When the community thinks of sources for the latest information on Square Enix titles, they typically turn to Japanese forums or Japanese magazines.  We may be seeing some forces at work trying to balance things out – or not.  The latest issue of Beckett Massive Online Gamer arrived at my door step today, and I admit I got excited when I saw 1st Look FINAL FANTASY XIV on the cover next to a smirking Mr Spock.  Opening to the table of contents revealed that not only was there an article on Final Fantasy XIV, but there was also a Final Fantasy XI Community Team interview.  Both articles were written by Juan Castro – maybe he is a new outlet for our Final Fantasy online fix.  The FFXIV article was a 2 page spread sporting some screen shots that have been around a while, at least to people already involved with the community.  There was no mention of an already bustling community across multiple popular sites however.  The article is titled “The Story So Far, Part 1 – Our First Look at Final Fantasy XIV”.  While the article is admittedly not chock full of information or very revealing, it is well written and gives the fans a new hope – a hope for a more diverse coverage of the most anticipated title we all await.  Juan mentions a bit of the game’s setting and races.  Are we seeing a change in the flow of information?  This sort of magazine is not as popular as it’s Japanese counterparts, but who knows, maybe Square Enix will continue to work with Beckett or other printing publishers to help feed their starving English speaking audience.

The write up on the Community Team is more in depth and longer.  It’s worth a read to learn more about the hard working community team at Square Enix.  If you’re looking for a Final Fantasy fix, pick up a copy of Beckett.  A subscription would save you some cash if you’re hopeful more will come from Square Enix and Massive Online Gamer.  Their last issue also featured a Final Fantasy XI article covering the 3 add on scenarios.  I am hopeful we will see more coming from this.  After all, the article is titled “Part 1″.

Did you enjoy all the new information this weekend?  We had an official NA and JP site update and people on the forums have been sifting through the information and finding all sorts of interesting things.  I know some people have been busy updating the wiki as well.  Starting it all off though was a lot of translated information from magazines like Weekly Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation.

But wait!

We haven’t talked about the interesting stuff that was in Dengeki PlayStation yet.  This time we’ll be covering the long Q&A portion of their FFXIV coverage.  It covers general questions related to the upcoming alpha/beta test, character creation, and the various classes overall.  In another article, we’ll cover the shorter class-specific questions.

First, let’s talk beta.

[About the Beta Test]
Q: About how long do you expect the beta test to run?
A: It isn’t set in stone at this point.  We’ll have to see after we start making adjustments.

Q: How much of the game can people expect to be able to play around with in the beta?
A: It won’t even be half of what we think will go into the final release.  After all, the goal of the beta test is to refine  game balance and double check some of the very basic technical things.  For the alpha test, you could almost say there is next to nothing there.  However, we feel this makes it easier to take in people’s feedback and requests as we build up the game.

Q: Could you tell us the PC specs required for playing the alpha and beta test builds?
A: Well, we are in the process of optimization right now but it isn’t finished yet.  That means for the alpha build, you are most likely going to need a powerful CPU.  Your video card will need to be able to handle DirectX9 but if you’ve bought a card within the past few years you should be good to go.  Memory-wise you’ll want 512MB of VRAM or more.  We’ll be posting more specific details at some point on the official beta test site.

Q: Will the PC and PlayStation 3 beta tests begin at the same time?
A: The alpha test will be PC only.  No decisions have been made yet about the beta test, including the timing.

Q: You’ve said before that you want the FFXI community (in the form of friend lists and so on) to continue to be together in FFXIV as well.  Can you tell us specifically how you plan on making that happen?
A: The details haven’t be worked out yet but we’d like to make it where you can transfer to the same server as your friends so you can play together.

Q: Will the 9 classes you’ve released information for this time around also be playable in the beta?  Also, will players in the beta be able to pick a starting class from them?
A: They will be playable in the beta.  Perhaps not everything there is to each class will be included, but you will be able to play them.

Q: Will other classes be available in the beta test as well?
A: We’re not sure at this time.

Q: Say I’m a player that wants to play out a particular role.  Can you give us some advice on the role of each class?
A: In a very broad sense, this is the image I have for each class-
Gladiator– The hero who crushes the strong and defends the weak.  They are the guardian of the party.  An almighty fighter good for anyone.

