It's that time of the year again! Time to cast off your hardened shells and enjoy the egg-citing Final Fantasy XI Egg Hunt! To celebrate this returning event during the Eleventh Vana'versary, three new egg combinations have been added for players to try and collect, and a brand new Easter-themed Chocobo shield is awaiting those who bring in their special eggs! Starting March 18th and running through to April 2nd, San d'Oria, Windurst, and Bastok will be an certainly be an eggs-quisite place to be!

Let us know all about your egg-hunting prowess over on the ZAM forums!

From Playonline.com:

*chomp* *chew*
Urp!
Hnngh! *choke* *g-gulp!*
Phew.

W-were you watching that, kupo?
Swallowing an entire egg...that was eggs-tremely painful, kupo.
I didn't realize we had started already, kupo...

Umm...
So, egg-hunting season is upon us once again this year, kupo!

Collect "initial eggs" which have been labeled with single letters of the alphabet, and win the special prizes we at MHMU have prepared for you, kupo.

We put in a lot of effort to ready a new prize, too, kupo.
Of course, it goes without saying...

With a brand, spanking new prize comes the need for a brand, spanking new code word, kupo.

Adventurers, go forth! Happy hunting and best of luck in finding those codewords, kupo!

"Okay. Listen up-wup, rookie journalist Jemimi!"
"Listening-wistening, Mistress Konana! But, um, I wish you'd drop the 'rookie' part already!"
"*Sigh*... Look, Jemimi. The financial situation here at the Magic Paradise Weekly office is not so robustaru as to keep useless freeloaders on the payroll! Until you get yourself a scoop, a rookie you are and a rookie you'll stay!!"

Jemimi instinctively snapped to attention.

"Y-yes, ma'am! But isn't this the direction we went in last year, too, sister Konana? I'm getting a strong sense of déjà vu..."
"I told you not to call me sister! It's 'M-i-s-t-r-e-s-s' to you!"
"Yes, yes. Understood, Mistress Konana!"
"Good! You see, Jemimi, we at Magic Paradise Weekly have acquired some classified-wassified, top secret information!"
"Top secret...information?"
"Apparently, there's going to be a new prize offered at this year's egg huntaru!"

The Egg Hunt is an event set up by the MHMU each year that signifies the arrival of spring.
Adventurers can collect colorful "initial eggs" and trade them in for various prizes. However, each prize has a corresponding code word that must be spelled out using the initial eggs, or the prize cannot be redeemed.

"What I want you to do, Jemimi, is verify the accuracy of this information!"
"Huh!? But how?"
"That's for you to figure outaru! Then do whatever it takes-wakes!"
"U-understood! I, Jemimi, will figure it outaru by doing whatever it takes-wakes!"

And so it was that Jemimi decided to sneak into the moogles' manufactory. Disguised in the Moogle Suit she had acquired on the off chance she might need it, Jemimi successfully blended in with the moogles and managed to infiltrate their base of operations.

"You there, the mog who arrived late! Hurry and get over here, kupo!"
"A-are you talking-walking to me?"
"Huh? You talk kind of funny, kupo."
"I-it's just your imagination...kupo! Uh, over there, right...kupo?!"

Heart pounding, mog-Jemimi took her place in line behind the other moogles.

In the large room was gathered what looked to be the entire moogle workforce of the MHMU manufactory. From wall to wall was a sea of moogles.
"Wow, when they're all gathered together like this, moogles really do all look alike," thought Jemimi to herself. There were little differences, such as the pom-pom on the head being a slightly different color, or the fashion in which they wore a satchel around their waists or over their shoulders. But for the most part, the differences were so small. It was like one of those spot-the-difference puzzles in which a keen eye was required to discern even one of the myriad, frustratingly miniscule variations.

"Quiet! Quiet, kupo!"
The Head Foremoogle of the manufactory climbed to the top of the highest platform.
"Today we decide on the new code words for the Egg Hunt prizes, kupo!"
At these words, Jemimi shouted for joy (internally, of course).
"(All right! A scoop-woop!)"

