The wait is finally over! The October version update of Final Fantasy XI has arrived, bringing a bounty of new and adjusted content to Vana'diel! For those combat-minded individuals, brand new high-level Avatar fights have been implemented, and various job adjustments have been introduced as well! New synthesis recipes, adjustment to item yield for certain existing recipes, the adding of more Home Points in various areas, and other improvements to player quality of life have also been added. Perhaps most notably, however, is the addition of a brand new quest tying into the Wings of the Goddess storyline!

Excited for these changes? Let us know which ones you were most excited for over on the ZAM forums!

From the official Final Fantasy XI forums:

Battle-related

[dev1234] New High-tier Battlefields

• New High-tier Battlefields and Their Leaders
  • ★Trial by Fire / ★Trial by Ice / ★Trial by Wind / ★Trial by Earth / ★Trial by Lightning / ★Trial by Water
    
    In these battlefields, adventurers will square off against Ifrit Prime, Shiva Prime, Garuda Prime, Titan Prime, Ramuh Prime, and Leviathan Prime, respectively.

    
    

• Joining the Fray
  The key items required to participate in these battlefields can be acquired from the following NPCs in exchange for merit points.
  • Trisvain in Northern San d’Oria (J-7)

    

  • Raving Opposum in Port Bastok (J-11)

    

  • Mimble-Pimble in Port Windurst (L-5)

    

  • Required key items
    
    

    Key Item	Number of Merit Points Required
    Avatar Phantom Gem	20

    * Players must be level 95 or greater and have cleared all six of the “Trial by” or “Trial Size Trial by” quests in order to receive these items; it does not matter if players have completed all “Trial bys,” all “Trial Size Trial bys” or a mixture of the two types.
• Regarding Difficulty Levels
  Each mission battlefield is divided into five levels of difficulty. Boss strength, number and drop rate of spoils, as well as content level, increase in line with difficulty.
  
  

  Difficulty	Content Level
  Very Easy	113
  Easy	116
  Normal	119
  Difficult	Greater than 119
  Very Difficult	Greater than 119

  * Any player may select a difficulty level, but the battlefield's level will be determined by the first person to enter.
  * Players must have cleared the battlefield on normal to select either difficult or very difficult.
  * All party members must be in possession of the required key item to enter.
• Battlefield, Boss, and Entry Restrictions
  
  

  Battlefield Name	Required Key Item	Point of Entry	Boss	Entry Restrictions
  ★Trial by Fire	Avatar Phantom Gem	Cloister of Flames	Ifrit Prime	All Levels Thirty Minutes Six-Person Party
  ★Trial by Ice		Cloister of Frost	Shiva Prime
  ★Trial by Wind		Cloister of Gales	Garuda Prime
  ★Trial by Earth		Cloister of Tremors	Titan Prime
  ★Trial by Lightning		Cloister of Storms	Ramuh Prime
  ★Trial by Water		Cloister of Tides	Leviathan Prime

• Spoils
  Spoils are rewarded both for vanquishing the boss and clearing the battlefield, and include items needed for reforging artifact and relic armor in addition to equipment unique to each battlefield.
• The chapters of Rem’s Tale rewarded for each battlefield are as follows.

  Battlefield	Rem’s Tale Chapter
  ★Trial by Fire	Rem’s Tale Chapter 9
  ★Trial by Ice	Rem’s Tale Chapter 10
  ★Trial by Wind	Rem’s Tale Chapter 6
  ★Trial by Earth	Rem’s Tale Chapter 8
  ★Trial by Lightning	Rem’s Tale Chapter 7
  ★Trial by Water	Rem’s Tale Chapter 9

• The following jobs have undergone adjustments.
  
  • Warrior

    

    • The effects of the job ability Berserk now increase in stages as the player rises in level. Physical attack increases by approximately 1% per stage at levels 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90, and reaches a maximum of approximately 30% when combined with the original effects.
    • The effects of the job ability Defender now increase in stages as the player rises in level.Physical defense increases by approximately 1% per stage at levels 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90, and reaches a maximum of approximately 30% when combined with the original effects.
  • Thief

    

    • Dagger skill has been raised from A to A+.
  • Beastmaster

    

    • Axe skill has been raised from A to A+.
    • Familiars summoned using the Call Beast ability now have increased physical, ranged, and magic accuracy when level 100 or above.
  • Ninja

    