Pugilist– You’re right on the front lines.  There is a thrill in the split second decision making you’ll have to do.  Do you change your stance or not?  This person is definitely a damage dealer.  I’d say it is also for people who don’t want to have to pay a lot of attention to detail.

Lancer– You’ll need the ability to make judgment calls and make the most of your weapon range.  The lancer is the party’s last defense.  Play lancer if you like tactical fighting.

Marauder– This is a macho and massively powerful attacker.  The trump card of the party.  The marauder is a good class for people who like getting in those last blows and stuff.

Archer– A cool sniper who scans the battlefield, looking for their chance to strike, rather than staring off into the distance.  If you were talking baseball, this is your team’s shortstop.  It is also a good class for people who want to play solo or are kind of a loner.

Conjurer– This is a support member who changes roles depending on how the battle is going.  They could attack, add to the party’s defense, or cure.  This is a good class for somebody who wants to put their hands in everything.

Thaumaturge– The Thaumaturge is your party’s strategist, using their enfeebling magic to control the battlefield.  Good for someone that has the capacity for forethought.

Miner– Metal is an indispensable part of making almost any piece of armor and the miner is the person that goes out, finds it, and brings it to the marketplace.  This is a class that knows how to make money fast.  It is also for people who are persistent.

Blacksmith– The blacksmith is a crafter who makes and repairs weapons, tools, and other things that have some metal component to them.  You’ll always have customers so this job is suited for people who like doing business with other people.

[Character Creation]
Q: Previously we were introduced to the idea of clans within different races, like the Seekers of the Sun and Keepers of the Moon for the Miqo’te.   Will people be able to choose their clan during character creation?
A: For the beta test, you’ll be able to choose from a subset of the races and clans.

Q: I get the feeling that rather than being able to choose freely, you’ll have to choose things that fit with a particular clan’s special characteristics.  Like, you could choose from different shades of brown if you were a Seeker of the Sun but because Keepers of the Moon are nocturnal, they have to be fair-skinned.  Am I right?
A: Kind of.  Except rather than just the lightness of your skin, there are different themes and you’ll be able to choose from a wide variety of skins that follow those themes.

Q: How much of the character creation system will be present in the beta?
A: There will be a small subset of faces and hairstyles to choose from.  After that, you can select the color of your hair, skin, and eyes.  You won’t be able to change your facial features or anything at this time.

Q: Are there any special bonuses for matching the right city-state with the right race?  And if so, will there be differences depending on clan as well?
A: Right now we aren’t planning on doing anything like that.  However, if we get a lot of feedback from people who want that sort of thing, we’ll take it under consideration.

[About the Classes]
Q: So far in the classes and weapon information, we haven’t seen anything about dual wielding weapons like you see in FFXI.  Will we eventually see dual wielding in FFXIV too?  Also, if that is the case, what classes will they match up with?  For example, is it something a Gladiator would be able to do with a dual wield-use sword?  Or would it be for an entirely different class?
A: I can’t answer your question as to when but I think it is safe to say we will see it at some point.  As for which classes will be able to dual wield, all I can say is, please look forward to future announcements.

Q: We know you will be able to change your class at any time but will there be any restrictions as to the classes you can change into?  For example, is there going to be a restriction where you can only carry 3 different weapon types as one time?
A: There aren’t any restrictions right now but that isn’t to say there won’t be in the future.

Q: Can you change your class in the midst of battle?  And if it is limited to only when you aren’t in a battle ready mode, would it be possible to change weapons if you put your other weapon away first?
A: In FFXIV, there are two modes: Passive and Active.  In Passive Mode, your HP restores while you move around.  Active Mode is when you have drawn your weapon and are ready for battle.  You can only change your class when you are in Passive Mode.

Q: In general, how many people do you think will be in a party?  Also, will we see alliances?
A:  We think that 6 to 8 people will be the norm for parties.  However, we want to make the system flexible.  Even if 6 to 8 is the norm, there will be times where you have more people or times when you have less.  You might just want to play solo or play with a small group of friends.  There will also be challenges adventurers will face that will require an alliance.

