Basics Traits:
In FINAL FANTASY XI, you create your own character by selecting your race, job, gender, face,
and body size.
The combinations are unlimited.
There are five races (Hume, Elvaan, Tarutaru, Mithra, Galka) and
six initial jobs (warrior, monk, white mage, black mage, and red mage) to choose from. Many other jobs exist as well.
Changing Jobs:
You can change your job any time, and eventually gain the ability to select a support job. With
a support job, you can effectively "hold two jobs at once." Want to be a warrior who can cast white magic? How about a monk
with black magic? With support jobs, the combinations are endless!
As your adventures progress, you may find that
new jobs become available. Why not try your hand at learning the ways of the bard, ranger, or beastmaster?
Quests:
Quests are specific requests from individuals, shops,
or organizations, and you may accept or decline as you wish. The conditions for most quests are fairly loose, and typically
do not require you to have a specific job level, ability, or allegiance. Quests rarely result in worthwhile monetary gain,
but the trust and respect that your character will gain are priceless.
Missions:
In a mission, your character is temporarily hired
to solve a problem that is troubling your nation, and you will be compensated accordingly. The specific content of missions
ranges from odd jobs to top-secret operations. With higher levels come increased trust Ô and the opportunity to undertake
important missions with great rewards... and high stakes.
Conquest:
Just like the mission system, conquests have a direct
impact on your nation. In conquests, nations compete to rule over specific regions. Each region is made up of up to eight
smaller areas. Your role is to fight beastmen and monsters for the honor and glory of your nation.
Rewards of the Conquest:
A nation's "influence" depends on
the number of regions under its control, and has a large impact on its economic status. As a player, you will receive points
as you participate in the conquest, allowing you to obtain special items as your conquest points increase.
Once a region comes under your nation's control, border guards will be dispatched to stand guard
there. These guards play a vital role in supporting the crystal-gathering activities of players.
The more regions your nation controls, the more prosperous it will become. And a strong nation
will surely result in innumerable benefits for adventurers like you.
The History of the Conquest:
Let us take a brief look at the
historical origins of the conquest in Vana'diel. Although there has been a marked decrease in large-scale coordinated attacks
from the beastmen since the end of the Crystal War, constant sweeps are required to hunt down wandering bands of beastmen
that threaten small villages and travelers.
Yet the nations of Vana'diel are exhausted from the war, and continue to harbor doubts about
their allies. As such, they are reluctant to dispatch large numbers of their own troops to deal with the problem.
Troubled by the situation, Grand Duke Kam'lanaut of the Grand Duchy of Jeuno proposed the conquest
system. This awards the right to control a region to the nation that contributed the most to ensure its safety. As the nation
of Jeuno is a crossroads of trade and does not desire any further territory of its own, it acts as the impartial judge and
sponsor of the conquest.
The representatives of the three great nations of Vana'diel gathered in Selbina, and agreed that
a force was needed to deal with the beastmen scourge. The representatives signed the "Selbina Pact for Conquest." Since then,
each nation's border guards have been authorized to deputize adventurers of the same allegiance to participate in the conquest.
This has ushered in a new era in the history of Vana'diel: the Age of Adventurers.
Communication:
Chat:
Communicating with players around the world is one of the most enjoyable features of any online
game.
There are plenty of ways to express yourself and chat with others in FINAL FANTASY XI.
Emotes:
Bow to a friendly player or wave to say goodbye to a comrade. In FINAL FANTASY XI, players can
express emotions such as joy, anger, and sadness through character motions.
Well here we are about to list these interesting chat commands. Some of them are used a lot of the time...while others
are just left by the wayside. Some of these are a bit self-explanatory:
/amazed -look amazed
/angry- Look angry at a person...or just be angry
/blush- blush
/bow- just take a bow...I used it to thank people
/cheer- cheer on your teammates...fun when someone gains a level
/clap- clap for someone...like above I used it when someone gained a level
/comfort- try and make them feel better
/cry- *Sniff* my friend just died!
/dance- Dance around...works best for TaruTarus!
/disgusted- Look disgusted
/doubt- just doubt something
/doze- I'm sleepy! *yawn*
/em- basically this is like '/me' in IRC and with it you can make your character do anything in text. (* Shadowneko steals
your hat!)
/farewell- extreme goodbye...to your friends
/fume- brood over something
/goodbye- wave goodbye
/grin- smile...you're on Shadowneko's camera!
/joy- very happy!
/kneel- kneel before anyone you want! (I'm not worthy!)
/laugh- laugh
/muted- just mute yourself and others
/no- just say NO!
/nod- nod yes
/panic- PANIC! (oh no that goblin is way too close)
/point- point to something
/poke- poke your friends
/praise- way to go!
/psych- get psyched up
/salute- salute someone...I used it to thank people a lot
/sigh- *Sigh*
/smile- Smile a little smaller
/stagger- stagger around a bit
/stare- stare...at the wall for all I care...
/sulk- sulk about something
/surprised- look surprised
/sit - sit down
/think- look like you're thinking about something
/upset- be really upset
/wave- wave at passers by and such
/welcome- welcome a friend
/yes- YES!!!
Parties:
You can enjoy the game alone, but as you progress in your adventures in Vana'diel, many powerful
monsters await you. You will need a group of allies if you want to survive.
Form parties to enjoy an entirely new level of play!
Alliances:
A party can hold a maximum of 6 players, but some monsters are too powerful for a single party
to defeat. Alliances, consisting of a maximum of 3 parties, or 18 players, can be formed to battle such powerful foes.
Battle System:
Magic:
There are two schools of magic: white magic, which focuses on healing wounds, and black magic,
which deals damage. Some spells can only be cast on monsters, while others can only be used on fellow players -- but take
care when choosing your target!
Job Abilities:
As you increase the level of your current job, you learn abilities that are unique to that job.
These are called job abilities. They include the HP-restoring ability, "Auto-Regen," as well as the warrior's Defender ability,
which increases your Defense.
Weapon Skills:
Whenever you deal or take damage in battle, you gain Tactical Points. Once the TP gauge reaches
a certain point, you can unleash powerful weapon skills, depending on your current weapon. These include offensive moves like
double strikes and elemental attacks. Proper timing when using weapon skills is the key to success in combat!
Skillchains and Magic Burst:
When multiple characters use weapon skills and magic spells at the right moment, they can start
an extremely powerful combo attack.
This linking of weapon skills to maximize an attack is called a Skillchain. When magic spells
are used in the mix, they generate Magic Bursts.
Transportation:
Many methods of transportation are available to help adventurers travel between the nations of
Vana'diel. Some have made appearances in previous FINAL FANTASY titles, like airships, chocobos, and ferries.
Trade:
The Trade system lets players securely transfer money and goods between themselves, and also
give items to NPCs for the myriad quests in the game.
The Auction:
In the auction houses of FINAL FANTASY XI, sellers designate an asking price when they put items
up for bid. The first bidder to offer a price higher than the asking price gets to purchase the item. These places are a magnet
for players, since it's possible to get a better deal here than at the shops run by NPCs.
Bazaar:
Players can also hawk items themselves with the Bazaar system. Just set a price on any item in
your inventory -- any players targeting you can easily check for items you have for sale and buy them immediately.
Crystal Synthesis:
Through crystal synthesis, players can create a fantastic variety of items, many of which are
unavailable in shops. The system is flexible and lets players experiment to make the items they want.
Fishing:
There are many fine fishing spots scattered throughout Vana'diel. By increasing your fishing
skill, you can catch valuable fish and other items. And, any fish you catch can be cooked into a variety of dishes!
