FFXI Wiki - User contributions [en]

User talk:Funkworkz

2020-09-16T19:07:04Z

Aish: sorry for missing your message back in 2017!

Project discussion has been moved to [[BGWiki:Projects]]

Hi Funk, just a quick question for community guides since I am working on WHM one. Can I add a bit of "personal touch" on playstyle to the guide or do they belong to personal guides (like Here Be DRGs etc)?--[[User:Viar|Viar]] ([[User talk:Viar|talk]]) 14:26, 2 March 2020 (EST)

*Instead of the DRG one think of the THF community guide. Which has plenty of personal touches. So feel free to add your personal touches, but keep in mind that others may change them or add their own personal touches as well. --[[User:Spicyryan|Spicyryan]] ([[User talk:Spicyryan|talk]]) 17:33, 2 March 2020 (EST)

==The History of Final Fantasy XI Project==
''Be the first to leave a note!''

== Pulse Cells ==
Thanks for noticing. Check out [[Pulse Cell: Ep]] for the template used in action. --[[User:Flamey|Flamey]] ([[User talk:Flamey|talk]]) 10:16, 24 April 2020 (EDT)

== Item Images ==

Hey Funk, I saw you uploaded a bunch of new rendered item images. I'm curious how those get made. Are they just screenshots from the game? Maybe a custom program that reads the dat files?

Thanks [[User:Flamey|Flamey]] ([[User talk:Flamey|talk]]) 13:27, 6 August 2020 (EDT)

Item images are rendered with a custom program. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 14:16, 6 August 2020 (EDT)

== Sorry for I couldn't respond your message back in 2017! ==

Hi Funk,I have been inactive here and FFXI.I just back to FFXI,found your message.Sorry about that!
I will change the setting to make easy to find message to me.--[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 15:07, 16 September 2020 (EDT)

Talk:The History of Final Fantasy XI

2017-11-11T11:29:33Z

Aish: /* Help */

==Discussion==
Please create a new topic on this page you wish to discuss any aspect of [[The History of Final Fantasy XI]].

Please sign your entries with "'''<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>'''", and separate topics with "'''<nowiki>== Topic Name ==</nowiki>'''".

Thank you! -[[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 11:55, 6 October 2017 (EDT)

== Typo ==

"Trick or Treat!</font></div>" --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 15:28, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

Fixed this, thanks! [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 15:43, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

:Got another one, in "Merit Point Introduction & BCNM Expansion" mannequins is redlinked. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 15:53, 20 October 2017 (EDT)
:Same with "Preliminary Chains of Promathia Update" and escort and 'Dispense'. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 16:00, 20 October 2017 (EDT)
:Starlight Celebration 2004 and Smile Bringers too. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 16:10, 20 October 2017 (EDT)
:And the New Year's Showdown: Moogles vs. Goblins! section has several red links. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 16:11, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

:I went ahead and fixed a bunch, but I also unprotected the pages. If you want, go ahead and fix a few I might have missed. :) [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 16:16, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

:PS: Some will remain red links as I realized when creating these pages that we are missing a bunch of pages. I was planning at some point to go back through and create the missing ones. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 16:17, 20 October 2017 (EDT)
::I'll fix anything I see. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 16:35, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

== Help ==
I think I posted wrong place..(though it's still on talk page)I'm Japanese player called through twitter,and trying to figure what I can do.[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]])

Hello! Thank you for visiting. I am looking for Japanese player perspectives and opinions about version update and changes made to FF11 from 2003+. Good and bad changes. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 13:27, 4 November 2017 (EDT)

Also, I want to make sure all information from 2000-2005 is correct and no mistakes. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 13:30, 4 November 2017 (EDT)

:Thanks for quick reply and fixing.I don't personally remember what happened for all these 15 years,but I think I can add perspectives for some particular updates,if date and "What happened"is written.I afraid it would be first-person account.[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]])

::I understand, I don't remember everything either. I used Google a lot lol. First person account is what I was hoping for. Read through everything and feel free to edit anything you want to ^^. Also any pictures of real life things or in game screenshots for game events would also be very good! [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 13:39, 4 November 2017 (EDT)

:::I see thanks.I have many screen shots from 2002,But there's other player's names and Japanese players want to hide their character names.(I'm not)Is it ok to blur other character's names?(and I have to go to sleep now because It's 2:46AM,so later!)[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]])

::::That would be ok. I found this picture on Twitter from a player who entered the contest for the [[Well]] and he asked to blur names. We will respect that.

::::[[Image:SpringBlossom 2003.jpg|200px]]

::::Some images do not have names blurred, those are ones I found on Google. Good night. Just ask if you need help or have questions! Thank you. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 13:55, 4 November 2017 (EDT)

:::::Thanks.And I have 2 other question for now,I have attended my friend's wedding service as "Best man"(who do reservation of wedding day,and attend rehearsal at Mordion Gaol.I have SS of the rehearsal).How do you call this person in-game in English version?(付添人in Japanese)
:::::Also,First person account involves server specific information,I was among staff 2nd Bon-Odori and know how it's done "In Quetzalcoatl".When I add information,should I add "For example,on quetzalcoatl"or,how should I write?
:::::As you see,my experiences are mostly events and not a reaction for battle system changes..[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 03:13, 5 November 2017 (EST)
:::::: The English word for this could be many things, but I think the best is "Attendant". This is also what it is called in real life weddings when a friend helps set up decorations and things the bride and groom don't have time to do. I didn't know rehearsal was in Mordion Gaol, that is interesting and is worth adding. I got married in-game and didn't go there so they must have changed procedure sometime later on.

::::::You can use "For example,on the Quetzalcoatl world" at the beginning and maybe "This may have been different on other worlds" at the end.

:::::: Even if your experience is only from events that can still help a lot! Many players enjoyed those and my information I added might be wrong, you may be able to help by correcting it or explaining how event worked differently from the previous year version. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 05:11, 5 November 2017 (EST)

:::::::Thank you.I think there are some parts I wonder I can fix regard to Wedding Support.GM who specialized for Wedding Support was called "Wedding Master".(The word "Attendant"is already used for GM who performed Wedding support)I think I have to rewrite that part.Also,As far as I know,most of Wedding Support performed by Wedding Master used Mordion Gaol for rehearsal.I wonder there were difference between English version and Japanese version.I will send a link of a player's blog who attended more than 10 wedding,via reddit DM.[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 12:34, 5 November 2017 (EST)
:::::::I added some first person account on Bon-Odori II in 2003,Is it too long?and I don't know how to redirect from text [[Quetzalcoatl]] to [[Quetzalcoatl_(Server)]].[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 13:31, 10 November 2017 (EST)

::::::::Good job! It is not too long! I am trying to put first-person accounts in the right side columns on every entry. I changed this for you, so please look to see what I mean. Also because it is first-person, you are welcome to sign your name with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> or <nowiki>-[[User:Aish|Aish@Quetzalcoatl]]</nowiki>. It is not necessary to sign your name. You can also link your name to different website if you have a social profile, Twitter, etc.
::::::::To redirect to a page with custom text, do this: <nowiki>[[Quetzalcoatl_(Server)|Quetzalcoatl]]</nowiki>. That page is not very good, so it is not necessary to link everything if the page is bad, old or no content. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 14:06, 10 November 2017 (EST)
:::::::::Thanks! I tried to post it on right side column,but I couldn't.Now I can see how to do it.Also,I used grammar checker before I post,but still not sure I could write in right grammar,so,if there's mistake too big to ignore,please fix them.I try to avoid grammar mistake.As other person didn't posted with their names,at this point I will not sign my name.But I will do when I think my first person account is very different from general history.[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 06:29, 11 November 2017 (EST)

Talk:The History of Final Fantasy XI

2017-11-11T11:29:06Z

Aish: /* Help */

==Discussion==
Please create a new topic on this page you wish to discuss any aspect of [[The History of Final Fantasy XI]].

Please sign your entries with "'''<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>'''", and separate topics with "'''<nowiki>== Topic Name ==</nowiki>'''".

Thank you! -[[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 11:55, 6 October 2017 (EDT)

== Typo ==

"Trick or Treat!</font></div>" --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 15:28, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

Fixed this, thanks! [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 15:43, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

:Got another one, in "Merit Point Introduction & BCNM Expansion" mannequins is redlinked. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 15:53, 20 October 2017 (EDT)
:Same with "Preliminary Chains of Promathia Update" and escort and 'Dispense'. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 16:00, 20 October 2017 (EDT)
:Starlight Celebration 2004 and Smile Bringers too. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 16:10, 20 October 2017 (EDT)
:And the New Year's Showdown: Moogles vs. Goblins! section has several red links. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 16:11, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

:I went ahead and fixed a bunch, but I also unprotected the pages. If you want, go ahead and fix a few I might have missed. :) [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 16:16, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

:PS: Some will remain red links as I realized when creating these pages that we are missing a bunch of pages. I was planning at some point to go back through and create the missing ones. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 16:17, 20 October 2017 (EDT)
::I'll fix anything I see. --[[User:Tarage|Tarage]] ([[User talk:Tarage|talk]]) 16:35, 20 October 2017 (EDT)

== Help ==
I think I posted wrong place..(though it's still on talk page)I'm Japanese player called through twitter,and trying to figure what I can do.[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]])

Hello! Thank you for visiting. I am looking for Japanese player perspectives and opinions about version update and changes made to FF11 from 2003+. Good and bad changes. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 13:27, 4 November 2017 (EDT)

Also, I want to make sure all information from 2000-2005 is correct and no mistakes. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 13:30, 4 November 2017 (EDT)

:Thanks for quick reply and fixing.I don't personally remember what happened for all these 15 years,but I think I can add perspectives for some particular updates,if date and "What happened"is written.I afraid it would be first-person account.[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]])

::I understand, I don't remember everything either. I used Google a lot lol. First person account is what I was hoping for. Read through everything and feel free to edit anything you want to ^^. Also any pictures of real life things or in game screenshots for game events would also be very good! [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 13:39, 4 November 2017 (EDT)

:::I see thanks.I have many screen shots from 2002,But there's other player's names and Japanese players want to hide their character names.(I'm not)Is it ok to blur other character's names?(and I have to go to sleep now because It's 2:46AM,so later!)[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]])

::::That would be ok. I found this picture on Twitter from a player who entered the contest for the [[Well]] and he asked to blur names. We will respect that.

::::[[Image:SpringBlossom 2003.jpg|200px]]

::::Some images do not have names blurred, those are ones I found on Google. Good night. Just ask if you need help or have questions! Thank you. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 13:55, 4 November 2017 (EDT)

:::::Thanks.And I have 2 other question for now,I have attended my friend's wedding service as "Best man"(who do reservation of wedding day,and attend rehearsal at Mordion Gaol.I have SS of the rehearsal).How do you call this person in-game in English version?(付添人in Japanese)
:::::Also,First person account involves server specific information,I was among staff 2nd Bon-Odori and know how it's done "In Quetzalcoatl".When I add information,should I add "For example,on quetzalcoatl"or,how should I write?
:::::As you see,my experiences are mostly events and not a reaction for battle system changes..[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 03:13, 5 November 2017 (EST)
:::::: The English word for this could be many things, but I think the best is "Attendant". This is also what it is called in real life weddings when a friend helps set up decorations and things the bride and groom don't have time to do. I didn't know rehearsal was in Mordion Gaol, that is interesting and is worth adding. I got married in-game and didn't go there so they must have changed procedure sometime later on.

::::::You can use "For example,on the Quetzalcoatl world" at the beginning and maybe "This may have been different on other worlds" at the end.

:::::: Even if your experience is only from events that can still help a lot! Many players enjoyed those and my information I added might be wrong, you may be able to help by correcting it or explaining how event worked differently from the previous year version. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 05:11, 5 November 2017 (EST)

:::::::Thank you.I think there are some parts I wonder I can fix regard to Wedding Support.GM who specialized for Wedding Support was called "Wedding Master".(The word "Attendant"is already used for GM who performed Wedding support)I think I have to rewrite that part.Also,As far as I know,most of Wedding Support performed by Wedding Master used Mordion Gaol for rehearsal.I wonder there were difference between English version and Japanese version.I will send a link of a player's blog who attended more than 10 wedding,via reddit DM.[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 12:34, 5 November 2017 (EST)
:::::::I added some first person account on Bon-Odori II in 2003,Is it too long?and I don't know how to redirect from text [[Quetzalcoatl]] to [[Quetzalcoatl_(Server)]].[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 13:31, 10 November 2017 (EST)

::::::::Good job! It is not too long! I am trying to put first-person accounts in the right side columns on every entry. I changed this for you, so please look to see what I mean. Also because it is first-person, you are welcome to sign your name with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> or <nowiki>-[[User:Aish|Aish@Quetzalcoatl]]</nowiki>. It is not necessary to sign your name. You can also link your name to different website if you have a social profile, Twitter, etc.
::::::::To redirect to a page with custom text, do this: <nowiki>[[Quetzalcoatl_(Server)|Quetzalcoatl]]</nowiki>. That page is not very good, so it is not necessary to link everything if the page is bad, old or no content. [[User:Funkworkz|Funkworkz]] ([[User talk:Funkworkz|talk]]) 14:06, 10 November 2017 (EST)
::::::::Thanks! I tried to post it on right side column,but I couldn't.Now I can see how to do it.Also,I used grammar checker before I post,but still not sure I could write in right grammar,so,if there's mistake too big to ignore,please fix them.I try to avoid grammar mistake.As other person didn't posted with their names,at this point I will not sign my name.But I will do when I think my first person account is very different from general history.[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 06:29, 11 November 2017 (EST)

The History of Final Fantasy XI/2003

2017-11-10T18:54:08Z

Aish: /* 2003 - Rise of the Zilart Era */

{{Template:History_Nav}}

==<span id=2003>2003 - Rise of the Zilart Era</span>==
From April of 2003, the first expansion disc, “[[Rise of the Zilart]]” widened the scope of adventurer activity farther than ever before. In October, service began in North America. December 2003 saw the introduction of the level 75 cap. It was a very busy and event-filled year for Vana’diel.

{| width=1200px border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Lucky Sheep Roam Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | To celebrate the New Year, there were sheep named Fortune Ram, Bless Ewe, Merry Mary, Happy Baabaa and Lucky Lamb. In addition, two Mandragora named “Ake” and “Ome” appeared in each nation, including Jeuno.

[[Image:FirstNewYears.jpg]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Ake_ome.jpg|400px]]
Ake and Ome were two Mandragora NPCs with little oranges on their heads. They didn’t do anything special besides stand around in town, but adventurers just couldn’t get enough screenshots of the adorable pair.

Ake and Ome get their names from the phrase “Akemashite omedetou,” which is said to wish a Happy New Year.

The [[Monstrosity]] item [[Ake-Ome Spirit]] was derived from this event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Worlds Consolidate Into Kujata, Bismarck'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Ixion, Typhon and Kirin were shut down and the population added to Kujata and Bismarck.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] FFXI-TV Begins Broadcasting'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On “Channel BB” (channel 755) of Sky Perfect TV!, a program titled FFXI-TV begins broadcast. This program was aired 13 times in 30 minute segments. Square Enix sponsored this program. Vana'diel Wind (known today as Live Vana'diel) occasionally aired the program. The Japanese actress [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuko_Mizuno Yuko Mizuno] stared in the program. This program aired until August 31st, 2004.
| width=500px valign=top | No subtitles were added to the show. Each time, the player was given a task via a Moogle "Directive". Below is a list of the episodes.
{| border=0 width=100%
! width=15% | Episode
! Directive
! Area Focus
|-
| 1
| FFXIをインストールせよ!!
(Install FFXI!!)
| [[Chateau d'Oraguille]], [[Northern San d'Oria]] Cathedral
|-
| 2
| 初級クエストを攻略せよ!!
(Capture the beginner quest!!)
| [[Windurst]]
|-
| 3
| パーティープレイを会得せよ!!
(Acquire Party Play!!)
| [[Metalworks]]
|-
| 4
| パーティープレイ応用編!!
(Party Play applied version!!)
| [[West Ronfaure]], [[La Theine Plateau]]
|-
| 5
| サポートジョブをゲットせよ!!
(Get support jobs!!)
| [[La Theine Plateau]], [[Mhaura]], [[Selbina]]
|-
| 6
| チョコボ! そして新たなる大地!!
(Chocobo ! And a new world!)
| [[Jeuno]]
|-
| 7
| ジラートの幻影!!召喚魔法!
(Rise of the Zilart! Summoning magic!!)
| [[Kazham]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]]
|-
| 8
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話!!
(Rise of the Zilart development story!!)
| [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[The Boyahda Tree]]
|-
| 9
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話パート2 & 新エリア探訪!
(Rise of the Zilart development story 2 & New Area Exploration!)
| [[Cape Teriggan]], [[Quicksand Caves]]
|-
| 10
| ドラゴン退治！！ミッション「他国を回れ」
(Dragon ridicule!! Mission "[[Journey Abroad]]")
| [[Norg]]
|-
| 11
| Notorious Monsterを撃破せよ！！
(Defeat Notorious Monster!!)
| [[Ifrit's Cauldron]]
|-
| 12
| 闇の王を討て！召喚士になれ！！
(Deceive the King of Darkness! Be a summoner!!)
| [[Western Altepa Desert]], [[Rabao]]
|-
| 13
| 召喚士になれ！！
(Be a summoner ! !)
| [[To Catch a Falling Star]]
|}
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 8th annual AMD Awards prize winner!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI won the award "Digital Contents of the Year" during the 8th annual AMD awards.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Counter of the Crafting Bug'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As we knew it, there was a crafting bug in which a player could force an interruption on their craft. The result of this was that the crystal broke, did not generate any material losses, and the player still had a chance of skilling up. This was discovered and fixed in a few days.
| width=500px valign=top | Those who exploited this bug either had their skill rolled back or were perm banned. This caused the uproar from players, complaining that they run this game like an offline game. This news was also reported on TV in Japan.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Rise of the Zilart Release Date'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The release date for [[Rise of the Zilart]] was announced in January of 2003. Along with that, the announcement also included a temporary change to the update schedules: in which, updates would be every few months instead of monthly.
| width=500px valign=top | This was obviously well received by many players even after the official expansion launch. SE's reply to this for the next couple of years was that "We did not plan this kind of workload." and the like. Although it was planned as a temporary change, by the end of 2004 they decided to just make it their normal update speed for many years to come.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 5th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Search Comments Implemented'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[BCNM]] battlefields added.
**At the time of implementation, [[Star Orb]]s cost 50 seals, and [[Moon Orb]]s cost 99 seals.
*Search comments implemented.
*Text Commands Added: /echo
**Added to Chat: <st>, <lastst>, <stpc>, <stnpc>, <hp>, <mp>, <job>, <hpp>, <mpp>, <bt>, <scan>, <mjob>, <sjob>, <pet>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Red Mage]]
**Enfeebling magic skill raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Axe]] skill raised.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills removed (they never had Axes they could equip anyway).
*Magic Added: [[Regen]], [[Refresh]]
|}
*The ability to cycle through a history of chat targets using CTRL(Alt)+R was added.
*When entering chat text, players could now utilize the shortcut keys CTRL(Alt)+S, R, T, L or P.
*A Compact Keyboard mode was added.
*The Rank 3 Dragon fight received a level cap of 25, while the Rank 5 [[Fei'Yin]] battlefield received a level cap of 50.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] altered.
*Certain Notorious Monsters that pop after specified intervals of time were changed so as to not immediately appear after a world maintenance.
*Careful consideration had to be given to terrain in dungeons allowing players to avoid being attacked.
*Area of effect magic spells were given a vertical range limit of 4m in either direction. This was done to prevent the trick wherein adventurers could damage Serket in the basement of [[Garlaige Citadel]] from the upper floor.
*[[Serket]]s Earth Pounder also no longer hit innocent low level players on the top floor of [[Garlaige Citadel]].
*[[Sneak]] now wore off when opening a Treasure Chest or Treasure Coffer.
*Mimics added as a new trap for Thieves trying to open treasure boxes.
*Party leaders now had their name displayed in yellow in search results.
*Players could now form an alliance by selected a party leader from the search list (when in the same area).
*Auto-Party limited to finding players one level either above or below the user.
*Players could now cycle through macro pages with R2 and L2.
*Players could now change the names of their Friends when adding them to the Friend List.
*Using the /attack command now put the player into cycle target mode.
*When fishing, the O button would now cancel your cast.
*Events added to the Bastok Missions [[Fetichism]] and [[To the Forsaken Mines]].
*The level requirement for [[Atop the Highest Mountains]] lowered from level 55 to level 51.
*A dialog box was added to warp points inside Delkfutt Tower.
*Conquest rewards were altered so that Rank 1 nations received more benefits, and differences between Rank 2 and Rank 3 nations were added.
*Consumable items, such as [[Instant Reraise]] scrolls, made available for purchase with [[Conquest Points]].
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Level Cap?!'''

Because there were a lot of high levels at this time already, this was done to stop players from soloing the mission BCs.

'''NM Spawn Time'''

The NM Spawn time change was made due to uproar that it was unfair that only "Haijins" (in english, it would mean "No Life People") could log in immediately after a server maintenance. This was the only answer that SE had to "solve" the problem for more casual players.

'''The First BCNMs'''

Six BCNMs were initially added:
“[[Tails of Woe]]” “[[The Worm's Turn]]” “[[Steamed Sprouts]]” “[[Dismemberment Brigade]]” “[[Grimshell Shocktroopers]]” and “[[Divine Punishers]]”, although they were yet to be given these names.
Also, the battlefields were not yet called “BF” and were referred to as BC戦, an acronym of Burning Circle.

'''Enter Mimics'''

Up until now, the only trap awaiting Thieves who failed to pick a chest was a severe Weakness effect. Now, treasure boxes could turn into Mimic-type monsters. If one managed to defeat the Mimic, they would always receive a key. Sneak and Invisible wearing off also was to stop thieves from picking all day. With the latter two changes, the thief lock picking craze gradually went down.

'''Red Mages Head to [[Ranguemont Pass]]'''

Although the high-end spell [[Refresh]] was added to the game, how to obtain the scroll was still shrouded in mystery. A rumor originating on an Internet message board soon spread, which claimed that a Hecteyes-type monster in [[Ranguemont Pass]], namely [[Taisai]], dropped the scroll.

The truth, however, was that the scroll was a reward from a BCNM. The drop rate was approximately 1 in 8 runs, and the Auction House price of the spell was 1 million gil. This was unheard of back then.

Many [[Red Mage]]s believed the rumor and hunting of the NM was widespread. As a reference to this incident, the NM [[Taisaijin]] was given [[Refresh]] in its Treasure Pool when it was added later on.

'''Fish Botting'''

To counter fish botting, the system was changed so that when pressing the O button, the fishing would be cancelled. However, they forgot to implement this on the ENTER button or the right mouse click.

'''Combat and Magic Skillup Parties'''

After this update, the rate of which combat and magic skillups were gained was dramatically reduced. This caused jobs that have multiple 2 handed weapons to find it extra hard to keep everything capped. This change gave birth to "Skill up Parties" that were popular for quite awhile.

The combat and magic skill tweak was "Ninja'd" into the update and players who called GMs to report bugs had only received typical responses that "it wasn't changed".
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 8th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Tenshodo's Envoy'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On February 8th until February 14th, new NPCs appeared in the three nations selling [[Kukuru Bean]]s and [[Selbina Milk]]. At the same time, a recipe for [[Bubble Chocolate]] (HQ [[Heart Chocolate]]) was added. There was no official event for Valentine's day yet.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''February 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Lag!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Enormous lag problems happened in the month of February 2003, and it seemed that Playonline and something else clashed making servers unstable. People experienced serious glitches during their gameplay.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 13th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Seraph and Lakshmi Open'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Two new worlds were establish to alleviate the rising population. Players could transfer to the new worlds only from select existing worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Cherry Blossoms Appear'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Cherry blossom trees in full bloom appeared in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]], [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Metalworks]] and [[Windurst Waters]].
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:SpringBlossom_2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Two Companies Combine'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Formerly called Square and Enix respectively, Japan's two massive RPG makers combined and Square Enix was born. From here on, the change was reflected in Final Fantasy XI’s credits and the screenshot function.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] The Rise of the Zilart Preliminary Update'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap now became 65. The third Limit Break quest, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" was added.
**Causing amazement among players, the EXP table for lv61+ was changed to a much harsher climb compared with pre-60.
*[[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] were added as Advanced Jobs. Only [[Summoner]] could be attained without installing the expansion, but players without [[Rise of Zilart]] would be limited to [[Carbuncle]].
*An airship route between [[Jeuno]] and [[Kazham]] was opened.
*Rank 6 and 7 missions were implemented, along with actual Rank 7 and 8, for each nation.
*[[Nomad Moogle]]s were placed in foreign areas (you had to move your [[Mog House]] to utilize them).
*<pettp> was added.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Warrior]]
**[[Aggressor]] no longer boosted the accuracy of [[Ranged Attack]]s. The recast timer was also changed. Before the patch, it gave a 25% boost to accuracy (and -15% evasion). After, it was a solid 25.
**[[Defender]]s duration was set to 5 minutes, although it wasn't announced.
*[[Monk]]
**[[Chi Blast]] added.
**[[Kick Attacks]] job trait added.
**[[Martial Arts]] was also tweaked so that it would improve further beyond level 15.
**[[Guard]] skill and [[Staff]] skill were also raised.
*[[White Mage]]
**[[Enfeebling Magic]] skill raised.
*[[Black Mage]]
**All Ancient magic spells received the additional effect of lowering resistance to the element they oppose.
**[[Staff]] skill raised.
*[[Red Mage]]
**[[Convert]] added (this was a surprise and wasn't announced).
**[[Fast Cast]] was altered to always reduce spell cast time (prior to this, it would only kick in randomly).\
**[[Marksmanship]] skill removed, and [[Sword]] skill raised.
**[[Phalanx]] and [[Dispel]] were added. This greatly improved the job's usefulness.
*[[Thief]]
**[[AGI]] bonus cut from Trick Attack when used with [[Thief]] as a sub job. This was to protect the integrity of [[Thief]] as a main job.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Rampart]] added.
**[[Throwing]] skill removed.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Call Beast]] added (along with jug pets).
**[[Charm]] success rate lowered when subbing [[Beastmaster]].
**[[Scythe]] skill added.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Ballad]] no longer improved in accordance with a Bard's skill. Tier-I gave 1 MP a tic, and Tier-II gave 2 MP a tic.
**[[March]] songs were weakened.
**Duration of [[Soul Voice]] was shortened from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.
**Although not mentioned, [[Madrigal]] was changed from a percentage increase to a solid value.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Unlimited Shot]] added.
***Along with this, powerful new [[Conquest Points]] ammo were introduced. At this time, changing your ammo would reset your TP. This caused the whole ability to be worthless.
*Magic Added: [[Erase]], [[Phalanx]], [[Dispel]], [[Absorb-STR]], [[Absorb-DEX]], [[Absorb-VIT]], [[Absorb-AGI]], [[Absorb-INT]], [[Absorb-MND]], [[Absorb-CHR]], [[Cure V]], [[Protect IV]], [[Protectra IV]], [[Teleport-Yhoat]], [[Teleport-Altep]], [[Fire III]], [[Blizzard III]], [[Thundaga II]], [[Stonega III]], [[Waterga III]].
|}
*Caps on crafting skills raised to 80.
*Enemies had their magic and ranged attack skill levels increased.
*GA-type spells received an increase in power. Damage now decreased depending on the number of enemies with the area of effect. Also, the MP they consumed was reduced.
*The effect of [[Gravity]] now lowered Evasion by 5%.
*[[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] could no longer be recast on top of themselves.
*[[Enhancing Magic]] effects now wore off when switching jobs.
*The timer for a 2-hour ability would no longer reset upon changing jobs.
*Items would no longer be consumed if a player moved during activation.
*A bug was fixed where [[Regen]] would automatically cure [[Sleep]] status. Normally, [[Poison Potion]]s are needed to avoid [[Sleep]], but until now [[Auto-Regen]] made [[White Mage]]s invaluable allies against monsters with [[Sleep]] attacks.
*[[BCNM]] monsters and boss-level Beastmen could now see through [[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] magics. People could no longer leisurely take snapshots of rare, high-level Beastmen leaders.
**SE forgot to notify players of "True Sight/True Sound" mobs. This made LB3 very difficult, and panic arose among the player base thinking that Sneak and Invisible were broken.
*The window of time within which players could create a [[Skillchain]] was changed. It was announced that [[Weapon Skills]] would no longer chain after a level 3 Skillchain was made.
*Certain skillchain elements were changed. [[Freezebite]]→[[Sunburst]] and [[Freezebite]]→[[Starburst]], which used to make Gravitation, now made Compression.
*[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]] had their skillchain elements changed. [[Rampage]]→[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]]→[[Penta Thrust]] no longer made Skillchains.
*Switching out certain ranged weapons, or anything in the ammo slot, now reset TP.
*New sections were opened in [[Toraimarai Canal]], Delkfutt Tower, [[King Ranperre's Tomb]] and [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]].
*The monsters that would drop Chest and Coffer keys were changed in every dungeon. Beforehand, all monsters of a certain level range had the chance to randomly drop a key. Here, it was set to drop only from specific monsters.
*Orcs level 30 and up received an HP max boost. [[Davoi]] transformed from leveling heaven into a ghost town overnight.
*The service charge for listed goods on the [[Auction House]] was standardized.
*Players could only invite one person per single World Pass.
*Players who set a Search Comment would now have a green mark next to their name in the search results.
*The amount of time a disconnected character would remain in the game was extended from 30 seconds to 1 minute.
*Sets 9 and 10 added to the Macro function.
*A pet's HP bar would now be displayed when choosing a Pet Command.
*Regional Vendors disappeared from [[Jeuno]].
*The title screen was removed, and players could immediately select from a menu when logging in.
*“DATA FILE” was removed from the menu and replaced with “View Safe.” DATA FILE would allow one to browse the aforementioned '''Altana Encyclopedia'''. The text command /datafile was also removed.
*Duration of [[Food]] effects was changed. Stackable food now lasted 30 minutes, and non-stackable food lasted 1 hour.
*Clicking the left mouse button while fishing would now cancel your cast.
*Players could now register others to their blacklist even if they were not in the same area.
*EX and RARE items now had an extra confirmation box when players tried to discard them.
*All [[Dagger]] weapons were changed to inflict Piercing damage. Before, only some were piercing.