Another thing to consider is that when it comes to battle, we are thinking of “party versus party” dynamics.  You’ll be fighting for the best position and there will be a lot of planning and strategic thinking required to win beyond just who is doing the most straight damage.  First, you have to think of the best fighting range for your weapon.  You have to think about damage and accuracy, but also what position is best to get in some of those extra effects.  For example, there is a lancer move where you can keep the enemies from moving for a short period of time.  The magic users especially have to think about things because they have so many AoE spells.  The area is also different depending on the class.  You see donut-shaped spells for the Conjurer and fan/cone shaped ones for the Thaumaturge.  Also, sometimes you are the center of an ability or weapon skill, sometimes it is your target.  There are many different types.

Direction will also have an affect on things.  You might try to slip into an enemy’s blind spot or make them face in a different direction.  If you want to be a better fighter in FFXIV, you’ll need to master distance, area of effect, and direction and use these to the best of your advantage.

Q: In some of the abilities it says “get the enemy’s attention”.  Does this mean to increase enmity?
A: In FFXIV, we call it the Hostility Ratio.  That is what will increase.  [Translation note: We don't know if the terminology will change for the English version as well.]

Q: Are there differences between the Gladiator’s Rousing Provoke and the Pugilist’s Mocking Provoke?
A: They are the same type of ability but they are a bit different from each other as well.  The way you get that attention changes.  And even if it is the exact same ability, there might be other things that factor into how well you get the enemy’s attention.  Controlling the Hostility Ratio will be a very important part of the game.  You have to look at the situation and decide what is the best ability to use.  We hope people will have fun doing trial-and-error and finding out what works best for them.

Q: Is guarding a defensive command?  Or is it something that occurs at random?
A: Both.  There is a command you can use to guard with a shield.  However, the more proficient a character is with using a shield, they might just deflect an attack with their shield without you having to use any commands.

Q: How is the Pugilist’s range different from a very close fighting range?
A: The range is nearly identical.  However, the difference is enough to show off the different characteristics of those classes.  For example, let’s look at defense.  A very close ranged fighter has a shield or other protective gear for physical defense.  A pugilist is more focused on evading attacks.  The way they attack is different as well.

Q: Do enemies have TP as well?
A: They do.  Enemies can earn TP in a variety of ways.  There might even be some enemies that could put your life at risk if you don’t defeat them quickly.

Q: For the most part, do you have to be still in order to cast a spell?
A: We plan on including a number of spells that can be cast while moving as well.

Just a quick update (with thanks to community member zenshiro) to point out that GameStop is now accepting preorders for Final Fantasy XIV – PS3 Version and PC Version .  Same prices (for now) as Amazon, but for those that told us they were waiting on GameStop to add FFXIV to their listings, wait no more.  We’ve updated our tracking and preorder page accordingly.  And no, we won’t announce when each retailer allows these preorders, but we know a lot of people were waiting for Amazon and GameStop.

One Siphon is for MP, One for TP

It’s time for a Lost in Translation check!  We have new official information in English but it doesn’t match up with everything that is out in Japanese.  Let’s do a quick comparison of abilities and weapon skills and see what’s changed.

Archer Ability Replenish:
[J] Use up all of your arrows to be able to fire off multiple arrows at once. 
[E] Consume MP to replenish your projectiles to capacity.

Marauder Ability Murderous Intent:
[J] Increases critical hit rate.
[E] Increases critical hit rate, reducing TP generation.

Marauder Ability Defender:
[J] Increases defense.
[E] Increases defense.  Increases enmity generation while in steadfast stance.

Marauder Ability Disorient:
[J] Reduce the target’s evasion.
[E] Reduce the target’s evasion.  Effect may stack up to three times.

Marauder Ability Enduring March:
[J] Able to move at slow speed while bound.
[E] Enables movement at reduced speed while bound.  While active, also maintains steadfast stance while moving.

Pugilist Ability Blindside:
[J] Attack the enemy for a large amount of damage when you attack from behind.
[E] Strike from an enemy’s rear, increasing attack power by half of your dexterity.

Pugilist Ability Steal:
[J] Steal from the enemy.
[E] Steal a random item.  Chance of success increases with stealth.

Pugilist Weapon Skill Victimize:
[J] Critical hit rate increases with successive attacks.
[E] Increases your critical hit rate for each enfeebling effect on the target.

