What is Abyssea?

Abyssea is what transforms FFXI from what it was in the days of the 75 cap into a newly accessible game; it's a series of nine new areas with content for people levels 75-99; Think of it as an alternate universe Vana'diel where people from our Vana'diel can get what basically amounts to superpowers. Most of your post-75 levelling (post-65 for mages) will be done in Aby, and there is some great non-levelling content, too.

It's a bit different from regular zones, though -- for one, your time there is limited. In order to move around in Abyssea, you'll need Visitant Status.

Level 30: Getting Started in Abyssea
Wait, level 30? Didn't I just say it was level 75+ content? Well, yes, but the preparation for Abyssea can and should be started as soon as you hit level 30, since this is the minimum level for entrance into the Abyssea zones. First, make sure that you have registered all 3 of the Abyssea expansion packs and then head to Port Jeuno for a cutscene involving Joachim, then speak to him to get your first Traverser Stone. From this point, a timer starts and you will be able to obtain a new Traverser Stone every 20 hours (at first). Each Traverser Stone can be redeemed for 30 minutes of Visitant status. In the beginning, you'll be able to carry a maximum of 3 Traverser Stones at once, but they will continue accumulating, so if you get started at 30, by the time you reach 75 you won't have to worry about running out.

The level 30 preparation doesn't stop there, though.

Next, you'll want to head to one of the Cavernous Maws that lead to Abyssea. These look the same as the ones for WotG, but will be in different locations. The Maws are located as follows:

Visions of Abyssea (75+ zones)
Abyssea - La Thene -> La Theine Plateau (E-4)
Abyssea - Konschtat -> Konschtat Highlands (I-12)
Abyssea - Tahrongi -> Tahrongi Canyon (H-12)

Scars of Abyssea (85+ zones, where Empyreal boots drop)
Abyssea - Misareaux -> Valkurm Dunes (I-9)
Abyssea - Vunkerl -> Jugner Forest (J-8)
Abyssea - Attowha -> Buburimu Peninsula (F-7) ((near ...

A few minutes ago, we were shown what seems to be the beginning of a new user interface for Final Fantasy XI.

The dev team displayed freely movable, responsive, and mouse friendly interface windows on their live stream from Vanafest, and said that they are aiming to release the final version of this UI around the same time as the new expansion.

From what I could see from the stream, the visual style of the UI was not very exciting, but it is likely that they'll finish the UIs functionality first, for so to make it look pretty later.

Furthermore, the second job is now confirmed, and has been named "Rune Fencer". They will look something like this:

[img]http://home.eyesonff.com/content/attachments/36165d1340508955-img1.png.html[/img] ...

At VanaFest 2012, the development team revaled a new expansion that will be released sometime next year for Final Fantasy XI Online!

The expansion will take players to an area called Audolin in the "near west", across the sea from Tavnazia, and so far, the addition of a Geomancer job is confirmed.

The name of the expansion is apparently "Seekers of Audolin", but the English title might not be exactly the same.

Another new job will be announced tomorrow. In addition to new jobs, new areas, stories, and monsters plan to be released.

Check out the official site here. ...

Dance Dance Revolution
The dancers in Final Fantasy have moves much better than that sweaty kid down at your local arcade. They do share one thing in common though; when they dance, lights flash, things beep and magic happens. The dancers of Final Fantasy started out in Cornelia, with that one dancing girl who knows an unreasonable amount of information on where your quest is taking you. The only type of dancers I can think of who would be privy to that much information are… Nevermind, let’s look at our performers!


The Warriors of Light (V)
The Warriors of Light return for our first glimpse of the dancer as a playable class in Final Fantasy. Their special ability, Dance, picks one of four random dances, each with varying effects ranging from confusing enemies to dealing four times normal physical damage. By equipping certain items, the player can raise the chance of using the Sword Dance, which damages the enemy for four times normal damage, making the dancer a powerhouse. By equipping the Dancer’s Dagger with a non-dancer character, that character’s attack move will instead change to Dance, meaning you can reduce the weaknesses of the class whilst retaining the benefits.


Mog (VI)
Mog the moogle from Final Fantasy VI is a combination of a dancer and a geomancer. His eight dances are all elemental based, and once started, Mog will dance continually until the battle is over, performing one of four different attacks dependant on the dance. Mog’s role in Final Fantasy VI is minor, being an optional character except for his one appearance early on, along with the other moogles. His love of dance is evident in his SNES introduction: “Human-loving, fast-talking, street-smart, SLAM-dancing... ...

Song and dance are powerful tools. They can be used to express oneself, used to protest, used as a social activity and used as a career. And, where Final Fantasy is concerned, can be very versatile and valuable weapons. Today we look at the power of song and dance, tools used by Bards and Dancers to combat foes, enhance their allies’ strength and ultimately have a cracking good time while doing so. Let’s take a look at these underrated classes, and some of the characters who embody the power and passion of a performance. Let’s start with the humble bard, shall we?

Sing Me A Song, Piano Man
Bards are probably best known as the folk who sing tales of heroes and dragons and all sorts of fantastic legends. That’s true enough, but the bards of Final Fantasy do more than just tell tales; they live them. We have a broad line-up, so let’s jump straight into it!

The Onion Kids (III)
The original bards, the Onion Kids of Final Fantasy III receive the bard job from the Water Crystal. In the NES version of the game, the bard class is used purely to provide buffs to the party. However, in the DS remake, the bards can also damage enemies by using their Sing command, which changes depending on the harp equipped. In addition to harps, bards can also equip knives, though this limits the effectiveness of their Sing command.

Edward Chris von Muir (IV)
While the origins of the bard class lie with the Onion Kids of Final Fantasy III, this is perhaps the first sight that western audiences received of the bard class. Edward, also known as Gilbert and Gilbart in some lands, is the crown prince of Damcyan. As such, he ...