*'''Bugs Introduced''':
**Serious problems arose with inputting Japanese characters.
**Players could buy an infinite number of new area maps from vendors.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Game changers'''

*Along with the promised lv60 cap increase, various elements were added that will change the game completely. This started the trend of "If it's a buff, we announce it; if it's a nerf, we ninja it." as we know of right now.
*Food duration was changed from everything lasting one hour to "Stackable items last 30 minutes".
*Latent and Hidden Effect items were introduced at this time. Many players had no idea how to trigger them, and they were regarded as useless.
*Sneak was set to not be able to be overwritten, causing it to have to be dropped before recasting. This caused a higher sense of danger in dungeons.
*Several HNMs were added to the game, but rewards and titles were not properly implemented. This was not intentional, rather it was due to poor programming.
*Pre skill level 200, the equation was 1 skill = 1 accuracy. Post-200, this was suddenly changed to 1 skill = 0.2 accuracy. They did not take this into account with monster's evasion, so it was very hard to hit new high level monsters.
*Incredibly Tough monsters started at 12 levels above you. Monsters 18 levels above players needed to be killed to gain the maximum 200 experience points per kill. The developers did not think this through and were referred to as complete morons because "IT = Death". Fighting them became pointless unless a supreme party configuration was created. Many players started to chain Tough to Very Tough mobs dispite the amount of experience per kill being lowered. Tactics shifted from skillchain spamming to multi-hit weapon skill spamming.
*Not many people used level 3 skillchains, as level 65 was needed to use necessary weapon skills and [[Dancing Edge]] was incredibly strong.

'''Long Lines'''

A certain monster in [[Konschtat Highlands]] caused a huge influx of adventurers looking to acquire new jobs. There were so many challengers, that adventurers formed a long line and waited their turn.

At the same time, a battlefield required for the completion of the Dragoon acquisition quest had an Orcish hut looking like a popular ramen shop.

Competition for the [[Carbuncle's Ruby]] for the [[Summoner]] job quest also was severe, not to mention [[Kazham]] key mobs.

'''2-Hours On Demand'''

Before now, the timers for 2-hour abilities would be reset upon changing jobs. When doing multiple BCNMs, it was customary to repeatedly reset your 2-hours between BCNM attempts.

'''Be Careful With Those Items'''

Up till now, moving while activating an item would cause it to be consumed without effect. This caused particular concern with rare, difficult to acquire items like Warp and Teleport scrolls.

While this was fixed, for much longer players affected by [[Paralyze]] could lose their items without receiving their effects.

Also with this change they added a "delay" when using items. This caused many mecidines to become useless unlike other Final Fantasy games of the past.

'''New Sections in Dungeons'''

The newly opened areas inside these dungeons had previously been shut off. [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] in particular never had monsters before, but now received several NMs for adventurers to hunt.

'''Jeuno's Regional Vendors'''

In various places around Jeuno, there were vendors for each region. These NPCs were invaluable for crafters, until they were removed. Afterwards, Conquest determined where things could or could not be purchased. This gave birth to [[Regional Vendors]].

The new event [[The Green Festival]] reintroduced these vendors for a short period.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of the Zilart Goes on Sale'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The PS2 version and Windows version of the expansion were shipped to stores simultaneously. The price for the expansion only was 3,980 Yen (tax not included). The "FFXI Rise of Zilart All-in-One Pack 2003″ was also released at the price of 7,800 Yen (tax not included) either the PS2 version or the Windows version.

Overall, the expansion was well received. A few complaints included same model mobs in most areas, and lack of progression and improvement were part of the dislikes in the community. What was worse was the countless nerfs that were added in the patch post launch. The economies began to inflate with limited stocked items. Many players quit after discovering the large experience progression requirements post level 60 along with accuracy problems.

The first few thousand people who preordered the expansion were given a Tarutaru Summoner strap pictured below. The Tarutaru is wearing Summoner artifact armor.

[[Image:Zilart_preorder.jpg|250px]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_Japan_Collection1.JPG|400px]]
Two packages, the expansion-only version with a red colored left label (PS2 version pictured below) and All-In-One version (Windows version pictured above) were both available for PS2 and Windows PCs. An official Square Enix logo had yet to be designed, so SQUARESOFT still appeared on the cover. This was Square and Enix’s first collaborative title.

[[Image:FFXI ROTZ PS2.jpg]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Final Fantasy XI Completes 1 Year of Service'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of Zilart OST Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The price for the soundtrack was 2,100 Yen (tax included)
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:ROTZ OST.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Adventurer Appreciation Campaign'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | For a limited time, special moogles appeared in every region. Upon talking to them, one could learn their personal statistics, such as:
Chat Lines, NPC Chat times, Parties Joined, Alliances Joined, Battles Fought, Times K.O.d, Enemies Defeated and GM Calls made.
Highly ranked people on each world would be rewarded with a [[Chocobo Wand]]. Also, once an Earth day, adventurers could receive various presents ([[Little Comet]]s, [[Twinkle Shower]]s, [[Cracker]]s, etc).
| width=500px valign=top | The [[Chocobo Wand]] was awarded to highly-ranked people, and since no [[Chocobo Jack Coat]] existed, it was the only item to increase riding time. The wand was also coveted for having its own distinct graphic.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Expansion Areas Get Cheaper'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*An NPC was added to [[Norg]] that would change your [[Wyvern]] name.
*<pethpp> added to chat.
|}
*Different fees and taxes were lowered in many cases for expansion areas.
*The [[Airship]] abroad now cost 300 gil; Mog House transfer to [[Kazham]] cost 700 gil; transferring to [[Rabao]] cost 200 gil; [[Kazham]] bazaar tax was lowered from 15% to 10%; [[Rabao]] bazaar tax was lowered from 10% to 5%.
*The duration of [[Signet]] was changed to allow more time to players whose nation is ranked low in [[Conquest]].
*Equipping fishing poles or bait now reduced your TP to 0. [[Throwing]] weapons, like [[Boomerang]], also reduced TP to 0.
*[[Black Pepper]] was now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*Mid-level [[Great Katana]] were now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*[[Smoked Salmon]] was now sold at the Cooking Guild.
*The spell recast timer now read “Next” instead of “Last.”
*Three high priests of [[San d'Oria]] had their display names changed: Croisque→[[Chasalvige]], Vicasque→[[Halaviabeau]], Evesque→[[Olbergieut]].
*Dangruf Sulfur changed to [[Sulfur]].
*[[Ancient Goobbue]], [[Voluptuous Vivian]], [[Cemetery Cherry]] and [[Adamantoise]] now dropped gil.
*[[Summoner]]-type monsters could now summon Avatars other than [[Carbuncle]].
*Golem Shards, which dropped from Doll-type monsters were renamed Doll Shards. Golem-type monsters now dropped Golem shards (they were called Crystal Giants at the time).
*A pet’s name and HP bar would now be displayed above the chat log.
*Players could now /check a charmed pet.
*The shortcut key CTRL(Alt)+B now opened the Pet Command menu.
*Guild shop and [[Auction House]] menus would now display equipment/magic names in different colors depending on if they were owned/equipped/learned. Also stackables were changed from yellow to pink.
*Linkshell lists now displayed colors and search comment marks like in search results.
*Merchant NPCs added to [[Norg]].
*The Wyvern attack “Plasma Breath” was renamed “[[Radiant Breath]]”
'''Bugs Introduced'''
*Sneak was once again able to be cast on top of the old effect, but a couple days later removed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Back then, you had to transfer your [[Mog House]] to use the [[Nomad Moogle]], and thus, pay a fee. Add in bazaar taxes and [[Auction House]] fees, and expansion areas started feeling like high-class resorts.

After July 17th, the [[Mog House]] transfer fee and bazaar taxes were done away with, and the [[Auction House]] listing costs were lowered as well. After these changes, [[Kazham]] became a much more popular place in which to level.

'''Walking Worms'''

After the patch landed, a glitch occured where worms began to move around like other monsters instead of burrowing under the ground.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Suggestion Forum Drama'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | '''Latent MP'''
At this time because of Zilart's horrible launch patch, the healer shortage became more apparent. SE suggested that in order to fix this problem, they would have it so when melee jobs sub a mage, they would get more MP. Because this is obviously ignoring the core of why there is a healer shortage, players responded with dismay, at the end, this idea was scratched.
| width=500px valign=top | Later during an interview, the dev team stated that "users have misunderstood their words", that their plan was to increase the number of backline jobs instead. After that, they buffed WHM up, gave them [[Hexa Strike]], [[Divine Breastplate]] and various buffs, obviously in an attempt to draw people to WHM. This shifted the problem of shortage of WHM to the shortage of RDM and BRD.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 10th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Midgardsormr Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players could transfer from any of the 20 initial worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI Entry Disc for PS2 and Windows'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Accompanying the release of Rise of Zilart, the basic game was now sold as an "Entry Disc" and the price lowered to 4,800 Yen (tax not included).
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_PS2_JP_ENTRY.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The world was named Cactuar.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level 70 Unleashed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 70. The fourth Limit Break quest, "[[Riding on the Clouds]]" was added.
**This surprised players with how easy it was compared to leveling and previous Genkai quests.
*A new region, [[Tu'Lia]], was unlocked.
*[[Artifact Armor]] for [[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] added.
*New guards, [[Auction House]] and Delivery NPCs were added to each level of [[Jeuno]]. Bazaar tax was changed to 10%.
**More specifically, this is why there is now an [[Auction House]] in both [[Upper Jeuno]] and [[Port Jeuno]] who are only NPCs.
*New HNMs were added (such as [[King Behemoth]]).
*Commands Added: /lsmes
*Chat Commands Added: <ncall>, <scall>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Bard]]
**Light-based enemies could now resist [[Magic Finale]].
**[[Prelude]] became single target.
*[[Summoner]]
**Healing [[Blood Pact]]s had their MP costs reduced and their effectiveness greatly increased.
**MP required to summon Avatars was also reduced.
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was boosted and the cast time of Elemental Spirits was shortened.
*[[Ninja]]
**Ni-level [[Ninjutsu]] cast time was shortened dramatically from 8 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
*[[Monk]]
**The recast time for [[Chakra]] was shortened from 15 minutes to 5 minutes.
*Magic Added: [[Shell IV]], [[Shellra IV]], [[Regen II]], [[Regen III]], [[Raise III]], [[Thunder III]], [[Stone IV]], [[Water IV]], [[Aeroga III]], [[Firaga III]], [[Knight's Minne IV]], [[Bewitching Etude]], [[Valor Minuet IV]], [[Logical Etude]], [[Sage Etude]], [[Foe Requiem VI]], [[Swift Etude]], [[Puppet's Operetta]], [[Vital Etude]].
|}
*Chocobo rentals established in [[Kazham]], [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]]. [[Rabao]] and [[Kazham]] also received Chocobo shops. Players could now ride Chocobos through [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]], [[Yhoator Jungle]] and [[Eastern Altepa Desert]].
*[[Goblin Digger]]s began appearing in expansion areas.
*The airship for [[Kazham]] was lowered from 300 gil to 200 gil. [[Nomad Moogle]] transfer fees were eliminated, as well as bazaar taxes. [[Auction House]] charges were now calculated in the same way as the three nations.
*[[Tonberry]], [[Sahagin]] and [[Antica]] now dropped gil and Beastman Coins.
*The prices for [[Protect IV]] and [[Protectra IV]] in [[Rabao]] were lowered.
*[[Norg Shell]]s were no longer EX.
*Multiple people could now enter the gate in [[Sea Serpent Grotto]] that required a [[Sahagin Key]]. Initially, only the keyholder could enter after using it.
*Crafting skills raised to a maximum of 90.
*Cure spells adjusted so that MP cost and cast time changed according to the user’s [[Healing Magic]] skill. The enmity generated by [[Cure V]] was made a set value.
**The much demanded "make healing magic have more relation to our curing power" was still not properly addressed.
*Healing Magic skill no longer needed to be used on Undead to get a skillup.
*Recast time for [[Erase]] shortened.
*[[Stoneskin]] now absorbed more damage based on the user’s MND and Enhancing Magic skill.
*Cast time for Bar-spells shortened and MP cost lowered. Their effects now improved along with Enhancing Skill.
*The price of Regen sold in Mhaura was lowered, and [[Regen II]] was put up for sale. [[Regen II]] was now a White Mage exclusive spell.
*MP costs for tier-III and tier-IV Elemental Magic reduced.
*Dark-based enemies could now resist Dispel easier.
*The effect of Gravity could now last between 30~120 seconds.
*The duration of Poison spells, as well as the damage caused by Poison II and Poisonga II, were now based on Enfeebling Magic skill.
*[[Experience Points]] would now carry over into the next level upon a Level Up.
*A cap was set on the amount of [[Experience Points]] lost when K.O.d.
*[[Kindred's Seal]]s added.
*The maximum occupancy of each level of [[Jeuno]] was raised.
*A Mithra child’s shop was added to [[Ru'Lude Gardens]].
*The time it takes for Chocobo rental prices to decrease was shortened by 25% (this made it tougher for prices to get too high).
*Players were no longer disbanded from a party after entering their [[Mog House]].
*Messages now appeared in the chat log when using the Delivery System for sending/receiving items.
*Door names now appeared green in the target box.
*Players could now be added to one’s party across a Region.
*Search results for an Area or Region were now limited to 100 results. World-wide results were expanded to 40 results.
*Players could now set a Linkshell welcome message.
*The color of messages produced with /echo was changed.
*In crafting guilds, basic image support was made free, while advanced support was extended to last 4 times as long.
*Players could no longer repeatedly purchase items from a guild.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered.
*Conquest points were no longer lost when switching national allegiance.
*Elemental spirits would now cast magic even outside of battle.
*Beastmaster-type Goblins occupying [[Batallia Downs]], [[Eastern Altepa Desert]] and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] were repositioned. They now re-summoned pets after 60 seconds instead of 30 seconds.
*Beastman Seal Orbs had their prices changed. [[Moon Orb]] 99→60, [[Star Orb]] 50→40. New Orbs were also added: [[Comet Orb]] for 50 seals, [[Lachesis Orb]] and [[Atropos Orb]]s for 30 seals.
*Defeated monsters were now displayed as grey on the compass.
*Cut scenes could now be replayed at certain NPCs.
*Players could now buy level 1 [[RSE]] clothing from vendors.
*Macros and Map Markers were now saved as files in PlayOnline.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Ninja Tank is Born'''

With Ni-level Ninjutsu shortened to a 1.5 second recast timer, Ninja could now use both tiers of [[Utsusemi]] to tank effectively. Prior to this, both tiers had the same casting times, if not Ni being slower. The supply of Ninja tools wasn't yet large enough to make this technique especially common, but it gradually became the norm. Before this, Ninja was looked at the same as Summoner: "a job with no purpose at all".

'''Experience Point Changes'''

Although publicly saying they had no plans to bring an ease to the level 61+ leveling, they ninja fixed the issue with a few little changes:
*In order to counter the high demand of experience per level at 61+, players were forced to target harder monsters which increased the demand for RDM/BRD.
*Players learned that [[Great Axe]s weapon skill [[Shield Break]] reduced ice-weak enemies evasion tremendously. This caused Warrior to be the most demanded melee at the time.
*Level capped zones became popular leveling spots due to the 2400 EXP loss per death. This penalty was based on the level you were capped at, saving a lot of experience loss.
*Changes to monster placement as well as level range in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Cape Teriggan]], and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] decreased camp choices and in turn made leveling harder.
*With the addition to Escort quests, this is the first time players were able to earn experience points instead of level grinding. Before the discovery of the once-per-week limitation, some had hopes of possibly skipping exp parties all together just by completing the quest.

'''Mog House Disband?'''

Up until now, players were automatically disbanded from their party upon entering their [[Mog House]]. Even just going to change your sub job meant you had to re-join the party afterwards. This was corrected to match [[Nomad Moogle]]s, which were preferred for not causing this issue.

'''Pet Hunting'''

[[Beastmaster]] pets were popular prey due to the high experience they gave relative to their strength. These [[Beastmaster]] were often placed near zone lines, which made them all the more popular for parties to hunt.

However, once their spawn locations were changed, and pet recast was lengthened to 60 seconds, it became too difficult to keep up experience chains, and parties found other prey to hunt.

'''New BCNMs'''

This update saw the addition of five new battlefields:

“[[Hostile Herbivores]]” “[[3, 2, 1...]]” “[[Treasure and Tribulations]]” “[[Infernal Swarm]]” and “[[E-vase-ive Action]]” However, the battlefields had yet to have these names attached.

“[[Come Into My Parlor]]” was set to be added this day, but was delayed until the 22nd.

*Crafting Mats: Some crafting materials were regarded as beyond reach to casual players (such as [[Damascene Cloth]]). Items such as these were added to these BCNMs.

'''Weapon Skills Where?!'''

New weapon skills were not immediately available. The developers stated that they used all of their resources on existing weapon skill graphic effects. Mages were complaining how melee get new weapon skills for free while mages had to work for them every time. This was the birth of [[WSNM]]s

'''Rare HNMs'''

Rare HNMs (like [[Nidhogg]]) were implemented. The spawn time was 60~72 hours. Before this, players occasionally took breaks from camping them. Due to the rarity and desirability of the gear that drops from them, players now continuously camped.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Fireworks Available for a Limited Time'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From July 18th until July 27th, fireworks could be purchased in [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Port Bastok]], [[Windurst Waters]] and [[Rabao]].
| width=500px valign=top | Four types of fireworks were available so users could celebrate summer festivals. The three nations and Rabao sold [[Airborne]], [[Konron Hassen]], [[Kongou Inaho]] and [[Meifu Goma]]. The [[Airborne]] and [[Konron Hassen]] were especially popular as they shot up into the sky. There were still no crafting recipes for these fireworks, and they could only be acquired through purchase.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 22nd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Clotho Orb Added'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The previously delayed [[Clotho Orb]] could now be obtained and its corresponding [[BCNM]] [[Come Into My Parlor]] was added.

|}
*A bug where [[Elvaan]] would have less MP than intended above level 61 was fixed.
*The reward for the Windurst quest [[Catch It If You Can!]] was changed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Bon-Odori II'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Users again held a Bon-Odori event, but this time there was an official moogle to announce the event, as well as the old [[Yughott Grotto]] BGM from the beta test as music.
Actual Bon-Odori event was done by volunteers on each servers.
For example,on [[Quetzalcoatl]] server,A [[Linkshell]] volunteered and planned whole event.There were two venues,North Gustaberg and [[West Sarutabaruta]] .Players gathered and danced,but on [[West Sarutabaruta]] venue,there was one compliant from other player who was trying to go to [[Balga's_Dais]] but unable to enter [[Giddeus]] due to heavy lag on [[West Sarutabaruta]].One of the Staffs got a tell from his mule,So they asked to stop moving for all attendees until his main character could pass [[West Sarutabaruta]].
There were some issues,as user event was experimental then.
Planning and how it was done might be different on other servers.

| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Terms of Service Change'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players were now forbidden to use any outside programs or tools while playing.
| width=500px valign=top | Around this time rumors surfaced of GMs unjustly banning players; although officially they announced them as rule breaking. As the GM's reputation was bad to begin with, this event further dented their player's trust.

Before this announcement, there was no action taken against the cheaters. Although, after this change of rules they tried several ways to stop fishbotting. The damage of untrustworthy GMs was already too deep to be undone.

Despite this announcement, the rate of fish bot bans were very minimal and were still found everywhere. Turbo controllers proved difficult to determine by SE if they were bots.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This was an event where a giant creature appeared in the areas surrounded each of the three nations. Even without Calling for Help, multiple parties and alliances could take part. If a player was defeated by the monster, they would not lose any experience.

Due to an glitch, the event was temporarily canceled.
| width=500px valign=top | The event consisted of fighting Doomed-type monsters that roamed the areas outside of home nations. A large amount of adventurers took part in massive battles. This event was made very unpopular as too many people rushed in, and the atmosphere feelt like Lower Jeuno AH at the time. Later, players rumored that this was just in preparation for the Treant + OP warp event, an experimental event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Developer’s Blog Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The beta test now finished, Final Fantasy XI players could begin using this service.
| width=500px valign=top | This service lasted until December 27th, 2005.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges! Redux'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The event that had been canceled back on the 16th was now reborn as a 2-day event, spanning August 30th and 31st.

Touching the Beastman Banner in [[East Ronfaure]], [[North Gustaberg]] or [[West Sarutabaruta]] would cap you at level 30 and allow you to fight the Gigantoad. Defeating the three monsters would display a congratulatory System Message.

The reward was temporary [[Outpost Teleportation]] service (08/31 through 09/14) in [[San d'Oria]], [[Bastok]] and [[Windurst]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=WhiteShadow2>Vana’diel’s White Shadow Returns</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This event was held for 7 hours, from 10pm September 12th to 5am September 13th. Players could receive a [[Moon Carrot]] from a Moogle, and trade said carrots to speedy little rabbits in various areas.

The rabbits were even faster than last year, but the prize was upgraded as well to [[Thoth's Wand]].
| width=500px valign=top | This event was only held in 2002 and 2003, and did not return after that. All of the glitches from the previous event remained, and it all did not go over well with players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Official Benchmark 2 Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The setting for this version was the [[Yuhtunga Jungle]] / [[Yhoator Jungle]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Future Plans'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | SE announced their upcoming plans for the game; from [[Ballista]], [[Dynamis]], further level cap increase, and the release of NA version.
| width=500px valign=top | At this time, they announced that the NA version would share server with the Japanese, which lead to many players worrying, but SE only replied with "We are treating this as an experiment.".

The Development team announced "From now on, the version update will come every few months."(Remember that they said they would update every 1 month, and then changed to 3 months, and now "few months".). They seemed to be using localization for the NA version as an excuse for further slowing down their updates. This did not help the animosity view of Japanese players towards English players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 7th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Fairy World Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | A new world was established for the increasing population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Ends'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | There was a special event on the final day, where Moogles were placed at [[Home Point]]s. Upon speaking with them, you could be teleported to NMs like [[Serket]] or [[King Behemoth]] and fight with them. GMs also joined the fray.
| width=500px |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Nation Rank Missions and Zilart Completed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Rank Missions for rank 8 and 9 added, along with actual rank 9 and 10 to the three nations, completing their story lines.
*The conclusion to [[Rise of Zilart]] was added.
**The Zilart last boss could be unintentionally silenced, which was fixed in an emergency maintenance a couple days later.
*Players could now enter the [[The Shrine of Ru'Avitau]] and [[The Celestial Nexus]].
*Lucky Roll games implemented in [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]].
*Fortune-tellers that predict adventurer affinity were added to the three nations.
*[[BCNM]]s added to [[Sacrificial Chamber]], [[Cloister of Tides]] and [[Chamber of Oracles]] using the [[Moon Orb]].
*Chat Commands Added: <call4> – <call21>
*Text Commands Added: /sit
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Magic Added: [[Sleepga]], [[Sleepga II]]
|}
*[[Avatar]] quests were now limited to once a day.
*The third [[Mog House]] expansion quest was added, with the final available space being 80.
*A shortcut to the 10th floor was added to the West side of [[Lower Delkfutt's Tower]] that could be opened with a [[Delkfutt Key]].
*[[BCNM]] clear times were now displayed.
*[[Magic Burst]] bonuses were increased.
*The effect of [[Clear Mind]] was strengthened.
*[[Summoner]] – Received [[Clear Mind]] trait.
*MP cost and strength of [[Banish]] adjusted. In addition, [[Banish]] now weakened the special defenses of [[Undead]] monsters.
*[[Stoneskin]] could no longer overwrite itself.
*[[Drain]] and [[Aspir]] were adjusted to absorb more based on [[Magic Burst]]s, day and weather.
*TP was no longer reset when changed one's ammo slot. Ranger became popular with [[Unlimited Shot]] and their special ammo.
*A number of monsters were rearranged in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Ifrit's Cauldron]], [[Cape Teriggan]] and [[Valley of Sorrows]].
*New Notorious Monsters were added to dungeons in Zilart areas.
*A number of repop timers for existing NMs was changed greatly (Monsters that popped every 60-72 Earth hours now popped every 24 hours).
**This included [[Fafnir]], [[Behemoth]], [[Adamantoise]] and the like. Their rare versions remained a lottery spawn every of 3~7 days, and stayed that way for years.
*[[King Behemoth]]s area of effect attacks could now strike any player within range.
*The items available in the Mithra child's shop in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]] would now change, and increases or decreases according to sales.
*The items obtainable through [[Chocobo Digging]] now varied based on weather, moon phase, day and time. Elemental ore was now obtainable, although extremely rare.
**This is when Digging became very popular as a gil earning method. Chocobo skill was initially viewable in the skill window.
*New items could now be grown through gardening.
*The prices of the shop on the ferry were stabilized.
*A sound now played when receiving a message or mail.
*Motions now accompanied [[HELM]] activities.
*More items were available from [[HELM]].
*Search comments were now divided into 4 different categories.
*When locked on a target, players could no longer switch targets with cursor keys, the mouse or function keys.
*The TAB key or START button would now activate the Auto-Translator, causing the word to appear blue in your input box.
*System message would now announce whether or not players could apply to transfer servers.
*A single World Pass could now be used to invite up to 5 people.
*A bug occurred wherein [[Bard]]s using [[March]] songs with '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +1''' or '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +2''' equipped would receive a massive boost in effectiveness. This was corrected in the October 28th emergency maintenance. These horns have since been removed.
*Synthesis Results were now displayed to others, and a chat filter was added.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Titan Marathon Ends'''

Around this time, players were repeatedly undertake the Titan acquisition quest in order to earn gil. Now, they were unable to do so until midnight Earth time. With [[Teleport-Altep]] and [[Escape]] for [[Korroloka Tunnel]], players used to easily complete 4 runs in an hour.

'''Cloister of Tides BCNM'''

At this time three BCs were added to the game. Although they had yet to receive their official names, the battlefields were:

“[[Jungle Boogeymen]]” “[[Amphibian Assault]]” and “[[Legion XI Comitatensis]]”

Out of these, “[[Amphibian Assault]]” was added to the [[Cloister of Tides]]. Ultimately, it was decided that the special Avatar battle arena should be unique to the Summoner quests, and the four Sahagin were moved to the [[Sacrificial Chamber]] on June 29th, 2004.

''' Othinus' Bow Popular Among Marksmen'''

New Ex/Rare drops were added to NMs around this time, and they proved to be an immediate hit. One especially, the [[Othinus' Bow]], was so coveted it practically made [[Archery]] obsolete. [[Acid Bolt]]s and [[Sleep Bolt]]s were also added in this update, further improving Marksmanship.

According the Japanese sites, the [[March]] glitch was said to have given players an unimaginable speed boost. Two-handed weapon users could swing like one-handers, dagger users were as fast as [[Hundred Fists]], and [[Monk]] could hold hate comfortably without [[Provoke]].

'''-Ga spells'''

Ga spells were already unpopular due to their MP demand, but now they scaled in accordance to the number of targets hit by the spell. With the improvement of Magic Burst bonuses, despite the high cost, -ga spells became popular as a single target nuke. However, monster -ga spells were not affected by the number of players hit.

'''EX tag items'''

This update implemented a large number of EX items. The dev team reasoning was that "People won't have to camp it again if they already have it", as well as preventing a monopoly situation to sell items. In reality, players found the actual effect is "Even if you don't want to, you have to camp it". In many cases these EX items did not do what the dev team expected it to. On top of this, high priced items still dropped from NMs such as [[Shining Cloth]] from [[King Behemoth]] and [[Damascene Cloth]] from [[Aquarius]]. Players still camped these NMs for profitable gil drops even though they already had the equipment.

As part of the EX craze, the dev team was sure to announce that many NMs could be killed by leveling parties who happen to be killing placeholders. Knowing that Ninja was an unexpected tank, the dev team's idea of balance was very questionable.

'''Development Team running out of ideas?!'''

With the [[Lucky Roll]] and fortune teller features added, this was SE's answer to player's demand for "New Entertainment". The community's view that the development team was simply running out of ideas was largely increased after these were implemented. The question "What the f*** were the developers thinking?" remained a popular meme for years to come.

'''Come Hither!'''

This patch is when the Mithra's "inviting" sit pose (pictured below) was added. This pose had a lot of controversy, so it was changed later to be more feminine and conservative.

[[Image:Mithra_Old_Sit.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 28th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] North American Windows Version Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The North American version of Final Fantasy XI went on sale on October 28th, 2003 for $49.99. When service in North America began for Final Fantasy XI, a large amount of foreign players immediately flooded the game. English chat flowed through towns, and Conquest results were upset by low level activity (there were dead people everywhere). Japanese players avoided home nations due to /shout spam.

Although before the release, some supported the idea of cross server in the name of international gaming. After the release, with the "PL plaz" "Gil plez" "Item pelaz" begging, sexual harassment comments, and the random party replacement(People leaving after 1 kill, leader leaving party after level, tossing leader to a random member without asking, etc, the negative complaints begun.

At the same time, the auto translator feature was added. With the tell spam of "Help Me out!" "cap" "coffer" "thank you", many Japanese players put up the "JP Only" comment. On a side note, "cap" in translator translates to the cap as in baseball cap to the Japanese, just like how "Break" is translated to relaxing to the Japanese.

These all lead to the increasing demand(still active now) of separating servers, mostly from the Japanese players. However, the CEO announced that "Cross nation and Translator are very well done, and we received a lot of praises", even though no one understand where they get those idea from.
| width=500px valign=top | [[File:FFXI Windows NA.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 7th CESA GAME AWARDS Winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI took the award for being the first PS2 MMORPG, connecting PS2 and Windows on the same servers, and for user satisfaction with [[Rise of the Zilart]] updates.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 31st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=Halloween>Trick or Treat!</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From October 31st to November 3rd, players could transform in monsters by trading fruits and sweets to certain NPCs. Prizes included [[Jack-o'-Lantern]], [[Trick Staff]], [[Treat Staff]], [[Pumpkin Head]] and [[Horror Head]]. [[Goblin Chocolate]] was also available for purchase.
| width=500px valign=top | The equipment available during this event was cute and very different, so it immediately became quite popular. Towns were filled with adventurers in puffy hats with bat staves on their back. You could also see people everywhere bopping monsters on the head, testing out the [[Treat Staff]] latent effect of [[Warp]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Treat Staff Effect Changed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Originally, the [[Treat Staff]] would have a much higher rate of activating [[Warp]] during the Halloween event. This was changed so that it would not activate at all outside the time of the event.

This change caused many players to complain, and was very unpopular.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 11th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Conquest Adjustments'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Players under level 5 no longer had an effect on Campaign results when K.O.d.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Many people would group suicide to force regions to become beastmen controlled (Kolshushu was beastmen controlled for almost a year before this change). Even with this change, many regions continued to be beastmen controlled (Qufim, Elshimo, Aragoneu, etc)

Regional merchants became very rare, affecting prices of items such as [[Yagudo Drink]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] Concept Art'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The official site was massively updated with Concept Art (for a set fee) and a Creator’s Voice blog. The Concept Art was found inside the Developer’s Room.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=3 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Plus Beta Testing Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | Beta testing began for services that included a special e-mail address (CHARACTER@WORLD.ffxi.pol.com), mail forwarding and other features.
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | [[File:POL Plus.gif|link=]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] First Annual Spike TV Video Game Awards “Best Online Game” winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 9th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Asura Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This world was established due to the rising population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] "REAL VANA’DIEL" Net Cafe Opens in Akihabara'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Melco Online Entertainment opened a net cafe for the enjoyment of FFXI in Akihabara. There was a [[Mog House]] resting area (smoking allowed), and staff members dressed up as FFXI characters. Satire jokes arose, such as "I am a Dark Knight. Should I AFK IRL too?"

