempt to foil Professor Shantotto's aspirations of having her own empire, the game has been updated with a brand new crafting system called synergy, the new ability to add "slots" onto your items and upgrade them with evolith modifications, more job updates, and an improvement to the existing wedding system!

As you can see, it's a busy time in Vana'diel, and we got to jaunt around the world and find out more. So come along, follow in our adventurous footsteps, and find out what all the fuss is about!

Final Fantasy XI cracks down on cheating

by Eliot Lefebvre Dec 26th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Exploits, News items, Academic

Square-Enix can get very touchy about certain things with Final Fantasy XI. Revealing the precise numbers and mechanics behind many of the game's elements seems to be one of them that none of the game's fans are terribly pleased with, but they're just as touchy about people cheating in the game, which fans can't help but be happy about. The game's terms of use clearly state that the use of third-party applications interacting with the game is expressly forbidden, and the game has recently dropped the hammer for good on one of the distributors of third-party hacks.

The announcement, which can be found on the official site or mirrored on Allakhazam.com, states that the game's team had been monitoring the sale and distribution of certain undisclosed third-party applications, and they had subsequently shut down both the servers for the programs as well as the sellers. The specific applications are not named, as is normal for Final Fantasy XI -- they don't want to encourage anyone to seek out the cheats, after all. The announcement also includes the usual warnings about bannings and account security when connected with third-party cheats. It's always good news when the less scrupled side of a game's community gets shut down -- now if only we could pass some of this along to NCsoft for their recent woes.

Massively's 2009 Winter Holiday Event Guide

by Rubi Bayer Dec 16th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Super-hero, Aion, City of Heroes, Dark Age of Camelot, Dungeons and Dragons Online, EVE Online, EverQuest II, Fallen Earth, Final Fantasy XI, Guild Wars, Lineage, Lineage 2, Lord of the Rings Online, MapleStory, Culture, Events, in-game, Warhammer Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Ultima Online, MetaPlace, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic, Dragonica Online, Cities XL

It's that time of year again -- whatever holiday you are celebrating, the denizens of your favorite MMO are sure to be celebrating it too. Whether it's Festivult in Dungeons and Dragons Online, Wintersday in Guild Wars, or the Starlight Celebration in Final Fantasy XI, the theme is the same. There are presents, some sort of sugary treats, and tons of fun. Follow along with us as we check out who's partying in your favorite MMO and what you need to do to get in on the fun.

Final Fantasy XI finishes version update at long last

by Eliot Lefebvre Dec 7th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Patches, Crafting

The final part of Final Fantasy XI's now very inaccurately named November version update has finally gone live. As you may recall, when the content-laden update finally did go live, it was missing one of the larger new features promised, the evolith and synergy systems slated for inclusion. Square-Enix stated that they would be available in a subsequent patch after the middle of the month, which does mean that they're technically still on schedule. But why complain when there are new things to play around with? The important point is that while a little belated, the new systems are now available for everyone.

Final Fantasy XI has the full patch notes available, which offers further detail regarding the mechanics of synergy and a few new bits regarding evolith itself. There's a large listing of the exact commands used in this new form of crafting, which looks to be an entertainingly complex minigame with a bit more of a skill-based component than the game's usual crafting system. Read over the full notes, find some friends willing to stand next to a furnace that could explode at any minute, and reap the rewards of further customization in the game. Maybe complain a little about how long it took in the process, if you have to.

Final Fantasy XI plays the moogle lottery

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 25th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Contests, Events, in-game, Making money, News items

1-2-3-4-5 might not be the combination on your luggage, but it could fetch you a tidy sum of gil or some rare items in Final Fantasy XI in the near future. The third iteration of the Mog Bonanza event is incoming, and those five digits might be the key to riches. Or to irritation at having thrown money away on a ridiculous gamble. Starting on December 24th, all characters who have been in existence for at least 45 days may purchase a Mog Bonanza marble, which then is inscribed with five digits of the player's choice. On January 29th, 2010, a set of winning numbers will be chosen.

Of course, you might argue that your odds of getting exactly the right five numbers are rather low (1 in 100,000 or so), which is true. But luckily for everyone involved, it's easier to win than matching the whole number. The best prizes go to those who match all five numbers, but even if just the last digit of your chosen numbers match the picked numbers, you win a reward. Your odds of that are about 1 in 10, which isn't a bad deal. For the full rules and the details of the rewards, take a look at the official page, and start dreaming of high-powered artifacts and buckets of gil in Final Fantasy XI. (We recommend 8-1-5-1-6, if you're so inclined.)