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The official NA Final Fantasy XIV site has been updated with a plethora of new information and screenshots, though nearly all of it is repeated content from our previous translations done by SteveManly and Aya. For a full look at the interview and a recap of the translated news, please review both of our previous article translations at the Denegeki Playstation March Article and the Famitsu Scoop Article .

For the Square Enix version of the information including full English names of each translated ability, feel free to scout the main FFXIV website at http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com .

If you're wondering exactly what new information was added, here's a quick summary of all the information:

• New screenshots in media
• New information under disciples in the armory system including roles, abilities, weapon skills, arms, and in action categories under each class.
• New battle music has been added onto the site
• RSS Feed now officially says beta test site now open

They've also officially released the images we've previously shown, including the recent in-game screenshot, but for your reviewing pleasure here they are again:

Dengeki Playsation is out this week and has a lot of great insight from the developers! Dengeki asked questions about each class and about the beta test and battle in general. The last page was one long interview with side commentary by the writer and the editor. They sound like some of us talking about this news on the Core, and I thought you might enjoy it.

First thing's first, let's get that interview out at you! We'll be adding more as it is translated, and Aya and I are working diligently to get you the tidbits you crave.

Don't forget yesterday's news bonanza, including magic, crafting, and gathering classes, and a download of the battle theme released on the Japanese website! If you haven't seen our post yet, what are you waiting for?

Update #1: Scans added.
Update #2: Writer and Editor commentary on alpha screen shot added and gladiator Q & A added.
Update #3: Marauder and archer Q & A added.
Update #4: Conjurer and thaumaturge Q & A added.
Update #5: Pugilist and lancer Q & A added.
Update #6: Miner and blacksmith Q & A added.


Special Q&A with Developers

We’re learning more and more about FFXIV, but it’s still not enough! We had an interview with the developers to shed a little more light on everything for us.

Beta test
Q: How long will the beta test be?
A: We’re actually trying to figure that out ourselves.

Q: About how much will be playable in the beta version?
A: Not even half. We want to balance the game while revealing as little as we can. We’ll start with an alpha test, but there will hardly be anything in it at all. That way it’s easier to implement users’ opinions into the game.

Q: Please tell us the recommended specs for the Windows alpha and beta tests.
A: At this point we’re trying to adjust the game to fit computers as well as possible, so the alpha test may require quite a powerful CPU. The graphics board must be DirectX 9 compliant, but should work with graphics boards from a few years ago. 512MB of VRAM should be enough. More detailed specs will be available on the beta test site.

Q: Will the beta test start at the same time for PS3 and Windows?
A: The alpha test will only be for Windows, but we’re not sure about the beta test yet.

(The supervising writer and supervising editor have a few asides written into the article)
Editor: Looks like it’s going to start pretty soon!
Writer: I wonder how long the alpha test is going to be. Maybe a month?
Editor: The alpha test will probably run for about a month, and the beta is said to last for six months. I wonder if we’ll be able to use a controller in the windows version?

Q: Will FFXI players be able to bring over their friends lists and other community-related things to FFXIV?
A: We don’t have anything specific planned yet, but we’d like FFXI players to be able to play on the same world as the friends they played with together in FFXI.

Q: 9 classes have been released so far, but will these all be playable in the beta? Also, will these classes be available when making a character for the beta test?
A: Yes, they won’t be fully functional, but they will be playable.

Q: Will there be more classes available to play in the beta test?
A: We’re not sure yet.

Q: What do you think the roles of each class are?
A: We kind of broke it down like this:
Gladiator: Defender of the weak and defeater of the strong. He is the party’s greatest defense. For all-around players.
Pugilist: The front-line brawler. The pugilist needs to think on his feet to control his stances. He’s the party’s jump-into-the-fray role. Made for people who don’t sweat the small stuff.
Lancer: A physical fighter who attacks from a distance, the lancer must have the power to make decisions based on the situation. The party’s last line of defense. For the tactical player.
Marauder: A powerful, overpowering, macho attacker. The trump card in battle. Made for those who want the most glorious parts of the battle.
Archer: The sniper who watches the battle from afar and waits for his chance to strike. The party’s shortstop. For people who love being alone.
Conjurer:The support role who can change his role in battle from attacker to defender to healer based on the situation. For those who like to be in control.
Thaumaturge: The party’s strategist that controls everything in the field through status-changing magic. For those who like to plan out their battles.
Miner: The gatherer of all-important metals sold in the markets. A rare find can make him a lot of money. For those who like to work at something little by little.
Blacksmith:The repairer and crafter of metal-based weapons and tools. He never hungers for customers. For those who enjoy working with customers.

Writer: I’m glad we can use any of these classes from the beginning.
Editor: There will be close- and long-range disciplines of war, so there should be some balanced parties, too. I wonder if the gladiator’s first weapon is a short sword?
Writer: I bet other weapons are sold at shops!
Editor: And that the weapons sold at the shops are different depending on the country!

Character customization

Q: Will players be able to choose their tribe, like the Miqo’te sun seekers and moon seekers?
A: In the beta test, you can choose your race and tribe.

Q: Sun seekers are supposed to have darker skin and the nocturnal moon seekers are supposed to have lighter skin, so will this limit the color selection for skin by tribe?
A: A bit. The plan is more to have a wide selection of options based on a certain theme.

Q: How detailed will character customization be in the beta test?
A: You’ll be able to choose your basic face type, your hair, skin, and eye colors. There won’t be many details available during the test.

Q: Will there be bonuses for starting as a certain race in a specific capital? If there is, will the starting capitals be different based on tribes?
A: We don’t have any plans to that extent so far, but if we get a lot of requests for it, we might do it.