All computers at the time gauged “Incredibly Tough” against the game’s requirements. See the pictures to the right for a glimpse inside this store and the layout.

See [http://web.archive.org/web/20080220132325/http://www.watch.impress.co.jp:80/game/docs/20031107/realv.htm This Link] for an article regarding the store.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Realv03.gif]]
[[Image:Realv01.gif]]
[[Image:Realv02.gif]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level Cap 75'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 75. The final Limit Break quest, "[[Shattering Stars]]" was added.
*[[Dynamis]] was originally planned to be released in this update, but it was delayed.
*New [[Weapon Skills]] attainable through quests ([[WSNM]]) were implemented.
*New NMs were added (4 gods in [[Tu'Lia]], [[Nidhogg]], and more).
**[[Abjuration]]s and [[Cursed Items]] were introduced.
*The [[Storage]] system was implemented.
**This answered demands to make furnishings useful, but then started the demand to make storage accessible without making the extremely long trip back to a player's home nation.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Black Mage]]
**[[Black Mage]]s could no longer be interrupted by receiving damage while under the effect of [[Manafont]]. [[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Samurai]]
**Using [[Meikyo Shisui]] now gave a player 300 TP.
*[[Summoner]]
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was extended to 3 minutes. In addition, [[Avatar Perpetuation]] was reduced to 0 while under its effect.
*[[Dark Knight]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Scythe]] skill raised.
*[[Summoner]]
**[[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Staff]] skill added.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Axe]] skill added.
*Magic Added: [[Flash]], [[Curaga IV]], [[Reraise III]], [[Stun]], [[Blizzaga III]], [[Aero IV]], [[Fire IV]], [[Thundaga III]], [[Blizzard IV]], [[Thunder IV]], [[Archer's Prelude]], [[Goddess' Hymnus]], [[Uncanny Etude]], [[Warding Round]], [[Chocobo Mazurka]], [[Herculean Etude]], [[Maiden's Virelai]], [[Earth Spirit]].
|}
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered, and new areas were added.
*The ??? marks involved in Limit Break quest 3, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" were repositioned, making it easier to complete the quest.
*The [[Moongate pass]] was added. [[Ro'Maeve]] became a popular leveling spot.
*The Great Axe WS [[Shield Break]] no longer depended on the enemy’s strength, but now lowered [[Evasion]] by a set value.
*High-level physical accuracy was raised (post skill level 200). This allowed players to hit mobs without [[Madrigal]].
*A number of high-level monsters had their experience point bonus for parties increased.
*Changing jobs now cleared [[Song]] effects.
*The execution of [[Sneak Attack]] was changed so that players must stand directly behind the monster. "'''Yokodama'''" could no longer be performed.
*Resist traits, Bar-spells and songs now provided much more defense against strong enemies. In addition, a message now displayed in the chat log when resisting an effect.
**These effects were still not very useful against Incredibly Tough monsters.
*The effects of Killer traits and Circle effects were changed from a Slow effect to an Intimidate effect. In addition, Circle abilities now lasted 1 minute and had a recast time of 10 minutes.
*High level [[Weapon Skills]] (such as [[Dragon Kick]] and [[Shark Bite]]) were strengthened.
*The skillchain properties of [[Tachi: Koki]] were changed.
*Level 50-70 monsters in various areas were rearranged.
*Orcs’ HP was once again adjusted.
*The movement speed of [[Behemoth]] and [[King Behemoth]] was raised.
*Knockback was added to a number of monsters’ special abilities.
*When entering a [[BCNM]], the time limit, fastest record, and record holder’s name were now displayed.
*Crafting skills were raised to level 100.
*Rank 9 Conquest items were introduced. The cost of [[Warp]] and [[Reraise]] scroll was cut in half.
*The repop time of treasure boxes was changed. They would also pop much faster if disappearing after a [[Thief]] failed to pick them.
*The [[Mithra]] who could bundle arrows now joined the traveling performers.
*[[Tree Cuttings]] could now be grown into [[Tree Saplings]], which subsequently could be used to produce Elemental Ores and ultimately Staves.
*New [[Auction House]] categories were created for [[Ammo]], [[:Category:Others|Others]], [[:Category:Materials|Materials]] and [[:Category:Misc.|Misc.]]
*Elemental Staves were given unique models.
*Players Level 15-19 could now ride Chocobo from the starting three nations. However, their riding time was limited to 15 minutes.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''No One Can Help You Now'''

The final Limit Break quest had players squaring off against [[Maat]] alone. Until now, quests could easily be completed with parties, but this time people had to face the challenge alone, leaving many unable to overcome it. [[Red Mage]]s especially had a rough time, eventually leading to some adjustments to the difficulty. This quest was very unpopular, and some jobs had it much harder than others.

'''No More Yokodama'''

Yokodama was the practice of Sneak and Trick Attacking from the side of a monster.

(“Yoko” means side, and “dama” is the first two syllables of Damashiuchi, or [[Trick Attack]]).

On this day, it was decided that [[Trick Attack]] would only function properly if one stood directly behind the enemy. The Yokodama was no more.

Square said in an interview the month prior that "Yokodama wasn't planned, and it was making the game too easy. We may consider fixing it." Many players supported this and found it to be making fighting too easy. For some mysterious reason, players then started then complaining about the lack of Yokodama after the patch. The spells [[Flash]] and [[Stun]] were born to alleviate hate control issues.

'''Tu'Lia Notorious Monsters'''

New NMs were added to sky, namely [[Kirin]], [[Byakko]], [[Suzaku]], [[Seiryu]] and [[Genbu]]. At the time, they looked just like any other monsters; even though Byakko means “white tiger,” the model was black. Eventually, these enemies were altered to look unique.

With the sky NM system now implemented, Sky Linkshells were born.

'''WSNMs'''

The majority of the WSNMs had bad performance, so the effort needed to obtain them was not well received.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Holy Night in Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Christmas decorations were put up in all three nations. Players could talk to Moogles once a Vana’diel day to receive [[Popstar]], [[Brilliant Snow]], [[Sparkling Hand]] or [[Air Rider]].

This was the start of the yearly Christmas [[Starlight Celebration]] in Vana’diel.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Starlight2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Rampaging Presents'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | In various areas, a monsters called [[Twinkling Treant]] (a tree decorated on December 16th) appeared. Talking to nearby Moogles would impose a level cap and allow one to fight the monster.

It was announced that defeating the trees would grant the world [[Outpost Teleportation]] service. All servers succeeded in attaining this prize.

'''Destroy the Christmas Tree?!'''
At first, no matter how much you hit the tree, the HP wouldn't decrease. This was a prime weapon/magic skill up opportunity. To prevent this, SE lowered the HP in the middle of the event. This also caused SE to issue a server message saying that if the NM was not killed, that world would not receive OP Warps. Some worlds were able to dispose of the tree quickly, while others just couldn’t manage to take it down. A System Message announced that the event would not end until all servers had one. The ordeal was finally over after Midgardsormr was the last to claim victory.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Twinkling Treant 2003.jpg|450px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 29th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Outpost Teleport Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As a reward for success in the Christmas event, all worlds were bestowed with [[Outpost Teleportation]] Service following a maintenance.
| width=500px valign=top |
|}

{{Template:History_Nav}}

The History of Final Fantasy XI/2003

2017-11-10T18:38:47Z

Aish:

{{Template:History_Nav}}

==<span id=2003>2003 - Rise of the Zilart Era</span>==
From April of 2003, the first expansion disc, “[[Rise of the Zilart]]” widened the scope of adventurer activity farther than ever before. In October, service began in North America. December 2003 saw the introduction of the level 75 cap. It was a very busy and event-filled year for Vana’diel.

{| width=1200px border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Lucky Sheep Roam Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | To celebrate the New Year, there were sheep named Fortune Ram, Bless Ewe, Merry Mary, Happy Baabaa and Lucky Lamb. In addition, two Mandragora named “Ake” and “Ome” appeared in each nation, including Jeuno.

[[Image:FirstNewYears.jpg]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Ake_ome.jpg|400px]]
Ake and Ome were two Mandragora NPCs with little oranges on their heads. They didn’t do anything special besides stand around in town, but adventurers just couldn’t get enough screenshots of the adorable pair.

Ake and Ome get their names from the phrase “Akemashite omedetou,” which is said to wish a Happy New Year.

The [[Monstrosity]] item [[Ake-Ome Spirit]] was derived from this event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Worlds Consolidate Into Kujata, Bismarck'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Ixion, Typhon and Kirin were shut down and the population added to Kujata and Bismarck.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] FFXI-TV Begins Broadcasting'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On “Channel BB” (channel 755) of Sky Perfect TV!, a program titled FFXI-TV begins broadcast. This program was aired 13 times in 30 minute segments. Square Enix sponsored this program. Vana'diel Wind (known today as Live Vana'diel) occasionally aired the program. The Japanese actress [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuko_Mizuno Yuko Mizuno] stared in the program. This program aired until August 31st, 2004.
| width=500px valign=top | No subtitles were added to the show. Each time, the player was given a task via a Moogle "Directive". Below is a list of the episodes.
{| border=0 width=100%
! width=15% | Episode
! Directive
! Area Focus
|-
| 1
| FFXIをインストールせよ!!
(Install FFXI!!)
| [[Chateau d'Oraguille]], [[Northern San d'Oria]] Cathedral
|-
| 2
| 初級クエストを攻略せよ!!
(Capture the beginner quest!!)
| [[Windurst]]
|-
| 3
| パーティープレイを会得せよ!!
(Acquire Party Play!!)
| [[Metalworks]]
|-
| 4
| パーティープレイ応用編!!
(Party Play applied version!!)
| [[West Ronfaure]], [[La Theine Plateau]]
|-
| 5
| サポートジョブをゲットせよ!!
(Get support jobs!!)
| [[La Theine Plateau]], [[Mhaura]], [[Selbina]]
|-
| 6
| チョコボ! そして新たなる大地!!
(Chocobo ! And a new world!)
| [[Jeuno]]
|-
| 7
| ジラートの幻影!!召喚魔法!
(Rise of the Zilart! Summoning magic!!)
| [[Kazham]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]]
|-
| 8
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話!!
(Rise of the Zilart development story!!)
| [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[The Boyahda Tree]]
|-
| 9
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話パート2 & 新エリア探訪!
(Rise of the Zilart development story 2 & New Area Exploration!)
| [[Cape Teriggan]], [[Quicksand Caves]]
|-
| 10
| ドラゴン退治！！ミッション「他国を回れ」
(Dragon ridicule!! Mission "[[Journey Abroad]]")
| [[Norg]]
|-
| 11
| Notorious Monsterを撃破せよ！！
(Defeat Notorious Monster!!)
| [[Ifrit's Cauldron]]
|-
| 12
| 闇の王を討て！召喚士になれ！！
(Deceive the King of Darkness! Be a summoner!!)
| [[Western Altepa Desert]], [[Rabao]]
|-
| 13
| 召喚士になれ！！
(Be a summoner ! !)
| [[To Catch a Falling Star]]
|}
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 8th annual AMD Awards prize winner!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI won the award "Digital Contents of the Year" during the 8th annual AMD awards.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Counter of the Crafting Bug'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As we knew it, there was a crafting bug in which a player could force an interruption on their craft. The result of this was that the crystal broke, did not generate any material losses, and the player still had a chance of skilling up. This was discovered and fixed in a few days.
| width=500px valign=top | Those who exploited this bug either had their skill rolled back or were perm banned. This caused the uproar from players, complaining that they run this game like an offline game. This news was also reported on TV in Japan.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Rise of the Zilart Release Date'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The release date for [[Rise of the Zilart]] was announced in January of 2003. Along with that, the announcement also included a temporary change to the update schedules: in which, updates would be every few months instead of monthly.
| width=500px valign=top | This was obviously well received by many players even after the official expansion launch. SE's reply to this for the next couple of years was that "We did not plan this kind of workload." and the like. Although it was planned as a temporary change, by the end of 2004 they decided to just make it their normal update speed for many years to come.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 5th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Search Comments Implemented'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[BCNM]] battlefields added.
**At the time of implementation, [[Star Orb]]s cost 50 seals, and [[Moon Orb]]s cost 99 seals.
*Search comments implemented.
*Text Commands Added: /echo
**Added to Chat: <st>, <lastst>, <stpc>, <stnpc>, <hp>, <mp>, <job>, <hpp>, <mpp>, <bt>, <scan>, <mjob>, <sjob>, <pet>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Red Mage]]
**Enfeebling magic skill raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Axe]] skill raised.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills removed (they never had Axes they could equip anyway).
*Magic Added: [[Regen]], [[Refresh]]
|}
*The ability to cycle through a history of chat targets using CTRL(Alt)+R was added.
*When entering chat text, players could now utilize the shortcut keys CTRL(Alt)+S, R, T, L or P.
*A Compact Keyboard mode was added.
*The Rank 3 Dragon fight received a level cap of 25, while the Rank 5 [[Fei'Yin]] battlefield received a level cap of 50.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] altered.
*Certain Notorious Monsters that pop after specified intervals of time were changed so as to not immediately appear after a world maintenance.
*Careful consideration had to be given to terrain in dungeons allowing players to avoid being attacked.
*Area of effect magic spells were given a vertical range limit of 4m in either direction. This was done to prevent the trick wherein adventurers could damage Serket in the basement of [[Garlaige Citadel]] from the upper floor.
*[[Serket]]s Earth Pounder also no longer hit innocent low level players on the top floor of [[Garlaige Citadel]].
*[[Sneak]] now wore off when opening a Treasure Chest or Treasure Coffer.
*Mimics added as a new trap for Thieves trying to open treasure boxes.
*Party leaders now had their name displayed in yellow in search results.
*Players could now form an alliance by selected a party leader from the search list (when in the same area).
*Auto-Party limited to finding players one level either above or below the user.
*Players could now cycle through macro pages with R2 and L2.
*Players could now change the names of their Friends when adding them to the Friend List.
*Using the /attack command now put the player into cycle target mode.
*When fishing, the O button would now cancel your cast.
*Events added to the Bastok Missions [[Fetichism]] and [[To the Forsaken Mines]].
*The level requirement for [[Atop the Highest Mountains]] lowered from level 55 to level 51.
*A dialog box was added to warp points inside Delkfutt Tower.
*Conquest rewards were altered so that Rank 1 nations received more benefits, and differences between Rank 2 and Rank 3 nations were added.
*Consumable items, such as [[Instant Reraise]] scrolls, made available for purchase with [[Conquest Points]].
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Level Cap?!'''

Because there were a lot of high levels at this time already, this was done to stop players from soloing the mission BCs.

'''NM Spawn Time'''

The NM Spawn time change was made due to uproar that it was unfair that only "Haijins" (in english, it would mean "No Life People") could log in immediately after a server maintenance. This was the only answer that SE had to "solve" the problem for more casual players.

'''The First BCNMs'''

Six BCNMs were initially added:
“[[Tails of Woe]]” “[[The Worm's Turn]]” “[[Steamed Sprouts]]” “[[Dismemberment Brigade]]” “[[Grimshell Shocktroopers]]” and “[[Divine Punishers]]”, although they were yet to be given these names.
Also, the battlefields were not yet called “BF” and were referred to as BC戦, an acronym of Burning Circle.

'''Enter Mimics'''

Up until now, the only trap awaiting Thieves who failed to pick a chest was a severe Weakness effect. Now, treasure boxes could turn into Mimic-type monsters. If one managed to defeat the Mimic, they would always receive a key. Sneak and Invisible wearing off also was to stop thieves from picking all day. With the latter two changes, the thief lock picking craze gradually went down.

'''Red Mages Head to [[Ranguemont Pass]]'''

Although the high-end spell [[Refresh]] was added to the game, how to obtain the scroll was still shrouded in mystery. A rumor originating on an Internet message board soon spread, which claimed that a Hecteyes-type monster in [[Ranguemont Pass]], namely [[Taisai]], dropped the scroll.

The truth, however, was that the scroll was a reward from a BCNM. The drop rate was approximately 1 in 8 runs, and the Auction House price of the spell was 1 million gil. This was unheard of back then.

Many [[Red Mage]]s believed the rumor and hunting of the NM was widespread. As a reference to this incident, the NM [[Taisaijin]] was given [[Refresh]] in its Treasure Pool when it was added later on.

'''Fish Botting'''

To counter fish botting, the system was changed so that when pressing the O button, the fishing would be cancelled. However, they forgot to implement this on the ENTER button or the right mouse click.

'''Combat and Magic Skillup Parties'''

After this update, the rate of which combat and magic skillups were gained was dramatically reduced. This caused jobs that have multiple 2 handed weapons to find it extra hard to keep everything capped. This change gave birth to "Skill up Parties" that were popular for quite awhile.

The combat and magic skill tweak was "Ninja'd" into the update and players who called GMs to report bugs had only received typical responses that "it wasn't changed".
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 8th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Tenshodo's Envoy'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On February 8th until February 14th, new NPCs appeared in the three nations selling [[Kukuru Bean]]s and [[Selbina Milk]]. At the same time, a recipe for [[Bubble Chocolate]] (HQ [[Heart Chocolate]]) was added. There was no official event for Valentine's day yet.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''February 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Lag!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Enormous lag problems happened in the month of February 2003, and it seemed that Playonline and something else clashed making servers unstable. People experienced serious glitches during their gameplay.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 13th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Seraph and Lakshmi Open'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Two new worlds were establish to alleviate the rising population. Players could transfer to the new worlds only from select existing worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Cherry Blossoms Appear'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Cherry blossom trees in full bloom appeared in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]], [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Metalworks]] and [[Windurst Waters]].
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:SpringBlossom_2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Two Companies Combine'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Formerly called Square and Enix respectively, Japan's two massive RPG makers combined and Square Enix was born. From here on, the change was reflected in Final Fantasy XI’s credits and the screenshot function.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] The Rise of the Zilart Preliminary Update'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap now became 65. The third Limit Break quest, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" was added.
**Causing amazement among players, the EXP table for lv61+ was changed to a much harsher climb compared with pre-60.
*[[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] were added as Advanced Jobs. Only [[Summoner]] could be attained without installing the expansion, but players without [[Rise of Zilart]] would be limited to [[Carbuncle]].
*An airship route between [[Jeuno]] and [[Kazham]] was opened.
*Rank 6 and 7 missions were implemented, along with actual Rank 7 and 8, for each nation.
*[[Nomad Moogle]]s were placed in foreign areas (you had to move your [[Mog House]] to utilize them).
*<pettp> was added.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Warrior]]
**[[Aggressor]] no longer boosted the accuracy of [[Ranged Attack]]s. The recast timer was also changed. Before the patch, it gave a 25% boost to accuracy (and -15% evasion). After, it was a solid 25.
**[[Defender]]s duration was set to 5 minutes, although it wasn't announced.
*[[Monk]]
**[[Chi Blast]] added.
**[[Kick Attacks]] job trait added.
**[[Martial Arts]] was also tweaked so that it would improve further beyond level 15.
**[[Guard]] skill and [[Staff]] skill were also raised.
*[[White Mage]]
**[[Enfeebling Magic]] skill raised.
*[[Black Mage]]
**All Ancient magic spells received the additional effect of lowering resistance to the element they oppose.
**[[Staff]] skill raised.
*[[Red Mage]]
**[[Convert]] added (this was a surprise and wasn't announced).
**[[Fast Cast]] was altered to always reduce spell cast time (prior to this, it would only kick in randomly).\
**[[Marksmanship]] skill removed, and [[Sword]] skill raised.
**[[Phalanx]] and [[Dispel]] were added. This greatly improved the job's usefulness.
*[[Thief]]
**[[AGI]] bonus cut from Trick Attack when used with [[Thief]] as a sub job. This was to protect the integrity of [[Thief]] as a main job.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Rampart]] added.
**[[Throwing]] skill removed.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Call Beast]] added (along with jug pets).
**[[Charm]] success rate lowered when subbing [[Beastmaster]].
**[[Scythe]] skill added.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Ballad]] no longer improved in accordance with a Bard's skill. Tier-I gave 1 MP a tic, and Tier-II gave 2 MP a tic.
**[[March]] songs were weakened.
**Duration of [[Soul Voice]] was shortened from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.
**Although not mentioned, [[Madrigal]] was changed from a percentage increase to a solid value.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Unlimited Shot]] added.
***Along with this, powerful new [[Conquest Points]] ammo were introduced. At this time, changing your ammo would reset your TP. This caused the whole ability to be worthless.
*Magic Added: [[Erase]], [[Phalanx]], [[Dispel]], [[Absorb-STR]], [[Absorb-DEX]], [[Absorb-VIT]], [[Absorb-AGI]], [[Absorb-INT]], [[Absorb-MND]], [[Absorb-CHR]], [[Cure V]], [[Protect IV]], [[Protectra IV]], [[Teleport-Yhoat]], [[Teleport-Altep]], [[Fire III]], [[Blizzard III]], [[Thundaga II]], [[Stonega III]], [[Waterga III]].
|}
*Caps on crafting skills raised to 80.
*Enemies had their magic and ranged attack skill levels increased.
*GA-type spells received an increase in power. Damage now decreased depending on the number of enemies with the area of effect. Also, the MP they consumed was reduced.
*The effect of [[Gravity]] now lowered Evasion by 5%.
*[[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] could no longer be recast on top of themselves.
*[[Enhancing Magic]] effects now wore off when switching jobs.
*The timer for a 2-hour ability would no longer reset upon changing jobs.
*Items would no longer be consumed if a player moved during activation.
*A bug was fixed where [[Regen]] would automatically cure [[Sleep]] status. Normally, [[Poison Potion]]s are needed to avoid [[Sleep]], but until now [[Auto-Regen]] made [[White Mage]]s invaluable allies against monsters with [[Sleep]] attacks.
*[[BCNM]] monsters and boss-level Beastmen could now see through [[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] magics. People could no longer leisurely take snapshots of rare, high-level Beastmen leaders.
**SE forgot to notify players of "True Sight/True Sound" mobs. This made LB3 very difficult, and panic arose among the player base thinking that Sneak and Invisible were broken.
*The window of time within which players could create a [[Skillchain]] was changed. It was announced that [[Weapon Skills]] would no longer chain after a level 3 Skillchain was made.
*Certain skillchain elements were changed. [[Freezebite]]→[[Sunburst]] and [[Freezebite]]→[[Starburst]], which used to make Gravitation, now made Compression.
*[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]] had their skillchain elements changed. [[Rampage]]→[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]]→[[Penta Thrust]] no longer made Skillchains.
*Switching out certain ranged weapons, or anything in the ammo slot, now reset TP.
*New sections were opened in [[Toraimarai Canal]], Delkfutt Tower, [[King Ranperre's Tomb]] and [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]].
*The monsters that would drop Chest and Coffer keys were changed in every dungeon. Beforehand, all monsters of a certain level range had the chance to randomly drop a key. Here, it was set to drop only from specific monsters.
*Orcs level 30 and up received an HP max boost. [[Davoi]] transformed from leveling heaven into a ghost town overnight.
*The service charge for listed goods on the [[Auction House]] was standardized.
*Players could only invite one person per single World Pass.
*Players who set a Search Comment would now have a green mark next to their name in the search results.
*The amount of time a disconnected character would remain in the game was extended from 30 seconds to 1 minute.
*Sets 9 and 10 added to the Macro function.
*A pet's HP bar would now be displayed when choosing a Pet Command.
*Regional Vendors disappeared from [[Jeuno]].
*The title screen was removed, and players could immediately select from a menu when logging in.
*“DATA FILE” was removed from the menu and replaced with “View Safe.” DATA FILE would allow one to browse the aforementioned '''Altana Encyclopedia'''. The text command /datafile was also removed.
*Duration of [[Food]] effects was changed. Stackable food now lasted 30 minutes, and non-stackable food lasted 1 hour.
*Clicking the left mouse button while fishing would now cancel your cast.
*Players could now register others to their blacklist even if they were not in the same area.
*EX and RARE items now had an extra confirmation box when players tried to discard them.
*All [[Dagger]] weapons were changed to inflict Piercing damage. Before, only some were piercing.

*'''Bugs Introduced''':
**Serious problems arose with inputting Japanese characters.
**Players could buy an infinite number of new area maps from vendors.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Game changers'''

*Along with the promised lv60 cap increase, various elements were added that will change the game completely. This started the trend of "If it's a buff, we announce it; if it's a nerf, we ninja it." as we know of right now.
*Food duration was changed from everything lasting one hour to "Stackable items last 30 minutes".
*Latent and Hidden Effect items were introduced at this time. Many players had no idea how to trigger them, and they were regarded as useless.
*Sneak was set to not be able to be overwritten, causing it to have to be dropped before recasting. This caused a higher sense of danger in dungeons.
*Several HNMs were added to the game, but rewards and titles were not properly implemented. This was not intentional, rather it was due to poor programming.
*Pre skill level 200, the equation was 1 skill = 1 accuracy. Post-200, this was suddenly changed to 1 skill = 0.2 accuracy. They did not take this into account with monster's evasion, so it was very hard to hit new high level monsters.
*Incredibly Tough monsters started at 12 levels above you. Monsters 18 levels above players needed to be killed to gain the maximum 200 experience points per kill. The developers did not think this through and were referred to as complete morons because "IT = Death". Fighting them became pointless unless a supreme party configuration was created. Many players started to chain Tough to Very Tough mobs dispite the amount of experience per kill being lowered. Tactics shifted from skillchain spamming to multi-hit weapon skill spamming.
*Not many people used level 3 skillchains, as level 65 was needed to use necessary weapon skills and [[Dancing Edge]] was incredibly strong.

'''Long Lines'''

A certain monster in [[Konschtat Highlands]] caused a huge influx of adventurers looking to acquire new jobs. There were so many challengers, that adventurers formed a long line and waited their turn.

At the same time, a battlefield required for the completion of the Dragoon acquisition quest had an Orcish hut looking like a popular ramen shop.

Competition for the [[Carbuncle's Ruby]] for the [[Summoner]] job quest also was severe, not to mention [[Kazham]] key mobs.

'''2-Hours On Demand'''

Before now, the timers for 2-hour abilities would be reset upon changing jobs. When doing multiple BCNMs, it was customary to repeatedly reset your 2-hours between BCNM attempts.

'''Be Careful With Those Items'''

Up till now, moving while activating an item would cause it to be consumed without effect. This caused particular concern with rare, difficult to acquire items like Warp and Teleport scrolls.

While this was fixed, for much longer players affected by [[Paralyze]] could lose their items without receiving their effects.

Also with this change they added a "delay" when using items. This caused many mecidines to become useless unlike other Final Fantasy games of the past.

'''New Sections in Dungeons'''

The newly opened areas inside these dungeons had previously been shut off. [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] in particular never had monsters before, but now received several NMs for adventurers to hunt.

'''Jeuno's Regional Vendors'''

In various places around Jeuno, there were vendors for each region. These NPCs were invaluable for crafters, until they were removed. Afterwards, Conquest determined where things could or could not be purchased. This gave birth to [[Regional Vendors]].

The new event [[The Green Festival]] reintroduced these vendors for a short period.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of the Zilart Goes on Sale'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The PS2 version and Windows version of the expansion were shipped to stores simultaneously. The price for the expansion only was 3,980 Yen (tax not included). The "FFXI Rise of Zilart All-in-One Pack 2003″ was also released at the price of 7,800 Yen (tax not included) either the PS2 version or the Windows version.

Overall, the expansion was well received. A few complaints included same model mobs in most areas, and lack of progression and improvement were part of the dislikes in the community. What was worse was the countless nerfs that were added in the patch post launch. The economies began to inflate with limited stocked items. Many players quit after discovering the large experience progression requirements post level 60 along with accuracy problems.

The first few thousand people who preordered the expansion were given a Tarutaru Summoner strap pictured below. The Tarutaru is wearing Summoner artifact armor.

[[Image:Zilart_preorder.jpg|250px]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_Japan_Collection1.JPG|400px]]
Two packages, the expansion-only version with a red colored left label (PS2 version pictured below) and All-In-One version (Windows version pictured above) were both available for PS2 and Windows PCs. An official Square Enix logo had yet to be designed, so SQUARESOFT still appeared on the cover. This was Square and Enix’s first collaborative title.

[[Image:FFXI ROTZ PS2.jpg]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Final Fantasy XI Completes 1 Year of Service'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of Zilart OST Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The price for the soundtrack was 2,100 Yen (tax included)
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:ROTZ OST.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Adventurer Appreciation Campaign'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | For a limited time, special moogles appeared in every region. Upon talking to them, one could learn their personal statistics, such as:
Chat Lines, NPC Chat times, Parties Joined, Alliances Joined, Battles Fought, Times K.O.d, Enemies Defeated and GM Calls made.
Highly ranked people on each world would be rewarded with a [[Chocobo Wand]]. Also, once an Earth day, adventurers could receive various presents ([[Little Comet]]s, [[Twinkle Shower]]s, [[Cracker]]s, etc).
| width=500px valign=top | The [[Chocobo Wand]] was awarded to highly-ranked people, and since no [[Chocobo Jack Coat]] existed, it was the only item to increase riding time. The wand was also coveted for having its own distinct graphic.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Expansion Areas Get Cheaper'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*An NPC was added to [[Norg]] that would change your [[Wyvern]] name.
*<pethpp> added to chat.
|}
*Different fees and taxes were lowered in many cases for expansion areas.
*The [[Airship]] abroad now cost 300 gil; Mog House transfer to [[Kazham]] cost 700 gil; transferring to [[Rabao]] cost 200 gil; [[Kazham]] bazaar tax was lowered from 15% to 10%; [[Rabao]] bazaar tax was lowered from 10% to 5%.
*The duration of [[Signet]] was changed to allow more time to players whose nation is ranked low in [[Conquest]].
*Equipping fishing poles or bait now reduced your TP to 0. [[Throwing]] weapons, like [[Boomerang]], also reduced TP to 0.
*[[Black Pepper]] was now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*Mid-level [[Great Katana]] were now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*[[Smoked Salmon]] was now sold at the Cooking Guild.
*The spell recast timer now read “Next” instead of “Last.”
*Three high priests of [[San d'Oria]] had their display names changed: Croisque→[[Chasalvige]], Vicasque→[[Halaviabeau]], Evesque→[[Olbergieut]].
*Dangruf Sulfur changed to [[Sulfur]].
*[[Ancient Goobbue]], [[Voluptuous Vivian]], [[Cemetery Cherry]] and [[Adamantoise]] now dropped gil.
*[[Summoner]]-type monsters could now summon Avatars other than [[Carbuncle]].
*Golem Shards, which dropped from Doll-type monsters were renamed Doll Shards. Golem-type monsters now dropped Golem shards (they were called Crystal Giants at the time).
*A pet’s name and HP bar would now be displayed above the chat log.
*Players could now /check a charmed pet.
*The shortcut key CTRL(Alt)+B now opened the Pet Command menu.
*Guild shop and [[Auction House]] menus would now display equipment/magic names in different colors depending on if they were owned/equipped/learned. Also stackables were changed from yellow to pink.
*Linkshell lists now displayed colors and search comment marks like in search results.
*Merchant NPCs added to [[Norg]].
*The Wyvern attack “Plasma Breath” was renamed “[[Radiant Breath]]”
'''Bugs Introduced'''
*Sneak was once again able to be cast on top of the old effect, but a couple days later removed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Back then, you had to transfer your [[Mog House]] to use the [[Nomad Moogle]], and thus, pay a fee. Add in bazaar taxes and [[Auction House]] fees, and expansion areas started feeling like high-class resorts.

