It's been on the minds of players for years now and VanaFest 2010 finally brought us the official news: certain Final Fantasy XI servers will be merging into others next month. The current amount of servers will be reduced down to 24, with players from 'Source Worlds' transferring to 'Destination Worlds'.

Discuss this on the ZAM forums.

For more information on this, read the following from PlayOnline:

We will be performing a World Merge to resolve this issue so players may enjoy all the content the game has to offer.

Please refer to the "Guidance on the World Merge" for more details.


[Guidance on the World Merge]

- Schedule
World Merge will be performed during the upcoming version update. Once the version update is complete, characters from the "Source Worlds" will be migrated automatically to the "Destination Worlds".

* The schedule for the version update will be released at a later date.


- Details on the World Merge
The following is a list of worlds designated for the World Merge.
  Source World     Destination World

   Fairy           ->   Sylph
   Kujata          ->   Valefor
   Remora          ->   Leviathan
   Midgardsormr    ->   Quetzarcoatl
   Hades           ->   Cerberus
   Seraph          ->   Bismarck
   Garuda          ->   Lakshmi
   Pandemonium     ->   Asura
* Other worlds will not be affected.


- Things to note for the World Merge

Character Data:
Other than the data listed below, all character data will be transferred to the new world. This includes character status, belongings, gil and key items.

Character Name:
In cases where a character with the same name already exists on the "Destination World," you may be required to change the name of your character. If this is necessary, your character name on the character selection screen before login will be displayed in yellow. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the change.

Changing the character name will not affect data such as your Friends List.

Items stored in the Delivery Box or Auction House:
Items and gil stored in the Delivery Box or Auction House will be deleted automatically when the World Merge takes place. Please move them to your character's belongings or Mog Safe before the World Merge.

Please note that items and gil lost in the merge cannot be restored through the Item Restoration service.

Linkshell, Pearlsack and Linkpearl:
Pearlsacks and Linkpearls cannot be carried over to the "Destination World," and will disappear during the World Merge. Linkshell owners will receive an unopened Linkshell when they log into the "Destination World" for the first time. Unopened Linkshells will not be affected by the merge.

Please note that you will need to create a new Linkshell Community after creating a new linkshell on the "Destination World."

• Suspension of the World Transfer Service The World Transfer service will be suspended from Mar. 9, 2010 7:00 PST until the World Merge is complete.
• Suspension of the Character Reactivation Service The Character Reactivation Service will be suspended from Mar. 9, 2010 7:00 PST until the World Merge is complete.
• Regarding the worlds Odin and Bahamut: After the World Merge is complete, the following services will be reinstated:

• Character transfers to Odin/Bahamut.
• Creating a new character on Odin/Bahamut.
• Issuing a Gold World Pass on Odin/Bahamut.