Writer: I’m really glad the tribes were actually implemented in the game and you can actually select your tribe.
Editor: I know they said there would only be a few options for character customization at first, but I love customization, so it would probably take me about two hours. What should I do if someone takes my name in that time?!
Writer: Why don’t you just make a random character with the same name to reserve the name?

Classes

Q: In the classes listed so far, some weapons from FFXI, such as the great sword, great scythe, and staff, have not been listed. Will they also be making an appearance in FFXIV? If they do, will some of them be included in certain existing classes, like a great-sword wielding gladiator? Or will they be completely different classes?
A: We can’t tell you when we’ll be presenting them, but you can be sure they’ll be there. We’re going to let you sweat a bit more on whether or not they’re going to be linked to other classes.

Q: It’s been said that adventurers can change classes at any time during an adventure, but is there some limit to this? Like, only being able to carry three weapons at a time, or something to that extent…
A: Nothing yet, but it’s possible we will implement something later.

Q: Will you be able to change classes during battle? If it’s only possible outside of battle, will you be able to change classes my sheathing your weapon while your party battles?
A: There are two modes in FFXIV: A passive mode, where players can restore HP while walking, and an active mode, where they enter a battle stance with weapons drawn. Players can only change their class in passive mode.

Writer: So HP can be restored while moving.
Editor: I bet HP recovery speed changes depending on whether you are moving or resting.

Q: About how many people make up your average party? Do alliances exist?
A: The average party will probably be between six and eight people, but there are many flexible ways to adventure where you can go out with more or less people than that, and even play solo. Of course, we also have something like alliances in the works. Battles are planned to be party-versus-party oriented. Battles are not so much focused on dealing direct damage as they are on finding the right position to attack from for the best attacks. First, you’ll have to find the best distance and method of attack, and then the trick will be to keep that positioning. This is important not just for damage and accuracy, but also for certain attack effects (like the pole arms ability to stop an enemy’s movement) and other things in battle. Also, and this is true especially for the magic classes, but there are many skill and spells that have special types of effect areas (like the conjurers’ circle and the thaumaturges’ cone). Not only that, but the position of the focus of the effect, be it yourself or another target, also becomes important. Furthermore, direction is also a factor. Hitting the enemy’s blind spot, calling an enemy’s attention to a certain direction, and other things will all have an effect on the battle. “Distance,” “range,” and “direction” are the most important themes in battle in FFXIV, and intermediate to advanced players will always want to have these things in mind.

Writer: FFXI focused on battles against single targets, but it looks like FFXIV is going to be really different.
Editor: I wonder if the number of people in the party is so high because it includes disciplines of hand and land?
Writer: The way a certain distance has to be kept from the target sounds like a simulation game to me.

Q: Does “getting the enemy’s attention” mean raising the target’s enmity against you?
A: It will raise the value of how much the enemy views you as a threat.

Q: Do the gladiator and pugilist’s attention-getting skills vary in effectiveness?
A: The effectiveness varies on skills with similar functions. For example, your threat raise depends on other factors, as well. The ability to control threat is a very important part of the game. Characters will need to figure out through trial and error when is the best time, in what situation, to use what move.

Editor: Maybe we’ll even see bonuses for higher ground?! (Elevation has been confirmed to not be a factor in battle –Manly) Or maybe a taunt move would be more effective after a weapon skill!
Writer: This isn’t K-1 fighting! (He laughs)

Q: Does guarding need to be entered as a command or does it happen automatically?
A: Both. You can use the “guard” command to manually use your shield, or a character skilled with shields will sometimes raise their shield and block an enemy’s attack before even realizing it.

Writer: I’m personally looking forward to using the “guard” command!
Editor: Guarding against an enemy’s incoming weapon skill with a sword sounds awesome.

Q: How are hand-to-hand and close-melee range different?
A: They’re about the same. These two different “ranges” are more about how the attacks work than the range. For example, as far as defense goes, a close-melee fighter can defend himself from physical attacks with armor and a shield, but a hand-to-hand fighter would use evasive maneuvers to protect himself. Attack changes in a similar fashion.

Q: Do enemies also gain TP?
A: Yes, they have many different ways to gain TP, and some types of enemies can become more deadly the longer you fight them.

Editor: Oh man… what do they mean by many ways to gain TP? What could they mean besides getting TP landing attacks and getting hit?
Writer: Maybe they have skills to increase or decrease their TP in a short amount of time.

Q: Do you have to remain still when casting magic?
A: There will a number of spells you can cast while moving.

Editor: In FFXI you had to be still as the grave to cast spells. It’s so cool that you can cast while moving in FFXIV!
Writer: I’m sure you won’t be able to use really powerful spells while moving, though. Maybe just spells that effect movement, or weaker spells.



Writer: WOW! Look at that screenshot! That’s amazing! The adventurer has a last name?
Editor: What, THAT’S the first thing that caught your eye?! This is a screenshot from the alpha version of the game, and it looks like a few things have changed since Germany’s Gamescom.
Writer: There’s a minimap on the top right of the screen. The red dots are enemies, and I guess the green dots are NPCs or something. You can see pretty far using this map.
Editor: I wonder if the icon for Chiretsuzen (the ability charging to the right of the player) represents its elemental property.
Writer: Don’t you think each individual ability will have its own icon?
Editor: The action menu shows a lot of icons, too. The chat window is also tabbed for general and battle, so it looks like you can switch between chat and battle messages.
Writer: The battle messages are really detailed!
Editor: It even lists where the attack are coming from, like “attacked from behind.”
Writer: I want to see this in action!
Editor: If the battles look this good, I can’t wait to have some of my own!

*This battle screen is from the game still under development and may change depending on user feedback during the beta.