After July 17th, the [[Mog House]] transfer fee and bazaar taxes were done away with, and the [[Auction House]] listing costs were lowered as well. After these changes, [[Kazham]] became a much more popular place in which to level.

'''Walking Worms'''

After the patch landed, a glitch occured where worms began to move around like other monsters instead of burrowing under the ground.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Suggestion Forum Drama'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | '''Latent MP'''
At this time because of Zilart's horrible launch patch, the healer shortage became more apparent. SE suggested that in order to fix this problem, they would have it so when melee jobs sub a mage, they would get more MP. Because this is obviously ignoring the core of why there is a healer shortage, players responded with dismay, at the end, this idea was scratched.
| width=500px valign=top | Later during an interview, the dev team stated that "users have misunderstood their words", that their plan was to increase the number of backline jobs instead. After that, they buffed WHM up, gave them [[Hexa Strike]], [[Divine Breastplate]] and various buffs, obviously in an attempt to draw people to WHM. This shifted the problem of shortage of WHM to the shortage of RDM and BRD.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 10th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Midgardsormr Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players could transfer from any of the 20 initial worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI Entry Disc for PS2 and Windows'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Accompanying the release of Rise of Zilart, the basic game was now sold as an "Entry Disc" and the price lowered to 4,800 Yen (tax not included).
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_PS2_JP_ENTRY.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The world was named Cactuar.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level 70 Unleashed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 70. The fourth Limit Break quest, "[[Riding on the Clouds]]" was added.
**This surprised players with how easy it was compared to leveling and previous Genkai quests.
*A new region, [[Tu'Lia]], was unlocked.
*[[Artifact Armor]] for [[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] added.
*New guards, [[Auction House]] and Delivery NPCs were added to each level of [[Jeuno]]. Bazaar tax was changed to 10%.
**More specifically, this is why there is now an [[Auction House]] in both [[Upper Jeuno]] and [[Port Jeuno]] who are only NPCs.
*New HNMs were added (such as [[King Behemoth]]).
*Commands Added: /lsmes
*Chat Commands Added: <ncall>, <scall>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Bard]]
**Light-based enemies could now resist [[Magic Finale]].
**[[Prelude]] became single target.
*[[Summoner]]
**Healing [[Blood Pact]]s had their MP costs reduced and their effectiveness greatly increased.
**MP required to summon Avatars was also reduced.
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was boosted and the cast time of Elemental Spirits was shortened.
*[[Ninja]]
**Ni-level [[Ninjutsu]] cast time was shortened dramatically from 8 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
*[[Monk]]
**The recast time for [[Chakra]] was shortened from 15 minutes to 5 minutes.
*Magic Added: [[Shell IV]], [[Shellra IV]], [[Regen II]], [[Regen III]], [[Raise III]], [[Thunder III]], [[Stone IV]], [[Water IV]], [[Aeroga III]], [[Firaga III]], [[Knight's Minne IV]], [[Bewitching Etude]], [[Valor Minuet IV]], [[Logical Etude]], [[Sage Etude]], [[Foe Requiem VI]], [[Swift Etude]], [[Puppet's Operetta]], [[Vital Etude]].
|}
*Chocobo rentals established in [[Kazham]], [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]]. [[Rabao]] and [[Kazham]] also received Chocobo shops. Players could now ride Chocobos through [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]], [[Yhoator Jungle]] and [[Eastern Altepa Desert]].
*[[Goblin Digger]]s began appearing in expansion areas.
*The airship for [[Kazham]] was lowered from 300 gil to 200 gil. [[Nomad Moogle]] transfer fees were eliminated, as well as bazaar taxes. [[Auction House]] charges were now calculated in the same way as the three nations.
*[[Tonberry]], [[Sahagin]] and [[Antica]] now dropped gil and Beastman Coins.
*The prices for [[Protect IV]] and [[Protectra IV]] in [[Rabao]] were lowered.
*[[Norg Shell]]s were no longer EX.
*Multiple people could now enter the gate in [[Sea Serpent Grotto]] that required a [[Sahagin Key]]. Initially, only the keyholder could enter after using it.
*Crafting skills raised to a maximum of 90.
*Cure spells adjusted so that MP cost and cast time changed according to the user’s [[Healing Magic]] skill. The enmity generated by [[Cure V]] was made a set value.
**The much demanded "make healing magic have more relation to our curing power" was still not properly addressed.
*Healing Magic skill no longer needed to be used on Undead to get a skillup.
*Recast time for [[Erase]] shortened.
*[[Stoneskin]] now absorbed more damage based on the user’s MND and Enhancing Magic skill.
*Cast time for Bar-spells shortened and MP cost lowered. Their effects now improved along with Enhancing Skill.
*The price of Regen sold in Mhaura was lowered, and [[Regen II]] was put up for sale. [[Regen II]] was now a White Mage exclusive spell.
*MP costs for tier-III and tier-IV Elemental Magic reduced.
*Dark-based enemies could now resist Dispel easier.
*The effect of Gravity could now last between 30~120 seconds.
*The duration of Poison spells, as well as the damage caused by Poison II and Poisonga II, were now based on Enfeebling Magic skill.
*[[Experience Points]] would now carry over into the next level upon a Level Up.
*A cap was set on the amount of [[Experience Points]] lost when K.O.d.
*[[Kindred's Seal]]s added.
*The maximum occupancy of each level of [[Jeuno]] was raised.
*A Mithra child’s shop was added to [[Ru'Lude Gardens]].
*The time it takes for Chocobo rental prices to decrease was shortened by 25% (this made it tougher for prices to get too high).
*Players were no longer disbanded from a party after entering their [[Mog House]].
*Messages now appeared in the chat log when using the Delivery System for sending/receiving items.
*Door names now appeared green in the target box.
*Players could now be added to one’s party across a Region.
*Search results for an Area or Region were now limited to 100 results. World-wide results were expanded to 40 results.
*Players could now set a Linkshell welcome message.
*The color of messages produced with /echo was changed.
*In crafting guilds, basic image support was made free, while advanced support was extended to last 4 times as long.
*Players could no longer repeatedly purchase items from a guild.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered.
*Conquest points were no longer lost when switching national allegiance.
*Elemental spirits would now cast magic even outside of battle.
*Beastmaster-type Goblins occupying [[Batallia Downs]], [[Eastern Altepa Desert]] and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] were repositioned. They now re-summoned pets after 60 seconds instead of 30 seconds.
*Beastman Seal Orbs had their prices changed. [[Moon Orb]] 99→60, [[Star Orb]] 50→40. New Orbs were also added: [[Comet Orb]] for 50 seals, [[Lachesis Orb]] and [[Atropos Orb]]s for 30 seals.
*Defeated monsters were now displayed as grey on the compass.
*Cut scenes could now be replayed at certain NPCs.
*Players could now buy level 1 [[RSE]] clothing from vendors.
*Macros and Map Markers were now saved as files in PlayOnline.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Ninja Tank is Born'''

With Ni-level Ninjutsu shortened to a 1.5 second recast timer, Ninja could now use both tiers of [[Utsusemi]] to tank effectively. Prior to this, both tiers had the same casting times, if not Ni being slower. The supply of Ninja tools wasn't yet large enough to make this technique especially common, but it gradually became the norm. Before this, Ninja was looked at the same as Summoner: "a job with no purpose at all".

'''Experience Point Changes'''

Although publicly saying they had no plans to bring an ease to the level 61+ leveling, they ninja fixed the issue with a few little changes:
*In order to counter the high demand of experience per level at 61+, players were forced to target harder monsters which increased the demand for RDM/BRD.
*Players learned that [[Great Axe]s weapon skill [[Shield Break]] reduced ice-weak enemies evasion tremendously. This caused Warrior to be the most demanded melee at the time.
*Level capped zones became popular leveling spots due to the 2400 EXP loss per death. This penalty was based on the level you were capped at, saving a lot of experience loss.
*Changes to monster placement as well as level range in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Cape Teriggan]], and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] decreased camp choices and in turn made leveling harder.
*With the addition to Escort quests, this is the first time players were able to earn experience points instead of level grinding. Before the discovery of the once-per-week limitation, some had hopes of possibly skipping exp parties all together just by completing the quest.

'''Mog House Disband?'''

Up until now, players were automatically disbanded from their party upon entering their [[Mog House]]. Even just going to change your sub job meant you had to re-join the party afterwards. This was corrected to match [[Nomad Moogle]]s, which were preferred for not causing this issue.

'''Pet Hunting'''

[[Beastmaster]] pets were popular prey due to the high experience they gave relative to their strength. These [[Beastmaster]] were often placed near zone lines, which made them all the more popular for parties to hunt.

However, once their spawn locations were changed, and pet recast was lengthened to 60 seconds, it became too difficult to keep up experience chains, and parties found other prey to hunt.

'''New BCNMs'''

This update saw the addition of five new battlefields:

“[[Hostile Herbivores]]” “[[3, 2, 1...]]” “[[Treasure and Tribulations]]” “[[Infernal Swarm]]” and “[[E-vase-ive Action]]” However, the battlefields had yet to have these names attached.

“[[Come Into My Parlor]]” was set to be added this day, but was delayed until the 22nd.

*Crafting Mats: Some crafting materials were regarded as beyond reach to casual players (such as [[Damascene Cloth]]). Items such as these were added to these BCNMs.

'''Weapon Skills Where?!'''

New weapon skills were not immediately available. The developers stated that they used all of their resources on existing weapon skill graphic effects. Mages were complaining how melee get new weapon skills for free while mages had to work for them every time. This was the birth of [[WSNM]]s

'''Rare HNMs'''

Rare HNMs (like [[Nidhogg]]) were implemented. The spawn time was 60~72 hours. Before this, players occasionally took breaks from camping them. Due to the rarity and desirability of the gear that drops from them, players now continuously camped.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Fireworks Available for a Limited Time'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From July 18th until July 27th, fireworks could be purchased in [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Port Bastok]], [[Windurst Waters]] and [[Rabao]].
| width=500px valign=top | Four types of fireworks were available so users could celebrate summer festivals. The three nations and Rabao sold [[Airborne]], [[Konron Hassen]], [[Kongou Inaho]] and [[Meifu Goma]]. The [[Airborne]] and [[Konron Hassen]] were especially popular as they shot up into the sky. There were still no crafting recipes for these fireworks, and they could only be acquired through purchase.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 22nd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Clotho Orb Added'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The previously delayed [[Clotho Orb]] could now be obtained and its corresponding [[BCNM]] [[Come Into My Parlor]] was added.

|}
*A bug where [[Elvaan]] would have less MP than intended above level 61 was fixed.
*The reward for the Windurst quest [[Catch It If You Can!]] was changed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Bon-Odori II'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Users again held a Bon-Odori event, but this time there was an official moogle to announce the event, as well as the old [[Yughott Grotto]] BGM from the beta test as music.
Actual Bon-Odori event was done by volunteers on each servers.
For example,on [[Quetzalcoatl]] server,A [[Linkshell]] volunteered and planned whole event.There were two venues,North Gustaberg and [[West Sarutabaruta]] .Players gathered and danced,but on [[West Sarutabaruta]] venue,there was one compliant from other player who was trying to go to [[Balga's_Dais]] but unable to enter [[Giddeus]] due to heavy lag on [[West Sarutabaruta]].One of the Staffs got a tell from his mule,So they asked to stop moving for all attendees until his main character could pass [[West Sarutabaruta]].
User event was experimental then,so there were issues.
Planning and how it was done might be different on other servers.

| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Terms of Service Change'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players were now forbidden to use any outside programs or tools while playing.
| width=500px valign=top | Around this time rumors surfaced of GMs unjustly banning players; although officially they announced them as rule breaking. As the GM's reputation was bad to begin with, this event further dented their player's trust.

Before this announcement, there was no action taken against the cheaters. Although, after this change of rules they tried several ways to stop fishbotting. The damage of untrustworthy GMs was already too deep to be undone.

Despite this announcement, the rate of fish bot bans were very minimal and were still found everywhere. Turbo controllers proved difficult to determine by SE if they were bots.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This was an event where a giant creature appeared in the areas surrounded each of the three nations. Even without Calling for Help, multiple parties and alliances could take part. If a player was defeated by the monster, they would not lose any experience.

Due to an glitch, the event was temporarily canceled.
| width=500px valign=top | The event consisted of fighting Doomed-type monsters that roamed the areas outside of home nations. A large amount of adventurers took part in massive battles. This event was made very unpopular as too many people rushed in, and the atmosphere feelt like Lower Jeuno AH at the time. Later, players rumored that this was just in preparation for the Treant + OP warp event, an experimental event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Developer’s Blog Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The beta test now finished, Final Fantasy XI players could begin using this service.
| width=500px valign=top | This service lasted until December 27th, 2005.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges! Redux'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The event that had been canceled back on the 16th was now reborn as a 2-day event, spanning August 30th and 31st.

Touching the Beastman Banner in [[East Ronfaure]], [[North Gustaberg]] or [[West Sarutabaruta]] would cap you at level 30 and allow you to fight the Gigantoad. Defeating the three monsters would display a congratulatory System Message.

The reward was temporary [[Outpost Teleportation]] service (08/31 through 09/14) in [[San d'Oria]], [[Bastok]] and [[Windurst]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=WhiteShadow2>Vana’diel’s White Shadow Returns</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This event was held for 7 hours, from 10pm September 12th to 5am September 13th. Players could receive a [[Moon Carrot]] from a Moogle, and trade said carrots to speedy little rabbits in various areas.

The rabbits were even faster than last year, but the prize was upgraded as well to [[Thoth's Wand]].
| width=500px valign=top | This event was only held in 2002 and 2003, and did not return after that. All of the glitches from the previous event remained, and it all did not go over well with players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Official Benchmark 2 Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The setting for this version was the [[Yuhtunga Jungle]] / [[Yhoator Jungle]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Future Plans'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | SE announced their upcoming plans for the game; from [[Ballista]], [[Dynamis]], further level cap increase, and the release of NA version.
| width=500px valign=top | At this time, they announced that the NA version would share server with the Japanese, which lead to many players worrying, but SE only replied with "We are treating this as an experiment.".

The Development team announced "From now on, the version update will come every few months."(Remember that they said they would update every 1 month, and then changed to 3 months, and now "few months".). They seemed to be using localization for the NA version as an excuse for further slowing down their updates. This did not help the animosity view of Japanese players towards English players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 7th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Fairy World Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | A new world was established for the increasing population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Ends'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | There was a special event on the final day, where Moogles were placed at [[Home Point]]s. Upon speaking with them, you could be teleported to NMs like [[Serket]] or [[King Behemoth]] and fight with them. GMs also joined the fray.
| width=500px |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Nation Rank Missions and Zilart Completed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Rank Missions for rank 8 and 9 added, along with actual rank 9 and 10 to the three nations, completing their story lines.
*The conclusion to [[Rise of Zilart]] was added.
**The Zilart last boss could be unintentionally silenced, which was fixed in an emergency maintenance a couple days later.
*Players could now enter the [[The Shrine of Ru'Avitau]] and [[The Celestial Nexus]].
*Lucky Roll games implemented in [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]].
*Fortune-tellers that predict adventurer affinity were added to the three nations.
*[[BCNM]]s added to [[Sacrificial Chamber]], [[Cloister of Tides]] and [[Chamber of Oracles]] using the [[Moon Orb]].
*Chat Commands Added: <call4> – <call21>
*Text Commands Added: /sit
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Magic Added: [[Sleepga]], [[Sleepga II]]
|}
*[[Avatar]] quests were now limited to once a day.
*The third [[Mog House]] expansion quest was added, with the final available space being 80.
*A shortcut to the 10th floor was added to the West side of [[Lower Delkfutt's Tower]] that could be opened with a [[Delkfutt Key]].
*[[BCNM]] clear times were now displayed.
*[[Magic Burst]] bonuses were increased.
*The effect of [[Clear Mind]] was strengthened.
*[[Summoner]] – Received [[Clear Mind]] trait.
*MP cost and strength of [[Banish]] adjusted. In addition, [[Banish]] now weakened the special defenses of [[Undead]] monsters.
*[[Stoneskin]] could no longer overwrite itself.
*[[Drain]] and [[Aspir]] were adjusted to absorb more based on [[Magic Burst]]s, day and weather.
*TP was no longer reset when changed one's ammo slot. Ranger became popular with [[Unlimited Shot]] and their special ammo.
*A number of monsters were rearranged in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Ifrit's Cauldron]], [[Cape Teriggan]] and [[Valley of Sorrows]].
*New Notorious Monsters were added to dungeons in Zilart areas.
*A number of repop timers for existing NMs was changed greatly (Monsters that popped every 60-72 Earth hours now popped every 24 hours).
**This included [[Fafnir]], [[Behemoth]], [[Adamantoise]] and the like. Their rare versions remained a lottery spawn every of 3~7 days, and stayed that way for years.
*[[King Behemoth]]s area of effect attacks could now strike any player within range.
*The items available in the Mithra child's shop in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]] would now change, and increases or decreases according to sales.
*The items obtainable through [[Chocobo Digging]] now varied based on weather, moon phase, day and time. Elemental ore was now obtainable, although extremely rare.
**This is when Digging became very popular as a gil earning method. Chocobo skill was initially viewable in the skill window.
*New items could now be grown through gardening.
*The prices of the shop on the ferry were stabilized.
*A sound now played when receiving a message or mail.
*Motions now accompanied [[HELM]] activities.
*More items were available from [[HELM]].
*Search comments were now divided into 4 different categories.
*When locked on a target, players could no longer switch targets with cursor keys, the mouse or function keys.
*The TAB key or START button would now activate the Auto-Translator, causing the word to appear blue in your input box.
*System message would now announce whether or not players could apply to transfer servers.
*A single World Pass could now be used to invite up to 5 people.
*A bug occurred wherein [[Bard]]s using [[March]] songs with '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +1''' or '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +2''' equipped would receive a massive boost in effectiveness. This was corrected in the October 28th emergency maintenance. These horns have since been removed.
*Synthesis Results were now displayed to others, and a chat filter was added.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Titan Marathon Ends'''

Around this time, players were repeatedly undertake the Titan acquisition quest in order to earn gil. Now, they were unable to do so until midnight Earth time. With [[Teleport-Altep]] and [[Escape]] for [[Korroloka Tunnel]], players used to easily complete 4 runs in an hour.

'''Cloister of Tides BCNM'''

At this time three BCs were added to the game. Although they had yet to receive their official names, the battlefields were:

“[[Jungle Boogeymen]]” “[[Amphibian Assault]]” and “[[Legion XI Comitatensis]]”

Out of these, “[[Amphibian Assault]]” was added to the [[Cloister of Tides]]. Ultimately, it was decided that the special Avatar battle arena should be unique to the Summoner quests, and the four Sahagin were moved to the [[Sacrificial Chamber]] on June 29th, 2004.

''' Othinus' Bow Popular Among Marksmen'''

New Ex/Rare drops were added to NMs around this time, and they proved to be an immediate hit. One especially, the [[Othinus' Bow]], was so coveted it practically made [[Archery]] obsolete. [[Acid Bolt]]s and [[Sleep Bolt]]s were also added in this update, further improving Marksmanship.

According the Japanese sites, the [[March]] glitch was said to have given players an unimaginable speed boost. Two-handed weapon users could swing like one-handers, dagger users were as fast as [[Hundred Fists]], and [[Monk]] could hold hate comfortably without [[Provoke]].

'''-Ga spells'''

Ga spells were already unpopular due to their MP demand, but now they scaled in accordance to the number of targets hit by the spell. With the improvement of Magic Burst bonuses, despite the high cost, -ga spells became popular as a single target nuke. However, monster -ga spells were not affected by the number of players hit.

'''EX tag items'''

This update implemented a large number of EX items. The dev team reasoning was that "People won't have to camp it again if they already have it", as well as preventing a monopoly situation to sell items. In reality, players found the actual effect is "Even if you don't want to, you have to camp it". In many cases these EX items did not do what the dev team expected it to. On top of this, high priced items still dropped from NMs such as [[Shining Cloth]] from [[King Behemoth]] and [[Damascene Cloth]] from [[Aquarius]]. Players still camped these NMs for profitable gil drops even though they already had the equipment.

As part of the EX craze, the dev team was sure to announce that many NMs could be killed by leveling parties who happen to be killing placeholders. Knowing that Ninja was an unexpected tank, the dev team's idea of balance was very questionable.

'''Development Team running out of ideas?!'''

With the [[Lucky Roll]] and fortune teller features added, this was SE's answer to player's demand for "New Entertainment". The community's view that the development team was simply running out of ideas was largely increased after these were implemented. The question "What the f*** were the developers thinking?" remained a popular meme for years to come.

'''Come Hither!'''

This patch is when the Mithra's "inviting" sit pose (pictured below) was added. This pose had a lot of controversy, so it was changed later to be more feminine and conservative.

[[Image:Mithra_Old_Sit.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 28th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] North American Windows Version Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The North American version of Final Fantasy XI went on sale on October 28th, 2003 for $49.99. When service in North America began for Final Fantasy XI, a large amount of foreign players immediately flooded the game. English chat flowed through towns, and Conquest results were upset by low level activity (there were dead people everywhere). Japanese players avoided home nations due to /shout spam.

Although before the release, some supported the idea of cross server in the name of international gaming. After the release, with the "PL plaz" "Gil plez" "Item pelaz" begging, sexual harassment comments, and the random party replacement(People leaving after 1 kill, leader leaving party after level, tossing leader to a random member without asking, etc, the negative complaints begun.

At the same time, the auto translator feature was added. With the tell spam of "Help Me out!" "cap" "coffer" "thank you", many Japanese players put up the "JP Only" comment. On a side note, "cap" in translator translates to the cap as in baseball cap to the Japanese, just like how "Break" is translated to relaxing to the Japanese.

These all lead to the increasing demand(still active now) of separating servers, mostly from the Japanese players. However, the CEO announced that "Cross nation and Translator are very well done, and we received a lot of praises", even though no one understand where they get those idea from.
| width=500px valign=top | [[File:FFXI Windows NA.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 7th CESA GAME AWARDS Winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI took the award for being the first PS2 MMORPG, connecting PS2 and Windows on the same servers, and for user satisfaction with [[Rise of the Zilart]] updates.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 31st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=Halloween>Trick or Treat!</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From October 31st to November 3rd, players could transform in monsters by trading fruits and sweets to certain NPCs. Prizes included [[Jack-o'-Lantern]], [[Trick Staff]], [[Treat Staff]], [[Pumpkin Head]] and [[Horror Head]]. [[Goblin Chocolate]] was also available for purchase.
| width=500px valign=top | The equipment available during this event was cute and very different, so it immediately became quite popular. Towns were filled with adventurers in puffy hats with bat staves on their back. You could also see people everywhere bopping monsters on the head, testing out the [[Treat Staff]] latent effect of [[Warp]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Treat Staff Effect Changed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Originally, the [[Treat Staff]] would have a much higher rate of activating [[Warp]] during the Halloween event. This was changed so that it would not activate at all outside the time of the event.

This change caused many players to complain, and was very unpopular.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 11th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Conquest Adjustments'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Players under level 5 no longer had an effect on Campaign results when K.O.d.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Many people would group suicide to force regions to become beastmen controlled (Kolshushu was beastmen controlled for almost a year before this change). Even with this change, many regions continued to be beastmen controlled (Qufim, Elshimo, Aragoneu, etc)

Regional merchants became very rare, affecting prices of items such as [[Yagudo Drink]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] Concept Art'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The official site was massively updated with Concept Art (for a set fee) and a Creator’s Voice blog. The Concept Art was found inside the Developer’s Room.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=3 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Plus Beta Testing Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | Beta testing began for services that included a special e-mail address (CHARACTER@WORLD.ffxi.pol.com), mail forwarding and other features.
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | [[File:POL Plus.gif|link=]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] First Annual Spike TV Video Game Awards “Best Online Game” winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 9th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Asura Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This world was established due to the rising population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] "REAL VANA’DIEL" Net Cafe Opens in Akihabara'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Melco Online Entertainment opened a net cafe for the enjoyment of FFXI in Akihabara. There was a [[Mog House]] resting area (smoking allowed), and staff members dressed up as FFXI characters. Satire jokes arose, such as "I am a Dark Knight. Should I AFK IRL too?"

All computers at the time gauged “Incredibly Tough” against the game’s requirements. See the pictures to the right for a glimpse inside this store and the layout.

See [http://web.archive.org/web/20080220132325/http://www.watch.impress.co.jp:80/game/docs/20031107/realv.htm This Link] for an article regarding the store.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Realv03.gif]]
[[Image:Realv01.gif]]
[[Image:Realv02.gif]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level Cap 75'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 75. The final Limit Break quest, "[[Shattering Stars]]" was added.
*[[Dynamis]] was originally planned to be released in this update, but it was delayed.
*New [[Weapon Skills]] attainable through quests ([[WSNM]]) were implemented.
*New NMs were added (4 gods in [[Tu'Lia]], [[Nidhogg]], and more).
**[[Abjuration]]s and [[Cursed Items]] were introduced.
*The [[Storage]] system was implemented.
**This answered demands to make furnishings useful, but then started the demand to make storage accessible without making the extremely long trip back to a player's home nation.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Black Mage]]
**[[Black Mage]]s could no longer be interrupted by receiving damage while under the effect of [[Manafont]]. [[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Samurai]]
**Using [[Meikyo Shisui]] now gave a player 300 TP.
*[[Summoner]]
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was extended to 3 minutes. In addition, [[Avatar Perpetuation]] was reduced to 0 while under its effect.
*[[Dark Knight]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Scythe]] skill raised.
*[[Summoner]]
**[[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Staff]] skill added.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Axe]] skill added.
*Magic Added: [[Flash]], [[Curaga IV]], [[Reraise III]], [[Stun]], [[Blizzaga III]], [[Aero IV]], [[Fire IV]], [[Thundaga III]], [[Blizzard IV]], [[Thunder IV]], [[Archer's Prelude]], [[Goddess' Hymnus]], [[Uncanny Etude]], [[Warding Round]], [[Chocobo Mazurka]], [[Herculean Etude]], [[Maiden's Virelai]], [[Earth Spirit]].
|}
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered, and new areas were added.
*The ??? marks involved in Limit Break quest 3, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" were repositioned, making it easier to complete the quest.
*The [[Moongate pass]] was added. [[Ro'Maeve]] became a popular leveling spot.
*The Great Axe WS [[Shield Break]] no longer depended on the enemy’s strength, but now lowered [[Evasion]] by a set value.
*High-level physical accuracy was raised (post skill level 200). This allowed players to hit mobs without [[Madrigal]].
*A number of high-level monsters had their experience point bonus for parties increased.
*Changing jobs now cleared [[Song]] effects.
*The execution of [[Sneak Attack]] was changed so that players must stand directly behind the monster. "'''Yokodama'''" could no longer be performed.
*Resist traits, Bar-spells and songs now provided much more defense against strong enemies. In addition, a message now displayed in the chat log when resisting an effect.
**These effects were still not very useful against Incredibly Tough monsters.
*The effects of Killer traits and Circle effects were changed from a Slow effect to an Intimidate effect. In addition, Circle abilities now lasted 1 minute and had a recast time of 10 minutes.
*High level [[Weapon Skills]] (such as [[Dragon Kick]] and [[Shark Bite]]) were strengthened.
*The skillchain properties of [[Tachi: Koki]] were changed.
*Level 50-70 monsters in various areas were rearranged.
*Orcs’ HP was once again adjusted.
*The movement speed of [[Behemoth]] and [[King Behemoth]] was raised.
*Knockback was added to a number of monsters’ special abilities.
*When entering a [[BCNM]], the time limit, fastest record, and record holder’s name were now displayed.
*Crafting skills were raised to level 100.
*Rank 9 Conquest items were introduced. The cost of [[Warp]] and [[Reraise]] scroll was cut in half.
*The repop time of treasure boxes was changed. They would also pop much faster if disappearing after a [[Thief]] failed to pick them.
*The [[Mithra]] who could bundle arrows now joined the traveling performers.
*[[Tree Cuttings]] could now be grown into [[Tree Saplings]], which subsequently could be used to produce Elemental Ores and ultimately Staves.
*New [[Auction House]] categories were created for [[Ammo]], [[:Category:Others|Others]], [[:Category:Materials|Materials]] and [[:Category:Misc.|Misc.]]
*Elemental Staves were given unique models.
*Players Level 15-19 could now ride Chocobo from the starting three nations. However, their riding time was limited to 15 minutes.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''No One Can Help You Now'''

The final Limit Break quest had players squaring off against [[Maat]] alone. Until now, quests could easily be completed with parties, but this time people had to face the challenge alone, leaving many unable to overcome it. [[Red Mage]]s especially had a rough time, eventually leading to some adjustments to the difficulty. This quest was very unpopular, and some jobs had it much harder than others.

'''No More Yokodama'''

Yokodama was the practice of Sneak and Trick Attacking from the side of a monster.

(“Yoko” means side, and “dama” is the first two syllables of Damashiuchi, or [[Trick Attack]]).

On this day, it was decided that [[Trick Attack]] would only function properly if one stood directly behind the enemy. The Yokodama was no more.

Square said in an interview the month prior that "Yokodama wasn't planned, and it was making the game too easy. We may consider fixing it." Many players supported this and found it to be making fighting too easy. For some mysterious reason, players then started then complaining about the lack of Yokodama after the patch. The spells [[Flash]] and [[Stun]] were born to alleviate hate control issues.

'''Tu'Lia Notorious Monsters'''

New NMs were added to sky, namely [[Kirin]], [[Byakko]], [[Suzaku]], [[Seiryu]] and [[Genbu]]. At the time, they looked just like any other monsters; even though Byakko means “white tiger,” the model was black. Eventually, these enemies were altered to look unique.

With the sky NM system now implemented, Sky Linkshells were born.

'''WSNMs'''

The majority of the WSNMs had bad performance, so the effort needed to obtain them was not well received.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Holy Night in Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Christmas decorations were put up in all three nations. Players could talk to Moogles once a Vana’diel day to receive [[Popstar]], [[Brilliant Snow]], [[Sparkling Hand]] or [[Air Rider]].

This was the start of the yearly Christmas [[Starlight Celebration]] in Vana’diel.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Starlight2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Rampaging Presents'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | In various areas, a monsters called [[Twinkling Treant]] (a tree decorated on December 16th) appeared. Talking to nearby Moogles would impose a level cap and allow one to fight the monster.

