[Eorzea]

It is being rumored that this week's Weekly FAMITSU and Dengeki PlayStation magazines will contain a lot of information on Final Fantasy XIV. To be more precise, Weekly FAMITSU will contain 10 pages while Dengeki PlayStation will contain eight. Here's some of what has been leaked thus far:


Both articles will contain pictures from the alpha build.


GAMEPLAY

• Carefully planning out your position and distance from the enemy will be important when fighting. Mobs will always be on the move (as opposed to standing in the same spot like they did in FFXI).
  
• MP does not refresh automatically and thus you will have to manage it carefully. There will be ways to regain MP, though (of course).
  
• There is a mode where you can walk around to regain HP.
  
• There are spells you can cast while moving.
  
• There are many ways to earn TP. You can earn TP from casting spells as well.
  
• Parties generally consist of six to eight people, though alliances will also be possible.
  
• There are times where your defense kicks in automatically and other times where you have to activate it manually.
  
• There will be six elements. It is rumored that "light" and "dark" elements will not be included this time around.

JOBS

GLADIATOR

• They have some sort of ability that allows them to provoke enemies.
  
• They have an ability similar to FFXI's "Phalanx" yet different in that it allows them to guard with a shield while still attacking.

PUGILIST

• They have the ability to steal items.
  
• They have an ability called "Whistle" which allows them to provoke enemies.
  
• This discipline is apparently for people who don't want to worry about small details.

MARAUDER

• They have low accuracy, but also possess some sort of "meditation" technique that allows them to store TP.
  
• The Marauder discipline is apparently for people who like finishing off enemies.

ARCHER

• They use bows, not crossbows (though crossbows might be used by a different class in the future).
  
• They have an ability to make enemies run away (perhaps useful for when multiple enemies swarm you and/or your team?).
  
• Arrow types are not distinguished by material as they were in FFXI. Instead, they will be sorted by quantity, the type of enemies they're best used against, topography, etc.
  
• There is some sort of relief measure set in place for when arrows are depleted.
  
• This discipline is apparently for people who like to fight solo and play on their own.

LANCER

• Javelins can be thrown at enemies as a way to initiate battle and surprise enemies.

THAUMATURGE

• They will be able to drain MP from defeated enemies.

OTHER

• Horticulturalists are the only discipline able to see digging spots. These spots allow them to excavate items during battle which can be used to support the party.
  
• When a Blacksmith repairs your weapon, you don't have to hand it over (i.e. you can't get scammed out of your item).

BETA

The alpha build requires a computer with high specs due to a lack of configuration options. The final version of the game will not be so demanding.

Not all parts of character making will be present in the beta (facial customization, for example).


A big thanks to Corinth over at Eorzeapedia for originally compiling this information, though everything has been rewritten.

[Eorzea]

Space reserved.


Feel free to post additional information/pictures in this thread in the meantime. This thread will be updated later on and a new article written once I am able to purchase the magazines and scan them.

[Ch1efer]

Awesome, some new info coming in. Right on time, right after XIII comes out.

Eorzea, on Mar 10, 2010 - 4:50 AM, said:

ARCHER

• This discipline is apparently for people who like to fight solo and play on their own.

This is perfect, I was thinking of being an Archer and knowing this is def a good thing. Since I'll be soloing a lot.

[Quinn]

wow at this moment thats terrible news for me.....seems they are going to concentrate on large groups still 6-8...this sucks i'm going to be a causal player so won't have time to wait forever whilst people run around going to get items.

The main Job for playing solo is going to be archer? I hate archer.. no offence to anyone who likes it...I just love to get in there and get my hands messy.

wow..uhhh..not sure what to say now...ummm hope they add more stuff I guess is all I can add to my mini rant lol

[Hugbees]

Just going to give my thoughts on random tidbits here:

Thaumaturge still has little to no info on it, eh? Well hopefully they are more than just a MP Battery. This makes them an asset since MP won't recover automatically but still, I would have liked to know more about the class, or the magic discipline in general.

Pugilist can fight AND steal. Also they have a provoke so they seem to be quite durable too. Maybe they learned from FFXI where THF was more or less worthless. (When SA/TA is on cooldown what else can they do?)

Marauders have low accuracy but it's great for those who like to finish of enemies, hmm... I wonder how that works?

One thing I found really interesting is that Horticulturalists can find digging spots in battle. I wonder if that means if more, or even all Disciple of Land/Hand classes can have a role in battle.