Gladiator Q and A

Q: Gladiators are said to be able to become a “light-equipped soldier by taking off their shield.” What kinds of differences are there when a shield is equipped and when one is not?
A: When a shield is not equipped, there will be merits added to attack skill since defense is abandoned. Moreover, there are abilities you can use only when a shield is equipped, as well as shield-oriented weapon skills.

Q: What is the difference between slashing and piercing?
A: The effect will be different depending on the type of enemy. This is still under adjustment, but maybe slashing would be effective against exposed enemies, and piercing for enemies covered with shells or armor. Slashing tends to give more damage and piercing is inclined to have higher accuracy.

Q: It is said that gladiators are good at piercing, slashing, and defending. Does it mean that there are three buttons like “thrust-button,” “slashing-button,” and “defend-button” that we need to choose every turn?
A: These different types of attacks can be selected through commands each action.

Q: Almost all the classes seem to have weapons good for long-distance attack. Do gladiators not have them?
A: We are looking into throwing sword mechanics for them.



Marauder Q & A

Q: By charging his power, a marauder can change the area-of-effect of his attack, but does this apply to all attacks, or just the regular attack and certain weapon skills?
A: Charging will only affect the area-of-effect for regular attacks, but it will have other effects on certain weapon skills.

Q: Will actions like moving be unavailable while charging?
A: The second the marauder moves, the power he charged will be lost.

Q: The skill “disorient” kicks up a cloud of sand, but what about places where there is no sand?
A: It’s possible to use it, but the effect will change.

Q: Will the “fracture” ability add a status effect that makes weapon skills unusable, or does it only stop weapon skills the enemy is about to use?
A: It is a status effect.

Q: “Brandish” and “iron tempest” seem similar. Is the elemental property all that is different about the two attacks?
A: Not only the elemental property, but the shape and size of the area effect are different, among other differences.

Archer Q & A

Q: Do crossbows exist?
A: Not at this point, but if they appear later, it may be a different class that uses them.

Q: How many arrows can an archer carry around?
A: We’re still working on that. There are other things an archer can do when they run out of arrows.

Q: Can archers make their own arrows?
A: Only disciples of hand can craft, but if an archer levels up their crafting skill, they may be able to craft arrows to a certain extent somewhere down the line.

Q: Do you spend multiple arrows when using skills like “replenish?”
A: Yes. For example, if you use 10 arrows for “quick nock,” and there are three enemies in range, you hit two of them with three arrows each and one of them with four, and damage is done accordingly.

Q: Will the “shrieker” move make any enemy run, or is it only useable on enemies who are in battle?
A: It doesn’t necessarily work on all enemies, but it will work even when enemies are in passive mode.



Conjurer Q & A

Q: It sounds like the conjurer’s surroundings affect his magic, but what kind of effects does it have? Are they positive, negative, or both?
A: We’re working on that right now.

Q: The conjurer’s spells, shock spikes aside, say they affect “enemies within an area.” Does it mean it can attack multiple enemies within the area?
A: Most magic has an area-of-effect, and they attack all enemies within the area at the same time. The best way to use this is to gather a lot of enemies inside the area. This is how the game is being designed.

Q: Do spells like “protect” also work on all allies in the area?
A: Of course, you can cast this on all your allies in the spell’s area-of-effect.

Q: Do elements have effects on monsters, too?
A: Monsters also have elemental properties, so they, too, will be affected by elements.


Thaumaturge Q & A

Q: It says “thaumaturges boast the most powerful attack magic,” but what kind of power attack spells are there?
A: Yeah, we can’t really go into that right now. But there are spells that use TP and not MP. That’s all we can say at this point.

Q: Does “initiation” work on all party members?
A: No, just one selected party member.

Q: Does the “gravity” spell also lower an enemy’s evasion?
A: We’re still adjusting it, but that’s the plan right now.

Q: How “defeated” does an enemy have to be before you can steal its MP with “syphomage?”
A: No HP. Completely defeated.

Q: Will “syphomage” have an effect on enemies with no MP?
A: No.



Pugilist Q and A

Q: Are the “offense” and “defense” stances like changing modes through abilities?
A: It’s one of the basic features of Pugilist which is determined by the place of effect gauge when you choose the command. When the stance is “offensive”, attack actions will be more effective, and when it is “defensive”, you will be better at defensive actions. By selecting the same stance a few times in a short time period, the stance will become more pronounced and you will gain special abilities.

Q: Chakra seems to consume TP, but can you adjust the effect by managing the amount of TP you consume?
A: The effect varies according to the amount of TP used. You can not choose the amount of consumption itself, but there are several levels.

Q: Why Pugilists can “steal?”
A: I would like to make several possibilities for growth in each class. So, “steal” is example of how dexterity can be used in an immoral way.

Q: Will there be any effects on the damage done by tackle based on the distance covered, like increased damage?
A: The amount of damage will probably increase based on the length of the run while approaching.

Lancer Q and A

Q: It is said that Lancer can use “piercing”, “slashing” and “bludgeoning” attacks. Does this depend on the shape of the weapon, or can we select by choosing commands like Gladiator?
A: At first you can only use “piercing,” but as you level up, you will learn “slashing” and “bludgeoning” attacks. There will be some actions that depend on the shape of the weapon.

Q: Does ”attracting the enemy” means physically pulling them closer?
A: It means to draw them closer to you naturally or by using something.

Q: Can “overrun” only be used to close the gap between you and your enemy when it is not yet hostile to you, or can you use it anytime, like from behind an enemy during batte?
A: It is like rush and “sneak attack” for when the enemy is not in combat.




Miner’s role in the party

• Miners can throw powerful stones. It can weaken mineral-attributed enemies.
  