It was announced that defeating the trees would grant the world [[Outpost Teleportation]] service. All servers succeeded in attaining this prize.

'''Destroy the Christmas Tree?!'''
At first, no matter how much you hit the tree, the HP wouldn't decrease. This was a prime weapon/magic skill up opportunity. To prevent this, SE lowered the HP in the middle of the event. This also caused SE to issue a server message saying that if the NM was not killed, that world would not receive OP Warps. Some worlds were able to dispose of the tree quickly, while others just couldn’t manage to take it down. A System Message announced that the event would not end until all servers had one. The ordeal was finally over after Midgardsormr was the last to claim victory.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Twinkling Treant 2003.jpg|450px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 29th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Outpost Teleport Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As a reward for success in the Christmas event, all worlds were bestowed with [[Outpost Teleportation]] Service following a maintenance.
| width=500px valign=top |
|}

{{Template:History_Nav}}

Talk:The History of Final Fantasy XI

2017-11-10T18:31:43Z

Aish: First contribution,advice needed (when you can)

The History of Final Fantasy XI/2003

2017-11-10T18:21:32Z

Aish: Fixed "Balga's_Dais"

{{Template:History_Nav}}

==<span id=2003>2003 - Rise of the Zilart Era</span>==
From April of 2003, the first expansion disc, “[[Rise of the Zilart]]” widened the scope of adventurer activity farther than ever before. In October, service began in North America. December 2003 saw the introduction of the level 75 cap. It was a very busy and event-filled year for Vana’diel.

{| width=1200px border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Lucky Sheep Roam Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | To celebrate the New Year, there were sheep named Fortune Ram, Bless Ewe, Merry Mary, Happy Baabaa and Lucky Lamb. In addition, two Mandragora named “Ake” and “Ome” appeared in each nation, including Jeuno.

[[Image:FirstNewYears.jpg]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Ake_ome.jpg|400px]]
Ake and Ome were two Mandragora NPCs with little oranges on their heads. They didn’t do anything special besides stand around in town, but adventurers just couldn’t get enough screenshots of the adorable pair.

Ake and Ome get their names from the phrase “Akemashite omedetou,” which is said to wish a Happy New Year.

The [[Monstrosity]] item [[Ake-Ome Spirit]] was derived from this event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Worlds Consolidate Into Kujata, Bismarck'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Ixion, Typhon and Kirin were shut down and the population added to Kujata and Bismarck.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] FFXI-TV Begins Broadcasting'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On “Channel BB” (channel 755) of Sky Perfect TV!, a program titled FFXI-TV begins broadcast. This program was aired 13 times in 30 minute segments. Square Enix sponsored this program. Vana'diel Wind (known today as Live Vana'diel) occasionally aired the program. The Japanese actress [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuko_Mizuno Yuko Mizuno] stared in the program. This program aired until August 31st, 2004.
| width=500px valign=top | No subtitles were added to the show. Each time, the player was given a task via a Moogle "Directive". Below is a list of the episodes.
{| border=0 width=100%
! width=15% | Episode
! Directive
! Area Focus
|-
| 1
| FFXIをインストールせよ!!
(Install FFXI!!)
| [[Chateau d'Oraguille]], [[Northern San d'Oria]] Cathedral
|-
| 2
| 初級クエストを攻略せよ!!
(Capture the beginner quest!!)
| [[Windurst]]
|-
| 3
| パーティープレイを会得せよ!!
(Acquire Party Play!!)
| [[Metalworks]]
|-
| 4
| パーティープレイ応用編!!
(Party Play applied version!!)
| [[West Ronfaure]], [[La Theine Plateau]]
|-
| 5
| サポートジョブをゲットせよ!!
(Get support jobs!!)
| [[La Theine Plateau]], [[Mhaura]], [[Selbina]]
|-
| 6
| チョコボ! そして新たなる大地!!
(Chocobo ! And a new world!)
| [[Jeuno]]
|-
| 7
| ジラートの幻影!!召喚魔法!
(Rise of the Zilart! Summoning magic!!)
| [[Kazham]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]]
|-
| 8
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話!!
(Rise of the Zilart development story!!)
| [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[The Boyahda Tree]]
|-
| 9
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話パート2 & 新エリア探訪!
(Rise of the Zilart development story 2 & New Area Exploration!)
| [[Cape Teriggan]], [[Quicksand Caves]]
|-
| 10
| ドラゴン退治！！ミッション「他国を回れ」
(Dragon ridicule!! Mission "[[Journey Abroad]]")
| [[Norg]]
|-
| 11
| Notorious Monsterを撃破せよ！！
(Defeat Notorious Monster!!)
| [[Ifrit's Cauldron]]
|-
| 12
| 闇の王を討て！召喚士になれ！！
(Deceive the King of Darkness! Be a summoner!!)
| [[Western Altepa Desert]], [[Rabao]]
|-
| 13
| 召喚士になれ！！
(Be a summoner ! !)
| [[To Catch a Falling Star]]
|}
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 8th annual AMD Awards prize winner!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI won the award "Digital Contents of the Year" during the 8th annual AMD awards.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Counter of the Crafting Bug'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As we knew it, there was a crafting bug in which a player could force an interruption on their craft. The result of this was that the crystal broke, did not generate any material losses, and the player still had a chance of skilling up. This was discovered and fixed in a few days.
| width=500px valign=top | Those who exploited this bug either had their skill rolled back or were perm banned. This caused the uproar from players, complaining that they run this game like an offline game. This news was also reported on TV in Japan.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Rise of the Zilart Release Date'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The release date for [[Rise of the Zilart]] was announced in January of 2003. Along with that, the announcement also included a temporary change to the update schedules: in which, updates would be every few months instead of monthly.
| width=500px valign=top | This was obviously well received by many players even after the official expansion launch. SE's reply to this for the next couple of years was that "We did not plan this kind of workload." and the like. Although it was planned as a temporary change, by the end of 2004 they decided to just make it their normal update speed for many years to come.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 5th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Search Comments Implemented'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[BCNM]] battlefields added.
**At the time of implementation, [[Star Orb]]s cost 50 seals, and [[Moon Orb]]s cost 99 seals.
*Search comments implemented.
*Text Commands Added: /echo
**Added to Chat: <st>, <lastst>, <stpc>, <stnpc>, <hp>, <mp>, <job>, <hpp>, <mpp>, <bt>, <scan>, <mjob>, <sjob>, <pet>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Red Mage]]
**Enfeebling magic skill raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Axe]] skill raised.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills removed (they never had Axes they could equip anyway).
*Magic Added: [[Regen]], [[Refresh]]
|}
*The ability to cycle through a history of chat targets using CTRL(Alt)+R was added.
*When entering chat text, players could now utilize the shortcut keys CTRL(Alt)+S, R, T, L or P.
*A Compact Keyboard mode was added.
*The Rank 3 Dragon fight received a level cap of 25, while the Rank 5 [[Fei'Yin]] battlefield received a level cap of 50.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] altered.
*Certain Notorious Monsters that pop after specified intervals of time were changed so as to not immediately appear after a world maintenance.
*Careful consideration had to be given to terrain in dungeons allowing players to avoid being attacked.
*Area of effect magic spells were given a vertical range limit of 4m in either direction. This was done to prevent the trick wherein adventurers could damage Serket in the basement of [[Garlaige Citadel]] from the upper floor.
*[[Serket]]s Earth Pounder also no longer hit innocent low level players on the top floor of [[Garlaige Citadel]].
*[[Sneak]] now wore off when opening a Treasure Chest or Treasure Coffer.
*Mimics added as a new trap for Thieves trying to open treasure boxes.
*Party leaders now had their name displayed in yellow in search results.
*Players could now form an alliance by selected a party leader from the search list (when in the same area).
*Auto-Party limited to finding players one level either above or below the user.
*Players could now cycle through macro pages with R2 and L2.
*Players could now change the names of their Friends when adding them to the Friend List.
*Using the /attack command now put the player into cycle target mode.
*When fishing, the O button would now cancel your cast.
*Events added to the Bastok Missions [[Fetichism]] and [[To the Forsaken Mines]].
*The level requirement for [[Atop the Highest Mountains]] lowered from level 55 to level 51.
*A dialog box was added to warp points inside Delkfutt Tower.
*Conquest rewards were altered so that Rank 1 nations received more benefits, and differences between Rank 2 and Rank 3 nations were added.
*Consumable items, such as [[Instant Reraise]] scrolls, made available for purchase with [[Conquest Points]].
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Level Cap?!'''

Because there were a lot of high levels at this time already, this was done to stop players from soloing the mission BCs.

'''NM Spawn Time'''

The NM Spawn time change was made due to uproar that it was unfair that only "Haijins" (in english, it would mean "No Life People") could log in immediately after a server maintenance. This was the only answer that SE had to "solve" the problem for more casual players.

'''The First BCNMs'''

Six BCNMs were initially added:
“[[Tails of Woe]]” “[[The Worm's Turn]]” “[[Steamed Sprouts]]” “[[Dismemberment Brigade]]” “[[Grimshell Shocktroopers]]” and “[[Divine Punishers]]”, although they were yet to be given these names.
Also, the battlefields were not yet called “BF” and were referred to as BC戦, an acronym of Burning Circle.

'''Enter Mimics'''

Up until now, the only trap awaiting Thieves who failed to pick a chest was a severe Weakness effect. Now, treasure boxes could turn into Mimic-type monsters. If one managed to defeat the Mimic, they would always receive a key. Sneak and Invisible wearing off also was to stop thieves from picking all day. With the latter two changes, the thief lock picking craze gradually went down.

'''Red Mages Head to [[Ranguemont Pass]]'''

Although the high-end spell [[Refresh]] was added to the game, how to obtain the scroll was still shrouded in mystery. A rumor originating on an Internet message board soon spread, which claimed that a Hecteyes-type monster in [[Ranguemont Pass]], namely [[Taisai]], dropped the scroll.

The truth, however, was that the scroll was a reward from a BCNM. The drop rate was approximately 1 in 8 runs, and the Auction House price of the spell was 1 million gil. This was unheard of back then.

Many [[Red Mage]]s believed the rumor and hunting of the NM was widespread. As a reference to this incident, the NM [[Taisaijin]] was given [[Refresh]] in its Treasure Pool when it was added later on.

'''Fish Botting'''

To counter fish botting, the system was changed so that when pressing the O button, the fishing would be cancelled. However, they forgot to implement this on the ENTER button or the right mouse click.

'''Combat and Magic Skillup Parties'''

After this update, the rate of which combat and magic skillups were gained was dramatically reduced. This caused jobs that have multiple 2 handed weapons to find it extra hard to keep everything capped. This change gave birth to "Skill up Parties" that were popular for quite awhile.

The combat and magic skill tweak was "Ninja'd" into the update and players who called GMs to report bugs had only received typical responses that "it wasn't changed".
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 8th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Tenshodo's Envoy'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On February 8th until February 14th, new NPCs appeared in the three nations selling [[Kukuru Bean]]s and [[Selbina Milk]]. At the same time, a recipe for [[Bubble Chocolate]] (HQ [[Heart Chocolate]]) was added. There was no official event for Valentine's day yet.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''February 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Lag!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Enormous lag problems happened in the month of February 2003, and it seemed that Playonline and something else clashed making servers unstable. People experienced serious glitches during their gameplay.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 13th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Seraph and Lakshmi Open'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Two new worlds were establish to alleviate the rising population. Players could transfer to the new worlds only from select existing worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Cherry Blossoms Appear'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Cherry blossom trees in full bloom appeared in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]], [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Metalworks]] and [[Windurst Waters]].
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:SpringBlossom_2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Two Companies Combine'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Formerly called Square and Enix respectively, Japan's two massive RPG makers combined and Square Enix was born. From here on, the change was reflected in Final Fantasy XI’s credits and the screenshot function.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] The Rise of the Zilart Preliminary Update'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap now became 65. The third Limit Break quest, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" was added.
**Causing amazement among players, the EXP table for lv61+ was changed to a much harsher climb compared with pre-60.
*[[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] were added as Advanced Jobs. Only [[Summoner]] could be attained without installing the expansion, but players without [[Rise of Zilart]] would be limited to [[Carbuncle]].
*An airship route between [[Jeuno]] and [[Kazham]] was opened.
*Rank 6 and 7 missions were implemented, along with actual Rank 7 and 8, for each nation.
*[[Nomad Moogle]]s were placed in foreign areas (you had to move your [[Mog House]] to utilize them).
*<pettp> was added.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Warrior]]
**[[Aggressor]] no longer boosted the accuracy of [[Ranged Attack]]s. The recast timer was also changed. Before the patch, it gave a 25% boost to accuracy (and -15% evasion). After, it was a solid 25.
**[[Defender]]s duration was set to 5 minutes, although it wasn't announced.
*[[Monk]]
**[[Chi Blast]] added.
**[[Kick Attacks]] job trait added.
**[[Martial Arts]] was also tweaked so that it would improve further beyond level 15.
**[[Guard]] skill and [[Staff]] skill were also raised.
*[[White Mage]]
**[[Enfeebling Magic]] skill raised.
*[[Black Mage]]
**All Ancient magic spells received the additional effect of lowering resistance to the element they oppose.
**[[Staff]] skill raised.
*[[Red Mage]]
**[[Convert]] added (this was a surprise and wasn't announced).
**[[Fast Cast]] was altered to always reduce spell cast time (prior to this, it would only kick in randomly).\
**[[Marksmanship]] skill removed, and [[Sword]] skill raised.
**[[Phalanx]] and [[Dispel]] were added. This greatly improved the job's usefulness.
*[[Thief]]
**[[AGI]] bonus cut from Trick Attack when used with [[Thief]] as a sub job. This was to protect the integrity of [[Thief]] as a main job.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Rampart]] added.
**[[Throwing]] skill removed.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Call Beast]] added (along with jug pets).
**[[Charm]] success rate lowered when subbing [[Beastmaster]].
**[[Scythe]] skill added.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Ballad]] no longer improved in accordance with a Bard's skill. Tier-I gave 1 MP a tic, and Tier-II gave 2 MP a tic.
**[[March]] songs were weakened.
**Duration of [[Soul Voice]] was shortened from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.
**Although not mentioned, [[Madrigal]] was changed from a percentage increase to a solid value.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Unlimited Shot]] added.
***Along with this, powerful new [[Conquest Points]] ammo were introduced. At this time, changing your ammo would reset your TP. This caused the whole ability to be worthless.
*Magic Added: [[Erase]], [[Phalanx]], [[Dispel]], [[Absorb-STR]], [[Absorb-DEX]], [[Absorb-VIT]], [[Absorb-AGI]], [[Absorb-INT]], [[Absorb-MND]], [[Absorb-CHR]], [[Cure V]], [[Protect IV]], [[Protectra IV]], [[Teleport-Yhoat]], [[Teleport-Altep]], [[Fire III]], [[Blizzard III]], [[Thundaga II]], [[Stonega III]], [[Waterga III]].
|}
*Caps on crafting skills raised to 80.
*Enemies had their magic and ranged attack skill levels increased.
*GA-type spells received an increase in power. Damage now decreased depending on the number of enemies with the area of effect. Also, the MP they consumed was reduced.
*The effect of [[Gravity]] now lowered Evasion by 5%.
*[[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] could no longer be recast on top of themselves.
*[[Enhancing Magic]] effects now wore off when switching jobs.
*The timer for a 2-hour ability would no longer reset upon changing jobs.
*Items would no longer be consumed if a player moved during activation.
*A bug was fixed where [[Regen]] would automatically cure [[Sleep]] status. Normally, [[Poison Potion]]s are needed to avoid [[Sleep]], but until now [[Auto-Regen]] made [[White Mage]]s invaluable allies against monsters with [[Sleep]] attacks.
*[[BCNM]] monsters and boss-level Beastmen could now see through [[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] magics. People could no longer leisurely take snapshots of rare, high-level Beastmen leaders.
**SE forgot to notify players of "True Sight/True Sound" mobs. This made LB3 very difficult, and panic arose among the player base thinking that Sneak and Invisible were broken.
*The window of time within which players could create a [[Skillchain]] was changed. It was announced that [[Weapon Skills]] would no longer chain after a level 3 Skillchain was made.
*Certain skillchain elements were changed. [[Freezebite]]→[[Sunburst]] and [[Freezebite]]→[[Starburst]], which used to make Gravitation, now made Compression.
*[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]] had their skillchain elements changed. [[Rampage]]→[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]]→[[Penta Thrust]] no longer made Skillchains.
*Switching out certain ranged weapons, or anything in the ammo slot, now reset TP.
*New sections were opened in [[Toraimarai Canal]], Delkfutt Tower, [[King Ranperre's Tomb]] and [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]].
*The monsters that would drop Chest and Coffer keys were changed in every dungeon. Beforehand, all monsters of a certain level range had the chance to randomly drop a key. Here, it was set to drop only from specific monsters.
*Orcs level 30 and up received an HP max boost. [[Davoi]] transformed from leveling heaven into a ghost town overnight.
*The service charge for listed goods on the [[Auction House]] was standardized.
*Players could only invite one person per single World Pass.
*Players who set a Search Comment would now have a green mark next to their name in the search results.
*The amount of time a disconnected character would remain in the game was extended from 30 seconds to 1 minute.
*Sets 9 and 10 added to the Macro function.
*A pet's HP bar would now be displayed when choosing a Pet Command.
*Regional Vendors disappeared from [[Jeuno]].
*The title screen was removed, and players could immediately select from a menu when logging in.
*“DATA FILE” was removed from the menu and replaced with “View Safe.” DATA FILE would allow one to browse the aforementioned '''Altana Encyclopedia'''. The text command /datafile was also removed.
*Duration of [[Food]] effects was changed. Stackable food now lasted 30 minutes, and non-stackable food lasted 1 hour.
*Clicking the left mouse button while fishing would now cancel your cast.
*Players could now register others to their blacklist even if they were not in the same area.
*EX and RARE items now had an extra confirmation box when players tried to discard them.
*All [[Dagger]] weapons were changed to inflict Piercing damage. Before, only some were piercing.

*'''Bugs Introduced''':
**Serious problems arose with inputting Japanese characters.
**Players could buy an infinite number of new area maps from vendors.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Game changers'''

*Along with the promised lv60 cap increase, various elements were added that will change the game completely. This started the trend of "If it's a buff, we announce it; if it's a nerf, we ninja it." as we know of right now.
*Food duration was changed from everything lasting one hour to "Stackable items last 30 minutes".
*Latent and Hidden Effect items were introduced at this time. Many players had no idea how to trigger them, and they were regarded as useless.
*Sneak was set to not be able to be overwritten, causing it to have to be dropped before recasting. This caused a higher sense of danger in dungeons.
*Several HNMs were added to the game, but rewards and titles were not properly implemented. This was not intentional, rather it was due to poor programming.
*Pre skill level 200, the equation was 1 skill = 1 accuracy. Post-200, this was suddenly changed to 1 skill = 0.2 accuracy. They did not take this into account with monster's evasion, so it was very hard to hit new high level monsters.
*Incredibly Tough monsters started at 12 levels above you. Monsters 18 levels above players needed to be killed to gain the maximum 200 experience points per kill. The developers did not think this through and were referred to as complete morons because "IT = Death". Fighting them became pointless unless a supreme party configuration was created. Many players started to chain Tough to Very Tough mobs dispite the amount of experience per kill being lowered. Tactics shifted from skillchain spamming to multi-hit weapon skill spamming.
*Not many people used level 3 skillchains, as level 65 was needed to use necessary weapon skills and [[Dancing Edge]] was incredibly strong.

'''Long Lines'''

A certain monster in [[Konschtat Highlands]] caused a huge influx of adventurers looking to acquire new jobs. There were so many challengers, that adventurers formed a long line and waited their turn.

At the same time, a battlefield required for the completion of the Dragoon acquisition quest had an Orcish hut looking like a popular ramen shop.

Competition for the [[Carbuncle's Ruby]] for the [[Summoner]] job quest also was severe, not to mention [[Kazham]] key mobs.

'''2-Hours On Demand'''

Before now, the timers for 2-hour abilities would be reset upon changing jobs. When doing multiple BCNMs, it was customary to repeatedly reset your 2-hours between BCNM attempts.

'''Be Careful With Those Items'''

Up till now, moving while activating an item would cause it to be consumed without effect. This caused particular concern with rare, difficult to acquire items like Warp and Teleport scrolls.

While this was fixed, for much longer players affected by [[Paralyze]] could lose their items without receiving their effects.

Also with this change they added a "delay" when using items. This caused many mecidines to become useless unlike other Final Fantasy games of the past.

'''New Sections in Dungeons'''

The newly opened areas inside these dungeons had previously been shut off. [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] in particular never had monsters before, but now received several NMs for adventurers to hunt.

'''Jeuno's Regional Vendors'''

In various places around Jeuno, there were vendors for each region. These NPCs were invaluable for crafters, until they were removed. Afterwards, Conquest determined where things could or could not be purchased. This gave birth to [[Regional Vendors]].

The new event [[The Green Festival]] reintroduced these vendors for a short period.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of the Zilart Goes on Sale'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The PS2 version and Windows version of the expansion were shipped to stores simultaneously. The price for the expansion only was 3,980 Yen (tax not included). The "FFXI Rise of Zilart All-in-One Pack 2003″ was also released at the price of 7,800 Yen (tax not included) either the PS2 version or the Windows version.

Overall, the expansion was well received. A few complaints included same model mobs in most areas, and lack of progression and improvement were part of the dislikes in the community. What was worse was the countless nerfs that were added in the patch post launch. The economies began to inflate with limited stocked items. Many players quit after discovering the large experience progression requirements post level 60 along with accuracy problems.

The first few thousand people who preordered the expansion were given a Tarutaru Summoner strap pictured below. The Tarutaru is wearing Summoner artifact armor.

[[Image:Zilart_preorder.jpg|250px]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_Japan_Collection1.JPG|400px]]
Two packages, the expansion-only version with a red colored left label (PS2 version pictured below) and All-In-One version (Windows version pictured above) were both available for PS2 and Windows PCs. An official Square Enix logo had yet to be designed, so SQUARESOFT still appeared on the cover. This was Square and Enix’s first collaborative title.

[[Image:FFXI ROTZ PS2.jpg]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Final Fantasy XI Completes 1 Year of Service'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of Zilart OST Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The price for the soundtrack was 2,100 Yen (tax included)
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:ROTZ OST.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Adventurer Appreciation Campaign'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | For a limited time, special moogles appeared in every region. Upon talking to them, one could learn their personal statistics, such as:
Chat Lines, NPC Chat times, Parties Joined, Alliances Joined, Battles Fought, Times K.O.d, Enemies Defeated and GM Calls made.
Highly ranked people on each world would be rewarded with a [[Chocobo Wand]]. Also, once an Earth day, adventurers could receive various presents ([[Little Comet]]s, [[Twinkle Shower]]s, [[Cracker]]s, etc).
| width=500px valign=top | The [[Chocobo Wand]] was awarded to highly-ranked people, and since no [[Chocobo Jack Coat]] existed, it was the only item to increase riding time. The wand was also coveted for having its own distinct graphic.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Expansion Areas Get Cheaper'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*An NPC was added to [[Norg]] that would change your [[Wyvern]] name.
*<pethpp> added to chat.
|}
*Different fees and taxes were lowered in many cases for expansion areas.
*The [[Airship]] abroad now cost 300 gil; Mog House transfer to [[Kazham]] cost 700 gil; transferring to [[Rabao]] cost 200 gil; [[Kazham]] bazaar tax was lowered from 15% to 10%; [[Rabao]] bazaar tax was lowered from 10% to 5%.
*The duration of [[Signet]] was changed to allow more time to players whose nation is ranked low in [[Conquest]].
*Equipping fishing poles or bait now reduced your TP to 0. [[Throwing]] weapons, like [[Boomerang]], also reduced TP to 0.
*[[Black Pepper]] was now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*Mid-level [[Great Katana]] were now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*[[Smoked Salmon]] was now sold at the Cooking Guild.
*The spell recast timer now read “Next” instead of “Last.”
*Three high priests of [[San d'Oria]] had their display names changed: Croisque→[[Chasalvige]], Vicasque→[[Halaviabeau]], Evesque→[[Olbergieut]].
*Dangruf Sulfur changed to [[Sulfur]].
*[[Ancient Goobbue]], [[Voluptuous Vivian]], [[Cemetery Cherry]] and [[Adamantoise]] now dropped gil.
*[[Summoner]]-type monsters could now summon Avatars other than [[Carbuncle]].
*Golem Shards, which dropped from Doll-type monsters were renamed Doll Shards. Golem-type monsters now dropped Golem shards (they were called Crystal Giants at the time).
*A pet’s name and HP bar would now be displayed above the chat log.
*Players could now /check a charmed pet.
*The shortcut key CTRL(Alt)+B now opened the Pet Command menu.
*Guild shop and [[Auction House]] menus would now display equipment/magic names in different colors depending on if they were owned/equipped/learned. Also stackables were changed from yellow to pink.
*Linkshell lists now displayed colors and search comment marks like in search results.
*Merchant NPCs added to [[Norg]].
*The Wyvern attack “Plasma Breath” was renamed “[[Radiant Breath]]”
'''Bugs Introduced'''
*Sneak was once again able to be cast on top of the old effect, but a couple days later removed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Back then, you had to transfer your [[Mog House]] to use the [[Nomad Moogle]], and thus, pay a fee. Add in bazaar taxes and [[Auction House]] fees, and expansion areas started feeling like high-class resorts.

After July 17th, the [[Mog House]] transfer fee and bazaar taxes were done away with, and the [[Auction House]] listing costs were lowered as well. After these changes, [[Kazham]] became a much more popular place in which to level.

'''Walking Worms'''

After the patch landed, a glitch occured where worms began to move around like other monsters instead of burrowing under the ground.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Suggestion Forum Drama'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | '''Latent MP'''
At this time because of Zilart's horrible launch patch, the healer shortage became more apparent. SE suggested that in order to fix this problem, they would have it so when melee jobs sub a mage, they would get more MP. Because this is obviously ignoring the core of why there is a healer shortage, players responded with dismay, at the end, this idea was scratched.
| width=500px valign=top | Later during an interview, the dev team stated that "users have misunderstood their words", that their plan was to increase the number of backline jobs instead. After that, they buffed WHM up, gave them [[Hexa Strike]], [[Divine Breastplate]] and various buffs, obviously in an attempt to draw people to WHM. This shifted the problem of shortage of WHM to the shortage of RDM and BRD.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 10th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Midgardsormr Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players could transfer from any of the 20 initial worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI Entry Disc for PS2 and Windows'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Accompanying the release of Rise of Zilart, the basic game was now sold as an "Entry Disc" and the price lowered to 4,800 Yen (tax not included).
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_PS2_JP_ENTRY.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The world was named Cactuar.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level 70 Unleashed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 70. The fourth Limit Break quest, "[[Riding on the Clouds]]" was added.
**This surprised players with how easy it was compared to leveling and previous Genkai quests.
*A new region, [[Tu'Lia]], was unlocked.
*[[Artifact Armor]] for [[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] added.
*New guards, [[Auction House]] and Delivery NPCs were added to each level of [[Jeuno]]. Bazaar tax was changed to 10%.
**More specifically, this is why there is now an [[Auction House]] in both [[Upper Jeuno]] and [[Port Jeuno]] who are only NPCs.
*New HNMs were added (such as [[King Behemoth]]).
*Commands Added: /lsmes
*Chat Commands Added: <ncall>, <scall>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Bard]]
**Light-based enemies could now resist [[Magic Finale]].
**[[Prelude]] became single target.
*[[Summoner]]
**Healing [[Blood Pact]]s had their MP costs reduced and their effectiveness greatly increased.
**MP required to summon Avatars was also reduced.
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was boosted and the cast time of Elemental Spirits was shortened.
*[[Ninja]]
**Ni-level [[Ninjutsu]] cast time was shortened dramatically from 8 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
*[[Monk]]
**The recast time for [[Chakra]] was shortened from 15 minutes to 5 minutes.
*Magic Added: [[Shell IV]], [[Shellra IV]], [[Regen II]], [[Regen III]], [[Raise III]], [[Thunder III]], [[Stone IV]], [[Water IV]], [[Aeroga III]], [[Firaga III]], [[Knight's Minne IV]], [[Bewitching Etude]], [[Valor Minuet IV]], [[Logical Etude]], [[Sage Etude]], [[Foe Requiem VI]], [[Swift Etude]], [[Puppet's Operetta]], [[Vital Etude]].
|}
*Chocobo rentals established in [[Kazham]], [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]]. [[Rabao]] and [[Kazham]] also received Chocobo shops. Players could now ride Chocobos through [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]], [[Yhoator Jungle]] and [[Eastern Altepa Desert]].
*[[Goblin Digger]]s began appearing in expansion areas.
*The airship for [[Kazham]] was lowered from 300 gil to 200 gil. [[Nomad Moogle]] transfer fees were eliminated, as well as bazaar taxes. [[Auction House]] charges were now calculated in the same way as the three nations.
*[[Tonberry]], [[Sahagin]] and [[Antica]] now dropped gil and Beastman Coins.
*The prices for [[Protect IV]] and [[Protectra IV]] in [[Rabao]] were lowered.
*[[Norg Shell]]s were no longer EX.
*Multiple people could now enter the gate in [[Sea Serpent Grotto]] that required a [[Sahagin Key]]. Initially, only the keyholder could enter after using it.
*Crafting skills raised to a maximum of 90.
*Cure spells adjusted so that MP cost and cast time changed according to the user’s [[Healing Magic]] skill. The enmity generated by [[Cure V]] was made a set value.
**The much demanded "make healing magic have more relation to our curing power" was still not properly addressed.
*Healing Magic skill no longer needed to be used on Undead to get a skillup.
*Recast time for [[Erase]] shortened.
*[[Stoneskin]] now absorbed more damage based on the user’s MND and Enhancing Magic skill.
*Cast time for Bar-spells shortened and MP cost lowered. Their effects now improved along with Enhancing Skill.
*The price of Regen sold in Mhaura was lowered, and [[Regen II]] was put up for sale. [[Regen II]] was now a White Mage exclusive spell.
*MP costs for tier-III and tier-IV Elemental Magic reduced.
*Dark-based enemies could now resist Dispel easier.
*The effect of Gravity could now last between 30~120 seconds.
*The duration of Poison spells, as well as the damage caused by Poison II and Poisonga II, were now based on Enfeebling Magic skill.
*[[Experience Points]] would now carry over into the next level upon a Level Up.
*A cap was set on the amount of [[Experience Points]] lost when K.O.d.
*[[Kindred's Seal]]s added.
*The maximum occupancy of each level of [[Jeuno]] was raised.
*A Mithra child’s shop was added to [[Ru'Lude Gardens]].
*The time it takes for Chocobo rental prices to decrease was shortened by 25% (this made it tougher for prices to get too high).
*Players were no longer disbanded from a party after entering their [[Mog House]].
*Messages now appeared in the chat log when using the Delivery System for sending/receiving items.
*Door names now appeared green in the target box.
*Players could now be added to one’s party across a Region.
*Search results for an Area or Region were now limited to 100 results. World-wide results were expanded to 40 results.
*Players could now set a Linkshell welcome message.
*The color of messages produced with /echo was changed.
*In crafting guilds, basic image support was made free, while advanced support was extended to last 4 times as long.
*Players could no longer repeatedly purchase items from a guild.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered.
*Conquest points were no longer lost when switching national allegiance.
*Elemental spirits would now cast magic even outside of battle.
*Beastmaster-type Goblins occupying [[Batallia Downs]], [[Eastern Altepa Desert]] and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] were repositioned. They now re-summoned pets after 60 seconds instead of 30 seconds.
*Beastman Seal Orbs had their prices changed. [[Moon Orb]] 99→60, [[Star Orb]] 50→40. New Orbs were also added: [[Comet Orb]] for 50 seals, [[Lachesis Orb]] and [[Atropos Orb]]s for 30 seals.
*Defeated monsters were now displayed as grey on the compass.
*Cut scenes could now be replayed at certain NPCs.
*Players could now buy level 1 [[RSE]] clothing from vendors.
*Macros and Map Markers were now saved as files in PlayOnline.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Ninja Tank is Born'''

With Ni-level Ninjutsu shortened to a 1.5 second recast timer, Ninja could now use both tiers of [[Utsusemi]] to tank effectively. Prior to this, both tiers had the same casting times, if not Ni being slower. The supply of Ninja tools wasn't yet large enough to make this technique especially common, but it gradually became the norm. Before this, Ninja was looked at the same as Summoner: "a job with no purpose at all".

