Final Fantasy XII

Games, Final Fantasy XII

 

	Final Fantasy XII ファイナルファンタジーXII Fainaru Fantajī XII Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Release date March 16, 2006 / October 31, 2006 / February 23, 2007 August 9, 2007 (international) Genre Role-playing game Game modes Single player Ratings ESRB:Teen CERO:All Ages OFLC:M PEGI:16+ USK: 12+ Platform(s) PlayStation 2

Final Fantasy XII is the twelfth installment in the main Final Fantasy series, and is also part of the Ivalice Alliance. The game was released on March 16, 2006, in Japan and in North America on October 31, 2006. The game was released in Europe and Australia on February 23, 2007. Unlike the previous game, Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XII is an offline, one-player RPG with fixed characters. In addition, this game also made a return to its more "medieval fantasy" roots, as opposed to the more "modern" and "sci-fi" worlds of Final Fantasies VII, VIII, and X, although Final Fantasy IX also made a return to its medieval roots in between VIII and X.
Final Fantasy XII spawned a direct sequel, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, for the Nintendo DS.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Character Development 1.2 Magic 1.3 Summons/Espers 1.4 Quickenings/Concurrences 1.5 Battle 1.5.1 Battle Chain 1.5.2 Traps 2 Setting 3 Characters 3.1 Main cast 3.2 Temporary playable character 3.3 Guests 4 Story 4.1 Background 4.2 Misadventures of Vaan 4.3 Seeking Power 4.4 Battle in Bahamut 4.5 Epilogue 5 Development 5.1 Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System 5.2 Glitches 5.3 Voice Cast 6 Trivia 7 Packaging Artwork 8 Gallery 9 See Also 10 References 11 External links

Gameplay

A battle in Final Fantasy XII.

As with each title in the Final Fantasy series, the specifics of each aspect of gameplay are different. Like most of the other games in the series, the player characters will level, gain skills, cast magic, use Summons, Limit Breaks, and fight Monsters. There are also some fairly obvious differences in the gameplay of Final Fantasy XII.

Character Development

In order to gain levels, the user must defeat monsters/enemies in the field, which will earn them experience points, along with LP, or License Point. If there are multiple active characters in the users party, the amount of Experience points will be divided evenly among each member, though each character (including reserves) will still receive 1 License point. Boss battles however, will contribute multiple License Points to each active member, but no XP.
An individual characters ability to use Technicks, Magicks, accessories, Augments, weapons, and armor are all governed by obtaining Licenses, which are acquired on the License Board. In order to acquire a License, the character must have a sufficient amount of LP, earned by defeating enemies or bosses. Like the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X, but less linear, the player has complete control over each character's individual development.

Magic

Main article: Magick

In Final Fantasy XII, magic skills are referred to as "Magicks". In order to use Magicks, the user must buy an item labeled as a Magick skill (such as Fire or Cura) from a Magick shop or merchant, and once enough License points are attained, they must purchase the corresponding skill on the License Board. The use of Magick requires MP (Mist Points), which can be restored through movement, the use of an item such as an Ether, or by activating a Save Crystal.

Summons/Espers

Belias, the first Esper obtained.

Main article: Esper (Final Fantasy XII)

Summons, called Espers, are obtained through battling and defeating them throughout gameplay. There are 13 Espers in the game. Five are found through normal gameplay, and the other eight can be found in hidden areas after completing specific actions in the game.
Each Esper can be purchased on the License Board after the player has defeated them during the course of the game. Only one character can purchase any specific Esper, and that Esper is then linked to that character, effectively removing its square from the License Board of the other characters. When the character summons the Esper, it takes the place of the other two members of the party. The Esper will remain and fight independent of the character for a short amount of time, as long as the summoner is still conscious. Once the time is up, the Esper will unleash a special attack, given that the requirements for the attack are met, and disappear. The Summon uses up a full segment of the MP bar for each rank the Esper has. For example the Esper Belias is a Rank I Summon and will use up one segment of the MP bar, while for example Zodiark, a Rank III Esper, will use up all three segments of the MP bar.

Quickenings/Concurrences

Main article: Quickening

The Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy XII are known as Mist Quickenings in the English version, and Mist Knacks in the Japanese version. Each Quickening is available on the License Board for purchase by any character. Once a character has purchased a Quickening, that space is removed from all other characters' boards. Each character can purchase up to three Quickenings. There are 18 Quickenings on the board. When a character uses a Quickening, one segment of their MP is completely used up. Upon purchasing the second Quickening the character's MP bar doubles AND is segmented in two, and finally another segment is added, tripling the available MP, when the character purchases their third Quickening. You can create a specific combination of Quickenings to open a Concurrence, which deals heavy damage to the target and all those nearby. Each quickening takes 50 LP to learn regardless of its rank.

Battle

See also: Gambits.

Final Fantasy XII uses a battle system called Active Dimension Battle (ADB). The way this battle system operates is similar to the one in Final Fantasy XI as there are no longer random monster battles. Instead, monsters move freely across the landscape and battles are conducted on the field map without transition. Enemies will only rarely surprise the party, although flying creatures will often attack from a higher elevation, and other creatures will spring out of the water or ground to attack. Additionally, normally docile monsters will become aggressive toward the party as they move past, they cast magic in their vicinity, or if the player decides to attack other creatures of the same genus.
Combat can be controlled manually or programmed via the use of Gambits. The gambit system is used for the first time during the series in Final Fantasy XII. It is slightly similar to the Macro system found in Final Fantasy XI. Like simple computers, the player can create a list of commands and dependencies to be carried out automatically by the characters to simplify the combat system. All commands relate to the character itself, the character's allies, or the enemies on screen.
Player can choose between Wait mode (default) and Active. In the Wait mode time freezes when the player is choosing the commands, but only one action can be executed at any time. If the game config is set on Active, multiple actions can be executed at the same time. This explains why some magicks with long animation will put the other actions on hold to a noticeable level.

Battle Chain

Main article: Loot (Final Fantasy XII)

The largest loot drops from the enemy after continuously killing the same type of enemy.