• Miners can earn additional income for the party in fields and dungeons.

Miner Q and A

Q: “Throw stones” is mentioned, but is that a miner’s only weapon?
A: At the moment yes, but maybe more things will come up.

Q: Only stones can mineral-attributed enemies?
A: It is still under adjustment, but we’re looking into other methods using items, not weapons. This is just an idea, but maybe something like pouring aqua regia, which can melt gold, onto golden enemy…

Q: As for “earning additional income to the party,” if there is one miner in the party, does every member benefit from that?
A: Yes. A loot-splitting system is still under adjustment, but it’d be nice if a party could get more benefit the more miners it has. The party risks more danger in fights that way, though.

Q: Can only miners can see where you can mine?
A: In the present state of the game, yes.

Blacksmith’s role in a party.

• Can weaken metal enemies and easily find metal-based loot from defeated enemies.
  
• Can examine the condition of his allies’ weapons to keep them in tip-top shape during the battle

Blacksmith Q & A

Q; Will the blacksmith be able to check on his party’s weapons during battle?
A: That’s actually something we’re trying to figure out now.

Q: Will the blacksmith be able to check his party members’ weapons without their consent?
A: Asking for permission each time the blacksmith wants to check weapons really seems like a pain, so we’d like to set it up where they won’t need consent, but privacy is also an issue. We’ll probably make it so permission is only needed once, and then the blacksmith can check the weapons at any time.

Getting my hands on a copy of the Famitsu Magazine, I found it is mostly the same as the Famitsu.com news entry, only with more information. I'll be posting the magazine, instead, and working out the information from the bottom as I get the pages up. The article starts with a very interesting interview!

Update #1: Developers' comments on Conjurer and Thaumaturge
Update #2: Blacksmith/Miner page and Developers' comments
Update #3: Added pugilist
Update #4: Japanese main site updated. Battle music! GO LISTEN.
Download it here at FFXIVCore:  New FFXIV Battlesong.mp3 (2.87MB)
Number of downloads: 2383
Update #5: Added archer
Update #6: Good morning. Added Gladiator. Translation by Aya
Update #7: Added Marauder
Update #8: Added Lancer, done by Aya and SteveManly
Update #9: This post has been cleaned up a lot by Zyuu. Also check out our new news on the frontpage.


Eorzean Battles
There is still a lot we don’t know about how battle will go down in FFXIV, so we asked the developers about it. From left to right: Battle director Atsushi Okada, planners Sei Sato and Kenichi Iwao.

MP doesn’t recover on its own
Famitsu (F): Give us your general idea of what battle is like.
Okada (O): You can party or solo, but the enemies will also form parties, so the main idea is “party versus party.” This time, the idea won’t be to pull monsters to your camp, but to fight while moving.
F: So the general idea would be to travel around to where the enemies appear, taking breaks to rest along the way?
O: Yes, but MP will not restore itself through rest. However, there will be some abilities that characters will earn as they level up to restore MP, and HP and MP can be restored at Aetherite.
Iwao (I): The idea is not to focus on one fight at a time, but plan beforehand on how many battles you will probably fight and ration your MP to fit that.
Sato (S): The party will all move together to where they need to go to achieve their goal, but it will be important to watch their MP. There is a class whose concept is “MP cost controller,” and that member will often be charged with helping the other party members conserve MP.



The keys to battle are distance, direction, and range
F: According to this picture, each class has a certain distance they are suited for. Is this correct?
S: Yes. In FFXIV, your position in relation to the where the monster is facing and how far you are from the monster have a big effect on the battle, so, by extension, each class will have a position in battle that is best suited for them.
I: Enemies will also have classes, so we are expecting that both sides will have to maneuver to get the best position in the fight, and there may be a lot of moving during battles. We hope this makes the party vs. party battles more exciting. We want people to take enemy position into consideration instead of standing in one place and attacking the enemy.
S: FFXIV isn’t an action game, but this is sort of an action game twist.
F: Does that mean melee classes will have an easier time with movement in battle, compared to classes with set ranged skills?
I: Melee classes have to worry more about which direction they attack the enemy from, and ranged classes have to focus on distance.
S: The effects of direct melee attacks also change depending on where they hit the enemy, so both types of classes have their work cut out for them.
I: There’s also the factor of “range.” It’s most obvious for the disciplines of magic, but in fact there are a lot of area-of-effect moves for classes other than mages.
S: Our aim is to get players to view the area they are fighting in is a “share space between party members.” To do that, we’d like to focus on fleshing out area-of-effect attacks.
I: There will be attacks with areas focused around oneself or around a selected point, and even more. We think this will add another level of depth to these tactical battles.

Elemental growth
F: The concept of “elemental properties” exists in FFXIV. Can you tell us more about this?
O: In FFXIV, there are six elements: fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning, and water. There is a balance-of-power relationship between them, such as water being strong against fire but weak against lightning.
I: Elements affect a lot of things in the game. If balance of the elements tips a certain way, a “star pole” and a “spirit pole” are created, and these work similar to the concept of magnetism on Earth.
F: How will these things affect players in the game?
O: Players can control their elemental properties. For example, a player can decide that they want to be strong to fire.
F: Do they decide that when they make their character?
S: No, this is a stat, like HP, that increases with the growth of the character. It’s like becoming a specialist in that element.
O: If you level up your water element, enemies’ water attacks won’t hurt you as much.
I: Conjurers will have completely different roles for different elemental specialists, like ice and fire users.
F: So each player will have more individuality.
I: If a player raises each of their elemental stats, they will be able to take on a lot of different situations, but they won’t be able to specialize in anything.
F: It’d be funny if we saw communities pop up based on the elemental property they choose.
S: Like a Pyro Club (He laughs). Yeah, we may actually see things like that.

