New Expansion VideoFollow

I wonder though. If this Blue mage is like previous ones, you have to get hit with the ability to learn it. Would that make Blue mage a tank job? Hm.

Square Enix officially announces “Final Fantasy XI: The Treasures of Aht Urhgan.” A new job, the “blue mage,” and new areas…directed by Mr. Ogawa.

In addition to unveiling the Xbox 360 version of “Final Fantasy XI” over in the MicroSoft Booth, Square-Enix corporation also officially unveiled the third expansion to “Final Fantasy,” following, “The Chains of Promathia,” entitled, “The Treasures of Aht Urhgan.” What a wonderful surprise it was to all of us gathered in the hall who had merely hoped to see the newest developments surrounding the Xbox 360, and instead were treated to the showing of the expansion disk as well. Although there was not a lot of information revealed, allow us to introduce what we have uncovered to the best of our knowledge.

First, please be aware that the information revealed was limited to a promotional video and a demonstration by the staff of the FFXI team. In fact, the showing of the video had not been announced previously and came as quite a shock to many, including ourselves.

Although the video itself was barely a minute long, the contents were extremely rich. Accompanied by a number of cryptic messages, the video begins as a digest of the most famous scenes from the “Rise of the Zilart,” and the “Chains of Promathia,” before launching into a lightning quick introduction to the four new areas.

These new areas include a ghost ship, an eerie swamp land reminiscent of the Boyahda tree, a beautiful verdant grasslands and a brand new sea route that is drenched in adventure. During the scene featuring the new sea route, one can see on the cliffs beyond, a view to whet the appetite; the tall walls of a grand castle and a cityscape with large domes tinged with Middle Eastern flair. It is unknown “where” the new areas will be in relation to the present Vana’diel…however to house a vision so grand, surely the only remaining area would be the very other side of the World Map.

At the end of the movie appear the FFXI community’s much anticipated new job, “Blue Mage,” wearing Middle Eastern robes. The Tarutaru uses what resembles a spider’s special attack, “Spider Web,” while the Hume raises his hands high over his head whilst breathing the Manticore’s “Heat Breath.”

In regards to the Blue Mage job, while it is certainly not a mainstream job, it is a very beloved one to those familiar with the FFXI genre—if asked to think of 10 jobs that define FF, it’s impact is enough to make such a list time and time again.

The Blue Mage’s special ability is, “Blue Magic.” By using a skill called, “Learning,” a Blue Mage may learn the attacks of enemies, using such in exchange for MP. There are many useful skills that can be learned, and the job itself will no doubt become a staple. Additionally, did you know that the existing FFXI commands, “Check,” and the BST’s “Examine,” were actually originally Blue Mage abilities?

However, such line of thought is based on previous examples, and we do not know for sure if the Blue Mage will continue to have such abilities in FFXI. What we hope to say however, is that this job will be come a middle line type (tanks are front line, most mages are back line) that will require MP; although until we are sure of the effects of “Learning,” who knows what will happen.

But at any rate, we all know that one of FFXI’s strengths is in the variety of enemies, the various unique attacks they use and the scale of the attacks they use. It should be safe to say that by harnessing these new abilities for ourselves, users can create a whole new way of playing. No doubt, the Blue Mages abilities will have a great impact on the level restrictions and support job system of FFXI. As for what attacks can be unlocked, at what level, and for how much MP? That will become a showcase of the developers’ skills.

Now, at the MicroSoft FFXI Corner, we were able to ask a few questions to the Publicity Producer, Mr. Wada. Although he would not review any more than was already revealed by the movie, we do know that the Director is now “Chains of Promathia,” Map Planner Kouichi Ogawa.

Contents are oft considered new jobs, new areas and new storylines and events that drive the whole. When asked the number of new jobs, he responded, “I am not able to answer that.” When asked if there were multiple jobs, a more positive, “I wonder…” We were also quite interested in learning how the story would continue to unfold. In the original and “Rise of the Zilart,” a direct approach was used by leveling from 1 to 75, whilst in “Chains of Promathia,” a more dramatic, level restricted area was introduced to create a more severe game balance.

With the changing of the guard to new director, Ogawa, while the number or specifics of quests and missions are yet unknown, the approach to unfolding these events will be wholly unique to “Treasures.” And with that, we conclude the report of what is know. We will be informing you of any new developments as they are unveiled.

~Naru

That being the case it would makr perfect sense to have a male mithra type race, and mayhap that is why the Mithra chose to flee here, seeing as this new land in appearance mimics our India