Conjurer Ability Profundity:
[J] Increase magic potency but increase casting time. 
[E] Lengthens cast and recast times and increases the magic potency of your next cast.

Conjurer Ability Spiritbind:
[J] Bind yourself and reduce MP costs.
[E] Bind yourself and reduce MP consumption by half.

Thaumaturge Spell Sacrifice:
[J] Sacrifice your own HP to give HP to an ally.
[E] Consumes HP to restore a portion of the target’s HP.

Thaumaturge Spell Siphon TP:
[J] This spell is not mentioned yet.
[E] Transfers TP from the target to you

Thaumaturge Spell Siphon Magi (official English name unknown):
[J] Transfer MP from an enemy you have defeated to yourself.
[E] This spell is not mentioned on the official site.
(The developer interview in Dengeki PlayStation includes a comment about draining MP and what happens with enemies that have no MP so we know this isn’t just a misprint from MP to TP.)

Blacksmith Craftable Item Halberd:
[J] Not mentioned.
[E] Requires Halberd Head, Spear Shaft, Halberd Butt, Spear Clasp, Grip Wrapping

These are some of the things I’ve found.  Is there anything else that’s different?

We’ve been impatiently waiting for the update of the official Final Fantasy XIV website for North America ever since we received information about the newest Japanese Magazines, and even more so after the Japan site got their update a few days ago.

Have no fear! The NA site is finally updated with new content including screen shots, and a plethora of information about the disciplines! Make sure to check it out!

And for those who were lucky enough to receive first wave beta invites, the site has a notice that the test site is now open!

Official Final Fantasy XIV Website

After some screen shots were released from the playable Guildleve build at Gamescom, we  jumped in and gave them an in depth analysis and even went as far as re-creating the image in English! With the release of a new image showing off the upgraded user interface, we figured it was time to do it again! Lets see what changes are in store for us!

click to view larger image

As you can see, the first big change is that there seems to be a new style applied to the user interface, giving it a much cleaner look and making it easier to read. We’ll be using the numbers in the image as we discuss the certain areas of the user interface.

1. Chat Log

Not a whole lot has changed with the chat log. Instead of the chat filters being included inside the box at the top, they have now been turned into tabs. In this image we can see General and Combat. Chances are we’ll also be seeing Group and Linkshell at some point. Looking at the way other MMOs handle their chat, its possible that we’ll be given the opportunity to create a custom tab filled only with the text we tell it we want to see. We can see from our translation that Destiny evades an attack by the Ajattara. When she tries to use her Earth Render move on the Peiste though, the creature is too far away from her, so the move isn’t executed.  The last line looks to be just a regular attack.
Special thanks to Corinth for the translation!

2. Map

This is nice to see! An on screen map has been added to the interface to aid adventurers. Not only can we see the area around us, but we can also see the surrounding enemies (red dots) as well as what is probably an NPC of some sort (green dot). I’m sure that party members will be added to the mini-map as well if you’re in a group (probably blue dots).

3. Action Bar and Target HP

Interesting to note here that there is only one action bar. More than likely due to the fact that there aren’t actions available for both right and left hands. We can see Destiny is getting ready to use Earth Render (an earth based Pugilist ability that allows a distanced attack. It can not be used on enemies in the air) on the Peiste she’s fighting.

4. Send and Receive

Players of Final Fantasy XI will recognize this new addition to the UI. Seeing yourself  “R zeroing” will also be possible in Final Fantasy XIV.

5. Action Bar

The Action Bar has been simplified a bit more. Instead of seeing the name of abilities under each icon, we just have the icon representation of the ability. While we can’t say for sure, our guess is that the ability name will appear above the icon when it is hovered over or selected.

6. TP Bar

The TP bar has been removed from the HP and MP group and is now spread across the bottom of the screen. It seems that TP will play a larger role in Eorzea than it did in Vana’diel. The bar in the image has 72 TP and as you can see, has a long way to go before it fills up.

7. Misc Icons

Here we can see what are probably icons to open up things such as your inventory, main menu, and possibly a friend list or message window of sorts.

8. HP and MP

The HP and MP bars have been styled a little more and are now a lot easier on the eyes.