Conjurer



Conjurer is a discipline of magic that controls strong, elemental sorcery through a power called “conjuring.” By examining their surroundings, they can see the flow of elements around them. Made from all-natural wood and materials, they use their “staff of conjuring” (?) to change the elements around them into powerful magic. Their headquarters is in the Cave of the Tree of Meditation in Gridania.



Tools of the trade: Conjuring wands and staves

Conjurers use wands and other magic items to control the elements. Many of them are made from natural wood, but the “twig wand” is the best example of this. The “Radical root staff,” on the other hand, has a strange structure fixed to the end of it, which looks like it may have something to do with conjuring..



Picture caption: Conjurers and the Elements



“Make allies of the elements of nature!”

Elements: Lightning, Fire, Earth, Ice, Water, Wind

Abilities

• Deepness: Chant spells fully and clearly (Casting takes longer but spells are stronger)
• Trance chant: Chant spells with fervor (Nothing can interrupt casting)
• Spirit bind: Cast spells in a hushed voice (Conjurer restricts himself, but MP use drops)
• Roaming soul: Cast spells by humming (Can cast spells while walking)
• Purge: Can see all elements infinitely and clearly (Equalize the elements of enemies and allies)

Weapon skills

• Fire: Fire damage to all enemies in range
• Cure: Restores the HP of all party members in range
• Protect: Raises the physical defense of all party members in range
• Shock spike: Lighting damage to enemies that attack the Conjurer by a shield of lighting that surrounds him
• Frost: Ice damage over time to enemies in range

Developer’s comments
Almighty support role
I: Conjurers are elemental sorcerers.
O: This class must be aware of the elemental properties of their allies, enemies, and even the land around them during battle.
I: Conjurers can use all kinds of magic, like attack, defense, and healing spells. They are a good class to have around in any situation, be it a supporting or attacking role. They also have area-of-effect spells that center around themselves.
O: By the way, all actions taken in battle raise TP (technique points), and this also includes magic casting.
S: Conjurers have very powerful moves that use TP!

Thaumaturge



Controllers of the destructive magic of “Thaumaturgy.” Through the introspection of their true nature, they can call upon the power hidden deep in their heart. They call upon spiritual magic using wands and other tools fixed with decorations similar to rosaries seen in the Buddhist cultures. Their headquarters is a place of worship in Ul’dah.



Tools of the trade: Thaumaturgy

These are the magical tools of the thaumaturge. They’re a bit darker than the conjurer’s…

Gold Scepter



Long Staff



Picture caption: Thaumaturge range

Draw your enemies close, decimate them in one mighty, magic blow!



Ability

• Blood offering: Increases the power of their magic by giving your own blood (Stronger magic at the cost of your own HP)
• Thorns: Share your pain with the enemy (All damage done to you is also done to the enemy)
• Dark seal: Focus your spirit (Increases magic accuracy)
• Initiation: Share your will with your allies (Shares magic effects on you with your allies)
• Paradigm shift: Cast spells as if talking to someone (Lowers distance of the spell but widens range)

Weapon Skill

• Drain: Absorb HP from enemies in range
• Gravity: Slows movement speed of enemies in range
• Sacrifice: Heal others at the cost of your own HP
• Syphomage: Take MP from defeated enemies
• Absorb-accuracy: Take your enemy’s accuracy and make it your own

Developers’ comments
The most powerful disciple of magic also specializes is status changes
I: Thaumaturges have a lot of status effect spells for allies and enemies alike. Since they have many attack spells that range outward from them in a fan-shape, there may be times when it is actually better for them to draw enemies closer to them, unlike other mage classes, like conjurer.
S: Most of the Thaumaturge’s spells are powerful, damaging spells. This can be very risky for the mage. Of course, we’re still working on balancing this, and will alter things according to player feedback.
I: Thaumaturges also boast a range of damage- and effect-over-time spells that can even deplete or absorb an enemy’s strengths and make it their own. The key to this class will be to read the flow of the battle and cast more powerful spells accordingly.



Blacksmith
Crafts metal into weapons and armor with the use of their tools, including the cross pen hammer. They shape swords in their forges and sharpen daggers in camps; they can work their craft at any time, in any place. Their arts have been passed down through a long history through an apprentice system. There are many styles, even such advanced ones as guncrafting.



Handiwork

• Iron ingot: Make an iron ingot
• Sword guard: Makes a hand-guard for a sword. Uses iron ingot.
• Spata: Crafts a spata sword. Uses spata blade, sword grip, sword guard, and pommel
• Pick: Makes a pick. Uses pick blade, pick pole, and grip strap.
• Spiked Cuirass: An altered version of a labrys. Uses labrys and bronze ingot.

Unfortunately, that's all the time I have for now. Keep your eyes pasted to this spot, we're expecting a main FFXIV site update any minute!

Here's a quick update between classes:

Miner
A discipline of land who specializes in drawing ore from the earth. Their main tool is the pick, and their most common customers are jewel crafters and blacksmiths. Well versed in the mining techniques of Ul’dah, miners can perform jobs from studying ore veins to construction and more. There are many miners that worship Oshuon, the wanderer, because of the way the land wanders in accordance with the tectonic theory.



Gatherable materials

• Bronze ore
• Silver ore
• Saltpeter, used in things like gunpowder
• Silica sand
• Little worms

Developers’ comments
Discipline of hand, blacksmith, and discipline of land, miner.
I: The blacksmith, who works metal into weapons and armor and repairs items, is the poster-boy for hand disciples. The miner, digger of ore, is also a very representative member of the disciples of land. Don’t expect them to be too strong in a battle, but they have other abilities for the battlefield. For example, a blacksmith may be able to weaken a metal enemy or more easily find the spoils of war. With customization, a battle-blacksmith may eventually become possible!