A Battle Chain is initiated when a party defeats two or more of the same enemy in a row. The Battle Chain Level will increase as a party continues to consecutively defeat enemies of the same type. As the Chain Level increases with each battle, enemies will begin to drop rarer and multiples of items, and with higher levels, activate White or Green Magick on the player's party. However, if the player kills an enemy of a different type, this will break the chain, and reset the Chain Level to 0.

Traps

Main article: Trap

Traps are littered across the landscape and when stepped on deal damage and/or inflict the party with status ailments. Traps are normally invisible, but appear as glowing red circles if a party member is under Libra. Traps can be avoided by using Float or an accessory that makes the party invulnerable against traps (e.g Steel Poleyns). Some traps also benefit the party by granting positive status effects and/or healing the party's HP.

Setting

Main article: Ivalice (Final Fantasy XII)

The World map of Ivalice actually does not appear to cover the entire world. Instead it shows a large portion of Ivalice in the map. This map shows the area once under the control of the Dynast-King Raithwall, but now mostly under the control of the Archadian Empire and Rozzarian Empire.
On the map are the kingdoms of Dalmasca, Archadia, Bhujerba, and the area once controlled by the Kingdom of Nabradia including Nalbina Fortress. The player can also visit ancient temples like the Stilshrine of Miriam, Mt. Bur-Omisace, and the Tomb of Raithwall, as well as the village of indigenous people like the Garif and the viera. Between all of these civilized locations are the zones patrolled and populated by various monsters. Each location is separated into zones, to allow players to elude monsters, and to allow for variations in terrain even in the same area.

Characters

Main article: List of Final Fantasy XII Characters

Art of the Main Playable Characters in Final Fantasy XII 

 

Final Fantasy XII has a cast of six main characters. Unlike other Final Fantasy games, this team, once formed, is never changed at all. However, there are also three special guest characters (not including Hunt-allies), and the player plays a different character during the prologue. According to the developers, there is no main character, as the game is "about numerous people, not just one person."^[1]

Main cast

• Vaan is the male protagonist and main character, but not in the traditional sense. A street urchin and an orphan, he lives on the streets of Rabanastre with his friend Penelo. He had always dreamt of someday becoming a sky pirate in command of his own airship and being able to travel the world.
• Penelo is Vaan's closest friend. Like Vaan, she is also an orphan who lost her family during a war between Dalmasca and Archadia that took place before the game's events. She dreams of being a dancer, and learned martial arts from her older brothers who were soldiers that served during the war. She joins the party along with Vaan in order to help prevent another war from arising.
• Balthier, real name Ffamran mied Bunansa, is a cool and sophisticated sky pirate on the run from his past. He usually refers to himself as the "leading man". He was once one of the Empire's Judges and he is a member of the House of Bunansa, his father being the famed scientist Dr. Cid, the man responsible for the manufacting of nethicite. He left the Empire, disturbed by his father's apparent insanity and the direction the Empire was taking.
• Fran is Balthier's friend and partner, and as a viera, the only non-hume main character. Like Balthier, she is trying to shake off the past. She rarely speaks, but she usually has words of wisdom to offer.
• Basch fon Ronsenburg is a disgraced knight, who wants to protect his surrogate homeland of Dalmasca at all costs. He was branded as a traitor when he was framed for murdering the King of Dalmasca, a crime committed by his twin brother when he impersonated Basch to make it look like treason.
• Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca is the princess of Dalmasca and the female Protagonist. She is doing everything in her power to rebuild her fallen kingdom. Before the events of the King's death she was married to Lord Rasler, Prince of Nabudis, and although their marriage was politically motivated, they nevertheless were in love with each other. Rasler heeded the call of battle and commanded the Dalmascan army to battle with Archadia in order to protect his homeland, but was shot in the neck by an archer. Devastated by her husband's death, Ashe faked her own suicide to sow seeds of rebellion against Archadia, a rebellion she took a commanding role in.

Temporary playable character

• Reks

Guests

• Lamont/Larsa
• Vossler York Azelas
• Reddas

Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

Background

Final Fantasy XII takes place mostly in the Kingdom of Dalmasca, a small city-state in the world of Ivalice. A neutral party in the past wars between the neighboring Empires of Archadia and Rozarria, Dalmasca was ultimately conquered by Archadia and reduced to the status of an occupied state under Archadian rule, when its King Raminas signed the city into Imperial rule. As a result, formerly-loyal knight Basch fon Ronsenburg murders his king for his betrayal. Witnessing the betrayal is young knight Reks, who reveals Basch's betrayal in his last breaths after being killed by his leader. Marquis Ondore, head of the sky city Bhujerba, narrates that the King's daughter, Ashe, had committed suicide after her newly-wed husband, Rasler, was shot and killed with an arrow from an Archadian Imperial soldier during the Battle of Nalbina Fortress. He also announces that Basch had been executed for high treason.

Misadventures of Vaan

Balthier and Fran ambush Vaan in the Palace treasury.

Two years later, Reks's brother, Vaan, an orphaned street urchin living in the Dalmascan capital of Rabanastre, the Royal City, is stealing some treasure from the Archadian Consul's residence in the old royal castle of Dalmasca. While looting the castle's safe, Vaan meets Balthier, a sky pirate bent on stealing the Consul's treasures, and his companion Fran, a Viera warrior. By coincidence, the underground Dalmascan resistance movement assaults the royal castle on the same night in a military coup to remove the Archadian consul, Vayne Solidor. Vaan's looting gets noticed; he, Fran, and Balthier are pursued by Archadian soldiers. They escape into the Garamsythe Waterway, where they meet the surviving princess of Dalmasca, Ashe (though under the alias Amalia), who is also the leader of the resistance faction.
Upon defeating the fire elemental Fire Mane, the group are captured by the Imperial Guard, under the assumption that they are thieves. Ashe is separated and escorted away. Not so far from the scene, a group of bounty hunters make a comment about the guard capturing their mark. Balthier, Vaan, and Fran are sent to a dungeon from whence they escape, bringing Basch, revealed to be alive and imprisoned since the war, with them. Basch reveals he has a twin brother, Gabranth, who stole his identity and murdered the king in a plot to blackmail Ondore and strip Dalmasca of any semblance of sovereignty. Shortly thereafter, the Bangaa headhunter Ba'Gamnan and his group, who are looking for Balthier, kidnap Vaan's best friend Penelo under the incorrect assumption that she had a connection with Balthier, who gave her a handkerchief, and who would thus come to her aid.
He, through coercion from Migelo and Vaan, as well as the word of Basch (who also had business to attend to there), eventually travel to Bhujerba to free Penelo, and in the process meet Larsa Solidor. Larsa is traveling under the name "Lamont," posing as a commoner, and is seeking what eventually turns out to be manufacted nethicite. Larsa is later revealed as the younger brother to Consul Vayne, and is the second in line for the throne of Archadia. He helps the party rescue Penelo, and later keeps her and the party safe from Archadian troops.