That’s it for now! The game will be entering its beta phase soon so for the lucky few who are able to participate, this is probably what you’ll be seeing. However, keep in mind that there’s always a chance they could polish up the user interface even more before the game launches!

Another day, another article.  Today’s information is also courtesy of Famitsu.  Along with the developer comments they had for the various classes, they also had a short one page interview with the three developers.  Once again, let’s take a look at what Battle Director Atsushi Okada, Planner Sei Sato, and Planner Kenichi Iwao had to say about their game.

Famitsu: For starters, could you give us a basic idea of how combat works?

Okada: While you can play solo as well, the general idea behind combat in FFXIV is “Many versus Many” where the enemies are also in parties.  We’re also building it under the assumption that people will be moving around while fighting rather than staying at one particular camp and having somebody bring the enemies in.

F: So basically people will move to where the enemies spawn and heal between battles?

Okada: That’s right.  However, one of the things that makes FFXIV special is that, in general, your MP will not recover.  This isn’t to say that there are absolutely no ways to get MP back.  For example, once a player has grown in their class they’ll learn abilities to help them recover MP.  Also, if you stop by an Aetheryte location, you can recover both HP and MP.

Iwao: Classes with MP have to think of MP as something to use carefully and learn how to make it last over a number of battles versus using it all during just one battle.  That’s a part of how FFXIV works.

Sato: When you start on a particular objective, everybody is going to go out to the location together.  At that time, it’ll be important for you to start thinking about how you will manage your MP.  There is even a class built around the idea of managing a party’s MP usage.

Each class has a different range.

F: Looking at the image you’ve provided, I suppose it’s safe to say that each class has their own best attack range.

Sato: Yes.  For battles in FFXIV, where you are standing and which way the enemy is looking is going to have a big impact on things.  So the natural extension of that is an appropriate attack range for each class.

Iwao: The enemies themselves also have different classes assigned to them so you’ll see enemies playing out different battle tactics as well.  You’ll need to fight over the best positions and sometimes you might need to change locations when you fight.  That’s one thing that makes the “Many versus Many” battles so exciting.  You aren’t just fighting in the same location all the time.  You really have to think about where the enemy is in relation to you at all times.

Sato: It’s not an action game but it does have some of the elements of one.

F: With the need to move around, it sounds like the classes with very short attack ranges will have an easier time of things.

Iwao: Well, the classes that are right up close have to really worry about their position and direction while those fighting from farther away will be more concerned about distance.

Sato: For close range fighters, the effectiveness of your attacks will vary depending on the direction you are facing, so it isn’t particularly easier than the classes that fight from farther away.

Iwao: There is one other element to take into consideration: range.  This is really obvious for magic users but other classes have abilities with different ranges as well.

Sato: Think of where you are fighting as a space you share with all of your party members.  We’ll continue to refine and develop more of these ranged attacks.

Iwao: There are different types of these moves as well.  For example, there are ones that radiate from you and other ones that spread out around your target.  These will be very tactical battles where you are thinking about range, distance, and direction as you fight.  I hope people enjoy this style of play.

F: It looks like we’ll see different “elements” in FFXIV.  Can you tell us more about them?

Okada: There are 6 elements for FFXIV: fire, ice, wind, earth, thunder, and water.  They are interrelated to each other as well.  Water is strong to fire but weak to thunder, etc.  Each element has something they are strong to and weak against.

Iwao: There are many components in the game, both involving the player and the enemy, where elements will have an influence.  There are also other properties beyond the 6 elements.  For example, on Earth we have magnetism.  In FFXIV, we will have two properties “Star Pole” and “Spirit Pole”.  (Translator’s Note: It’s hard to say what the English equivalents will be.)

F: How will these different elements and properties affect the player when they play?

Okada: We are working on making it so that each player is strong to and weak against a different element.  For example, maybe one particular player would find themselves strong against fire.

F: Is this something the player can decide during character creation?

Sato: No.  Just like HP or other things, it is something that a player grows into over time.  Depending on how you grow, you might become a specialist of sorts in one particular element.

Okada: As an example, if you are strong against water and you are attacked by an enemy with water magic, it won’t hurt as much.