I really hope 6-8 party members means just for the big stuff and not normal quests. After playing Dungeons and Dragons Online, I would like to see a difficulty system implemented for some quests, where Normal can be done alone or with a friend, Hard can be done alone (if you're good) or with 1-2 other people, or Elite where you need a decent sized party. HOWEVER, maybe they allow for more party slots to allow for Disciple of Land/Hand classes to sue their abilities. Horticulturalist doesn't sound like it can fight, so maybe allowing for more party members lets non combat classes to still be an asset without taking up a spot for a potential healer/tank.

Just my 2 cents, very nice update and as always, thanks for posting!

[Kain]

Personally I am concerned that MP does not regenerate on its own. Maybe SE has a good alternative system but I know one of my complaints about FFXI was the way they treated mana and it sounds like it is going to be even worse in the new game. Of course we have no information on what this new system is so I will hold from bashing it to much. It is nice to hear some new info hopefully we will get a lot of official new information soon now that beta is starting

[armyofbear136]

Eorzea, on Mar 10, 2010 - 4:50 AM, said:

BETA

The alpha build requires a computer with high specs due to a lack of configuration options. The final version of the game will not be so demanding.

My beast computer has needed a challenge. They shoulda picked me (well my computer) for the alpha >.< C'mon SE, where yo priorities at. (Hopefully the beta, HURRY)

[Momotaru]

Quinn, on Mar 10, 2010 - 6:52 AM, said:

Quinn, Quinny, Quinn-Quinn..... What are we going to do with you?

You shouldn't worry about large groups. If anything, it's now going to be easier to go out there individually or in groups of two or three. No worries Q.

You won't need to be Archer.. you won't even have to look at one directly... You can curse archers till the Algoats come home.

As a casual player, you'll be satisfied with XIV. It's going to be casual friendly in more ways than one, so people like you, Eorzea, and I, who won't have all day long to play, will be able to enjoy the game and feel accomplished.

Oh, and Q, if you desperately need 5 to 7 other party members, we're all pals here, you'll always have someone to play with.

Hugbees, on Mar 10, 2010 - 7:12 AM, said:

Just going to give my thoughts on random tidbits here:

Thaumaturge still has little to no info on it, eh? Well hopefully they are more than just a MP Battery. This makes them an asset since MP won't recover automatically but still, I would have liked to know more about the class, or the magic discipline in general.

Pugilist can fight AND steal. Also they have a provoke so they seem to be quite durable too. Maybe they learned from FFXI where THF was more or less worthless. (When SA/TA is on cooldown what else can they do?)

Marauders have low accuracy but it's great for those who like to finish of enemies, hmm... I wonder how that works?

One thing I found really interesting is that Horticulturalists can find digging spots in battle. I wonder if that means if more, or even all Disciple of Land/Hand classes can have a role in battle.

I really hope 6-8 party members means just for the big stuff and not normal quests. After playing Dungeons and Dragons Online, I would like to see a difficulty system implemented for some quests, where Normal can be done alone or with a friend, Hard can be done alone (if you're good) or with 1-2 other people, or Elite where you need a decent sized party. HOWEVER, maybe they allow for more party slots to allow for Disciple of Land/Hand classes to sue their abilities. Horticulturalist doesn't sound like it can fight, so maybe allowing for more party members lets non combat classes to still be an asset without taking up a spot for a potential healer/tank.

Just my 2 cents, very nice update and as always, thanks for posting!

Hugbees is BACK, baby.

You pointed out something I'm greatly excited about as well, and that's land/hand classes might all have a role in battles! Super happy about that one, though there's more to hear.

Marauders sound like a force to be reckoned with.. dropping Overkills left and right! Thing is, if a Marauder were to walk up to a powerful beastie at the top of his game, he might have difficulty keeping his own life while he drops the big damage, due to the low accuracy hits. Maybe, he draws aggro immediately, so in a party of a Gladiator, a Horticulturist, and Archer, the Archer and Gladiator hack away at the two or three enemies for a bit, then, once it's down to less than half HP, Marauder, who has been carefully observing the fight, shows a gleam in his eye, and kills all three fools in a 3 hit combo!.. Granted, only 2 of those actually hit, but it was enough to turn all the foes into Jelly!

Those witnessing such a battle could only respond in this manner: .. The look of utter astonishment is when the Marauder dropped his KO-verkill.