Seeking Power

While attending to Basch's diversion, the party is captured by Bhujerban guards and get sent to the massive Arcadian warship Leviathan. There, the party meets Ashe again, and after a brief quarrel with the crew of the ship, they escape. After which, the group has another meeting with the Marquis, where Ashe requests Balthier's aid (in the form of a "kidnapping") to retrieve a proof of her royal blood: the Dawn Shard.

Ashe vows to use the Dawn Shard as her weapon to fight the Empire.

The party heads to the Dynast King Raithwall's Tomb to retrieve the Dawn Shard, and are subsequently captured by Judge Ghis once again upon leaving the tomb. A large, mysterious explosion provides opportunity for the party to escape. During their escape, they witness ; to their horror — Judge Ghis's ship and the entire Archadian Eighth Fleet destroyed by the power of the Dawn Shard, which is composed of a powerful substance called deifacted nethicite. Bent on wielding that power to free Dalmasca and avenge her fallen comrades, Ashe heads to Jahara, where she can learn more about the Stone. However, the Garif tribe there can only tell her there is no way they can help, due to the stone eluding even their ancestors - however, the Dynast-King once wielded it. By chance, they meet Larsa again, who persuades them to join both he and another mysterious enemy/ally at Mt. Bur-Omisace to plan how to stop the imminent war.
Disgraced by the Eighth Fleet's destruction, Vayne is called back to Archadia, and begins to suspect that his father and the Archadian Senate will bypass him for Emperor, giving the throne to his brother Larsa, instead. Unwilling to risk this occurrence, Vayne murders his father, dissolves the Senate, and immediately sends a ship to Mt. Bur-Omisace to capture the Dawn Shard from Ashe. His envoys, Judges Bergan and Zargabaath, arrive too late: Ashe and Larsa heard of the events, and Ashe had already obtained the Sword of Kings (which had the ability to destroy nethicite). Judge Zargabaath takes Larsa to Archades, while an enraged Bergan kills the holy man Gran Kiltias Anastasis and bombs Mt. Bur-Omisace, but dies unable to retrieve either the shard or the sword.
Ashe and her party decide it is time to destroy all the nethicite available in Ivalice, so they head to the Draklor Laboratory in the Archadian Empire to destroy the last remaining shard. Dr. Cid, or Cidolfus Bunansa (Balthier's father), uses the final shard to manufact artificial nethicite in Archades.

Ashe is enigmatized by the Occuria's request.

They are unsuccessful in destroying the nethicite in the Draklor Laboratory, and are instead left with information pointing them to the ancient city of Giruvegan. Dr. Cid is supposedly going there to retrieve more deifacted nethicite. The party enters the city, and fights to the center of the Great Crystal, an incredibly large and powerful piece of Nethicite in which the Occurians live. There, the history of Raithwall and nethicite is revealed. Ashe is given the Treaty Blade so that she can carve out additional pieces of deifacted nethicite from the Sun Cryst, the source of all nethicite power, in order to achieve greater power and use it to destroy Archadia and its benefactor, the rogue Occuria Venat. She is conflicted as to her course of action.

Vayne, Larsa, and Gabranth are arguing Ashe's will to war against the Empire.

Ashe and the party leave Giruvegan with the knowledge that Dr. Cid has used them to retrieve the Treaty Blade, and had no intention of ever traveling to Giruvegan. They return to Balfonheim, and Reddas joins the party to travel to the Ridorana Cataract, where the Sun Cryst is housed in the Pharos lighthouse. In the lighthouse, Ashe realizes that all of the appearances of Lord Rasler are images constructed by the Occurians. Judge Gabranth arrives, and briefly fights the party. Upon his defeat, Dr. Cid appears and banishes him back to the fleet, taunting Gabranth for his failure, and continues to fight the group, using the Esper Famfrit to aid him. Upon defeating Dr. Cid, the Sun Cryst begins to overload, to the point that there is no way that the party can survive, until Reddas sacrifices himself to destroy the Sun Cryst with the Sword of Kings.

Battle in Bahamut

Vaan's party travel back to Balfonheim, and learn that the discharge of power activated the largest airship ever built, the Sky Fortress Bahamut, and the resistance armies are staging a battle in the skies above Rabanastre. They travel to the Bahamut to stop Vayne before he can destroy the city of Rabanastre, and all of the ships in the resistance's fleet. Before they can reach Vayne, Gabranth arrives to stop them. This time, Gabranth appears to have given up everything, except his need to destroy his own brother. The party defeats Gabranth, and leave him beaten in the elevator. Vayne attacks, and Larsa helps the party fight him. As Vayne is beaten down, his manufacted nethicite sucks power away from Larsa, and the ship around him. Gabranth joins the attack against Vayne, but is struck down, just as Vayne is mortally wounded. The party watches Vayne limp away from the battlefield onto an outer platform on the Bahamut. Vayne calls for Venat, telling the Occurian that he (Venat) must seek another to realize his ambitions of freeing Ivalice from the Occuria's tyranny. Venat replies, saying that by destroying the Sun-Cryst, the Age of Stones is now over, causing the Occurians to lose their influence on Ivalice's fate - thereby fulfilling Venat's desire. Venat then dissolves, investing Vayne with its power as an Undying. He drains pieces of the fortress onto himself.
Vayne is eventually defeated by the party, and, unable to control his new powers, explodes into a cloud of mist. Before the party can relax, they must stop the two warring factions from killing each other and the Bahamut while directly over Rabanastre. Boarding the Strahl, the party makes its escape, and with Larsa, Ashe, and Basch's help (the latter posing as Judge Gabranth), manage to get both sides to stand down. Just as everything looks like it's going to be fine, the Bahamut starts to fall from the sky, onto Rabanastre. Judge Zargabaath starts to put the Alexander on a collision course, hoping to ram it out of the way. However, Balthier manages to stop him. To the party's surprise, Balthier and Fran are still on the Bahamut. While Ashe tries to convince him to get off the falling fortress, Balthier reminds her that he is the leading man, and the leading man can never die. Managing to restart the engines, Balthier starts to leave, with a wounded Fran in his arms. Before communications with the Strahl die for good, Balthier tells Vaan to look after the Strahl while he is gone. Vaan assures Balthier that he will, before the Strahl flies away.