    • A new job trait, Daken, has been added.
      When equipped with a shuriken, the ninja will occasionally throw it upon autoattacking.
      This trait is learned at level 25 and increases in stages at level 40, 55, 70, and 95.
      * Under normal circumstance, shuriken thrown using Daken will not be consumed.
    • Sange has undergone the following adjustments.
      Sange (Recast time: 3 min., effect duration: 60 sec.)
      Daken will always activate but consume shuriken while active. Increase ranged accuracy by 25.
    • Katana skill has been raised from A to A+.
  • Dragoon

    

    • Wyverns now have increased physical, ranged, and magic accuracy when level 100 or above.
  • Summoner

    

    • A new spell has been added.
      • Atomos (Lv. 75, Recast time: 60 sec.)
        Removes one magic effect from an enemy and grants it to friendly players within area of effect.
        * Atomos can be received as part of the quest “A Forbidden Reunion.”
        * Atomos has no additional blood pacts usable during Astral Flow.
    • A new job ability, Apogee, has been added.
      Apogee (Lv. 70, Recast time: 5 min., Effect duration: 60 sec.)
      Decreases the recast time on the next blood pact, but causes it to consume more MP.
    • The job ability Avatar's Favor has been changed.
      • Penalties, including those to physical and magic attack, have been abolished.
      • The avatar's perpetuation cost now increases.
    • Avatars now have increased physical, ranged, and magic accuracy when level 100 or above.
  • Blue Mage

    

    • The casting time of the following spells has been decreased.

      Metallic Body / Warm-Up / Amplification / Zephyr Mantle / Triumphant Roar

    • The effect duration of the following spells has been increased.

      Metallic Body / Memento Mori / Reactor Cool / Saline Coat / Plasma Charge / Diamondhide / Magic Barrier / Barrier Tusk / Orcish Counterstance / Nature's Meditation / Zephyr Mantle / Triumphant Roar

    • The MP cost of Triumphant Roar has been decreased.
    • The efficacy of Regeneration has been increased.
    • Attribute adjustments have been added to the following spells.

      Tempestuous Upheaval / Rending Deluge / Enbalming Earth / Foul Water / Retinal Glare / Subduction

    • Sword skill has been raised from A to A+.
  • Puppetmaster

    

    • Hand-to-hand skill has been raised from B+ to A+.
    • Automatons now have increased physical, ranged, and magic accuracy when level 100 or above.
  • Dancer

    

    • The following job abilities have undergone adjustments.
      • The recast time for steps has been decreased from fifteen to five seconds.
      • The recast time for the job ability Presto has been decreased from thirty to fifteen seconds.
      • The job ability Climactic Flourish now receives a damage boost varying with charisma.
      • The job ability Striking Flourish has had its recast time decreased from 120 to thirty seconds and now receives a damage boost varying with charisma.
      • The job ability Ternary Flourish has had its recast time decreased from 120 to forty-five seconds and now receives a damage boost varying with charisma.
    • Dagger skill has been raised from B+ to A+.
  • Geomancer

    

    • A new job ability, Entrust, has been added.
      Entrust (Lv. 75, Recast time: 10 min., Effect duration: 60sec.)
      The next indicolure spell cast may target a party member.

• The Trust initiative has undergone the following adjustments.
  • Alter egos may now be called forth in the following mission battlefields.

    The Secret Weapon / On My Way / Saintly Invitation / The Heir to the Light / Where Two Paths Converge / Moon Reading

  • Ingrid now has the job trait Undead Killer.

• Walk of Echoes has undergone the following adjustments.
  • Players will now be forced out immediately after a walk has been cleared.
    Rewards gleaned from victory may be obtained from the treasure coffers located near the Echo Disseminator.
    * Leaving Walk of Echoes for another area without first claiming your rewards will relinquish your right to claim them.

    

  • Kupofried’s Medallions may now be purchased from the Echo Disseminator.
  • The amount of time for a walk to become active once it has been defeated has been reduced from ten minutes to one minute (Earth time).
  • If a battle has not been started for a particular walk after a certain amount of time, the forces within will determine whether the walk becomes a surge or endowed walk.
  • After a surge or endowed walk has been cleared, the forces within will now determine whether a surge or endowed walk will take place during the next respawn.

• Experience and capacity points may now be earned from Stormy Autochthons in alluvion skirmishes and from all monsters in Yorcia Weald [U].
  Points earned from these monsters do not benefit from chain bonuses or the effects of dedication.

