Final Fantasy XI Preview

Final Fantasy XI takes place on a mystical world known as Vana'Diel, a world that encompasses swords, magic and technology. 



Itâs 20 years after mankind regained the world from the monsters and installed peace once again, but as memories of the battles begin to fade the scent of evil once again appears. Everything is resting on the power of the crystals, the source of everything in the world of VanaâDiel.



Final Fantasy XI is set to be the series first foray into online play, allowing thousands of gamers to join in the world and battle the evil
force in an adventure that is set to be very different from previous titles in
the franchise.  Gameplay is set to be more akin to Ultima Online then
Sega's Phantasy Star Online, with landscapes crawling with other players. 
Specific details about the games main quest have yet to be announced, however
it's believed that you can team up with five other people to form a group for
the different adventures on offer.

From the details that we know thus far, there are many walks of life that inhabit VanaâDiel, Square have released details on three of the primary races:

 Hume

 Essentially the humans of Vana'Diel, balanced in all attributes with
the scope to learn many different skills.

Tarutaru

These cute little fellows are specially trained in the ways of magic and mainly
inhabit the Windas Kingdom.

Elven

A proud race that make strong warriors.  The Elven race live primarily
in the Sandoria Kingdom, where internally strife is rampant.

Other races will frequent Vana'Diel as the various screenshots show, in
particular a large ogre like being.  As with Sonic Team's online RPG, your
first task upon starting FFXI is to create a character.  The Job System
from previous FF titles is set to return, giving you a wide scope to tailor your
character.  Starting off from the basic moulds, you can customize the look
and attributes to create your very own individual Final Fantasy character within
the Vana'Diel universe.

Alongside the races Vana'Diel will be populated with a variety of wildlife,
including the Final Fantasy favourites, Chocobo's...

Vana'Diel is a large place covering many different locations, Square have
revealed three of these so far:

Bastuuk

Bastuuk is built upon technology, a nation created by the Hume's desire to mine
for the nearby metal Mithril.  Bastuuk is a busy place, thriving on trade
and reserach.

Communication within the FFXI universe is carried out through a word based
system, whether this proves to be as intuitive as Sonic Team's icon based
communication is yet to be known, however this is one crucial element that
Square will have to focus on to fully realise their dream.

Specific details are still extremely thin on the ground, however now that the
Western version of FFX is finished, expect coverage for this eagerly awaited
title to begin mounting.