Epilogue

A year later, Penelo is writing a letter to Larsa. There is no longer any war, and Archadia and Rozarria are currently at peace. The party has split apart, each living their own separate lives, respectively. A month from now, Ashe will be crowned Queen of Dalmasca, so they will not be able to see each other anymore. A few months prior to this event, the Strahl was stolen. Of course, Penelo notes that it is not really stealing, if it was the original owner taking it back. Balthier leaves behind Ashe's wedding ring, which she gave to him as compensation for the treasure Balthier did not get in the Tomb of Raithwall . Balthier also leaves a message saying that he found something "more valuable," which, of course, refers back to when he took Ashe's ring, saying, "I'm only keeping this until I find something more valuable." Basch takes over his brother's place as Judge Magister and as Larsa's protector, with the Council never learning of Gabranth's death. The final scene shows Vaan flying his new airship to Rabanastre, where the events of the game Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings pick up.

Spoilers end here.

Development

Developed from 2001 to 2006, Final Fantasy XII cost approximately 4 billion Japanese yen (35 million USD) to produce with a crew of more than one hundred people. Yasumi Matsuno, originally announced as both producer and director, was forced to bow out of both roles midway through the creation of Final Fantasy XII due to health concerns. In his place, Hiroyuki Itō and Hiroshi Minagawa took over directorial duties, with Akitoshi Kawazu assuming the role of the executive producer. Matsuno remains credited for "Original Work/Scenario Plot/Supervision". Hitoshi Sakimoto was the music composer for the game, and Nobuo Uematsu contributed one new composition — the vocal theme, "Kiss Me Good-Bye", performed by Angela Aki. Renowned violinist Taro Hakase provided performances for Symphonic Poem "Hope", which served as a promotional theme along with "Kiss Me Good-Bye".

Early gameplay development of Final Fantasy XII.

In early stages of development, the main character was to be "big and tough", but as development continued and targeting demographics were considered, he became more youthful in appearance. With the casting of voice actor Kohei Takeda, who also did motion capture for the part, he became less so and more "active, upbeat, bright and positive".
Veteran translator Alexander O. Smith was involved with the English localization of the script. Smith had previously worked on the localization for Vagrant Story as well as several other Final Fantasy installments, including Final Fantasy X. The voice overs were directed by Jack Fletcher, who had previously directed the voice overs for other Final Fantasy games as well.
In North America, the game was available in two versions — the stand alone game with a suggested retail price of $49.99 and a "Collector's Edition" for an additional $10. The Collector's Edition is an exclusive title offered only by GameStop or EB Games. This edition includes the original game packaged in a steelbook case, along with a special bonus disc, which contained Final Fantasy XII developer interviews, an art gallery, four U.S. and Japanese trailers, and a "History of Final Fantasy" featurette, which gave brief chronicles on all released and upcoming Final Fantasy games.
Changes to the North American version of the game include the addition of widescreen 16:9 support, and additional scenes and content that were left out of the Japanese version, due to rating issues.

Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System

The field and status screen in widescreen 16:9 ratio of Zodiac Job System. Notice the minor changes of interface compare to the original version.

An international version of the game, titled Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System, was released on August 9, 2007 in Japan as part of both Final Fantasy 20th anniversary and Ivalice Alliance campaigns. The game includes a new take on the License Board system, with twelve grids available instead of one, each corresponding to a different Zodiac sign and Job. The battle system as a whole was also tweaked; guest characters are now controllable, while pressing the L1 button accelerates the game's speed. Additionally, the game features English voices and the widescreen 16:9 ratio support of the North American version, as well as a bonus disc based on the one initially released with the North American version. Finally, a new mode allows the player to hunt monsters and Espers in several series of small maps, to gain items and gil. A list of new features as below:

• The Zodiac Job System – There are now 12 License Boards, each one representing a Job. Once a character chooses that Job however, they are stuck with it throughout the entire game. Isolated licenses can be accessed by unlocking espers and quickenings.
• Trial Mode – The party must fight through 100 stages, each one containing stronger monsters. Completing this mode unlocks New Game+: Weak Mode.
• Controllable Guests – Guest characters can now be controlled, and their gambits can be edited. Their equipment cannot be removed.
• Controllable Espers – Espers can now be controlled once summoned, and their gambits can be edited. You can now use their ultimate attack whenever you feel like it.
• Speed Boost – Pressing the L1 button speeds up the game, making getting around much easier.
• Gambit Changes – There are 16 new gambits. All the gambits can be bought upon leaving Barheim Passage.
• Item Changes – New items have been added, and some of their effects have been slightly changed.
• Enemy Changes – Enemies have been changed slightly, plus new enemies have been added. A battle against all five Judge Magisters is also included.
• Magick Changes – Some magic has been renamed, while others have been moved to other categories; Brave and Faith are now White Magick for example. Not all Magick can be bought, and some must be found in treasure pots.
• Equipment Changes – New weapons have been added, like the Excalipoor, while others have been slightly changed. Armor and accessories have also been slightly changed. Some weapons have different elemental alignments.
• Shop Listings – Some shops have had their inventory changed.
• Mist Knack (Quickening) Changes – Mist knacks no longer take up MP. Instead, they have their own Mist gauge.
• MP Changes – Since Mist Knacks do not use MP now, obtaining Mist Knacks does not increase MP. Instead, characters simply get more MP as they level up. Max MP is determined by your job.
• New Game+ – Two New Game+ modes are available. Strong Mode, where all characters begin at level 90, and Weak Mode, where all characters begin at level 1 and never level up. Nothing carries over into these new save files.
• Treasure Respawns – Treasures pots now respawn by just moving one screen away.
• Treasure Item Changes - Some items inside coffers have been switched around, added, or removed.
• Break Damage Limit – There is no damage limit any more. If a character does more than 9,999 damage, the game will show it. Against very weak enemies, it is possible to achieve over 100,000 HP of damage with a single attack.