[armyofbear136]

Momotaru, on Mar 10, 2010 - 12:16 PM, said:

Marauders sound like a force to be reckoned with.. dropping Overkills left and right! Thing is, if a Marauder were to walk up to a powerful beastie at the top of his game, he might have difficulty keeping his own life while he drops the big damage, due to the low accuracy hits. Maybe, he draws aggro immediately, so in a party of a Gladiator, a Horticulturist, and Archer, the Archer and Gladiator hack away at the two or three enemies for a bit, then, once it's down to less than half HP, Marauder, who has been carefully observing the fight, shows a gleam in his eye, and kills all three fools in a 3 hit combo!.. Granted, only 2 of those actually hit, but it was enough to turn all the foes into Jelly!

Those witnessing such a battle could only respond in this manner: .. The look of utter astonishment is when the Marauder dropped his KO-verkill.

LOVE the enthusiasm, but I doubt Marauders will be able to deal that insane amount of damage. Marauders sound more like a brawler version of SAM which have a very similar ability... to deal a great amount of damage at once between weapon skills and job skills. Marauder is gonna have to be balanced somehow. How you say it makes me think "Gigaton Nuclear Bomb" rather than "Tactical Airstrike" which seems to be more what they're going for.

[Momotaru]

Haha, yeh. You're probably right, but I do wonder if Marauders will wait around till an enemy is weak before jumping in, if just because of this:
"The Marauder discipline is apparently for people who like finishing off enemies."

Either that supports what I've been saying to some degree, or it just means that Marauder deals a lot of damage, so he's likely to deal the final blow.


I'm not familiar with Samurai, or much of how FFXI operates, anymore. Could you elaborate?
My only experience is in Black Mage in FFXI. So, I see Marauder as a physical form of heavy damage dealing spells. Often times, just casting one powerful spell was enough to pull the attention from three other guys actively attacking a monster, and have him scrambling out to kill me. In this model, Marauder might hit infrequently, or not at all, until he's confident the monster could be taken out in a series of hits.

In any case, I'm seeing Marauder as more interesting by the day.

[Eorzea]

Wish I had more time to post my thoughts right now, but I'm about to head to work and the their internet will be down today. Real quick, though...

THIS INFORMATION IS NOT 100% CONFIRMED. Although most of it is likely true, there's always a chance that something was missed and/or lost in translation. There's also likely a lot of additional information to come.

I wouldn't worry too much about the part that says parties generally consist of six to eight people. I'm fairly certain that's just the maximum number; smaller groups will almost certainly still be an option.

[Hugbees]

Well then we'll have to see what good ol SE says about it then. I actually like a lot of the info this update has and hope it ends up being true.

I like how casters will earn TP too, letting them get on in the (possible) skill chain fun!

Also about the Marauder, maybe weapon skills (or just theirs) cannot miss but their regular attacks do fairly often. I say this because of the whole "meditate the store TP" may be way to aid them in getting TP if they miss one too many times. It sounds like a fun class that delivers "all or nothing" blows, but with my luck I'll get the nothing

[armyofbear136]

Momotaru, on Mar 10, 2010 - 1:02 PM, said:

I'm not familiar with Samurai, or much of how FFXI operates, anymore. Could you elaborate?

Well, to some degree. I never actually played a SAM but my best friend who I would 'LAN' online with was just obsessed with it. Samurai generally would use a Great Katana, a high damage 2H weapon but with a relatively long attack speed. That seems to follow the trend of "Less Hits, but BIG damage" like the Marauder. Furthermore, Samurai have the ability to meditate and gain TP allowing them to unleash weapons skills fast and effectively. Lastly the Samurai 2 hour ability allows for a 5-string weapon skill combo executed as such:

1. @ 100% TP use weapon skill (first attack)
2. Use 2hr which fills tp to 300% and weapon skills only count for 100% tp
3. use weapon skill, tp now at 200% (second attack)
4. use meditate, tp now at 300%
5. use weapon skill, tp now at 200% (third attack)
6. use weapon skill, tp now at 100% (fourth attack)
7. use weapon skill, tp now at 0% (fifth attack)

Thats a personal skill chain right there. Just STUPID amounts of damage can be thrown right there. And, Samurai were not particularly accurate either which meant you needed alot of Dex+ gear to make the best DD for the job. Even without using 2hr you can get 2 BIG attacks in just by using meditate, so when I think Marauder, Samurai was the first thing to come to mind. I'm really interested to see how that translates and what new moves SE is gonna add on.

[Control]

So to sum it up the best i can.

GLD=WAR
PGS=MNK+THF
MRD=SAM
ARC=RNG (no surprise there)
LNC=Nothing that i can tell yet
THM=Mana Battery


did i get it all? lol

[Hugbees]

You missed one thing:

THM = RDM

c wut i did thar?