Pugilist



This hand-to-hand fighter is a master in traditional arts of self-defense. Although her fists alone could be considered weapons, the pugilist specializes is using hand-to-hand weapons to increase their power in battle. The pugilist must stay in close to make sure she lands her blows aimed at her opponent’s vitals, and some pugilists use chakrams to gain their opponents’ attention.



Tools of the trade: Fists
Panzerfauste
Fangs



The pugilist’s hand-to-hand weapons protect her hands while giving more punch to her punches. Both of these weapons are “knuckle” weapons, but it’s already been confirmed that claw weapons are also available.

Ability

• Whistle: Whistle and gain the enemy’s attention
• Blindside: Hit the enemy from behind (When the attack from behind is successful, the pugilist does a great deal of damage
• Chakra: focuses power into the chakra point below the stomach (heals HP by using TP)
• Steal: Take something the enemy is holding
• Feather-step: Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. (Significantly raises evasiveness, but only once)

Weapon skill

• Jarring strike: An attack aimed at the joints during an enemy’s attack (Angers and stops an opponent’s movement if used right after evading an attack)
• Piercing hand: Pierce an enemy’s weak point (A piercing-based attack. Critical rate raises if used in succession)
• Haymaker: Dodge an enemy’s attack and land a heavy one of your own (A powerful attack if used immediately after dodging)
• Tackle: Tackle. (Close the distance between you and an enemy quickly and attack)
• Chiretsuzan: Sends shockwaves through the earth at an enemy (Long-distance earth-based attack that does not work on flying enemies)

Picture caption: Choose your stance wisely throughout the heat of battle!
The left stance is an offensive stance, and the fight stance is defensive (for evasiveness).



Developers’ comments:
Taking the fight to the enemy while dodging his blows
I: Her reach is short and her defense is low, but on the other hand, she sports great evasiveness and tricky maneuvers and attacks to bring enemies to their knees. The pugilist also has stances to adjust to the needs of the battle.
S: Her stances can really change a battle. The player must watch the flow of battle carefully to decide which stance is appropriate for the situation.
I: The longer she stays in one stance, that stance becomes stronger and the number of things she can do in that stance increases. A pugilist can change her stance anytime she wants, but if she does that, it goes back to its weakest state. A pugilist must choose wisely whether to deepen her stance or change when the time comes, as this could decide the battles.


Archer



This discipline of war specializes in long range attacks with a bow. A good archer will need to bring along many different kinds of arrows and know how to choose the best position to give herself the advantage in a fight. Eorzean archers use long bows, favored by the Elezen rangers, and short bows, used traditionally for hunting by the Miqo’te. If an archer runs out of arrows, they are also skilled at rock-throwing.

Tools of the trade: Bows
Elezen rangers used the long bow quite well. The “composite bow” is made of materials like wood, bone, and other materials from animals.

Composite bow



Long bow



Picture caption: Enemy type, enemy number, landscape… Choose your arrow type and number wisely based on the situation!

• Iron arrows: for regular battles
• Silver arrows: for undead
• Obsidian arrows: to pierce magic barriers
• Swallowtail arrows: for giant beasts
• Poison arrows: for long battles
• Triple arrow: for battles against multiple foes

Ability

• Replenish: Nock as many arrows as you can hold (Fire many arrows at once)
• Chameleon: Take a deep breath and hold it… (Hide your presence)
• Stride: Walk briskly in long strides (Increases movement speed for a short time)
• Retrieval: Pick up arrows (At the cost of your own HP, retrieve fallen arrows)
• Hawk eye: Focus eyes as well as a hawk’s (Next attack’s accuracy is increased)

Weapon skill

• Kagenui (The name of a sewing technique where the thread is not seen from the outside): Fire at an enemy’s silhouette and cease their movement (Stop an enemy in their tracks)
• Wide volley: Make it rain arrows (Rain arrows upon one enemy and all the enemies within a certain distance of him)
• Quick nock: Fire a number of arrows in quick succession (Fire a number of arrows at all enemies in a cone-shaped area ahead of you)
• Feather arrow: Clear your mind and fire an arrow (Attack removes magic-based buffs)
• Shrieker: Fire a shrieking arrow (Causes the enemy to run)

Developers’ comments: The technical “shortstop”
I: The archer’s most important role is the get the first shot in on enemies from a distance. How the archer approaches the battle after that is left to the archer’s technique. If the archer pulls the enemy’s attention, it could mean trouble for her and her low defenses. To avoid the eyes and ears of the enemy, the archer must balance effective attacks with repositioning. Archer is a class that must understand everything about their surroundings.
S: I want archers to think up strategies using all their methods to keep distance between themselves and the enemies.
I: Arrow selection is also key. The archer can be useful to the party not just through direct attacks, but also by using arrows that can affect an enemy’s status.

Gladiator



Gladiators are fighters of close-distance who manipulate various one-handed swords such as daggers, long swords, double-edged or single-edged swords. As their attack skills are based on fighting in diverse situations, they are very flexible. For instance, they can be efficient protector for others with shields, and they can be lightly-equipped fighters with single-handed swords. It is also noticeable that they can do a variety of things like cutting, thrusting, and even throwing.

Tools of the trade: Scimitar and Buckler

Gladiators can utilize many kinds of single-handed swords. The information released this time includes the scimitar and buckler. The scimitar has an impressive curvy shape. Buckler is small type which is useful to carry around.



Picture caption: Stances



Slash! Thrust! Guard!
Use your versatility to its fullest!