Also, unlike Final Fantasy X-2 International, which supported old Final Fantasy X-2 save files, this game does not support save files from the old Final Fantasy XII.

Glitches

The Immobilize Glitch can cause enemies to disappear in the field, and also allow characters to "teleport" within large zones. This is useful especially when wanting to fight Zodiark in Henne Mines without having to fight other enemies on the way.
Another useful glitch is Zone Out Glitch, which tricks the game into thinking a dead monster has not been spawned yet, and thus respawns it. This glitch is used most commonly to chain together rare game without having to zone away twice between each kill. Exploitation of this glitch can also cause a very high battle chain, resulting in a larger amount, and increased frequency, of drops.
Another glitch is the "flapping hair woman" in Rabanastre, close to the bridge near the Sandsea, wherein a NPC, when spoken to, will have wildly flapping hair for no apparent reason. One also exists in the Rabanastre Aerodome, but will only rarely be activated.
Something that is more of a mistake than a glitch, is Dyce in the Nam-Yensa Sandsea. Before defeating Garuda Dyce looks completely different than how he appears afterward.

Voice Cast

Character	Japanese	English
Vaan	Kouhei Takeda	Bobby Edner
Penelo	Yuna Mikuni	Catherine Taber
Ashelia "Ashe" B'nargin Dalmasca	Mie Sonozaki	Kari Wahlgren
Balthier	Hiroaki Hirata	Gideon Emery
Fran	Rika Fukami	Nicole Fantl
Basch fon Ronsenburg	Rikiya Koyama	Keith Ferguson
Reks	Hideki Tasaka	Yuri Lowenthal
Larsa Ferrinas Solidor	Yuka Imai	Johnny McKeown
Vossler York Azelas	Masaki Terasoma	Nolan North
Reddas, Judge Zecht	Takayuki Sugo	Phil LaMarr
Vayne Carudas Solidor	Nobuo Tobita	Elijah Alexander
Judge Gabranth	Akio Otsuka	Michael E. Rodgers
Judge Bergan	Yōsuke Akimoto	Gary Martin
Judge Drace	Yoko Soumi	Julia Fletcher
Judge Ghis	Ryunosuke Obayashi	Mark Wing-Davey
Judge Zargabaath	Ryuzaburo Otomo	Simon Templeman
Emperor Gramis Gana Solidor	Hidekatsu Shibata	Roger L. Jackson
Doctor Cidolfus Demen Bunansa	Chikao Otsuka	John Lee
Lord Rasler Heios Nabradia	Yasuyuki Kase	Andrew Philpot
Migelo	Shiro Saito	John DiMaggio
Al-Cid Margrace	Norio Wakamoto	David Rasner
Marquis Halim Ondore IV	Akio Nojima	Tom Kane
Ba'Gamnan	Koji Ishii	Steve Blum
Jote	Yoshiko Sakakibara	Michelle Arthur
Mjrn	Yukana Nogami	April Stewart
King Raminas B'nargin Dalmasca	Takehiro Koyama	Nick Jameson
Gran Kiltias Anastasis	Tamio Oki	Dwight Schultz
Old Dalan	Takehiro Koyama	Dwight Schultz
Gilgamesh	Daisuke Gori	John DiMaggio
Garif Great-Chief Uball-Ka	Yoshisada Sakaguchi	Michael Chinyamurindi
Venat	Narumi Tsunoda	Anita Carey
Gerun	Seiko Tomoe	Bernice Stegers
Kytes	Takehiro Koyama	Conner DeMita
Havharo	Taketora	Chris Edgerly

Final Fantasy XI

Final Fantasy XI, Games

Final Fantasy XI ファイナルファンタジーXI Fainaru Fantajī XI Developer(s) Square Co., Ltd. Publisher(s) Square Co., Ltd. Release date PlayStation 2 version: May 16, 2002 / March 23, 2004 PC version: October 28, 2003 September 27, 2004 Xbox 360 version: April 18, 2006 April 20, 2006 / April 21, 2006 Genre MMORPG Game modes Massive Multiplayer Online Ratings ESRB:Teen PEGI:12+ USK: 12+ OFLC: G8+ (PC); PG (X360) CERO:12+ Platform(s) PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox 360

Final Fantasy XI, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online is the franchise's first MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online RPG). Final Fantasy XI was the world's first cross-platform MMORPG, currently available for Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360.
Due to the nature of online RPGs, Final Fantasy XI differs from previous installments of the series, in that you are not the only hero. Instead, each player creates a customizable character and adventures through the world of Vana'diel with other players; leveling up, exploring, completing missions, quests, and much more. Like most of the gameplay, leveling up requires a group of people working together in what is called a "Party", each contributing their own skills to help take down the foe and gain Experience points. Battles occur in real-time, taking the ATB system to a new level, which was emulated again to a certain extent in Final Fantasy XII.
Currently there are some five hundred thousand people playing Final Fantasy XI, utilizing over two million characters. With constant updates and Expansions added to the game, Vana'diel is not a static world; instead, it changes and evolves with the passage of time.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Basic Gameplay 1.2 Job System 1.3 Leveling and Partying 1.4 Weapon Skills and Magic Bursts 2 Setting 2.1 World 3 Playable Races 4 Story 5 Expansions 5.1 Expansion Packs 5.2 Add-Ons 6 Music 7 Development 8 Packaging Artwork 9 Trivia 10 External Links

Gameplay

Basic Gameplay

Players start by creating a character which may be customized. Unlike previous games in the series, Final Fantasy XI allows a player to choose Race, Gender, facial features, hair color, and height. Players then select one of three starter cities to pledge allegiance to and reside in — the Republic of Bastok, the Kingdom of San d'Oria, or the Federation of Windurst. Life in Vana'diel then begins.
Final Fantasy XI's main plot lines are advanced through Missions, which are offered from city-states and several NPCs. While advancing the game's story, Missions also offer various rewards, such as items, Rank, and access to new areas. NPCs also offer various Quests, which are story-based activities separate from the game's main plot. Compared to Missions, Quests are generally shorter in length, and more numerous in number. Quests flesh out the game's world, offer various rewards, and enhance a player's Fame, an invisible status which affects NPC reactions to the player's character.
Battles in Final Fantasy XI take place within the game world; no separate screen is loaded, as is common in previous Final Fantasy games. Instead, monsters can be found roaming the land, and can be freely attacked. Some monsters may also attack the player, retaining some "random battle" elements from previous games. Final Fantasy uses a "Claim" and "Enmity" system with regard to monsters. Once an aggressive action is taken against a foe, it becomes "claimed" as part of the record of the character performing the action — this prevents any passersby from interfering. Others may help with the battle if a Party is formed. Partying allows selected players to group together and take down foes, which is standard in most gameplay.

