First off, some news straight from Famitsu thanks to our friends over at Zam. The new details include a development team interview discussing everything from battles and tactics, to the use of elements and how they’ll effect a character. Finally they end with a closer look at each of the new jobs and some of the new abilities they’ll bring to the field, including the newly unveiled Conjurer and Thaumaturge!

Battle wise according to the development team, the first big difference between XIV and XI is pacing. Rather than fighting a single prolonged battle and then resting, characters can expect to be facing off against multiple foes in a short period. Since apperently MP doesn’t heal up through regular rest (this is handled through Aetheryte), conserving your resources will play an important part in battle. Personally, it’ll be interesting to see how exactly this will work in-game.

Also, the development team discussed positioning in the field of battle. As you may suspect from the image above, your melee jobs of course will be manning the front lines of battle, while ranged attackers and mages keep safely out of range. They also hint that their positions relative to the enemy will play  an important part of combat (perhaps setting up opportunities such as sneak attacks and flanking perhaps?)

Next up in the interview, the dev team talks about elemental affinity and how it will affect characters. As you know, in FFXI, elements not only represent the ability to resist magic and abilities of a certain element, but are also closely tied with attributes (strength representing fire, ice for intelligence, and so on…) Final Fantasy XIV will continue this tradition, but will also take it to the next degree as a characters affinity for a specific element will directly impact how they grow and develop. Perhaps even a player organization of fire dwellers? *laugh* Who knows, it could very well happen.

Lastly in the interview, the dev team gives us our first up-close look at the professions and how they’ll play in the realm of Erozia. One thing of particular interest for all professions is that TP will play an important role. Whether a sword-swinger or a spell-slinger, every action will generate this valuable resource for players to work with.

Gladiator – A master of arms, Gladiators serve as both the bastion of defense for a party, as well as a solid source of offensive power. Able to equip a wide variety of weapons and armor, this job will certainly be a popular roll early on.

Lancers – Masters of the polearm, these valiant heroes strike from a short distance and maintain a large sphere of influence around the battlefield. Their extended reach will allow them tactical options unavailable to close-range melee combatants while keeping them safely out of harms way.

Pugilist – The classic hand-to-hand combatant, Pugilists stand toe to toe with their foes and pound them into submission with savage ferocity. Although generally straightforward in battle, Pugilists will have a number of unique stances (think classic martial arts styles and such) which they’ll use to punish their foes. Down right fierce if you ask me. =)

Archer – The tried and true huntsman of Erozia, these ranged attackers stay outside the fray at a distance and pepper their foes with lethal arrows. Distance and positioning will be key for these rangers to make the most out of their varied abilities.

Marauder – When subtle blows & magical mayhem won’t do, the Marauder uses a more straight forward approach… brute force! These heavy hitting melee combatants may be slower than others, but their signature battle axes deal awesome blows to their wicked foes. Against multiple foes, the Marauder can also sacrifice some of their brute strength for faster strikes.

Conjurer – A disciple of magic & master of the elements, the Conjurer can bring forth a cornucopia of powerful magics to the fray. From offensive magic, to defensive and healing spells, the Conjurer can both sooth the aches of a party, and place plenty more pains upon their foes.

Thaumaturge – While the Conjurer is more an all-around mage, the Thaumaturge excels in blowing stuff to smithereens. They specialize in area-effect magics both destructive and dangerous, quickly turning the tide of any battle in their favor. The development team has noted though that they will be paying particular attention to this job and are asking players for their input during the beta phase (something I’d be more than glad to give in the near future).

Lastly, we also got a quick glimpse at the newest crafting and gathering professions, two that go hand in hand with one another, the Blacksmith and the Miner. The Miner of course digs up ore and other precious metals from the land, while the Blacksmith turns those ores into weapons and armor of all shapes and sizes. While they will have only limited abilities in terms of combat, they’ll have certain traits valuable to all professions (maybe Blacksmith is the new treasure hunter? *LOL*).

Sign up today for FFXIV beta at http://entry.ffxiv.com/na/index.html

FFXIclopedia folks can sign up at their site here

Zam folks can stop by here to sign up (have to be an active Zam member to apply)

Good luck to everyone with this opportunity, and hope to see ya’ll there!