Abilities

• Applause with sword: challenge the enemy by swaying the point of a sword. (Gets the attention of the enemy)
• Cover: Protect the party member behind you. (Take damage in place of companion behind you)
• Rampart: Focus power into the defense your sword gives you. (reinforces physical and magical defense)
• Precision: Add extra power to sword attacks by standing firm. (Abandon evasion to focus on increasing hit rate)
• Aegis’s boon: Hide behind your shield and try to recover yourself. (Converts damage into HP when the attack is blocked by your shield)

Weapon Skill

• Phalanx: Attack with your sword from behind your shield. (Provokes and enemy if used right after guarding)
• Red Lotus: A chopping attack with a burning sword (Attack with fire attribute)
• Shield Bash: Strike with your shield. (Hits the enemy and stops their casting)
• Spin Stroke: Slice with your sword while feinting. (Slashing attack, damages the enemy more if you are not its target)
• Circle Slash: Mowing down your surroundings. (A slicing attack that hits all enemies around you)

Developer’s comments: Versatile defender of the party
I: This class specializes in defense, and can wear many different types of armor, including large shields. This will most often be seen as the tank in parties, gathering the enemies in one spot and protecting his allies.
O: They’re good with shields, so they’ll probably have the image of a defender, but they’ll also be able to deal damage very well.
S: This class excels in offense and defense, so it will probably be a popular class.
O: It should be fun to balance the use of slashing and thrusting attacks during battle, too.
I: Quite the versatile class, indeed.

Marauder



Marauders specialize in using great axes, which pirates use to attack enemy ships or during their pillage parties on land. Although stigma related to this pirate weapon still exists, there are also many heroes who have made a good name for themselves and this weapon by using it to great effect during wars and monster extermination. The axe cleaves through defenses; it destroys the shields of its foes and knocks its opponents out with powerful blows. The marauder also has access to throwing axes, like Franciscas, to use until the close the gap between them and their enemies.

Tools of the trade: Axes
The weight of the weapon is what gives it its destructive power in every blow. Information for two axes has been released this time: the double-edged type labrys and the single-edged war axe. I wonder what each of their strengths are in battle?



Picture Caption: BOOM!



Focus your strength! Turn the tables in your favor with one wide-reaching mighty blow!!

Abilities

• Bloodbath: Strengthen your thirst for battle with the blood of your enemy (Damage done on your next attack restores your HP)
• Powerful strike: Put the weight of the axe behind your blow to drop it in a mighty strike (Increases critical hit chance)
• Defender: Defend with your axe (Raises physical defense at the cost of attack)
• Disorient: Work up a dust cloud with your axe (Drops the enemy’s evasion)
• Unyielding march: Stomp steadily forward (Continue moving, although slowly, even if restrictive magic is cast on you)

Weapon skill

• Skull sunder: A strong, disorienting blow to the head (A slicing attack that leaves damage. Charging the skill widens its range)
• Stump splitter: An axe blow that could cleave a redwood in two (A slicing attack that is especially effective against plant-type enemies)
• Fracture: Grab an enemy’s attack and prevent further big attacks (When used after deflecting an enemy’s attack, does bludgeoning damage and disable’s the enemy’s weapon skills)
• Brandish: Cleave an area with your axe (Slash attack to all enemies in the surrounding area)
• Iron tempest: Make your axe sing like a whirlwind (A donut-shaped wind-elemental attack with you at the center)

Developers’ comments: Power over quantity, land that blow!
I: This is a class who can change the flow of battle with a single, powerful hit. When there are a lot of enemies, though, they can still dish out a number of attacks without charging their power.
S: Though they are more powerful than other classes, their axes’ accuracy is much lower than other weapons.
O: They’ll also have to predict where their enemies will be and get into position early, because they have many attacks that must be used from a fixed position instead of moving around.

Lancer



Lancers’ main weapons are long spears and are good at piercing attacks from distance. They have a variety of attacks such as slashing and thrusting depending on the weapon in use. Because of the influence of lancer sentries of Ala Mhigo, longer spears were considered to be better, but now pole arms come in various lengths. Usually, lancers carry javelins along for ranged attacking, as well.

Tools of the trade: Pole arms
The lance was originally used by mounted knights and is known for its sharp, piercing tip. The spear has a sharp blade at its tip and is probably used differently than a lance.







Picture caption: Control the gap, control the battle!




Keep large enemies at a the right distance, or take out draw in your weak enemies and take out two birds with one spear!

Abilities

• Inspiration: Encourages the party by rising flagged spears. (Adds TP to party members’ attacks on a specific target)
• Ferocity: Thrust your spear with all your might. (A powerful attack at the expense of HP)
• Spirit: Pick up the slack. (Trade some HP for TP)
• Collusion: Thrust out your spear from behind your party member. (Gathers enmity on one of your party members with a powerful attack from behind him)
• Dragon sword: Manipulate the spear and fool the enemy. (Lowers an enemy’s evasion and absorbs its HP)

Weapon Skill

• Overrun: Ready your spear and charge (When the enemy is not aware of your presence, close the gap between them quickly for a piercing attack and add to your own TP)
• Feint: A well-aimed shot at your enemy after a feint (When used after dodging an enemy, this attack has a 100% chance of connecting with the enemy)
• Sweep the Leg, Johnny (Yeah, I took a liberty on the name here –Manly): Swing your spear around you from a low stance (Sweep all enemies in a cone shape in front of you to keep them from moving. Does not work on flying creatures)
• Moonrise: A piercing slash (A slashing attack that slows the enemy’s TP gain)
• Skewer: A surprising blow that makes enemies falter (Hits all enemies between you and your targeted enemy with a piercing attack. Creatures on land hit with this attack will become slower)

Developers’ comments: Half-attacker, half-supporter

• I: Pole arms have a long range and lancers have a safer position in battle as compared to other classes. They have many special attacks to do things like confuse or stun enemies.
• S: Since lancers are farther from the enemy than other melee classes, they have a wider field of vision. If the mages get in trouble, this will be the class that can help them the fastest.
• I: This is the class most directly related to the importance of controlling your distance from the battle. They must constantly think about their distance between them and their enemies and even their allies, and shift their position accordingly, strategizing on the fly.
• S: They have to keep their mind on more than just their enemies.