Iwao: Let’s say there are two Conjurers.  Even still, they could have two different roles where one is better at things involving ice and the other fire.  There will be a natural division of labor.

F: It sounds like a player can really show off their individuality.

Iwao: You could level all things equally and be able to deal with a variety of situations.  But that would come at the cost of not being able to specialize in any particular element.

F: I think it would be interesting if mini communities formed around specializing in a particular element.

Sato: Like a Fire Lover’s Club.  (laughs)  That kind of thing might be possible.

The day of the FFXIV Beta Test Site opening is upon us.  Many people are anxiously awaiting a chance to play the alpha build and test out game play.  What better time than today for Square Enix to give us more detailed information about some of the classes people will be playing around with!  Both Weekly Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation have big spreads on FFXIV this week.  Jumping the gun though was Famitsu posting the information on their website just after Japanese midnight last night.  People on the forums and in our IRC chat room were excitedly trying to decipher the text while I…. I went to sleep.  But I’m awake now and as we don’t have an official NA update yet, it’s time to dig into the article!  Keep in mind that all of this is translated from the Japanese and does not contain official English terms for certain abilities and so forth.  Also, the class descriptions are mostly ones we’ve seen before so I’ll leave those out for now.   This article will cover the abilities, weapon skills, and comments from the developers on the fighting classes plus a little information about a couple other classes as well.  Detailed weapon information can will come later if we don’t need an official update soon.

On to the info!

Gladiator

Gladiator Abilities:
Roaring Sword- Waving the tip of your blade to get the enemy’s attention
Cover – Protect the party members behind you by taking damage instead of them
Rampart – Using your sword to increase your defense (raises physical and magical defenses)
Precision – Lowers evasion and increases accuracy
Aegis Boon – When guarding with your shield, any damage taken heals your HP instead

Weapon Skills:
Phalanx – Anger the enemy by attacking after guarding with a shield
Red Lotus – A swinging fire elemental attack on the enemy
Shield Bash – Hit the enemy with a shield and prevent them from casting a spell
Spinning Stroke – Attack the enemy.  Damage increases if the enemy is not attacking you.
Circle Slash – AoE weapon skill

Comments from the Developers:

Planner Iwao – They can wear many different kinds of armor, use large shields, and are blessed defensively.  I think lots of people will use them to draw the enemies attention and serve to protect the other members of their party.

Battle Director Okuda – As this class is very good at using shields, people might think of them as a defender but they can do a lot of damage as well.

Planner Sato – Both an attacker and a defender, they can do just about anything perfectly so I think this will become a very popular class.

Okuda – When it comes to attacking, you can choose between two styles:  swinging attacks and thrusting attacks.  Each has their advantages and disadvantages so you will have to take that into consideration when fighting.

Iwao- I think it’s safe to say that this class is a very versatile fighter.

Lancer

Lancer Abilities:
Inspire: Party members receive TP for attacking their target
Ferocity: You lose HP but your next attack will give greater damage
Fighting Spirit: You lose HP but you gain TP
Collusion: Attack the enemy from behind another party member while the enemy is focused on that party member
Spirit Surge: Decrease enemy evasion while sucking away their HP

Weapon Skills:
Overrun: If you attack while the enemy isn’t aware of you, you can land a series of high speed successive attacks and increase your TP.
Feint: If you use right after an enemy has evaded your attack, your next attack will surely hit.
Leg Sweeper: AoE attack where you target the legs of your enemies and prevent them from moving.  Cannot be used on aerial targets.
Moonrise: Attack the enemy and suppress their ability to gain TP
Skewer: Attack all enemies between you and your target.  Movement for land-based enemies will become slower.

Developer Comments:

Iwao – This class uses the long range of their polearms to attack from a relatively safe distance.  They also have a number of special attacks that can confuse an enemy or bind them.

Sato – Since they are back farther than other front line party members, they have a wider view of what’s going on around them.  If the back line is in a jam, they are probably the class that is best able to quickly get over to help them.

Iwao – Lancers are really affected by the distance between them and their target.  They will have to make adjustments to where they stand and constantly think about the location of their target, their party members, and themselves.  This class requires somebody who moves tactically.

Sato – This person has to think about many things, not just about what they know about the enemy.