Job System

Final Fantasy XI uses the concept of changing Jobs in a similar fashion to Final Fantasy III, and currently has twenty Jobs available for play. There are six standard Jobs available to choose from at the start of the game. After one standard Job has reached level thirty, fourteen extra Jobs are accessible upon completing certain quests.
Each Job has unique abilities, which must be activated by the player in order to come into effect, last a limited time, and have a cool-down period before they can be used again. Traits are also standard to each Job, which are Passive abilities that are always in effect. Additionally, each Job has a special two-hour ability that performs some extraordinary function to help in a dire situation. Players must use this special power wisely because, as the name suggests, it can only be released once every two hours. Players are able to change jobs any time they wish inside their Mog House.
The unique system of Final Fantasy XI's Job system is the "Support Job". This system allows a player to augment their character with Abilities, Traits, and Spells from another chosen job at half the level of their current Job. For instance, a Level 20 Warrior could set Ninja as their support Job. This allows them to use all Ninja Abilities, Traits, and Spells up to that of a Level 10 Ninja, while still primarily being a Level 20 warrior. The support Job system allows for Job-merges never before seen in the Final Fantasy series.

Basic Jobs
Warrior	Monk	Thief	White Mage	Black Mage	Red Mage

Advanced Jobs
Beastmaster	Bard	Paladin	Dark Knight	Summoner	Ranger	Ninja
Samurai	Dragoon	Blue Mage	Corsair	Puppetmaster	Dancer	Scholar

Leveling and Partying

In this party situation, a Monk uses large amounts of damage to keep their Enmity above everyone else's, and thus keep the monster occupied on them. However, in the second picture, the Ranger has done too much damage, gaining massive Enmity and taking the monsters' attention off the Monk, putting their character in danger of a K.O.

As in some previous Final Fantasy games, leveling up in Final Fantasy XI is based upon Experience Points. Experience points can be gained by several means, including defeating foes, completing Quests, finishing Missions, Campaign Battles, and various other activities. Generally, the most efficient way to gain Experience points with the intention to level up is to Party. A Party is a group of up to six people working together in order to bring down foes for EXP. Partying allows each Job to excel at their roll, and subsequently kill harder monsters faster, thus giving more EXP than solo play. For instance, a White Mage excels at keeping others alive, but they are, however, physically weak and defenseless. Subsequently, they would find it difficult to kill hard foes. However, if a White Mage Parties with a Paladin, who excels at physical defense and Enmity generation, and a Monk whose specialty lies in damage output, the three can work together using their strengths and bring down powerful foes, netting lots of experience. Killing hard monsters quickly in succession grants a bonus to experience, known as a Chain.
When in a Party, monsters' aggressive actions are determined by an Enmity system. Almost every action taken during a battle generates Enmity, commonly referred to as "Hate"; whoever possess the most Enmity will have the monsters' attention, and subsequently be attacked. A key to succeeding in Party battle is managing Enmity in order to protect vulnerable party members; there are several means at the player's disposal to accomplish this. It is essential to keep powerful monsters diverted away from those in the party who have low defense, such as Black and White Mages. Players must pick and choose actions while thinking about how it will affect their Enmity, and therefore the entire group. Because of this, certain Jobs are tasked with trying to create the most Enmity possible, in order to hold the monster's attention.
For several years the maximum level attainable in Final Fantasy XI was 75. Having achieved this milestone, a player can begin converting experience into Limit Points. These, in turn, grant Merit Points which may be spent to gain additional stats, abilities, and traits. It has been announced that the level cap will eventually increase to 99. The June 2010 version update introduced the first step in this direction and the maximum level was raised to 90 in December 2010.

Weapon Skills and Magic Bursts

Final Fantasy XI's incarnation of Limit Breaks are Weapon Skills. Physical Damage given and received fills a Tactical Points bar, to a maximum of 300%. Any amount above 100% is able to be used up by being channeled into a Weapon Skill. These skills vary in effect depending on Job class, what weapon is equipped, how full the Tactical Points bar is, and how proficient the player is with the weapon. If adventuring with others, players may use these Weapon Skills in succession in order to create a Skillchain. A Skillchain creates additional damage after a series of Weapon Skills are used. Building on this even further, Magic used on a Skillchain at the right time will receive a damage boost; this is called a Magic Burst. In order to create the best possible Skillchains and Magic Bursts, players must work together, focusing on each others actions and timing.

Setting

World

The area of Vana'diel that is currently accessible to players, said to be about 1/4 of the world. Marked are the major continents and the five nations of the Enlightened Races.

Main article: Vana'diel

Final Fantasy XI takes place in the world of Vana'diel, a diverse planet with regions ranging from blinding-hot deserts to ice-cold glaciers. Vana'diel's inhabitants range from the Enlightened Races and Beastmen to simple fiends.
Ancient lore states that Vana'diel was created as a playground for the Gods, who themselves were spawned form an enormous and sentient Crystal. For eons, the Gods joyfully played until eventually falling into a deep slumber. It was during this slumber that the children of the Gods rose and flourished in Vana'diel, extracting gold from stones, traveling through the sky, building mighty cities, and giving birth to grasslands across the world.
Eventually, the children longed to join their parents, and constructed a pathway to the Divine Entrance of Paradise. Enraged by such an insolent act, the Holy Gatekeeper smote the children, and cast their cities to the bottom of the sea.
Shortly thereafter, the Goddess Altana awoke, and saw the ruin that had once been Vana'diel. Filled with an emotion that the likes of a God had never felt before — sadness — Altana wept five divine tears. When the five tears fell upon the earth, they gave life to the five races of Vana'diel.
However, the God of Twilight, Promathia, observed this act from his place in the shadows. Promathia saw fit to condemn her weakness and the life that arose from it. Promathia cursed the five races with eternal conflict amongst themselves by bringing forth their darkest attributes. The apathy of the Humes, the arrogance of the Elvaan, the rage of the Galka, the cowardice of the Tarutaru, and the envy of the Mithra. He created terrible beasts and spread them across the world, commanding them to forever fight the people of Vana'diel and occupy their minds. Never again would anyone think to open the Gate of the Gods.