Vana'Fest Trailer
These are screenshots for the opening movie shown at VanaFest 2010. There was no streaming, video, or pictures allowed, and written reenactments are all still strictly prohibited. These are from SE. The adventures of the characters set to beautiful music was absolutely breath-taking.

Source is GameWatch



New Screen Shot
We've also a new screen shot from the game itself, featuring a possibly updated UI and what appears to be another returning monster from FFXI. Here's the image:

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Welcome to FFXIVCore.com. 2.0!

Good evening!

I've been trolling the depths of the Japanese Internet and came across some things you might find interesting. It seems that some people have got their hands on Famitsu and Dengeki early this week and have shared information with the Internet. It doesn't seem as if pictures of them are available yet, but I'll be heading out to pick them up if they have the information in them.

Edit: Looks like someone was nice enough to take a shot with their cell phone!


Ah, enough out of me. Who wants some juicy rumors?

Battle

• Gladiators and pugilists have aggro raising abilities
• Monsters also form parties
• Not as much camping, you fight on the move
• MP does not refresh normally, but there are ways to restore it
• It will be important to control MP use
• Position will be important in battle
• There is something called "battle maneuvers" (the word "maneuver" here is the same word used in the beginning of the Japanese Gundam title, and starts with the symbol for “machine.” I’ll let you guys have fun thinking about that.)

Job specifics
Gladiator

• Moves like phalanx and shield bash from FFXI are useable, but they are different from XI. In 14, phalanx is an ability where you guard with your shield and attack at the same time

Pugilist

• whistle (FF11's taunt) and steal abilities
• Pugilist is made for people who don't sweat the small stuff

Marauder

• Axe accuracy is low
• "Boost" ability
• Marauder is for people who want the most glorious parts of the battle

Lancer

• Can pull sneak attacks on enemies not in battle stance

Archer

• Has a back-up plan when they run out of arrows
• Has an ability to make enemies flee
• Made for players who like to be alone
• Archers use bows, not crossbows, but other classes might
• Arrows are not labeled by materials like XI, but by enemy types, numbers, and landscapes

Miner

• a miner’s mining can bring in extra income for the party
• The more miners in a party, the more this effect increases
• Mining places will be made visible to miners only

Blacksmith

• can repair weapons and armor another player is holding

Thaumaturge

• can take MP from defeated enemies (defeated enemies my not immediately disappear)

More game info

• Everything done in battle in FFXIV increases TP, including casting
• Defense can happen both automatically and at the will of the user
• The PC version will be able to run on PCs from a few years ago, but the alpha version will only run on high-end PCs
• Can be run on 512MB of VRAM and above
• Alpha test starts soon
• Square wants to make it possible to play with your friends from FFXI
• Character customization won’t be fully available in beta (can’t change facial features)
• There’s a mode for restoring HP while moving
• The plan is the make the maximum number of members in a party between 6 and 8, and there will also be alliances
• The important things in battle are distance, range, and direction
• There will be magic you can use while moving
• There are screenshots in the magazine of the alpha version, and it looks like there have been a lot of small changes
• “Aggro/hate” has a different name in 14 (Translates to something like how much the enemy views you as a threat)
• Enemies will not be set in one area in order for people to pull them to camps; places that enemies will appear will be scattered around

With the tester site opening tomorrow, I'm sure Square Enix also has a site update in store for us with fresh screenshots and other goodies. Until tomorrow, Corians!

Small update for you folks! The application process has been changed and you are now apparently able to update your application when before you simply received an error message stating you already submitted an application. This means you can update your application with new information if necessary.

Update: This applies to EU and NA. Also see the image below, it's the information you get after submitting your code.



There's also some teasing bits found in the fine print at http://entry.ffxiv.com/na/index.html and related sections.

Here are a few of them:

Quote

Quote

Quote

Quote

So for those of you purchasing FFXIII, make sure to register the game at the Square Enix Members site! This will possibly help you, in the future or by updating your application, have a better chance at entering the FFXIV beta or the PS3 FFXIV beta.

And of course there's also the lovely "secret" in-game item that's promised, so don't lose the code!

Highlights of the Week

Final Fantasy XIII releases tomorrow folks, in case you forgot to mark your calendar! Also, there's three more days until the 11th and the possible release of new information! Either way the lucky alpha testers get to start hacking away at the game's future then, for better or for worse, so it should prove to be an interesting upcoming week!

• Short FFXIV Beta Update
  
• FFXIVCore Giveaway Winners
• Vana'fest Creator Interview
• FFXIV Beta Alpha Information
  
• Core at Vana'Fest
  
• FFXIV Core Giveaway

We've also had quite a few interesting community discussions pop up. Here's but a select few from our community:

• Why do you want to become an FFXIV Tester?
  
• Tetra Master
  
• Guild Apparel
  
• What's your game style?

And today's featured blog posts!

Cat got your Miqo'te
Death Penalties and Performance Rewards
FFXI-75 Obsolete?

Also, we'd like to encourage everyone to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Square Enix Members!

Well ladies and gentlemen, that's it for the wrap-up! See you next time!