Pugilist

Pugilist Abilities:
Whistle: Gain the attention of the enemy
Blind Side: Increased damage when you attack from behind the enemy
Chakra: Use TP to regain HP
Steal: Steal things from the enemy
Feather Step: Increase evasion by a large amount for one shot

Weapon Skills:
Jarring Strike: If used after a missed enemy attack, your next attack will hit and bind the enemy but also anger them
Piercing Fists: Piercing attack.  If done in succession, the chances of a critical hit increases.
Haymaker: If used after a missed enemy attack, you can do heavy damage to the enemy
Tackle: A rapid succession of attacks
Earth Render: An earth elemental based distance attack.  Doesn’t work on enemies in the air.

Developer Comments:

Iwao – They have a very short attack range and their defense isn’t very high.  However, they are tricky fighters who can tease the enemy with their wide range of abilities.  They also can change between different stances which means they can change their fighting style in accordance to the enemy or party makeup.

Sato – Stance will make a huge difference.  Players will have to think on their feet, taking the flow of the battle into account when choosing whether to go offensive or defensive.

Iwao – If you continue to use the same stance, the number of things you can do while in that stance will increase.  While you can change your stance at any time, changing the stance means you go back to a previous level of ability.  Your split time decisions on whether it is best to make adjustments or stick with the same stance to get the extra benefits could decide whether you are the victor or the vanquished.

Marauder

Marauder Abilities:
Blood Bath: The damage you give the enemy turns into HP for you
Power Attack: Increases the chance of critical hits
Defender: Use your Axe to increase your physical defense in exchange for not being able to attack
Disorient: Lower the enemy’s evasion
Unyielding March: Can move,  albeit slowly, even when hit with binding magic

Weapon Skills:
Skull Thunder: Lasting damage on the enemy or gather your power to create a wider AoE attack.
Log Splitter: Very affective attack against plant-type enemies.
Fracture: If used after parrying an enemy attack, you can seal the enemy’s ability to use weapon skills while damaging them.
Brandish: AoE attack
Iron Tempest: A donut-shaped AoE wind elemental attack

Developer Comments:
Iwao – This class can do a lot of damage with their axe, enough to change the outcome of a battle with one swing.  However, depending on the number of enemies and how they are scattered about, they might not be able to gather all of their strength and have trouble during battle.

Sato – They have more attack power than other classes but their accuracy is a bit lower.

Okuda – In order to use some of the Marauder’s special abilities, you’ll have to be standing still.  So it takes foresight to play this class effectively.

Archer

Archer Abilities
Replenish: Fire off multiple arrows at one time (the description says all of your arrows)
Chameleon: Erase your presence to avoid detection
Stride: Be able to move quickly for a short period of time
Retrieval: Gather up arrows in exchange for some HP
Hawkeye: Increase the accuracy of your next attack

Weapon Skills
Shadow Stitch: Bind the enemy
Wide Volley: Attack your target and other enemies around it
Quick Knock: Use multiple arrows in rapid succession to attack enemies in a fan like AoE attack
Snakebite Arrow: Attack and remove enhancing magic from the enemy
Shrieker: Attack the enemy and cause it to retreat

Developer Comments

Iwao – More than anything, their role is to attack enemies from a distance.  After that, it all depends on the technical abilities of the archer.  If they attract too much attention from the enemy, they could get in trouble as they don’t have a high defense.  So you have to think about where you are going to stand and the best way to attack the enemy without capturing their interest.  This class has to look at the big picture.

Sato – Archers also have a lot of abilities they can use to put some distance between them and their enemies.  I hope people use those in their battle strategies.

Iwao – The type of arrow you pick is also important.  There are arrows for doing direct damage but you can also use arrows to affect the status of your enemy and thereby help out your party members.

Conjurer

Conjurer Abilities
Profound: Casting time increases but so does the spell power
Trance Chant: No matter what, your spell casting will not be interrupted
Spirit Bind: You bind yourself in exchange for decreasing MP costs per spell
Roaming Soul: You can cast while walking
Purge: You can balance off the elemental status of you and the enemy (translation note: I really don’t know what they mean by that)

Weapon Skills
Fire: an AoE fire attack
Cure: an AoE cure spell
Protect: an AoE spell that increases the physical defense of your party members
Shock Spikes: A thunder elemental spell that surrounds you and will attack and paralyze the enemy if you are attacked
Frost: a DoT AoE ice spell

Developer Comments

Iwao – This is a sorcerer with elemental magic.