She was about to find out the code words for the Egg Hunt prize! That alone was enough exclusive information. But in addition, she was also about to witness the exact moment a MHMU prize was given a name—a moment which had always been shrouded in mystery.
"(I wonder how the moogles come up with all the various names?)"

"First off, we'll decide the code word for this new prize, kupo!"
Then, with a grand gesture, the moogle Head Foreman raised high above his head the new Egg Hunt prize – a shield.

"(Oh my goodness! What is that? it's absolutaruly adorable!)"

Emblazoned on the defensive device was the likeness of a chocobo chick.

"Yes, kupo!"
"Smithing Manufactory group, you start!"
A moogle wearing an apron with a hammer design on it spoke up loudly.
"Shield, kupo!"
"Shield...armor...helmet, kupo!"
"Head, kupo!"
"Helm!"
"Egg Helm!"
"Colorful egg!"
"Sairui-ran!"

"(What? Huh? What's going on?)"

Jemimi was perplexed. She understood the relevance of the first word: "shield" – it was obviously a reference to the "Hatchling Shield" in front of them, but it was just too literal.

After listening for a while, Jemimi slowly realized this was a word association game. As one moogle shouted a word, a different moogle shouted another that had some connection with the previous one, and so on and so forth.

Between the moogles, words flew, tossed, sizzled, and popped, like chopped vegetables flung into a hot frying pan. Then, once the word associations became too twisted and illogical, the Head Foremoogle uttered but one phrase – "Denied, kupo!" – and the idea was shelved. It was like watching some sort of ritual.

"(I see. So this is how the moogle-woogles come up with their prize names.)"

No wonder adventurers found it so hard to guess the code words. To figure it out, they would have to follow the moogles' eccentric train of thought!

"Hey, you."
Suddenly singled out, Jemimi jumped in fright.
"M-me? Um...what is it, kupo?"
"You haven't come up with a single idea yet, kupo!"
"Huh?"
"Go on! Hurry up and contribute to the meeting, kupo!"
"Oh, u-umm......"
"You...sure are suspicious, kupo. Could it be you're actually a spy, kupo!?"
"N-n-no, I'm not! Um, uhhh...I've got it! That shield has a chocobo chick on it, sooo..."

"(Chocobo...yellow...custard...cake...)"

"S-starlight cake!" shouted Jemimi. That triggered a tidal wave. The moogles, exhausted from the brainstorming session, took Jemimi's idea and began running with it, yelling name after name of food items of all sorts. The next instant, there was a loud rumble as the many moogles' stomachs growled in unison.
"Denied...kupo!" the Head Foremoogle sputtered painfully. The moogle who had called Jemimi out was also flushed in the face.

"What do you think you're doing, kupo!? It's forbidden to mention food ten minutes before break time, kupo!"
"B-but how was I supposed to know thataru?!"
"'Thataru...kupo?"
"Urk! I mean, kupo!"
"It's too late, kupo! I knew it, you really are a spy from a far-off land, kupo!"
"N-no, I'm not–"
"Enough, kupo! Yah!"

*Pop* Something small came flying and landed in Jemimi's mouth. Something round and sweet – a...piece of candy?
"M-mmgh...gulp! W-what was thaaaat?"
Jemimi suddenly realized that she was staring not through the eye holes of her suit, but into the darkness created by the fabric that had caved in around her now miniature frame.
"Stay in that form for a while until you've learned your lesson, kupo! Now, never come sneaking into the manufactory again, you hear, kupo!?"

----------------------------------
"Mistress!"
Konana, who had been working on the remaining manuscripts at the news desk, raised her head at the sound of Jemimi's voice and recoiled in shock.

"What the–! W-who are you?!"
"It's me, Jemimi!"
Jemimi removed her rotund, little Moogle Suit, but what now stood in front of Konana was a portly, little, green...leafkin.
"You're a leafkin-weafkin."
"Nooo, I'm Jemimi!"
The instant Jemimi shouted, the spell wore off and the woeful underling reverted to her own form.