'''Experience Point Changes'''

Although publicly saying they had no plans to bring an ease to the level 61+ leveling, they ninja fixed the issue with a few little changes:
*In order to counter the high demand of experience per level at 61+, players were forced to target harder monsters which increased the demand for RDM/BRD.
*Players learned that [[Great Axe]s weapon skill [[Shield Break]] reduced ice-weak enemies evasion tremendously. This caused Warrior to be the most demanded melee at the time.
*Level capped zones became popular leveling spots due to the 2400 EXP loss per death. This penalty was based on the level you were capped at, saving a lot of experience loss.
*Changes to monster placement as well as level range in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Cape Teriggan]], and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] decreased camp choices and in turn made leveling harder.
*With the addition to Escort quests, this is the first time players were able to earn experience points instead of level grinding. Before the discovery of the once-per-week limitation, some had hopes of possibly skipping exp parties all together just by completing the quest.

'''Mog House Disband?'''

Up until now, players were automatically disbanded from their party upon entering their [[Mog House]]. Even just going to change your sub job meant you had to re-join the party afterwards. This was corrected to match [[Nomad Moogle]]s, which were preferred for not causing this issue.

'''Pet Hunting'''

[[Beastmaster]] pets were popular prey due to the high experience they gave relative to their strength. These [[Beastmaster]] were often placed near zone lines, which made them all the more popular for parties to hunt.

However, once their spawn locations were changed, and pet recast was lengthened to 60 seconds, it became too difficult to keep up experience chains, and parties found other prey to hunt.

'''New BCNMs'''

This update saw the addition of five new battlefields:

“[[Hostile Herbivores]]” “[[3, 2, 1...]]” “[[Treasure and Tribulations]]” “[[Infernal Swarm]]” and “[[E-vase-ive Action]]” However, the battlefields had yet to have these names attached.

“[[Come Into My Parlor]]” was set to be added this day, but was delayed until the 22nd.

*Crafting Mats: Some crafting materials were regarded as beyond reach to casual players (such as [[Damascene Cloth]]). Items such as these were added to these BCNMs.

'''Weapon Skills Where?!'''

New weapon skills were not immediately available. The developers stated that they used all of their resources on existing weapon skill graphic effects. Mages were complaining how melee get new weapon skills for free while mages had to work for them every time. This was the birth of [[WSNM]]s

'''Rare HNMs'''

Rare HNMs (like [[Nidhogg]]) were implemented. The spawn time was 60~72 hours. Before this, players occasionally took breaks from camping them. Due to the rarity and desirability of the gear that drops from them, players now continuously camped.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Fireworks Available for a Limited Time'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From July 18th until July 27th, fireworks could be purchased in [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Port Bastok]], [[Windurst Waters]] and [[Rabao]].
| width=500px valign=top | Four types of fireworks were available so users could celebrate summer festivals. The three nations and Rabao sold [[Airborne]], [[Konron Hassen]], [[Kongou Inaho]] and [[Meifu Goma]]. The [[Airborne]] and [[Konron Hassen]] were especially popular as they shot up into the sky. There were still no crafting recipes for these fireworks, and they could only be acquired through purchase.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 22nd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Clotho Orb Added'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The previously delayed [[Clotho Orb]] could now be obtained and its corresponding [[BCNM]] [[Come Into My Parlor]] was added.

|}
*A bug where [[Elvaan]] would have less MP than intended above level 61 was fixed.
*The reward for the Windurst quest [[Catch It If You Can!]] was changed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Bon-Odori II'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Users again held a Bon-Odori event, but this time there was an official moogle to announce the event, as well as the old [[Yughott Grotto]] BGM from the beta test as music.
Actual Bon-Odori event was done by volunteers on each servers.
For example,on [[Quetzalcoatl]] server,A [[Linkshell]] volunteered and planned whole event.There were two venues,North Gustaberg and [[West Sarutabaruta]] .Players gathered and danced,but on [[West Sarutabaruta]] venue,there was one compliant from other player who was trying to go to [[Balga's_Dais]] but unable to enter [[Giddeus]] due to heavy lag on [[West Sarutabaruta]].One of the Staffs got a tell from his mule,So they asked to stop moving for all attendees until his main character could pass [[West Sarutabaruta]].Planning and how it was done might be different on other servers.

| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Terms of Service Change'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players were now forbidden to use any outside programs or tools while playing.
| width=500px valign=top | Around this time rumors surfaced of GMs unjustly banning players; although officially they announced them as rule breaking. As the GM's reputation was bad to begin with, this event further dented their player's trust.

Before this announcement, there was no action taken against the cheaters. Although, after this change of rules they tried several ways to stop fishbotting. The damage of untrustworthy GMs was already too deep to be undone.

Despite this announcement, the rate of fish bot bans were very minimal and were still found everywhere. Turbo controllers proved difficult to determine by SE if they were bots.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This was an event where a giant creature appeared in the areas surrounded each of the three nations. Even without Calling for Help, multiple parties and alliances could take part. If a player was defeated by the monster, they would not lose any experience.

Due to an glitch, the event was temporarily canceled.
| width=500px valign=top | The event consisted of fighting Doomed-type monsters that roamed the areas outside of home nations. A large amount of adventurers took part in massive battles. This event was made very unpopular as too many people rushed in, and the atmosphere feelt like Lower Jeuno AH at the time. Later, players rumored that this was just in preparation for the Treant + OP warp event, an experimental event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Developer’s Blog Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The beta test now finished, Final Fantasy XI players could begin using this service.
| width=500px valign=top | This service lasted until December 27th, 2005.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges! Redux'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The event that had been canceled back on the 16th was now reborn as a 2-day event, spanning August 30th and 31st.

Touching the Beastman Banner in [[East Ronfaure]], [[North Gustaberg]] or [[West Sarutabaruta]] would cap you at level 30 and allow you to fight the Gigantoad. Defeating the three monsters would display a congratulatory System Message.

The reward was temporary [[Outpost Teleportation]] service (08/31 through 09/14) in [[San d'Oria]], [[Bastok]] and [[Windurst]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=WhiteShadow2>Vana’diel’s White Shadow Returns</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This event was held for 7 hours, from 10pm September 12th to 5am September 13th. Players could receive a [[Moon Carrot]] from a Moogle, and trade said carrots to speedy little rabbits in various areas.

The rabbits were even faster than last year, but the prize was upgraded as well to [[Thoth's Wand]].
| width=500px valign=top | This event was only held in 2002 and 2003, and did not return after that. All of the glitches from the previous event remained, and it all did not go over well with players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Official Benchmark 2 Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The setting for this version was the [[Yuhtunga Jungle]] / [[Yhoator Jungle]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Future Plans'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | SE announced their upcoming plans for the game; from [[Ballista]], [[Dynamis]], further level cap increase, and the release of NA version.
| width=500px valign=top | At this time, they announced that the NA version would share server with the Japanese, which lead to many players worrying, but SE only replied with "We are treating this as an experiment.".

The Development team announced "From now on, the version update will come every few months."(Remember that they said they would update every 1 month, and then changed to 3 months, and now "few months".). They seemed to be using localization for the NA version as an excuse for further slowing down their updates. This did not help the animosity view of Japanese players towards English players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 7th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Fairy World Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | A new world was established for the increasing population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Ends'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | There was a special event on the final day, where Moogles were placed at [[Home Point]]s. Upon speaking with them, you could be teleported to NMs like [[Serket]] or [[King Behemoth]] and fight with them. GMs also joined the fray.
| width=500px |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Nation Rank Missions and Zilart Completed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Rank Missions for rank 8 and 9 added, along with actual rank 9 and 10 to the three nations, completing their story lines.
*The conclusion to [[Rise of Zilart]] was added.
**The Zilart last boss could be unintentionally silenced, which was fixed in an emergency maintenance a couple days later.
*Players could now enter the [[The Shrine of Ru'Avitau]] and [[The Celestial Nexus]].
*Lucky Roll games implemented in [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]].
*Fortune-tellers that predict adventurer affinity were added to the three nations.
*[[BCNM]]s added to [[Sacrificial Chamber]], [[Cloister of Tides]] and [[Chamber of Oracles]] using the [[Moon Orb]].
*Chat Commands Added: <call4> – <call21>
*Text Commands Added: /sit
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Magic Added: [[Sleepga]], [[Sleepga II]]
|}
*[[Avatar]] quests were now limited to once a day.
*The third [[Mog House]] expansion quest was added, with the final available space being 80.
*A shortcut to the 10th floor was added to the West side of [[Lower Delkfutt's Tower]] that could be opened with a [[Delkfutt Key]].
*[[BCNM]] clear times were now displayed.
*[[Magic Burst]] bonuses were increased.
*The effect of [[Clear Mind]] was strengthened.
*[[Summoner]] – Received [[Clear Mind]] trait.
*MP cost and strength of [[Banish]] adjusted. In addition, [[Banish]] now weakened the special defenses of [[Undead]] monsters.
*[[Stoneskin]] could no longer overwrite itself.
*[[Drain]] and [[Aspir]] were adjusted to absorb more based on [[Magic Burst]]s, day and weather.
*TP was no longer reset when changed one's ammo slot. Ranger became popular with [[Unlimited Shot]] and their special ammo.
*A number of monsters were rearranged in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Ifrit's Cauldron]], [[Cape Teriggan]] and [[Valley of Sorrows]].
*New Notorious Monsters were added to dungeons in Zilart areas.
*A number of repop timers for existing NMs was changed greatly (Monsters that popped every 60-72 Earth hours now popped every 24 hours).
**This included [[Fafnir]], [[Behemoth]], [[Adamantoise]] and the like. Their rare versions remained a lottery spawn every of 3~7 days, and stayed that way for years.
*[[King Behemoth]]s area of effect attacks could now strike any player within range.
*The items available in the Mithra child's shop in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]] would now change, and increases or decreases according to sales.
*The items obtainable through [[Chocobo Digging]] now varied based on weather, moon phase, day and time. Elemental ore was now obtainable, although extremely rare.
**This is when Digging became very popular as a gil earning method. Chocobo skill was initially viewable in the skill window.
*New items could now be grown through gardening.
*The prices of the shop on the ferry were stabilized.
*A sound now played when receiving a message or mail.
*Motions now accompanied [[HELM]] activities.
*More items were available from [[HELM]].
*Search comments were now divided into 4 different categories.
*When locked on a target, players could no longer switch targets with cursor keys, the mouse or function keys.
*The TAB key or START button would now activate the Auto-Translator, causing the word to appear blue in your input box.
*System message would now announce whether or not players could apply to transfer servers.
*A single World Pass could now be used to invite up to 5 people.
*A bug occurred wherein [[Bard]]s using [[March]] songs with '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +1''' or '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +2''' equipped would receive a massive boost in effectiveness. This was corrected in the October 28th emergency maintenance. These horns have since been removed.
*Synthesis Results were now displayed to others, and a chat filter was added.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Titan Marathon Ends'''

Around this time, players were repeatedly undertake the Titan acquisition quest in order to earn gil. Now, they were unable to do so until midnight Earth time. With [[Teleport-Altep]] and [[Escape]] for [[Korroloka Tunnel]], players used to easily complete 4 runs in an hour.

'''Cloister of Tides BCNM'''

At this time three BCs were added to the game. Although they had yet to receive their official names, the battlefields were:

“[[Jungle Boogeymen]]” “[[Amphibian Assault]]” and “[[Legion XI Comitatensis]]”

Out of these, “[[Amphibian Assault]]” was added to the [[Cloister of Tides]]. Ultimately, it was decided that the special Avatar battle arena should be unique to the Summoner quests, and the four Sahagin were moved to the [[Sacrificial Chamber]] on June 29th, 2004.

''' Othinus' Bow Popular Among Marksmen'''

New Ex/Rare drops were added to NMs around this time, and they proved to be an immediate hit. One especially, the [[Othinus' Bow]], was so coveted it practically made [[Archery]] obsolete. [[Acid Bolt]]s and [[Sleep Bolt]]s were also added in this update, further improving Marksmanship.

According the Japanese sites, the [[March]] glitch was said to have given players an unimaginable speed boost. Two-handed weapon users could swing like one-handers, dagger users were as fast as [[Hundred Fists]], and [[Monk]] could hold hate comfortably without [[Provoke]].

'''-Ga spells'''

Ga spells were already unpopular due to their MP demand, but now they scaled in accordance to the number of targets hit by the spell. With the improvement of Magic Burst bonuses, despite the high cost, -ga spells became popular as a single target nuke. However, monster -ga spells were not affected by the number of players hit.

'''EX tag items'''

This update implemented a large number of EX items. The dev team reasoning was that "People won't have to camp it again if they already have it", as well as preventing a monopoly situation to sell items. In reality, players found the actual effect is "Even if you don't want to, you have to camp it". In many cases these EX items did not do what the dev team expected it to. On top of this, high priced items still dropped from NMs such as [[Shining Cloth]] from [[King Behemoth]] and [[Damascene Cloth]] from [[Aquarius]]. Players still camped these NMs for profitable gil drops even though they already had the equipment.

As part of the EX craze, the dev team was sure to announce that many NMs could be killed by leveling parties who happen to be killing placeholders. Knowing that Ninja was an unexpected tank, the dev team's idea of balance was very questionable.

'''Development Team running out of ideas?!'''

With the [[Lucky Roll]] and fortune teller features added, this was SE's answer to player's demand for "New Entertainment". The community's view that the development team was simply running out of ideas was largely increased after these were implemented. The question "What the f*** were the developers thinking?" remained a popular meme for years to come.

'''Come Hither!'''

This patch is when the Mithra's "inviting" sit pose (pictured below) was added. This pose had a lot of controversy, so it was changed later to be more feminine and conservative.

[[Image:Mithra_Old_Sit.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 28th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] North American Windows Version Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The North American version of Final Fantasy XI went on sale on October 28th, 2003 for $49.99. When service in North America began for Final Fantasy XI, a large amount of foreign players immediately flooded the game. English chat flowed through towns, and Conquest results were upset by low level activity (there were dead people everywhere). Japanese players avoided home nations due to /shout spam.

Although before the release, some supported the idea of cross server in the name of international gaming. After the release, with the "PL plaz" "Gil plez" "Item pelaz" begging, sexual harassment comments, and the random party replacement(People leaving after 1 kill, leader leaving party after level, tossing leader to a random member without asking, etc, the negative complaints begun.

At the same time, the auto translator feature was added. With the tell spam of "Help Me out!" "cap" "coffer" "thank you", many Japanese players put up the "JP Only" comment. On a side note, "cap" in translator translates to the cap as in baseball cap to the Japanese, just like how "Break" is translated to relaxing to the Japanese.

These all lead to the increasing demand(still active now) of separating servers, mostly from the Japanese players. However, the CEO announced that "Cross nation and Translator are very well done, and we received a lot of praises", even though no one understand where they get those idea from.
| width=500px valign=top | [[File:FFXI Windows NA.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 7th CESA GAME AWARDS Winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI took the award for being the first PS2 MMORPG, connecting PS2 and Windows on the same servers, and for user satisfaction with [[Rise of the Zilart]] updates.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 31st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=Halloween>Trick or Treat!</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From October 31st to November 3rd, players could transform in monsters by trading fruits and sweets to certain NPCs. Prizes included [[Jack-o'-Lantern]], [[Trick Staff]], [[Treat Staff]], [[Pumpkin Head]] and [[Horror Head]]. [[Goblin Chocolate]] was also available for purchase.
| width=500px valign=top | The equipment available during this event was cute and very different, so it immediately became quite popular. Towns were filled with adventurers in puffy hats with bat staves on their back. You could also see people everywhere bopping monsters on the head, testing out the [[Treat Staff]] latent effect of [[Warp]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Treat Staff Effect Changed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Originally, the [[Treat Staff]] would have a much higher rate of activating [[Warp]] during the Halloween event. This was changed so that it would not activate at all outside the time of the event.

This change caused many players to complain, and was very unpopular.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 11th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Conquest Adjustments'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Players under level 5 no longer had an effect on Campaign results when K.O.d.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Many people would group suicide to force regions to become beastmen controlled (Kolshushu was beastmen controlled for almost a year before this change). Even with this change, many regions continued to be beastmen controlled (Qufim, Elshimo, Aragoneu, etc)

Regional merchants became very rare, affecting prices of items such as [[Yagudo Drink]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] Concept Art'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The official site was massively updated with Concept Art (for a set fee) and a Creator’s Voice blog. The Concept Art was found inside the Developer’s Room.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=3 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Plus Beta Testing Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | Beta testing began for services that included a special e-mail address (CHARACTER@WORLD.ffxi.pol.com), mail forwarding and other features.
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | [[File:POL Plus.gif|link=]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] First Annual Spike TV Video Game Awards “Best Online Game” winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 9th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Asura Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This world was established due to the rising population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] "REAL VANA’DIEL" Net Cafe Opens in Akihabara'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Melco Online Entertainment opened a net cafe for the enjoyment of FFXI in Akihabara. There was a [[Mog House]] resting area (smoking allowed), and staff members dressed up as FFXI characters. Satire jokes arose, such as "I am a Dark Knight. Should I AFK IRL too?"

All computers at the time gauged “Incredibly Tough” against the game’s requirements. See the pictures to the right for a glimpse inside this store and the layout.

See [http://web.archive.org/web/20080220132325/http://www.watch.impress.co.jp:80/game/docs/20031107/realv.htm This Link] for an article regarding the store.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Realv03.gif]]
[[Image:Realv01.gif]]
[[Image:Realv02.gif]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level Cap 75'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 75. The final Limit Break quest, "[[Shattering Stars]]" was added.
*[[Dynamis]] was originally planned to be released in this update, but it was delayed.
*New [[Weapon Skills]] attainable through quests ([[WSNM]]) were implemented.
*New NMs were added (4 gods in [[Tu'Lia]], [[Nidhogg]], and more).
**[[Abjuration]]s and [[Cursed Items]] were introduced.
*The [[Storage]] system was implemented.
**This answered demands to make furnishings useful, but then started the demand to make storage accessible without making the extremely long trip back to a player's home nation.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Black Mage]]
**[[Black Mage]]s could no longer be interrupted by receiving damage while under the effect of [[Manafont]]. [[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Samurai]]
**Using [[Meikyo Shisui]] now gave a player 300 TP.
*[[Summoner]]
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was extended to 3 minutes. In addition, [[Avatar Perpetuation]] was reduced to 0 while under its effect.
*[[Dark Knight]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Scythe]] skill raised.
*[[Summoner]]
**[[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Staff]] skill added.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Axe]] skill added.
*Magic Added: [[Flash]], [[Curaga IV]], [[Reraise III]], [[Stun]], [[Blizzaga III]], [[Aero IV]], [[Fire IV]], [[Thundaga III]], [[Blizzard IV]], [[Thunder IV]], [[Archer's Prelude]], [[Goddess' Hymnus]], [[Uncanny Etude]], [[Warding Round]], [[Chocobo Mazurka]], [[Herculean Etude]], [[Maiden's Virelai]], [[Earth Spirit]].
|}
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered, and new areas were added.
*The ??? marks involved in Limit Break quest 3, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" were repositioned, making it easier to complete the quest.
*The [[Moongate pass]] was added. [[Ro'Maeve]] became a popular leveling spot.
*The Great Axe WS [[Shield Break]] no longer depended on the enemy’s strength, but now lowered [[Evasion]] by a set value.
*High-level physical accuracy was raised (post skill level 200). This allowed players to hit mobs without [[Madrigal]].
*A number of high-level monsters had their experience point bonus for parties increased.
*Changing jobs now cleared [[Song]] effects.
*The execution of [[Sneak Attack]] was changed so that players must stand directly behind the monster. "'''Yokodama'''" could no longer be performed.
*Resist traits, Bar-spells and songs now provided much more defense against strong enemies. In addition, a message now displayed in the chat log when resisting an effect.
**These effects were still not very useful against Incredibly Tough monsters.
*The effects of Killer traits and Circle effects were changed from a Slow effect to an Intimidate effect. In addition, Circle abilities now lasted 1 minute and had a recast time of 10 minutes.
*High level [[Weapon Skills]] (such as [[Dragon Kick]] and [[Shark Bite]]) were strengthened.
*The skillchain properties of [[Tachi: Koki]] were changed.
*Level 50-70 monsters in various areas were rearranged.
*Orcs’ HP was once again adjusted.
*The movement speed of [[Behemoth]] and [[King Behemoth]] was raised.
*Knockback was added to a number of monsters’ special abilities.
*When entering a [[BCNM]], the time limit, fastest record, and record holder’s name were now displayed.
*Crafting skills were raised to level 100.
*Rank 9 Conquest items were introduced. The cost of [[Warp]] and [[Reraise]] scroll was cut in half.
*The repop time of treasure boxes was changed. They would also pop much faster if disappearing after a [[Thief]] failed to pick them.
*The [[Mithra]] who could bundle arrows now joined the traveling performers.
*[[Tree Cuttings]] could now be grown into [[Tree Saplings]], which subsequently could be used to produce Elemental Ores and ultimately Staves.
*New [[Auction House]] categories were created for [[Ammo]], [[:Category:Others|Others]], [[:Category:Materials|Materials]] and [[:Category:Misc.|Misc.]]
*Elemental Staves were given unique models.
*Players Level 15-19 could now ride Chocobo from the starting three nations. However, their riding time was limited to 15 minutes.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''No One Can Help You Now'''

The final Limit Break quest had players squaring off against [[Maat]] alone. Until now, quests could easily be completed with parties, but this time people had to face the challenge alone, leaving many unable to overcome it. [[Red Mage]]s especially had a rough time, eventually leading to some adjustments to the difficulty. This quest was very unpopular, and some jobs had it much harder than others.

'''No More Yokodama'''

Yokodama was the practice of Sneak and Trick Attacking from the side of a monster.

(“Yoko” means side, and “dama” is the first two syllables of Damashiuchi, or [[Trick Attack]]).

On this day, it was decided that [[Trick Attack]] would only function properly if one stood directly behind the enemy. The Yokodama was no more.

Square said in an interview the month prior that "Yokodama wasn't planned, and it was making the game too easy. We may consider fixing it." Many players supported this and found it to be making fighting too easy. For some mysterious reason, players then started then complaining about the lack of Yokodama after the patch. The spells [[Flash]] and [[Stun]] were born to alleviate hate control issues.

'''Tu'Lia Notorious Monsters'''

New NMs were added to sky, namely [[Kirin]], [[Byakko]], [[Suzaku]], [[Seiryu]] and [[Genbu]]. At the time, they looked just like any other monsters; even though Byakko means “white tiger,” the model was black. Eventually, these enemies were altered to look unique.

With the sky NM system now implemented, Sky Linkshells were born.

'''WSNMs'''

The majority of the WSNMs had bad performance, so the effort needed to obtain them was not well received.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Holy Night in Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Christmas decorations were put up in all three nations. Players could talk to Moogles once a Vana’diel day to receive [[Popstar]], [[Brilliant Snow]], [[Sparkling Hand]] or [[Air Rider]].

This was the start of the yearly Christmas [[Starlight Celebration]] in Vana’diel.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Starlight2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Rampaging Presents'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | In various areas, a monsters called [[Twinkling Treant]] (a tree decorated on December 16th) appeared. Talking to nearby Moogles would impose a level cap and allow one to fight the monster.

It was announced that defeating the trees would grant the world [[Outpost Teleportation]] service. All servers succeeded in attaining this prize.

'''Destroy the Christmas Tree?!'''
At first, no matter how much you hit the tree, the HP wouldn't decrease. This was a prime weapon/magic skill up opportunity. To prevent this, SE lowered the HP in the middle of the event. This also caused SE to issue a server message saying that if the NM was not killed, that world would not receive OP Warps. Some worlds were able to dispose of the tree quickly, while others just couldn’t manage to take it down. A System Message announced that the event would not end until all servers had one. The ordeal was finally over after Midgardsormr was the last to claim victory.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Twinkling Treant 2003.jpg|450px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 29th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Outpost Teleport Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As a reward for success in the Christmas event, all worlds were bestowed with [[Outpost Teleportation]] Service following a maintenance.
| width=500px valign=top |
|}

{{Template:History_Nav}}

The History of Final Fantasy XI/2003

2017-11-10T18:18:33Z

Aish: wikitext fixed

{{Template:History_Nav}}

==<span id=2003>2003 - Rise of the Zilart Era</span>==
From April of 2003, the first expansion disc, “[[Rise of the Zilart]]” widened the scope of adventurer activity farther than ever before. In October, service began in North America. December 2003 saw the introduction of the level 75 cap. It was a very busy and event-filled year for Vana’diel.

{| width=1200px border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Lucky Sheep Roam Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | To celebrate the New Year, there were sheep named Fortune Ram, Bless Ewe, Merry Mary, Happy Baabaa and Lucky Lamb. In addition, two Mandragora named “Ake” and “Ome” appeared in each nation, including Jeuno.

[[Image:FirstNewYears.jpg]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Ake_ome.jpg|400px]]
Ake and Ome were two Mandragora NPCs with little oranges on their heads. They didn’t do anything special besides stand around in town, but adventurers just couldn’t get enough screenshots of the adorable pair.

Ake and Ome get their names from the phrase “Akemashite omedetou,” which is said to wish a Happy New Year.

The [[Monstrosity]] item [[Ake-Ome Spirit]] was derived from this event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Worlds Consolidate Into Kujata, Bismarck'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Ixion, Typhon and Kirin were shut down and the population added to Kujata and Bismarck.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] FFXI-TV Begins Broadcasting'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On “Channel BB” (channel 755) of Sky Perfect TV!, a program titled FFXI-TV begins broadcast. This program was aired 13 times in 30 minute segments. Square Enix sponsored this program. Vana'diel Wind (known today as Live Vana'diel) occasionally aired the program. The Japanese actress [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuko_Mizuno Yuko Mizuno] stared in the program. This program aired until August 31st, 2004.
| width=500px valign=top | No subtitles were added to the show. Each time, the player was given a task via a Moogle "Directive". Below is a list of the episodes.
{| border=0 width=100%
! width=15% | Episode
! Directive
! Area Focus
|-
| 1
| FFXIをインストールせよ!!
(Install FFXI!!)
| [[Chateau d'Oraguille]], [[Northern San d'Oria]] Cathedral
|-
| 2
| 初級クエストを攻略せよ!!
(Capture the beginner quest!!)
| [[Windurst]]
|-
| 3
| パーティープレイを会得せよ!!
(Acquire Party Play!!)
| [[Metalworks]]
|-
| 4
| パーティープレイ応用編!!
(Party Play applied version!!)
| [[West Ronfaure]], [[La Theine Plateau]]
|-
| 5
| サポートジョブをゲットせよ!!
(Get support jobs!!)
| [[La Theine Plateau]], [[Mhaura]], [[Selbina]]
|-
| 6
| チョコボ! そして新たなる大地!!
(Chocobo ! And a new world!)
| [[Jeuno]]
|-
| 7
| ジラートの幻影!!召喚魔法!
(Rise of the Zilart! Summoning magic!!)
| [[Kazham]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]]
|-
| 8
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話!!
(Rise of the Zilart development story!!)
| [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[The Boyahda Tree]]
|-
| 9
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話パート2 & 新エリア探訪!
(Rise of the Zilart development story 2 & New Area Exploration!)
| [[Cape Teriggan]], [[Quicksand Caves]]
|-
| 10
| ドラゴン退治！！ミッション「他国を回れ」
(Dragon ridicule!! Mission "[[Journey Abroad]]")
| [[Norg]]
|-
| 11
| Notorious Monsterを撃破せよ！！
(Defeat Notorious Monster!!)
| [[Ifrit's Cauldron]]
|-
| 12
| 闇の王を討て！召喚士になれ！！
(Deceive the King of Darkness! Be a summoner!!)
| [[Western Altepa Desert]], [[Rabao]]
|-
| 13
| 召喚士になれ！！
(Be a summoner ! !)
| [[To Catch a Falling Star]]
|}
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 8th annual AMD Awards prize winner!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI won the award "Digital Contents of the Year" during the 8th annual AMD awards.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Counter of the Crafting Bug'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As we knew it, there was a crafting bug in which a player could force an interruption on their craft. The result of this was that the crystal broke, did not generate any material losses, and the player still had a chance of skilling up. This was discovered and fixed in a few days.
| width=500px valign=top | Those who exploited this bug either had their skill rolled back or were perm banned. This caused the uproar from players, complaining that they run this game like an offline game. This news was also reported on TV in Japan.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Rise of the Zilart Release Date'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The release date for [[Rise of the Zilart]] was announced in January of 2003. Along with that, the announcement also included a temporary change to the update schedules: in which, updates would be every few months instead of monthly.
| width=500px valign=top | This was obviously well received by many players even after the official expansion launch. SE's reply to this for the next couple of years was that "We did not plan this kind of workload." and the like. Although it was planned as a temporary change, by the end of 2004 they decided to just make it their normal update speed for many years to come.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 5th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Search Comments Implemented'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[BCNM]] battlefields added.
**At the time of implementation, [[Star Orb]]s cost 50 seals, and [[Moon Orb]]s cost 99 seals.
*Search comments implemented.
*Text Commands Added: /echo
**Added to Chat: <st>, <lastst>, <stpc>, <stnpc>, <hp>, <mp>, <job>, <hpp>, <mpp>, <bt>, <scan>, <mjob>, <sjob>, <pet>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Red Mage]]
**Enfeebling magic skill raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Axe]] skill raised.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills removed (they never had Axes they could equip anyway).
*Magic Added: [[Regen]], [[Refresh]]
|}
*The ability to cycle through a history of chat targets using CTRL(Alt)+R was added.
*When entering chat text, players could now utilize the shortcut keys CTRL(Alt)+S, R, T, L or P.
*A Compact Keyboard mode was added.
*The Rank 3 Dragon fight received a level cap of 25, while the Rank 5 [[Fei'Yin]] battlefield received a level cap of 50.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] altered.
*Certain Notorious Monsters that pop after specified intervals of time were changed so as to not immediately appear after a world maintenance.
*Careful consideration had to be given to terrain in dungeons allowing players to avoid being attacked.
*Area of effect magic spells were given a vertical range limit of 4m in either direction. This was done to prevent the trick wherein adventurers could damage Serket in the basement of [[Garlaige Citadel]] from the upper floor.
*[[Serket]]s Earth Pounder also no longer hit innocent low level players on the top floor of [[Garlaige Citadel]].
*[[Sneak]] now wore off when opening a Treasure Chest or Treasure Coffer.
*Mimics added as a new trap for Thieves trying to open treasure boxes.
*Party leaders now had their name displayed in yellow in search results.
*Players could now form an alliance by selected a party leader from the search list (when in the same area).
*Auto-Party limited to finding players one level either above or below the user.
*Players could now cycle through macro pages with R2 and L2.
*Players could now change the names of their Friends when adding them to the Friend List.
*Using the /attack command now put the player into cycle target mode.
*When fishing, the O button would now cancel your cast.
*Events added to the Bastok Missions [[Fetichism]] and [[To the Forsaken Mines]].
*The level requirement for [[Atop the Highest Mountains]] lowered from level 55 to level 51.
*A dialog box was added to warp points inside Delkfutt Tower.
*Conquest rewards were altered so that Rank 1 nations received more benefits, and differences between Rank 2 and Rank 3 nations were added.
*Consumable items, such as [[Instant Reraise]] scrolls, made available for purchase with [[Conquest Points]].
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Level Cap?!'''