Update:

Now for those that didn’t know. People that went to the VanaFest 2010 actually got FREE keys (lol FF14Core! Beta-Key Scam). For those that didn’t go, well they are going to pick from the randomized pool on March 1st. So lets all cross our finger and gets picked. Just don’t be too busy playing FFXI due to the various exciting changes they are introducing into FFXI, turning it into FFXI-X2! (Catch the pun? lol)

Be careful about people out there that are after your moneys! There are going to be quite a few beta key scams. We know you’re excited about FFXIV and that you want to be the first to try the game out!

But… We don’t know how many of these beta key sales are actually legitimate. So, we would much rather you stay excited about the game even if you don’t receive a beta key, rather than have negative feelings associated with it before it even launches because someone out there decided to swindle you out of $100!

Stay patient! You know we are!

As seen on the FFXIV Vault forums.

“If” we get some keys, we’ll rather randomly hand it out to one of our readers that comments. You have our word on that one =)

A link to the original article can be found here.

Now we just got to wait for Beta Releases! (lol FF13 boxes)

The current prices for the game stands at $49.99 for the PC version and $59.99 for the PS3 version. Now, if you are balking at the price here are two noteworthy things to take note of:

1. Amazon is currently offering a $10 Video Game Credit for future game purchases if you preorder Final Fantasy XIII from their site.

2. If the price happens to change between now and the date of release, Amazon will give you the lower price posted on their site.

Also, at the current time of posting, Amazon is currently the ONLY place known to be selling preorders at this moment. We will keep everyone posted when more places will begin to take preorders!

Here’s the preorder link. (PC, PS3 and XBox 360)

Here’s a few highlights!

Q：How much of the game will players be able to experience in the beta?
A ：We started at about 10% of the final product with the playable Alpha version and are ultimately trying to perfect the underlying game system. The bulk of the game won’t be made public until the retail version is out.

(Well, pretty fair for a beta, but at least we can judge how big is Eorzea when beta is out!)

Q：Give us the highlights on character creation.
A：We’ve focused on really allowing the player the freedom to make any kind of character they would like, and designed them to be a much more natural fit with the game world. Depending on your class, even your starting equipment will be different.

(I really hope they can even adjust height for Lalafella, so Taru lovers like us, can kinda have Taru’s again.)

Q：How is the magic system?
A：Magic is classified by levels and by the school the spell is from. For example, spells that serve the same function (e.g. heal HP) might have a different level of potency, an area of effect, longer casting time or higher MP cost depending on the school of magic the spell is from.

A：Are there times when you have to light your way through a dungeon?
A：There are places that will be very dark, but at this time we are considering the need for any torches or illumination magic.

(Awesome idea, I hope they will implement that!)

Okay, the rest on Zam, go read it there =) thanks Elmer for the translation once again =), and Orophen for the tip!

To those that still plays FFXI, Bonanza! Good luck!

A Story of a Realm Divided

Referring back to this entry (Details of the FFXIV Storyline from Famitsu), we know that the story of FFXIV begins ten years prior to the current events that will take place in Eorzea. During this time, Primals, summoned by the beast tribes, wrought havoc upon Eorzea while the Garlean Empire also sought to gain power by the use of technology and military might. In the midst of a battle that would lay to ruin Ala Mhigo and would further divide Eorzea, a power known as Echo arrives. This power is said to cause the souls of those who are touched by it to resonate with others. From this is born the ability to educe past experiences in a way that leads people to ’see and feel them as though they were one’s own.’ But is this power a blessing or a curse in disguise?

Character Creation

After much speculation, Square-Enix has decided to give us a little more information to go off on about their character creation system. According to their website, we can expect for the process to be “simple yet comprehensive”. Different face types will be available, as will hair styles, skin tone, eye color, mouth, nose, and eye shape. A player is also able to elect which clan they wish to be a part of, and adorn their character with scars and/or tattoos.

Screenshots GALORE!

Wait, you are still here? What are you waiting for?! Head on over to http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/ and :Q over the gorgeous new info and shots!

[Added]
Music Appreciator?

Did you like the music as well? We’ve found a copy of that theme music for your enjoyment! Start getting into the FFXIV spirit! Ringtones!

You can also listen it live here on the blog!