Playable Races

From left to right: A Galka, Mithra, Hume, Elvaan, and TaruTaru.

The five Enlightened Races of Vana'diel are available to play as:

• Hume

The Humes built their city, the Republic of Bastok, in the wastes of Gustaberg. They posses near-equal abilities in all fields, and are physically-basic compared to other races. It is the Humes' adaptability that has spread them throughout the lands, making them the most numerous of the five races. Humes are said to suffer from the sin of Apathy.

• Galka

The most imposing of all the races, the Galka possess towering, bulky physiques. Their home city was destroyed hundreds of years ago by the Anticans, making the Galkan people refugees. Many have since settled in Bastok with the Humes; however, they are regarded as an underclass. Galkas are unique from other races, as they posses no gender, instead reproducing through reincarnation. They posses high Vitality and HP, but have the lowest MP of the five races. They are said to suffer from the sin of Rage.

• Elvaan

Native to The Kingdom of San d'Oria, the Elvaan are characterized by their tall, slender figures and large, pointed ears. Many Elvaan are deeply religious, possessing an unbreakable faith that is reflected in their everyday life. They are blessed with high Strength and Mind; however, also possessing low Intelligence. The Elvaan are said to suffer from the sin of Arrogance.

• Mithra

The cat-like race of Mithras posses a gender imbalance, with a high ratio of females to males. As such, only women are allowed away from the safety of their homeland to adventure around Vana'diel. They posses excellent Agility and Dexterity. Mithras are said to suffer from the sin of Envy.

• Tarutaru

The tiny Tarutarus' age is not reflected in their size. Residing in the Federation of Windurst, the Tarutaru are famed for their discovery and development of magic, which they excel at, thanks to their high Intelligence. However, the small physique of a Taru means they have the lowest Strength compared to other races. Tarutaru are said to suffer from the sin of Cowardice.

Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

The Allied Forces march to defend Tavnazia.

See also: History of Vana'diel.

Final Fantasy XI is set in the Age of Adventurers. It is the 884th year of the Crystal Era, twenty years after the end of the Crystal War that ravaged Vana'diel. The three main nations of Vana'diel, San d'Oria, Bastok and Windurst continue their struggle against the Beastmen who, although less organized, have regrouped and still terrorize the land. Rather than dispatching their own forces to deal with this threat, the nations of Vana'diel begin to employ adventurers to handle them as well as other minor tasks. The player is one such adventurer.
Reports of the beastmen rising again lead the player to journey on behalf of his nation to the other 2 nations to investigate the matter. In a beastmen stronghold, the player encounters the Spotter, a servant of the Shadow Lord, and it attacks by summoning a Dread Dragon to aid it. After being defeated by the player, it announces that the Shadow Lord will soon rise again. The player also meets Lion, a female who had been sent to investigate the beastmen, for the first time.
On a later mission, the player is made to report at the nation's embassy in the Grand Duchy of Jeuno and ends up rescuing the ambassador who had been kidnapped and held hostage in Delkfutt's Tower. The ambassador, impressed by the players bravery, later recommends him as a diplomatic attaché to the Archduke of Jeuno for a special mission.
Kam'lanaut, the Archduke of Jeuno, tasks the player with retrieving magicite from deep within the beastmen strongholds of Davoi, Beadeaux and Castle Oztroja to prevent the beastmen from harnessing its power to resurrect the Shadow Lord. At this point, the player meets Aldo of the Tenshodo, his sister Verena and the peace-loving Goblin Fickblix for the first time. Aldo helps out with the mission, whereas Fickblix dies while trying to reason with the Yagudo beastmen. When the player succeeds in retrieving all 3 pieces of magicite, the Archduke rewards him by issuing him an airship pass.
Upon returning to his home nation, the player discovers that the nation's talisman had been stolen. The talisman, used to seal Castle Zvahl after the war 20 years ago, had been broken into three parts for safekeeping by the three nations. The player is sent to the ruins of Fei'Yin, situated in the Beaucedine Glacier, to examine the seal placed there and to replace it with a new one if it is not intact.
Over at Fei'Yin, the player meets with Zeid. He shares details of the Northlands Expedition that took place 30 years ago and recites the "Warriors of the Crystal" song, but dismisses the return of the Shadow Lord. After defeating the Archlich Taber'quoan in the Qu'Bia Arena, the player returns to his home nation with the burnt remains of the old seal that had been placed there.
After the player reports to his home nation with the findings, the nation ultimately decides to send him to Castle Zvahl to deal with the threat of a returning Shadow Lord. (The reason for this varies depending on which nation one is aligned to).
In the Throne Room of Castle Zvahl, the player along with Zeid encounter the Shadow Lord and find out that he is actually Raogrimm, a Galkan member of the Northlands Expedition who had been wounded, betrayed and left behind by fellow member Ulrich. It is revealed that in his final moments, Raogrimm's rage attracted the attention of the Dark Divinity Odin, who granted him a new form and gave him control over nether beasts. Reincarnated as the Shadow Lord, he swore to purge the world with his newfound power.
The Shadow Lord forces Zeid to stand and watch as he attacks the player, but he is subdued thanks to the selfless courage and sacrifice of the player. As he is defeated, Raogrimm manages to regain control of himself and explains that much of the rage that he was consumed in came from being the Talekeeper of the Galka. He also explains that he will forever be lost to the darkness.
Lion appears to help Zeid and the player escape from Castle Zvahl. She beckons the player to visit her in Norg when possible. The player returns to his nation and is celebrated as a hero.

Spoilers end here.

For storyline added by expansion packs, please see the Expansions Section below.