Because there were a lot of high levels at this time already, this was done to stop players from soloing the mission BCs.

'''NM Spawn Time'''

The NM Spawn time change was made due to uproar that it was unfair that only "Haijins" (in english, it would mean "No Life People") could log in immediately after a server maintenance. This was the only answer that SE had to "solve" the problem for more casual players.

'''The First BCNMs'''

Six BCNMs were initially added:
“[[Tails of Woe]]” “[[The Worm's Turn]]” “[[Steamed Sprouts]]” “[[Dismemberment Brigade]]” “[[Grimshell Shocktroopers]]” and “[[Divine Punishers]]”, although they were yet to be given these names.
Also, the battlefields were not yet called “BF” and were referred to as BC戦, an acronym of Burning Circle.

'''Enter Mimics'''

Up until now, the only trap awaiting Thieves who failed to pick a chest was a severe Weakness effect. Now, treasure boxes could turn into Mimic-type monsters. If one managed to defeat the Mimic, they would always receive a key. Sneak and Invisible wearing off also was to stop thieves from picking all day. With the latter two changes, the thief lock picking craze gradually went down.

'''Red Mages Head to [[Ranguemont Pass]]'''

Although the high-end spell [[Refresh]] was added to the game, how to obtain the scroll was still shrouded in mystery. A rumor originating on an Internet message board soon spread, which claimed that a Hecteyes-type monster in [[Ranguemont Pass]], namely [[Taisai]], dropped the scroll.

The truth, however, was that the scroll was a reward from a BCNM. The drop rate was approximately 1 in 8 runs, and the Auction House price of the spell was 1 million gil. This was unheard of back then.

Many [[Red Mage]]s believed the rumor and hunting of the NM was widespread. As a reference to this incident, the NM [[Taisaijin]] was given [[Refresh]] in its Treasure Pool when it was added later on.

'''Fish Botting'''

To counter fish botting, the system was changed so that when pressing the O button, the fishing would be cancelled. However, they forgot to implement this on the ENTER button or the right mouse click.

'''Combat and Magic Skillup Parties'''

After this update, the rate of which combat and magic skillups were gained was dramatically reduced. This caused jobs that have multiple 2 handed weapons to find it extra hard to keep everything capped. This change gave birth to "Skill up Parties" that were popular for quite awhile.

The combat and magic skill tweak was "Ninja'd" into the update and players who called GMs to report bugs had only received typical responses that "it wasn't changed".
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 8th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Tenshodo's Envoy'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On February 8th until February 14th, new NPCs appeared in the three nations selling [[Kukuru Bean]]s and [[Selbina Milk]]. At the same time, a recipe for [[Bubble Chocolate]] (HQ [[Heart Chocolate]]) was added. There was no official event for Valentine's day yet.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''February 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Lag!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Enormous lag problems happened in the month of February 2003, and it seemed that Playonline and something else clashed making servers unstable. People experienced serious glitches during their gameplay.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 13th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Seraph and Lakshmi Open'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Two new worlds were establish to alleviate the rising population. Players could transfer to the new worlds only from select existing worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Cherry Blossoms Appear'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Cherry blossom trees in full bloom appeared in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]], [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Metalworks]] and [[Windurst Waters]].
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:SpringBlossom_2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Two Companies Combine'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Formerly called Square and Enix respectively, Japan's two massive RPG makers combined and Square Enix was born. From here on, the change was reflected in Final Fantasy XI’s credits and the screenshot function.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] The Rise of the Zilart Preliminary Update'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap now became 65. The third Limit Break quest, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" was added.
**Causing amazement among players, the EXP table for lv61+ was changed to a much harsher climb compared with pre-60.
*[[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] were added as Advanced Jobs. Only [[Summoner]] could be attained without installing the expansion, but players without [[Rise of Zilart]] would be limited to [[Carbuncle]].
*An airship route between [[Jeuno]] and [[Kazham]] was opened.
*Rank 6 and 7 missions were implemented, along with actual Rank 7 and 8, for each nation.
*[[Nomad Moogle]]s were placed in foreign areas (you had to move your [[Mog House]] to utilize them).
*<pettp> was added.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Warrior]]
**[[Aggressor]] no longer boosted the accuracy of [[Ranged Attack]]s. The recast timer was also changed. Before the patch, it gave a 25% boost to accuracy (and -15% evasion). After, it was a solid 25.
**[[Defender]]s duration was set to 5 minutes, although it wasn't announced.
*[[Monk]]
**[[Chi Blast]] added.
**[[Kick Attacks]] job trait added.
**[[Martial Arts]] was also tweaked so that it would improve further beyond level 15.
**[[Guard]] skill and [[Staff]] skill were also raised.
*[[White Mage]]
**[[Enfeebling Magic]] skill raised.
*[[Black Mage]]
**All Ancient magic spells received the additional effect of lowering resistance to the element they oppose.
**[[Staff]] skill raised.
*[[Red Mage]]
**[[Convert]] added (this was a surprise and wasn't announced).
**[[Fast Cast]] was altered to always reduce spell cast time (prior to this, it would only kick in randomly).\
**[[Marksmanship]] skill removed, and [[Sword]] skill raised.
**[[Phalanx]] and [[Dispel]] were added. This greatly improved the job's usefulness.
*[[Thief]]
**[[AGI]] bonus cut from Trick Attack when used with [[Thief]] as a sub job. This was to protect the integrity of [[Thief]] as a main job.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Rampart]] added.
**[[Throwing]] skill removed.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Call Beast]] added (along with jug pets).
**[[Charm]] success rate lowered when subbing [[Beastmaster]].
**[[Scythe]] skill added.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Ballad]] no longer improved in accordance with a Bard's skill. Tier-I gave 1 MP a tic, and Tier-II gave 2 MP a tic.
**[[March]] songs were weakened.
**Duration of [[Soul Voice]] was shortened from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.
**Although not mentioned, [[Madrigal]] was changed from a percentage increase to a solid value.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Unlimited Shot]] added.
***Along with this, powerful new [[Conquest Points]] ammo were introduced. At this time, changing your ammo would reset your TP. This caused the whole ability to be worthless.
*Magic Added: [[Erase]], [[Phalanx]], [[Dispel]], [[Absorb-STR]], [[Absorb-DEX]], [[Absorb-VIT]], [[Absorb-AGI]], [[Absorb-INT]], [[Absorb-MND]], [[Absorb-CHR]], [[Cure V]], [[Protect IV]], [[Protectra IV]], [[Teleport-Yhoat]], [[Teleport-Altep]], [[Fire III]], [[Blizzard III]], [[Thundaga II]], [[Stonega III]], [[Waterga III]].
|}
*Caps on crafting skills raised to 80.
*Enemies had their magic and ranged attack skill levels increased.
*GA-type spells received an increase in power. Damage now decreased depending on the number of enemies with the area of effect. Also, the MP they consumed was reduced.
*The effect of [[Gravity]] now lowered Evasion by 5%.
*[[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] could no longer be recast on top of themselves.
*[[Enhancing Magic]] effects now wore off when switching jobs.
*The timer for a 2-hour ability would no longer reset upon changing jobs.
*Items would no longer be consumed if a player moved during activation.
*A bug was fixed where [[Regen]] would automatically cure [[Sleep]] status. Normally, [[Poison Potion]]s are needed to avoid [[Sleep]], but until now [[Auto-Regen]] made [[White Mage]]s invaluable allies against monsters with [[Sleep]] attacks.
*[[BCNM]] monsters and boss-level Beastmen could now see through [[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] magics. People could no longer leisurely take snapshots of rare, high-level Beastmen leaders.
**SE forgot to notify players of "True Sight/True Sound" mobs. This made LB3 very difficult, and panic arose among the player base thinking that Sneak and Invisible were broken.
*The window of time within which players could create a [[Skillchain]] was changed. It was announced that [[Weapon Skills]] would no longer chain after a level 3 Skillchain was made.
*Certain skillchain elements were changed. [[Freezebite]]→[[Sunburst]] and [[Freezebite]]→[[Starburst]], which used to make Gravitation, now made Compression.
*[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]] had their skillchain elements changed. [[Rampage]]→[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]]→[[Penta Thrust]] no longer made Skillchains.
*Switching out certain ranged weapons, or anything in the ammo slot, now reset TP.
*New sections were opened in [[Toraimarai Canal]], Delkfutt Tower, [[King Ranperre's Tomb]] and [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]].
*The monsters that would drop Chest and Coffer keys were changed in every dungeon. Beforehand, all monsters of a certain level range had the chance to randomly drop a key. Here, it was set to drop only from specific monsters.
*Orcs level 30 and up received an HP max boost. [[Davoi]] transformed from leveling heaven into a ghost town overnight.
*The service charge for listed goods on the [[Auction House]] was standardized.
*Players could only invite one person per single World Pass.
*Players who set a Search Comment would now have a green mark next to their name in the search results.
*The amount of time a disconnected character would remain in the game was extended from 30 seconds to 1 minute.
*Sets 9 and 10 added to the Macro function.
*A pet's HP bar would now be displayed when choosing a Pet Command.
*Regional Vendors disappeared from [[Jeuno]].
*The title screen was removed, and players could immediately select from a menu when logging in.
*“DATA FILE” was removed from the menu and replaced with “View Safe.” DATA FILE would allow one to browse the aforementioned '''Altana Encyclopedia'''. The text command /datafile was also removed.
*Duration of [[Food]] effects was changed. Stackable food now lasted 30 minutes, and non-stackable food lasted 1 hour.
*Clicking the left mouse button while fishing would now cancel your cast.
*Players could now register others to their blacklist even if they were not in the same area.
*EX and RARE items now had an extra confirmation box when players tried to discard them.
*All [[Dagger]] weapons were changed to inflict Piercing damage. Before, only some were piercing.

*'''Bugs Introduced''':
**Serious problems arose with inputting Japanese characters.
**Players could buy an infinite number of new area maps from vendors.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Game changers'''

*Along with the promised lv60 cap increase, various elements were added that will change the game completely. This started the trend of "If it's a buff, we announce it; if it's a nerf, we ninja it." as we know of right now.
*Food duration was changed from everything lasting one hour to "Stackable items last 30 minutes".
*Latent and Hidden Effect items were introduced at this time. Many players had no idea how to trigger them, and they were regarded as useless.
*Sneak was set to not be able to be overwritten, causing it to have to be dropped before recasting. This caused a higher sense of danger in dungeons.
*Several HNMs were added to the game, but rewards and titles were not properly implemented. This was not intentional, rather it was due to poor programming.
*Pre skill level 200, the equation was 1 skill = 1 accuracy. Post-200, this was suddenly changed to 1 skill = 0.2 accuracy. They did not take this into account with monster's evasion, so it was very hard to hit new high level monsters.
*Incredibly Tough monsters started at 12 levels above you. Monsters 18 levels above players needed to be killed to gain the maximum 200 experience points per kill. The developers did not think this through and were referred to as complete morons because "IT = Death". Fighting them became pointless unless a supreme party configuration was created. Many players started to chain Tough to Very Tough mobs dispite the amount of experience per kill being lowered. Tactics shifted from skillchain spamming to multi-hit weapon skill spamming.
*Not many people used level 3 skillchains, as level 65 was needed to use necessary weapon skills and [[Dancing Edge]] was incredibly strong.

'''Long Lines'''

A certain monster in [[Konschtat Highlands]] caused a huge influx of adventurers looking to acquire new jobs. There were so many challengers, that adventurers formed a long line and waited their turn.

At the same time, a battlefield required for the completion of the Dragoon acquisition quest had an Orcish hut looking like a popular ramen shop.

Competition for the [[Carbuncle's Ruby]] for the [[Summoner]] job quest also was severe, not to mention [[Kazham]] key mobs.

'''2-Hours On Demand'''

Before now, the timers for 2-hour abilities would be reset upon changing jobs. When doing multiple BCNMs, it was customary to repeatedly reset your 2-hours between BCNM attempts.

'''Be Careful With Those Items'''

Up till now, moving while activating an item would cause it to be consumed without effect. This caused particular concern with rare, difficult to acquire items like Warp and Teleport scrolls.

While this was fixed, for much longer players affected by [[Paralyze]] could lose their items without receiving their effects.

Also with this change they added a "delay" when using items. This caused many mecidines to become useless unlike other Final Fantasy games of the past.

'''New Sections in Dungeons'''

The newly opened areas inside these dungeons had previously been shut off. [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] in particular never had monsters before, but now received several NMs for adventurers to hunt.

'''Jeuno's Regional Vendors'''

In various places around Jeuno, there were vendors for each region. These NPCs were invaluable for crafters, until they were removed. Afterwards, Conquest determined where things could or could not be purchased. This gave birth to [[Regional Vendors]].

The new event [[The Green Festival]] reintroduced these vendors for a short period.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of the Zilart Goes on Sale'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The PS2 version and Windows version of the expansion were shipped to stores simultaneously. The price for the expansion only was 3,980 Yen (tax not included). The "FFXI Rise of Zilart All-in-One Pack 2003″ was also released at the price of 7,800 Yen (tax not included) either the PS2 version or the Windows version.

Overall, the expansion was well received. A few complaints included same model mobs in most areas, and lack of progression and improvement were part of the dislikes in the community. What was worse was the countless nerfs that were added in the patch post launch. The economies began to inflate with limited stocked items. Many players quit after discovering the large experience progression requirements post level 60 along with accuracy problems.

The first few thousand people who preordered the expansion were given a Tarutaru Summoner strap pictured below. The Tarutaru is wearing Summoner artifact armor.

[[Image:Zilart_preorder.jpg|250px]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_Japan_Collection1.JPG|400px]]
Two packages, the expansion-only version with a red colored left label (PS2 version pictured below) and All-In-One version (Windows version pictured above) were both available for PS2 and Windows PCs. An official Square Enix logo had yet to be designed, so SQUARESOFT still appeared on the cover. This was Square and Enix’s first collaborative title.

[[Image:FFXI ROTZ PS2.jpg]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Final Fantasy XI Completes 1 Year of Service'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of Zilart OST Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The price for the soundtrack was 2,100 Yen (tax included)
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:ROTZ OST.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Adventurer Appreciation Campaign'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | For a limited time, special moogles appeared in every region. Upon talking to them, one could learn their personal statistics, such as:
Chat Lines, NPC Chat times, Parties Joined, Alliances Joined, Battles Fought, Times K.O.d, Enemies Defeated and GM Calls made.
Highly ranked people on each world would be rewarded with a [[Chocobo Wand]]. Also, once an Earth day, adventurers could receive various presents ([[Little Comet]]s, [[Twinkle Shower]]s, [[Cracker]]s, etc).
| width=500px valign=top | The [[Chocobo Wand]] was awarded to highly-ranked people, and since no [[Chocobo Jack Coat]] existed, it was the only item to increase riding time. The wand was also coveted for having its own distinct graphic.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Expansion Areas Get Cheaper'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*An NPC was added to [[Norg]] that would change your [[Wyvern]] name.
*<pethpp> added to chat.
|}
*Different fees and taxes were lowered in many cases for expansion areas.
*The [[Airship]] abroad now cost 300 gil; Mog House transfer to [[Kazham]] cost 700 gil; transferring to [[Rabao]] cost 200 gil; [[Kazham]] bazaar tax was lowered from 15% to 10%; [[Rabao]] bazaar tax was lowered from 10% to 5%.
*The duration of [[Signet]] was changed to allow more time to players whose nation is ranked low in [[Conquest]].
*Equipping fishing poles or bait now reduced your TP to 0. [[Throwing]] weapons, like [[Boomerang]], also reduced TP to 0.
*[[Black Pepper]] was now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*Mid-level [[Great Katana]] were now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*[[Smoked Salmon]] was now sold at the Cooking Guild.
*The spell recast timer now read “Next” instead of “Last.”
*Three high priests of [[San d'Oria]] had their display names changed: Croisque→[[Chasalvige]], Vicasque→[[Halaviabeau]], Evesque→[[Olbergieut]].
*Dangruf Sulfur changed to [[Sulfur]].
*[[Ancient Goobbue]], [[Voluptuous Vivian]], [[Cemetery Cherry]] and [[Adamantoise]] now dropped gil.
*[[Summoner]]-type monsters could now summon Avatars other than [[Carbuncle]].
*Golem Shards, which dropped from Doll-type monsters were renamed Doll Shards. Golem-type monsters now dropped Golem shards (they were called Crystal Giants at the time).
*A pet’s name and HP bar would now be displayed above the chat log.
*Players could now /check a charmed pet.
*The shortcut key CTRL(Alt)+B now opened the Pet Command menu.
*Guild shop and [[Auction House]] menus would now display equipment/magic names in different colors depending on if they were owned/equipped/learned. Also stackables were changed from yellow to pink.
*Linkshell lists now displayed colors and search comment marks like in search results.
*Merchant NPCs added to [[Norg]].
*The Wyvern attack “Plasma Breath” was renamed “[[Radiant Breath]]”
'''Bugs Introduced'''
*Sneak was once again able to be cast on top of the old effect, but a couple days later removed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Back then, you had to transfer your [[Mog House]] to use the [[Nomad Moogle]], and thus, pay a fee. Add in bazaar taxes and [[Auction House]] fees, and expansion areas started feeling like high-class resorts.

After July 17th, the [[Mog House]] transfer fee and bazaar taxes were done away with, and the [[Auction House]] listing costs were lowered as well. After these changes, [[Kazham]] became a much more popular place in which to level.

'''Walking Worms'''

After the patch landed, a glitch occured where worms began to move around like other monsters instead of burrowing under the ground.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Suggestion Forum Drama'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | '''Latent MP'''
At this time because of Zilart's horrible launch patch, the healer shortage became more apparent. SE suggested that in order to fix this problem, they would have it so when melee jobs sub a mage, they would get more MP. Because this is obviously ignoring the core of why there is a healer shortage, players responded with dismay, at the end, this idea was scratched.
| width=500px valign=top | Later during an interview, the dev team stated that "users have misunderstood their words", that their plan was to increase the number of backline jobs instead. After that, they buffed WHM up, gave them [[Hexa Strike]], [[Divine Breastplate]] and various buffs, obviously in an attempt to draw people to WHM. This shifted the problem of shortage of WHM to the shortage of RDM and BRD.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 10th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Midgardsormr Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players could transfer from any of the 20 initial worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI Entry Disc for PS2 and Windows'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Accompanying the release of Rise of Zilart, the basic game was now sold as an "Entry Disc" and the price lowered to 4,800 Yen (tax not included).
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_PS2_JP_ENTRY.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The world was named Cactuar.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level 70 Unleashed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 70. The fourth Limit Break quest, "[[Riding on the Clouds]]" was added.
**This surprised players with how easy it was compared to leveling and previous Genkai quests.
*A new region, [[Tu'Lia]], was unlocked.
*[[Artifact Armor]] for [[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] added.
*New guards, [[Auction House]] and Delivery NPCs were added to each level of [[Jeuno]]. Bazaar tax was changed to 10%.
**More specifically, this is why there is now an [[Auction House]] in both [[Upper Jeuno]] and [[Port Jeuno]] who are only NPCs.
*New HNMs were added (such as [[King Behemoth]]).
*Commands Added: /lsmes
*Chat Commands Added: <ncall>, <scall>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Bard]]
**Light-based enemies could now resist [[Magic Finale]].
**[[Prelude]] became single target.
*[[Summoner]]
**Healing [[Blood Pact]]s had their MP costs reduced and their effectiveness greatly increased.
**MP required to summon Avatars was also reduced.
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was boosted and the cast time of Elemental Spirits was shortened.
*[[Ninja]]
**Ni-level [[Ninjutsu]] cast time was shortened dramatically from 8 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
*[[Monk]]
**The recast time for [[Chakra]] was shortened from 15 minutes to 5 minutes.
*Magic Added: [[Shell IV]], [[Shellra IV]], [[Regen II]], [[Regen III]], [[Raise III]], [[Thunder III]], [[Stone IV]], [[Water IV]], [[Aeroga III]], [[Firaga III]], [[Knight's Minne IV]], [[Bewitching Etude]], [[Valor Minuet IV]], [[Logical Etude]], [[Sage Etude]], [[Foe Requiem VI]], [[Swift Etude]], [[Puppet's Operetta]], [[Vital Etude]].
|}
*Chocobo rentals established in [[Kazham]], [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]]. [[Rabao]] and [[Kazham]] also received Chocobo shops. Players could now ride Chocobos through [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]], [[Yhoator Jungle]] and [[Eastern Altepa Desert]].
*[[Goblin Digger]]s began appearing in expansion areas.
*The airship for [[Kazham]] was lowered from 300 gil to 200 gil. [[Nomad Moogle]] transfer fees were eliminated, as well as bazaar taxes. [[Auction House]] charges were now calculated in the same way as the three nations.
*[[Tonberry]], [[Sahagin]] and [[Antica]] now dropped gil and Beastman Coins.
*The prices for [[Protect IV]] and [[Protectra IV]] in [[Rabao]] were lowered.
*[[Norg Shell]]s were no longer EX.
*Multiple people could now enter the gate in [[Sea Serpent Grotto]] that required a [[Sahagin Key]]. Initially, only the keyholder could enter after using it.
*Crafting skills raised to a maximum of 90.
*Cure spells adjusted so that MP cost and cast time changed according to the user’s [[Healing Magic]] skill. The enmity generated by [[Cure V]] was made a set value.
**The much demanded "make healing magic have more relation to our curing power" was still not properly addressed.
*Healing Magic skill no longer needed to be used on Undead to get a skillup.
*Recast time for [[Erase]] shortened.
*[[Stoneskin]] now absorbed more damage based on the user’s MND and Enhancing Magic skill.
*Cast time for Bar-spells shortened and MP cost lowered. Their effects now improved along with Enhancing Skill.
*The price of Regen sold in Mhaura was lowered, and [[Regen II]] was put up for sale. [[Regen II]] was now a White Mage exclusive spell.
*MP costs for tier-III and tier-IV Elemental Magic reduced.
*Dark-based enemies could now resist Dispel easier.
*The effect of Gravity could now last between 30~120 seconds.
*The duration of Poison spells, as well as the damage caused by Poison II and Poisonga II, were now based on Enfeebling Magic skill.
*[[Experience Points]] would now carry over into the next level upon a Level Up.
*A cap was set on the amount of [[Experience Points]] lost when K.O.d.
*[[Kindred's Seal]]s added.
*The maximum occupancy of each level of [[Jeuno]] was raised.
*A Mithra child’s shop was added to [[Ru'Lude Gardens]].
*The time it takes for Chocobo rental prices to decrease was shortened by 25% (this made it tougher for prices to get too high).
*Players were no longer disbanded from a party after entering their [[Mog House]].
*Messages now appeared in the chat log when using the Delivery System for sending/receiving items.
*Door names now appeared green in the target box.
*Players could now be added to one’s party across a Region.
*Search results for an Area or Region were now limited to 100 results. World-wide results were expanded to 40 results.
*Players could now set a Linkshell welcome message.
*The color of messages produced with /echo was changed.
*In crafting guilds, basic image support was made free, while advanced support was extended to last 4 times as long.
*Players could no longer repeatedly purchase items from a guild.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered.
*Conquest points were no longer lost when switching national allegiance.
*Elemental spirits would now cast magic even outside of battle.
*Beastmaster-type Goblins occupying [[Batallia Downs]], [[Eastern Altepa Desert]] and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] were repositioned. They now re-summoned pets after 60 seconds instead of 30 seconds.
*Beastman Seal Orbs had their prices changed. [[Moon Orb]] 99→60, [[Star Orb]] 50→40. New Orbs were also added: [[Comet Orb]] for 50 seals, [[Lachesis Orb]] and [[Atropos Orb]]s for 30 seals.
*Defeated monsters were now displayed as grey on the compass.
*Cut scenes could now be replayed at certain NPCs.
*Players could now buy level 1 [[RSE]] clothing from vendors.
*Macros and Map Markers were now saved as files in PlayOnline.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Ninja Tank is Born'''

With Ni-level Ninjutsu shortened to a 1.5 second recast timer, Ninja could now use both tiers of [[Utsusemi]] to tank effectively. Prior to this, both tiers had the same casting times, if not Ni being slower. The supply of Ninja tools wasn't yet large enough to make this technique especially common, but it gradually became the norm. Before this, Ninja was looked at the same as Summoner: "a job with no purpose at all".

'''Experience Point Changes'''

Although publicly saying they had no plans to bring an ease to the level 61+ leveling, they ninja fixed the issue with a few little changes:
*In order to counter the high demand of experience per level at 61+, players were forced to target harder monsters which increased the demand for RDM/BRD.
*Players learned that [[Great Axe]s weapon skill [[Shield Break]] reduced ice-weak enemies evasion tremendously. This caused Warrior to be the most demanded melee at the time.
*Level capped zones became popular leveling spots due to the 2400 EXP loss per death. This penalty was based on the level you were capped at, saving a lot of experience loss.
*Changes to monster placement as well as level range in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Cape Teriggan]], and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] decreased camp choices and in turn made leveling harder.
*With the addition to Escort quests, this is the first time players were able to earn experience points instead of level grinding. Before the discovery of the once-per-week limitation, some had hopes of possibly skipping exp parties all together just by completing the quest.

'''Mog House Disband?'''

Up until now, players were automatically disbanded from their party upon entering their [[Mog House]]. Even just going to change your sub job meant you had to re-join the party afterwards. This was corrected to match [[Nomad Moogle]]s, which were preferred for not causing this issue.

'''Pet Hunting'''

[[Beastmaster]] pets were popular prey due to the high experience they gave relative to their strength. These [[Beastmaster]] were often placed near zone lines, which made them all the more popular for parties to hunt.

However, once their spawn locations were changed, and pet recast was lengthened to 60 seconds, it became too difficult to keep up experience chains, and parties found other prey to hunt.

'''New BCNMs'''

This update saw the addition of five new battlefields:

“[[Hostile Herbivores]]” “[[3, 2, 1...]]” “[[Treasure and Tribulations]]” “[[Infernal Swarm]]” and “[[E-vase-ive Action]]” However, the battlefields had yet to have these names attached.

“[[Come Into My Parlor]]” was set to be added this day, but was delayed until the 22nd.

*Crafting Mats: Some crafting materials were regarded as beyond reach to casual players (such as [[Damascene Cloth]]). Items such as these were added to these BCNMs.

'''Weapon Skills Where?!'''

New weapon skills were not immediately available. The developers stated that they used all of their resources on existing weapon skill graphic effects. Mages were complaining how melee get new weapon skills for free while mages had to work for them every time. This was the birth of [[WSNM]]s

'''Rare HNMs'''

Rare HNMs (like [[Nidhogg]]) were implemented. The spawn time was 60~72 hours. Before this, players occasionally took breaks from camping them. Due to the rarity and desirability of the gear that drops from them, players now continuously camped.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Fireworks Available for a Limited Time'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From July 18th until July 27th, fireworks could be purchased in [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Port Bastok]], [[Windurst Waters]] and [[Rabao]].
| width=500px valign=top | Four types of fireworks were available so users could celebrate summer festivals. The three nations and Rabao sold [[Airborne]], [[Konron Hassen]], [[Kongou Inaho]] and [[Meifu Goma]]. The [[Airborne]] and [[Konron Hassen]] were especially popular as they shot up into the sky. There were still no crafting recipes for these fireworks, and they could only be acquired through purchase.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 22nd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Clotho Orb Added'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The previously delayed [[Clotho Orb]] could now be obtained and its corresponding [[BCNM]] [[Come Into My Parlor]] was added.

|}
*A bug where [[Elvaan]] would have less MP than intended above level 61 was fixed.
*The reward for the Windurst quest [[Catch It If You Can!]] was changed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Bon-Odori II'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Users again held a Bon-Odori event, but this time there was an official moogle to announce the event, as well as the old [[Yughott Grotto]] BGM from the beta test as music.
Actual Bon-Odori event was done by volunteers on each servers.
For example,on [[Quetzalcoatl]] server,A [[Linkshell]] volunteered and planned whole event.There were two venues,North Gustaberg and [[West Sarutabaruta]] .Players gathered and danced,but on [[West Sarutabaruta]] venue,there was one compliant from other player who was trying to go to [[Balga’s Dais]] but unable to enter [[Giddeus]] due to heavy lag on [[West Sarutabaruta]].One of the Staffs got a tell from his mule,So they asked to stop moving for all attendees until his main character could pass [[West Sarutabaruta]].Planning and how it was done might be different on other servers.

| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Terms of Service Change'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players were now forbidden to use any outside programs or tools while playing.
| width=500px valign=top | Around this time rumors surfaced of GMs unjustly banning players; although officially they announced them as rule breaking. As the GM's reputation was bad to begin with, this event further dented their player's trust.

Before this announcement, there was no action taken against the cheaters. Although, after this change of rules they tried several ways to stop fishbotting. The damage of untrustworthy GMs was already too deep to be undone.