After Jemimi tearfully concluded the report of her infiltration, Konana gave one big nod.
"Good work! That's some scoop-woop! ...And?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"The code words! What are they?"
"U...um...I was already turned into a leafkin when they decided, so..."
"Don't tell me you weren't listening."

"Umm, well...one of them...yes, I'm pretty sure one of them had three 'E's!"

"And there was one that consistarued of an 'L,' 'F,' 'K,' and an 'N'."

"O-oh, and also 'V' 'A'...something like that!"
"...You didn't even get a single-wingle code word!"
"B-b-but I was turned into a leafkin-weafkin!"
"A news story lives or dies by the accuracy of its information! How can I make an article-warticle out of this!?"
"Whaaaaat!? Come ooooon!"

It seems that Jemimi still has a long way to go before becoming a full-fledged journalist.

Story: Miyabi Hasegawa
Illustration: Mitsuhiro Arita

Event Schedule

The Egg Hunt event is set to begg-in on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 1:00 a.m. (PDT) and egg-spire on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at the same hour.

Moogle Locations

For the duration of the festivities, event moogles will appear at the locations listed below. Talk to them for a briefing on how to go about getting the absolute most out of your egg-hunting endeavors.

Southern San d'Oria (J-9) / Northern San d'Oria (D-8)
Bastok Mines (H-9) / Bastok Markets (G-8)
Windurst Waters (north side) (F-5) / Windurst Woods (K-10)

Special 11th Anniversary Commemorative Roles

For this year's Egg Hunt, three new egg combinations have been added to commemorate the 11th anniversary.
There is also an eggs-quisite new prize!

How to Play

1. Collect Initial Eggs!
"Initial eggs" are eggs of avian persuasion that have been inscribed with a single letter of the alphabet. During the Egg Hunt, adventurers can receive a random initial egg from the festival moogles once every Vana'dielian day. Collecting and forming certain combinations of initial eggs will garner you event egg-sclusive prizes. Please note, however, that the letter inscribed on a particular egg will not be revealed to you until you receive it. Trading often with your fellow adventurers is the key to completing that elusive combination!

2. Make a "First 3" Combination!
First of all, try collecting the initial eggs required to make a "First 3" combination. Once you have the eggs you need, trade them to a moogle to receive your prize!

First 3: Collect the first three letters of your character's name.
For egg-xample, a character with the name of "Moogle" would need to collect one [M], and two [O] initial eggs.

3. Take it to the Next Level!
Initial Straight 8: An egg inscribed with the first letter of your character's name followed by the next seven letters in the alphabet.
For egg-sample, a character with the name of "Moogle" would need an [M], as well as an [N], [O], [P], [Q], [R], [S], and [T].

7 of a Kind: Seven initial eggs with the same letter.
For egg-sample, you could choose to collect seven [A] initial eggs.

*Hints
- If you are in a party when speaking with a moogle, it is possible to choose an initial egg inscribed with the first letter of a party member's name. And if that party member happens to be wearing an egg helm...
- Try trading any type of "egg" to a moogle. Once every Vana'dielian day, you might find that the moogles will gift you with an initial egg in exchange for a "normal" egg.
- Newly created characters must wait at least one Vana'dielian day before they can receive an initial egg. Furthermore, you'll have to trade in a "First 3" before you can trade in any other combos. Think of it as a sort of preliminary test!
- The moogles are usually egg-stremely reluctant to give out any of their classified information, but maybe if you are persistent enough, one will let you in on a secret or two! Make it a point to talk to them as often as possible!

For those of you who are looking for a real challenge, try egg-sperimenting with different, more egg-citing combinations.

Unleashing Your "Egg Buffet"

Trade an egg locker, egg table, egg stool, and egg lamp to your resident moogle to have it assembled into an egg buffet. Similarly, trading an egg buffet will cause it to revert to the four aforementioned furnishings.

Seasonal Stall Locations

Visit one of the festival stalls at a location below to purchase items related to the Egg Hunt.

Northern San d'Oria (D-8)
Bastok Mines (H-9)
Windurst Waters (north side) (G-10)