• Certain special techniques used by monsters have undergone the following adjustments.
  • Fuscous Ooze
    This ability no longer removes players’ equipment.
    The amount of time the player may not change equipment after being a victim of this attack has been changed from forty seconds to between thirty and forty-five seconds.
  • Mucilaginous Ooze
    This ability no longer removes players’ equipment.
    The amount of time the player may not change equipment after being a victim of this attack has been changed from ninety seconds to between sixty and ninety seconds.

Item-related

• New synthesis recipes have been added.

• New items have been added.

• Fuma shuriken and iga shuriken have undergone the following adjustments.
  • The stack size has been increased from 12 to 99.
  • The sale value has been decreased.
  • The amount created via synthesis has been increased.

    	Pre-adjustment	Post-adjustment
    Normal Quality	3	33
    High Quality	6	66
    High Quality 2	9	99
    High Quality 3	12	99

• Hachiya shuriken are now purchasable with sparks of eminence from the following NPCs.

  Rolandienne in Southern San d’Oria (G-10) / Isakoth in Bastok Markets (E-11) / Fhelm Jobeizat in Windurst Woods (J-10) / Eternal Flame in Western Adoulin (H-11)

• Trading ninety-nine of the following types of shuriken to Ominous Cloud of Troupe Valeriano together with a wijnruit will provide players with an item that stores the appropriate amount of shuriken.

  Shuriken / Juji Shuriken / Manji Shuriken / Fuma Shuriken / Koga Shuriken / Iga Shurken / Roppo Shuriken / Roppo Shuriken +1 / Happo Shuriken / Happo Shuriken +1 / Hachiya Shuriken / Suppa Shuriken / Togakushi Shuriken

• New ammunition, gashing bolts and decimating bullets, is storable in their respective quivers and pouches.

• Suppa shuriken are now available from Craggy Bluff in the Peacekeepers’ Coalition in Eastern Adoulin (F-7) in exchange for bayld.

• The damage type of the thrown weapon nokizaru shuriken has been changed from slashing to piercing.

• The amount of time that must pass for the warp ring to be used after equipping has been reduced from thirty seconds to eight seconds.

• The amount of time that must pass for the warp cudgel to be used after equipping has been reduced from ten seconds to three seconds.

• The following items are now storable with the Porter Moogle.
  • Storage Slip 19:

    Flan Masque / Flan Masque +1 / Cait Sith Guard / Cait Sith Guard +1

New synergy recipes have been added.

System-related

• The number of equipment sets able to be registered has been increased from twenty to one hundred.

The following icons will now be displayed on the map.

• Home points have been added to the following locations.

  Aht Urhgan Whitegate (L-9) / Aht Urhgan Whitegate (F-6) / Aht Urhgan Whitegate (F-10) / Mt. Zhayolm (D-8) / Cape Teriggan (F-5) / Xarcabard [S] (H-9) / The Boyahda Tree (J-12) / Den of Rancor (I-8) / Fe’Yin (I-5) / Ifrit’s Cauldron (G-6) / Quicksand Cave (C-8) / Southern San d’Oria (E-8) / Northern San d’Oria (F-5) / Bastok Mines (K-7) / Bastok Markets (I-8) / Port Bastok (E-6) / The Metalworks (F-8) / Windurst Waters (J-8) / Rabao (G-6) / Norg (G-7) / Western Adoulin (H-12) / Eastern Adoulin (G-10)

• Mog Gardens have undergone the following adjustments.
  • Tree pruning, weed removal, and excavation may now be attempted multiple times at once.
  • When selecting a furrow, the location of the cursor has been changed from “Inspect the garden” to “Harvest crops.”

• The job-specific capes obtainable from wildskeeper reives and Incursion are now able to have their arcane glyptics removed by trading them to Makel-Pakel in the Celennia Memorial Library.
  * Trading these items to Makel-Pakel and having the arcane glyptics removed will enable the player to trade three of them for one of their choice as per usual.

• All stones currently obtainable via skirmishes will be able to be stored with Divainy-Gamainy in Western Adoulin (J-10).

• A new Currency 2 menu is available under Status in the main menu.
  This submenu contains some currencies that were previously found in the currency menu in addition to the number and type of skirmish stones stored with Divainy-Gamainy in Western Adoulin (J-10).

• When the player has selected the option “Decline destination confirmation” for waypoints, the visual effect accompanying teleportation will not be displayed.

• The background music for Incursion has changed.

• The client load required for the /itemsearch command has been lessened.