Expansions

Expansion Packs

Final Fantasy XI currently has four expansion packs available. Each pack adds its own new story to the game for players to complete. New areas are also available to explore where the player may find new weapons, armor, equipment, creatures, and even new methods of gameplay (e.g., Assault, Campaign, or Besieged):

• Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart

Immediately following the original Final Fantasy XI storyline, the player finds out that the Archduke of Jeuno and his brother are princes of the ancient Zilart race who survived extinction. The player must fight to stop them from opening the Gate of the Gods, which will destroy Vana'diel as we know it.

• Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia

A phenomenon known as "The Emptiness" is found to be eating away at the heart of Vana'diel and the Wyrmking Bahamut declares that the arrival of the Keeper of the Apocalypse is near. A mysterious pale child seems to be at the center of the strange mystery that revolves around the Twilight God Promathia.

• Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan

The xenophobic Aht Urhgan Empire opens the borders to the Middle Lands after years of self-imposed isolation. Worried about this new power, the leaders of each city send a representative to assess the situation. You are chosen for the task of unearthing the Empire's true intentions, and begin to uncover the secrets of the life-giving Astral Candescence, the Dark Rider, and the history of this mysterious land.

• Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess

Cavernous Maws appearing all over the land have been found to teleport adventurers twenty years back in time, when the Crystal War raged. The player is greeted by Cait Sith, who asks for help in easing the suffering of the people in this time period. However, there are others who would alter the course of history to suit their own ends as well.

Add-Ons

In addition to the Expansion Packs, there are add-on chapters. Unlike full expansion packs, each add-on is delivered completely within a single version update. The first three are add-on scenarios that introduce side stories in existing areas while the last three are battle area add-ons that focus on high level battles in the alternate reality of Abyssea.

• Final Fantasy XI: A Crystalline Prophecy: Ode to Life Bestowing

A giant crystal appears in the skies above Jeuno, triggering a series of unexplained happenings across the land. Adventurers must set forth to unravel the mysteries of this primordial crystal that holds the secrets of Vana'diel's past and who the young boy resembling Aldo is.

• Final Fantasy XI: A Moogle Kupo d'Etat: Evil in Small Doses

It all started with an innocent drop of rainwater and a rickety, ramshackle Mog House desperately in need of repairs. Little did anyone suspect that this was only the beginning of a harrowing nightmare unheard of in the annals of mooglekind.

• Final Fantasy XI: A Shantotto Ascension: The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born

The eccentric Doctor Shantotto returned to Windurst one day after a sudden and unexplained absence, shocking her colleagues with behavior so outrageous it put her old self to shame. When she goes so far as to proclaim herself ruler of her own empire, adventurers must embark on a quest to discover the truth behind her alarming shift in personality.

• Final Fantasy XI: Vision of Abyssea

New Cavernous Maws appear and serve as gateways to an unforgiving world long forsaken by the gods called Abyssea, where savage creatures roam and the land crumbles to chasmic depths. Its sanguine sky is an ever-present portent of looming destruction, whilst the moon is a great jewel of hope shining against a bloody veil of death.

• Final Fantasy XI: Scars of Abyssea

As adventurers continue deeper into Abyssea, they discover power and riches beyond their wildest dreams. It is also there that they come upon the bastions of survivors desperately defending themselves and the strategically important Pulse Martellos against the invasion of the fell hordes.

• Final Fantasy XI: Heroes of Abyssea

In the borderlands of Abyssea, adventurers join the Resistance effort to subjugate the savage hordes and reclaim dominion over the land for mankind. In staking their claim as the champions of Abyssea, adventurers will come to discover the dark secrets of this world and face off against the greatest challenge yet.

MusicEdit

Final Fantasy XI's Original Soundtrack Premium Box.

Main article: [Music of Final Fantasy XI]

Final Fantasy XI holds the most extensive soundtrack out of the Final Fantasy series, with album releases consisting of nearly 200 tracks totaling over 11 hours listening. The game is updated with new music throughout the year. The largest spike appears with each expansion pack, adding approximately 25 tracks each time.
The release version of Final Fantasy XI featured music scored by Nobuo Uematsu, Kumi Tanioka, and Naoshi Mizuta. The games central theme, Distant Worlds, appears in several forms throughout the game and occasionally with vocals, most notably at the end of the games second expansion pack Chains of Promathia. Memoro de la Ŝtono was Final Fantasy XI's secondary theme, it features a choral arrangement with lyrics sung in Esperanto. According to Uematsu, the Esperanto lyrics symbolize the developers' hope that the game could contribute to cross-cultural communication and cooperation.
Music after the initial release of Final Fantasy XI has been almost solely scored by Naoshi Mizuta. The exceptions to this include Chocobo Theme variants, for which Nobuo returns to the scene.
Final Fantasy XI's soundtrack repertoire also features albums containing music not present in-game. Several piano collections have been realized and The Star Onions, a band with composers including Naoshi Mizuta, Kumi Tanioka, and Hidenori Iwasaki, have released two albums of arranged Final Fantasy XI tracks.

Development

The original idea for Final Fantasy XI was conceived by Hironobu Sakaguchi after being impressed by the western MMORPG of EverQuest. Final Fantasy XI was first announced at the Japanese Square Millennium Event in 2000, along with the announcement for Final Fantasy X. The first teaser trailer can be seen here: [1]. Hiromichi Tanaka, producer of the original Final Fantasy XI and its expansions, states XI is the "most Final Fantasy of all the installments", including many things the team were unable to place in earlier titles due to technical limitations. According to Tanaka Final Fantasy III was a major influence on the original game, which can be seen in XI's Job System.

Packaging Artwork

Japanese special edition launch box (2002).

U.S. launch cover (2004).

Japanese Chains of Promathia 'Darkside' cover (2004).

Japanese Chains of Promathia 'Lightside' cover (2004).

U.S. Vana'diel Collection (2005).

Japanese Treasures of Aht Urhgan 'Darkside' cover (2005).

Japanese Treasures of Aht Urhgan 'Lightside' cover (2005).

U.S. Final Fantasy XI including: Rise of Zilart, Chains of Promathia, and Treasures of Aht Urhgan (2006).

U.S. Vana'diel Collection (2008).

U.S. Ultimate Collection (2009).