Okuda – This class has to look at the situation a party is in and adapt to a changing environment.  They also have to have a good understanding of the elements in play.

Iwao – They have attack magic, defensive magic, recovery magic, etc.  They can cast a wide range of spells so they can be an attacker for a party or in a support role.  I think we can call them an active almighty class you can look forward to.  I think one special feature of this class is the AoE magic they can cast.  The area is a circle of effect drawn around the player.

Okuda – By the way, all of the actions you do in battle go towards building your TP. That includes spell casting.

Sato – That means we have power TP moves for Conjurers as well.

Thaumaturge

Thaumaturge Abilities
Blood Pact: You lose HP but your spells become more powerful
Thorn: Damages the enemy that gave you damage
Dark Seal: Increase magical accuracy
Initiation: Spread a magical status you have to your party members
Paradigm Shift: Decreased attacking distance in exchange for a wider area of effect

Weapon Skills
Drain: AoE HP sucking attack
Gravity: AoE attack that slows the movement speed of enemies
Sacrifice: Give up your HP in exchange for the HP recovery of one of your party members
Siphon: Suck MP from enemies you have defeated
Absorb-Acc: Suck an enemy’s accuracy and increase your own

Developer Comments

Iwao- The Thaumaturge has a lot of status changing spells at their disposal.  Their AoE is also fan shaped and they have many strong attacks.  Compared to the Conjurer, they are more effective when they get closer to the enemy.

Sato – Basically, the Thaumaturge has been given strong damaging attack spells.  However, there is also a risk to using them so you have to look for the right balance.  We’ll listen to players’ feedback about this class and make adjustments in the future.

Iwao- The Thaumaturge can take and absorb different things from the enemy.  They can also stack many spells.  They will have to read the flow of battle and decide when is the best time to cast things.

For the Blacksmith and Miner, we don’t have abilities or weapon skills but you can get an idea of what they do.

Blacksmith

Blacksmith Handiworks
Iron Ingot (made from Iron Ore)
Sword Guard (made from Iron Ingot)
Spatha (made from Spatha blade, sword grip, sword guard, and a Pommel)
Pick (made from Pick head, Pick ball, and a grip strap)
Spiked Labrys (made from a Labrys and Bronze Ingot)

Miner

Things Miners Collect
Bronze ore
Gold ore
Saltpeter
Silica Sand
Little Worms

Developer Comments

Iwao – The Blacksmith is a crafting class that makes weapons, tools, or metal products.  It can also repair these things.  The Miner is a gathering class that mines up minerals.  You can’t expect much fighting power out of either of these classes.  However, we plan on adding abilities to make them useful in battle.  For example, we are thinking of giving the Blacksmith an ability to discover the weaknesses of metalic enemies as well as find battle spoils afterwards.  Depending on how you customize your abilities,  a fighting Blacksmith might not just be dream.

There will be more information to come over the next few days!  Keep checking back so you don’t miss a thing.

A couple weeks ago at VanaFest, attendees were lucky enough to get a showing of the latest CG video that was teased in screen shots with the last Final Fantasy XIV site update. 4Gamer has posted several images from the trailer on their website.

We also have our first look at what appears to be the latest build for Final Fantasy XIV complete with a newly modified UI.

• In the image we can see that the player is using a surname “Destiny Katayama”.
• In the top right corner we can see her position on the map as well as the location of nearby targets.
• We can also see that another Final Fantasy XI monster, the Peiste will be making an appearance in Eorzea.

We’re sure to see an update to the official FFXIV site in the next day or so with the new information coming out of magazines such as Famitsu and Dengeki. We’ll have more information about the findings from those sources soon so keep an eye out for them!

The next issue of Famitsu appears to have a ton of FFXIV information.  And when that happens, an official site update is usually not far behind.  So we can all look forward to what looks to be a pretty massive explosion of information in the next 24 hours.  Here are some of the images to drool over while we wait for the official translations and site update.  The Famitsu article has additional images and information (in Japanese) as well.