Despite this announcement, the rate of fish bot bans were very minimal and were still found everywhere. Turbo controllers proved difficult to determine by SE if they were bots.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This was an event where a giant creature appeared in the areas surrounded each of the three nations. Even without Calling for Help, multiple parties and alliances could take part. If a player was defeated by the monster, they would not lose any experience.

Due to an glitch, the event was temporarily canceled.
| width=500px valign=top | The event consisted of fighting Doomed-type monsters that roamed the areas outside of home nations. A large amount of adventurers took part in massive battles. This event was made very unpopular as too many people rushed in, and the atmosphere feelt like Lower Jeuno AH at the time. Later, players rumored that this was just in preparation for the Treant + OP warp event, an experimental event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Developer’s Blog Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The beta test now finished, Final Fantasy XI players could begin using this service.
| width=500px valign=top | This service lasted until December 27th, 2005.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges! Redux'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The event that had been canceled back on the 16th was now reborn as a 2-day event, spanning August 30th and 31st.

Touching the Beastman Banner in [[East Ronfaure]], [[North Gustaberg]] or [[West Sarutabaruta]] would cap you at level 30 and allow you to fight the Gigantoad. Defeating the three monsters would display a congratulatory System Message.

The reward was temporary [[Outpost Teleportation]] service (08/31 through 09/14) in [[San d'Oria]], [[Bastok]] and [[Windurst]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=WhiteShadow2>Vana’diel’s White Shadow Returns</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This event was held for 7 hours, from 10pm September 12th to 5am September 13th. Players could receive a [[Moon Carrot]] from a Moogle, and trade said carrots to speedy little rabbits in various areas.

The rabbits were even faster than last year, but the prize was upgraded as well to [[Thoth's Wand]].
| width=500px valign=top | This event was only held in 2002 and 2003, and did not return after that. All of the glitches from the previous event remained, and it all did not go over well with players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Official Benchmark 2 Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The setting for this version was the [[Yuhtunga Jungle]] / [[Yhoator Jungle]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Future Plans'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | SE announced their upcoming plans for the game; from [[Ballista]], [[Dynamis]], further level cap increase, and the release of NA version.
| width=500px valign=top | At this time, they announced that the NA version would share server with the Japanese, which lead to many players worrying, but SE only replied with "We are treating this as an experiment.".

The Development team announced "From now on, the version update will come every few months."(Remember that they said they would update every 1 month, and then changed to 3 months, and now "few months".). They seemed to be using localization for the NA version as an excuse for further slowing down their updates. This did not help the animosity view of Japanese players towards English players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 7th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Fairy World Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | A new world was established for the increasing population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Ends'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | There was a special event on the final day, where Moogles were placed at [[Home Point]]s. Upon speaking with them, you could be teleported to NMs like [[Serket]] or [[King Behemoth]] and fight with them. GMs also joined the fray.
| width=500px |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Nation Rank Missions and Zilart Completed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Rank Missions for rank 8 and 9 added, along with actual rank 9 and 10 to the three nations, completing their story lines.
*The conclusion to [[Rise of Zilart]] was added.
**The Zilart last boss could be unintentionally silenced, which was fixed in an emergency maintenance a couple days later.
*Players could now enter the [[The Shrine of Ru'Avitau]] and [[The Celestial Nexus]].
*Lucky Roll games implemented in [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]].
*Fortune-tellers that predict adventurer affinity were added to the three nations.
*[[BCNM]]s added to [[Sacrificial Chamber]], [[Cloister of Tides]] and [[Chamber of Oracles]] using the [[Moon Orb]].
*Chat Commands Added: <call4> – <call21>
*Text Commands Added: /sit
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Magic Added: [[Sleepga]], [[Sleepga II]]
|}
*[[Avatar]] quests were now limited to once a day.
*The third [[Mog House]] expansion quest was added, with the final available space being 80.
*A shortcut to the 10th floor was added to the West side of [[Lower Delkfutt's Tower]] that could be opened with a [[Delkfutt Key]].
*[[BCNM]] clear times were now displayed.
*[[Magic Burst]] bonuses were increased.
*The effect of [[Clear Mind]] was strengthened.
*[[Summoner]] – Received [[Clear Mind]] trait.
*MP cost and strength of [[Banish]] adjusted. In addition, [[Banish]] now weakened the special defenses of [[Undead]] monsters.
*[[Stoneskin]] could no longer overwrite itself.
*[[Drain]] and [[Aspir]] were adjusted to absorb more based on [[Magic Burst]]s, day and weather.
*TP was no longer reset when changed one's ammo slot. Ranger became popular with [[Unlimited Shot]] and their special ammo.
*A number of monsters were rearranged in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Ifrit's Cauldron]], [[Cape Teriggan]] and [[Valley of Sorrows]].
*New Notorious Monsters were added to dungeons in Zilart areas.
*A number of repop timers for existing NMs was changed greatly (Monsters that popped every 60-72 Earth hours now popped every 24 hours).
**This included [[Fafnir]], [[Behemoth]], [[Adamantoise]] and the like. Their rare versions remained a lottery spawn every of 3~7 days, and stayed that way for years.
*[[King Behemoth]]s area of effect attacks could now strike any player within range.
*The items available in the Mithra child's shop in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]] would now change, and increases or decreases according to sales.
*The items obtainable through [[Chocobo Digging]] now varied based on weather, moon phase, day and time. Elemental ore was now obtainable, although extremely rare.
**This is when Digging became very popular as a gil earning method. Chocobo skill was initially viewable in the skill window.
*New items could now be grown through gardening.
*The prices of the shop on the ferry were stabilized.
*A sound now played when receiving a message or mail.
*Motions now accompanied [[HELM]] activities.
*More items were available from [[HELM]].
*Search comments were now divided into 4 different categories.
*When locked on a target, players could no longer switch targets with cursor keys, the mouse or function keys.
*The TAB key or START button would now activate the Auto-Translator, causing the word to appear blue in your input box.
*System message would now announce whether or not players could apply to transfer servers.
*A single World Pass could now be used to invite up to 5 people.
*A bug occurred wherein [[Bard]]s using [[March]] songs with '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +1''' or '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +2''' equipped would receive a massive boost in effectiveness. This was corrected in the October 28th emergency maintenance. These horns have since been removed.
*Synthesis Results were now displayed to others, and a chat filter was added.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Titan Marathon Ends'''

Around this time, players were repeatedly undertake the Titan acquisition quest in order to earn gil. Now, they were unable to do so until midnight Earth time. With [[Teleport-Altep]] and [[Escape]] for [[Korroloka Tunnel]], players used to easily complete 4 runs in an hour.

'''Cloister of Tides BCNM'''

At this time three BCs were added to the game. Although they had yet to receive their official names, the battlefields were:

“[[Jungle Boogeymen]]” “[[Amphibian Assault]]” and “[[Legion XI Comitatensis]]”

Out of these, “[[Amphibian Assault]]” was added to the [[Cloister of Tides]]. Ultimately, it was decided that the special Avatar battle arena should be unique to the Summoner quests, and the four Sahagin were moved to the [[Sacrificial Chamber]] on June 29th, 2004.

''' Othinus' Bow Popular Among Marksmen'''

New Ex/Rare drops were added to NMs around this time, and they proved to be an immediate hit. One especially, the [[Othinus' Bow]], was so coveted it practically made [[Archery]] obsolete. [[Acid Bolt]]s and [[Sleep Bolt]]s were also added in this update, further improving Marksmanship.

According the Japanese sites, the [[March]] glitch was said to have given players an unimaginable speed boost. Two-handed weapon users could swing like one-handers, dagger users were as fast as [[Hundred Fists]], and [[Monk]] could hold hate comfortably without [[Provoke]].

'''-Ga spells'''

Ga spells were already unpopular due to their MP demand, but now they scaled in accordance to the number of targets hit by the spell. With the improvement of Magic Burst bonuses, despite the high cost, -ga spells became popular as a single target nuke. However, monster -ga spells were not affected by the number of players hit.

'''EX tag items'''

This update implemented a large number of EX items. The dev team reasoning was that "People won't have to camp it again if they already have it", as well as preventing a monopoly situation to sell items. In reality, players found the actual effect is "Even if you don't want to, you have to camp it". In many cases these EX items did not do what the dev team expected it to. On top of this, high priced items still dropped from NMs such as [[Shining Cloth]] from [[King Behemoth]] and [[Damascene Cloth]] from [[Aquarius]]. Players still camped these NMs for profitable gil drops even though they already had the equipment.

As part of the EX craze, the dev team was sure to announce that many NMs could be killed by leveling parties who happen to be killing placeholders. Knowing that Ninja was an unexpected tank, the dev team's idea of balance was very questionable.

'''Development Team running out of ideas?!'''

With the [[Lucky Roll]] and fortune teller features added, this was SE's answer to player's demand for "New Entertainment". The community's view that the development team was simply running out of ideas was largely increased after these were implemented. The question "What the f*** were the developers thinking?" remained a popular meme for years to come.

'''Come Hither!'''

This patch is when the Mithra's "inviting" sit pose (pictured below) was added. This pose had a lot of controversy, so it was changed later to be more feminine and conservative.

[[Image:Mithra_Old_Sit.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 28th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] North American Windows Version Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The North American version of Final Fantasy XI went on sale on October 28th, 2003 for $49.99. When service in North America began for Final Fantasy XI, a large amount of foreign players immediately flooded the game. English chat flowed through towns, and Conquest results were upset by low level activity (there were dead people everywhere). Japanese players avoided home nations due to /shout spam.

Although before the release, some supported the idea of cross server in the name of international gaming. After the release, with the "PL plaz" "Gil plez" "Item pelaz" begging, sexual harassment comments, and the random party replacement(People leaving after 1 kill, leader leaving party after level, tossing leader to a random member without asking, etc, the negative complaints begun.

At the same time, the auto translator feature was added. With the tell spam of "Help Me out!" "cap" "coffer" "thank you", many Japanese players put up the "JP Only" comment. On a side note, "cap" in translator translates to the cap as in baseball cap to the Japanese, just like how "Break" is translated to relaxing to the Japanese.

These all lead to the increasing demand(still active now) of separating servers, mostly from the Japanese players. However, the CEO announced that "Cross nation and Translator are very well done, and we received a lot of praises", even though no one understand where they get those idea from.
| width=500px valign=top | [[File:FFXI Windows NA.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 7th CESA GAME AWARDS Winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI took the award for being the first PS2 MMORPG, connecting PS2 and Windows on the same servers, and for user satisfaction with [[Rise of the Zilart]] updates.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 31st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=Halloween>Trick or Treat!</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From October 31st to November 3rd, players could transform in monsters by trading fruits and sweets to certain NPCs. Prizes included [[Jack-o'-Lantern]], [[Trick Staff]], [[Treat Staff]], [[Pumpkin Head]] and [[Horror Head]]. [[Goblin Chocolate]] was also available for purchase.
| width=500px valign=top | The equipment available during this event was cute and very different, so it immediately became quite popular. Towns were filled with adventurers in puffy hats with bat staves on their back. You could also see people everywhere bopping monsters on the head, testing out the [[Treat Staff]] latent effect of [[Warp]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Treat Staff Effect Changed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Originally, the [[Treat Staff]] would have a much higher rate of activating [[Warp]] during the Halloween event. This was changed so that it would not activate at all outside the time of the event.

This change caused many players to complain, and was very unpopular.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 11th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Conquest Adjustments'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Players under level 5 no longer had an effect on Campaign results when K.O.d.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Many people would group suicide to force regions to become beastmen controlled (Kolshushu was beastmen controlled for almost a year before this change). Even with this change, many regions continued to be beastmen controlled (Qufim, Elshimo, Aragoneu, etc)

Regional merchants became very rare, affecting prices of items such as [[Yagudo Drink]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] Concept Art'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The official site was massively updated with Concept Art (for a set fee) and a Creator’s Voice blog. The Concept Art was found inside the Developer’s Room.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=3 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Plus Beta Testing Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | Beta testing began for services that included a special e-mail address (CHARACTER@WORLD.ffxi.pol.com), mail forwarding and other features.
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | [[File:POL Plus.gif|link=]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] First Annual Spike TV Video Game Awards “Best Online Game” winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 9th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Asura Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This world was established due to the rising population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] "REAL VANA’DIEL" Net Cafe Opens in Akihabara'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Melco Online Entertainment opened a net cafe for the enjoyment of FFXI in Akihabara. There was a [[Mog House]] resting area (smoking allowed), and staff members dressed up as FFXI characters. Satire jokes arose, such as "I am a Dark Knight. Should I AFK IRL too?"

All computers at the time gauged “Incredibly Tough” against the game’s requirements. See the pictures to the right for a glimpse inside this store and the layout.

See [http://web.archive.org/web/20080220132325/http://www.watch.impress.co.jp:80/game/docs/20031107/realv.htm This Link] for an article regarding the store.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Realv03.gif]]
[[Image:Realv01.gif]]
[[Image:Realv02.gif]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level Cap 75'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 75. The final Limit Break quest, "[[Shattering Stars]]" was added.
*[[Dynamis]] was originally planned to be released in this update, but it was delayed.
*New [[Weapon Skills]] attainable through quests ([[WSNM]]) were implemented.
*New NMs were added (4 gods in [[Tu'Lia]], [[Nidhogg]], and more).
**[[Abjuration]]s and [[Cursed Items]] were introduced.
*The [[Storage]] system was implemented.
**This answered demands to make furnishings useful, but then started the demand to make storage accessible without making the extremely long trip back to a player's home nation.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Black Mage]]
**[[Black Mage]]s could no longer be interrupted by receiving damage while under the effect of [[Manafont]]. [[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Samurai]]
**Using [[Meikyo Shisui]] now gave a player 300 TP.
*[[Summoner]]
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was extended to 3 minutes. In addition, [[Avatar Perpetuation]] was reduced to 0 while under its effect.
*[[Dark Knight]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Scythe]] skill raised.
*[[Summoner]]
**[[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Staff]] skill added.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Axe]] skill added.
*Magic Added: [[Flash]], [[Curaga IV]], [[Reraise III]], [[Stun]], [[Blizzaga III]], [[Aero IV]], [[Fire IV]], [[Thundaga III]], [[Blizzard IV]], [[Thunder IV]], [[Archer's Prelude]], [[Goddess' Hymnus]], [[Uncanny Etude]], [[Warding Round]], [[Chocobo Mazurka]], [[Herculean Etude]], [[Maiden's Virelai]], [[Earth Spirit]].
|}
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered, and new areas were added.
*The ??? marks involved in Limit Break quest 3, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" were repositioned, making it easier to complete the quest.
*The [[Moongate pass]] was added. [[Ro'Maeve]] became a popular leveling spot.
*The Great Axe WS [[Shield Break]] no longer depended on the enemy’s strength, but now lowered [[Evasion]] by a set value.
*High-level physical accuracy was raised (post skill level 200). This allowed players to hit mobs without [[Madrigal]].
*A number of high-level monsters had their experience point bonus for parties increased.
*Changing jobs now cleared [[Song]] effects.
*The execution of [[Sneak Attack]] was changed so that players must stand directly behind the monster. "'''Yokodama'''" could no longer be performed.
*Resist traits, Bar-spells and songs now provided much more defense against strong enemies. In addition, a message now displayed in the chat log when resisting an effect.
**These effects were still not very useful against Incredibly Tough monsters.
*The effects of Killer traits and Circle effects were changed from a Slow effect to an Intimidate effect. In addition, Circle abilities now lasted 1 minute and had a recast time of 10 minutes.
*High level [[Weapon Skills]] (such as [[Dragon Kick]] and [[Shark Bite]]) were strengthened.
*The skillchain properties of [[Tachi: Koki]] were changed.
*Level 50-70 monsters in various areas were rearranged.
*Orcs’ HP was once again adjusted.
*The movement speed of [[Behemoth]] and [[King Behemoth]] was raised.
*Knockback was added to a number of monsters’ special abilities.
*When entering a [[BCNM]], the time limit, fastest record, and record holder’s name were now displayed.
*Crafting skills were raised to level 100.
*Rank 9 Conquest items were introduced. The cost of [[Warp]] and [[Reraise]] scroll was cut in half.
*The repop time of treasure boxes was changed. They would also pop much faster if disappearing after a [[Thief]] failed to pick them.
*The [[Mithra]] who could bundle arrows now joined the traveling performers.
*[[Tree Cuttings]] could now be grown into [[Tree Saplings]], which subsequently could be used to produce Elemental Ores and ultimately Staves.
*New [[Auction House]] categories were created for [[Ammo]], [[:Category:Others|Others]], [[:Category:Materials|Materials]] and [[:Category:Misc.|Misc.]]
*Elemental Staves were given unique models.
*Players Level 15-19 could now ride Chocobo from the starting three nations. However, their riding time was limited to 15 minutes.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''No One Can Help You Now'''

The final Limit Break quest had players squaring off against [[Maat]] alone. Until now, quests could easily be completed with parties, but this time people had to face the challenge alone, leaving many unable to overcome it. [[Red Mage]]s especially had a rough time, eventually leading to some adjustments to the difficulty. This quest was very unpopular, and some jobs had it much harder than others.

'''No More Yokodama'''

Yokodama was the practice of Sneak and Trick Attacking from the side of a monster.

(“Yoko” means side, and “dama” is the first two syllables of Damashiuchi, or [[Trick Attack]]).

On this day, it was decided that [[Trick Attack]] would only function properly if one stood directly behind the enemy. The Yokodama was no more.

Square said in an interview the month prior that "Yokodama wasn't planned, and it was making the game too easy. We may consider fixing it." Many players supported this and found it to be making fighting too easy. For some mysterious reason, players then started then complaining about the lack of Yokodama after the patch. The spells [[Flash]] and [[Stun]] were born to alleviate hate control issues.

'''Tu'Lia Notorious Monsters'''

New NMs were added to sky, namely [[Kirin]], [[Byakko]], [[Suzaku]], [[Seiryu]] and [[Genbu]]. At the time, they looked just like any other monsters; even though Byakko means “white tiger,” the model was black. Eventually, these enemies were altered to look unique.

With the sky NM system now implemented, Sky Linkshells were born.

'''WSNMs'''

The majority of the WSNMs had bad performance, so the effort needed to obtain them was not well received.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Holy Night in Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Christmas decorations were put up in all three nations. Players could talk to Moogles once a Vana’diel day to receive [[Popstar]], [[Brilliant Snow]], [[Sparkling Hand]] or [[Air Rider]].

This was the start of the yearly Christmas [[Starlight Celebration]] in Vana’diel.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Starlight2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Rampaging Presents'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | In various areas, a monsters called [[Twinkling Treant]] (a tree decorated on December 16th) appeared. Talking to nearby Moogles would impose a level cap and allow one to fight the monster.

It was announced that defeating the trees would grant the world [[Outpost Teleportation]] service. All servers succeeded in attaining this prize.

'''Destroy the Christmas Tree?!'''
At first, no matter how much you hit the tree, the HP wouldn't decrease. This was a prime weapon/magic skill up opportunity. To prevent this, SE lowered the HP in the middle of the event. This also caused SE to issue a server message saying that if the NM was not killed, that world would not receive OP Warps. Some worlds were able to dispose of the tree quickly, while others just couldn’t manage to take it down. A System Message announced that the event would not end until all servers had one. The ordeal was finally over after Midgardsormr was the last to claim victory.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Twinkling Treant 2003.jpg|450px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 29th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Outpost Teleport Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As a reward for success in the Christmas event, all worlds were bestowed with [[Outpost Teleportation]] Service following a maintenance.
| width=500px valign=top |
|}

{{Template:History_Nav}}

The History of Final Fantasy XI/2003

2017-11-10T18:15:28Z

Aish: typo

{{Template:History_Nav}}

==<span id=2003>2003 - Rise of the Zilart Era</span>==
From April of 2003, the first expansion disc, “[[Rise of the Zilart]]” widened the scope of adventurer activity farther than ever before. In October, service began in North America. December 2003 saw the introduction of the level 75 cap. It was a very busy and event-filled year for Vana’diel.

{| width=1200px border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Lucky Sheep Roam Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | To celebrate the New Year, there were sheep named Fortune Ram, Bless Ewe, Merry Mary, Happy Baabaa and Lucky Lamb. In addition, two Mandragora named “Ake” and “Ome” appeared in each nation, including Jeuno.

[[Image:FirstNewYears.jpg]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Ake_ome.jpg|400px]]
Ake and Ome were two Mandragora NPCs with little oranges on their heads. They didn’t do anything special besides stand around in town, but adventurers just couldn’t get enough screenshots of the adorable pair.

Ake and Ome get their names from the phrase “Akemashite omedetou,” which is said to wish a Happy New Year.

The [[Monstrosity]] item [[Ake-Ome Spirit]] was derived from this event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Worlds Consolidate Into Kujata, Bismarck'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Ixion, Typhon and Kirin were shut down and the population added to Kujata and Bismarck.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] FFXI-TV Begins Broadcasting'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On “Channel BB” (channel 755) of Sky Perfect TV!, a program titled FFXI-TV begins broadcast. This program was aired 13 times in 30 minute segments. Square Enix sponsored this program. Vana'diel Wind (known today as Live Vana'diel) occasionally aired the program. The Japanese actress [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuko_Mizuno Yuko Mizuno] stared in the program. This program aired until August 31st, 2004.
| width=500px valign=top | No subtitles were added to the show. Each time, the player was given a task via a Moogle "Directive". Below is a list of the episodes.
{| border=0 width=100%
! width=15% | Episode
! Directive
! Area Focus
|-
| 1
| FFXIをインストールせよ!!
(Install FFXI!!)
| [[Chateau d'Oraguille]], [[Northern San d'Oria]] Cathedral
|-
| 2
| 初級クエストを攻略せよ!!
(Capture the beginner quest!!)
| [[Windurst]]
|-
| 3
| パーティープレイを会得せよ!!
(Acquire Party Play!!)
| [[Metalworks]]
|-
| 4
| パーティープレイ応用編!!
(Party Play applied version!!)
| [[West Ronfaure]], [[La Theine Plateau]]
|-
| 5
| サポートジョブをゲットせよ!!
(Get support jobs!!)
| [[La Theine Plateau]], [[Mhaura]], [[Selbina]]
|-
| 6
| チョコボ! そして新たなる大地!!
(Chocobo ! And a new world!)
| [[Jeuno]]
|-
| 7
| ジラートの幻影!!召喚魔法!
(Rise of the Zilart! Summoning magic!!)
| [[Kazham]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]]
|-
| 8
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話!!
(Rise of the Zilart development story!!)
| [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[The Boyahda Tree]]
|-
| 9
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話パート2 & 新エリア探訪!
(Rise of the Zilart development story 2 & New Area Exploration!)
| [[Cape Teriggan]], [[Quicksand Caves]]
|-
| 10
| ドラゴン退治！！ミッション「他国を回れ」
(Dragon ridicule!! Mission "[[Journey Abroad]]")
| [[Norg]]
|-
| 11
| Notorious Monsterを撃破せよ！！
(Defeat Notorious Monster!!)
| [[Ifrit's Cauldron]]
|-
| 12
| 闇の王を討て！召喚士になれ！！
(Deceive the King of Darkness! Be a summoner!!)
| [[Western Altepa Desert]], [[Rabao]]
|-
| 13
| 召喚士になれ！！
(Be a summoner ! !)
| [[To Catch a Falling Star]]
|}
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 8th annual AMD Awards prize winner!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI won the award "Digital Contents of the Year" during the 8th annual AMD awards.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Counter of the Crafting Bug'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As we knew it, there was a crafting bug in which a player could force an interruption on their craft. The result of this was that the crystal broke, did not generate any material losses, and the player still had a chance of skilling up. This was discovered and fixed in a few days.
| width=500px valign=top | Those who exploited this bug either had their skill rolled back or were perm banned. This caused the uproar from players, complaining that they run this game like an offline game. This news was also reported on TV in Japan.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Rise of the Zilart Release Date'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The release date for [[Rise of the Zilart]] was announced in January of 2003. Along with that, the announcement also included a temporary change to the update schedules: in which, updates would be every few months instead of monthly.
| width=500px valign=top | This was obviously well received by many players even after the official expansion launch. SE's reply to this for the next couple of years was that "We did not plan this kind of workload." and the like. Although it was planned as a temporary change, by the end of 2004 they decided to just make it their normal update speed for many years to come.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 5th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Search Comments Implemented'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[BCNM]] battlefields added.
**At the time of implementation, [[Star Orb]]s cost 50 seals, and [[Moon Orb]]s cost 99 seals.
*Search comments implemented.
*Text Commands Added: /echo
**Added to Chat: <st>, <lastst>, <stpc>, <stnpc>, <hp>, <mp>, <job>, <hpp>, <mpp>, <bt>, <scan>, <mjob>, <sjob>, <pet>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Red Mage]]
**Enfeebling magic skill raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Axe]] skill raised.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills removed (they never had Axes they could equip anyway).
*Magic Added: [[Regen]], [[Refresh]]
|}
*The ability to cycle through a history of chat targets using CTRL(Alt)+R was added.
*When entering chat text, players could now utilize the shortcut keys CTRL(Alt)+S, R, T, L or P.
*A Compact Keyboard mode was added.
*The Rank 3 Dragon fight received a level cap of 25, while the Rank 5 [[Fei'Yin]] battlefield received a level cap of 50.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] altered.
*Certain Notorious Monsters that pop after specified intervals of time were changed so as to not immediately appear after a world maintenance.
*Careful consideration had to be given to terrain in dungeons allowing players to avoid being attacked.
*Area of effect magic spells were given a vertical range limit of 4m in either direction. This was done to prevent the trick wherein adventurers could damage Serket in the basement of [[Garlaige Citadel]] from the upper floor.
*[[Serket]]s Earth Pounder also no longer hit innocent low level players on the top floor of [[Garlaige Citadel]].
*[[Sneak]] now wore off when opening a Treasure Chest or Treasure Coffer.
*Mimics added as a new trap for Thieves trying to open treasure boxes.
*Party leaders now had their name displayed in yellow in search results.
*Players could now form an alliance by selected a party leader from the search list (when in the same area).
*Auto-Party limited to finding players one level either above or below the user.
*Players could now cycle through macro pages with R2 and L2.
*Players could now change the names of their Friends when adding them to the Friend List.
*Using the /attack command now put the player into cycle target mode.
*When fishing, the O button would now cancel your cast.
*Events added to the Bastok Missions [[Fetichism]] and [[To the Forsaken Mines]].
*The level requirement for [[Atop the Highest Mountains]] lowered from level 55 to level 51.
*A dialog box was added to warp points inside Delkfutt Tower.
*Conquest rewards were altered so that Rank 1 nations received more benefits, and differences between Rank 2 and Rank 3 nations were added.
*Consumable items, such as [[Instant Reraise]] scrolls, made available for purchase with [[Conquest Points]].
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Level Cap?!'''

Because there were a lot of high levels at this time already, this was done to stop players from soloing the mission BCs.

'''NM Spawn Time'''

The NM Spawn time change was made due to uproar that it was unfair that only "Haijins" (in english, it would mean "No Life People") could log in immediately after a server maintenance. This was the only answer that SE had to "solve" the problem for more casual players.

'''The First BCNMs'''

Six BCNMs were initially added:
“[[Tails of Woe]]” “[[The Worm's Turn]]” “[[Steamed Sprouts]]” “[[Dismemberment Brigade]]” “[[Grimshell Shocktroopers]]” and “[[Divine Punishers]]”, although they were yet to be given these names.
Also, the battlefields were not yet called “BF” and were referred to as BC戦, an acronym of Burning Circle.

'''Enter Mimics'''

Up until now, the only trap awaiting Thieves who failed to pick a chest was a severe Weakness effect. Now, treasure boxes could turn into Mimic-type monsters. If one managed to defeat the Mimic, they would always receive a key. Sneak and Invisible wearing off also was to stop thieves from picking all day. With the latter two changes, the thief lock picking craze gradually went down.

'''Red Mages Head to [[Ranguemont Pass]]'''

Although the high-end spell [[Refresh]] was added to the game, how to obtain the scroll was still shrouded in mystery. A rumor originating on an Internet message board soon spread, which claimed that a Hecteyes-type monster in [[Ranguemont Pass]], namely [[Taisai]], dropped the scroll.

The truth, however, was that the scroll was a reward from a BCNM. The drop rate was approximately 1 in 8 runs, and the Auction House price of the spell was 1 million gil. This was unheard of back then.

Many [[Red Mage]]s believed the rumor and hunting of the NM was widespread. As a reference to this incident, the NM [[Taisaijin]] was given [[Refresh]] in its Treasure Pool when it was added later on.

'''Fish Botting'''

To counter fish botting, the system was changed so that when pressing the O button, the fishing would be cancelled. However, they forgot to implement this on the ENTER button or the right mouse click.

'''Combat and Magic Skillup Parties'''

After this update, the rate of which combat and magic skillups were gained was dramatically reduced. This caused jobs that have multiple 2 handed weapons to find it extra hard to keep everything capped. This change gave birth to "Skill up Parties" that were popular for quite awhile.

The combat and magic skill tweak was "Ninja'd" into the update and players who called GMs to report bugs had only received typical responses that "it wasn't changed".
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 8th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Tenshodo's Envoy'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On February 8th until February 14th, new NPCs appeared in the three nations selling [[Kukuru Bean]]s and [[Selbina Milk]]. At the same time, a recipe for [[Bubble Chocolate]] (HQ [[Heart Chocolate]]) was added. There was no official event for Valentine's day yet.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''February 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Lag!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Enormous lag problems happened in the month of February 2003, and it seemed that Playonline and something else clashed making servers unstable. People experienced serious glitches during their gameplay.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 13th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Seraph and Lakshmi Open'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Two new worlds were establish to alleviate the rising population. Players could transfer to the new worlds only from select existing worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Cherry Blossoms Appear'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Cherry blossom trees in full bloom appeared in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]], [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Metalworks]] and [[Windurst Waters]].
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:SpringBlossom_2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Two Companies Combine'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Formerly called Square and Enix respectively, Japan's two massive RPG makers combined and Square Enix was born. From here on, the change was reflected in Final Fantasy XI’s credits and the screenshot function.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] The Rise of the Zilart Preliminary Update'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap now became 65. The third Limit Break quest, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" was added.
**Causing amazement among players, the EXP table for lv61+ was changed to a much harsher climb compared with pre-60.
*[[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] were added as Advanced Jobs. Only [[Summoner]] could be attained without installing the expansion, but players without [[Rise of Zilart]] would be limited to [[Carbuncle]].
*An airship route between [[Jeuno]] and [[Kazham]] was opened.
*Rank 6 and 7 missions were implemented, along with actual Rank 7 and 8, for each nation.
*[[Nomad Moogle]]s were placed in foreign areas (you had to move your [[Mog House]] to utilize them).
*<pettp> was added.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Warrior]]
**[[Aggressor]] no longer boosted the accuracy of [[Ranged Attack]]s. The recast timer was also changed. Before the patch, it gave a 25% boost to accuracy (and -15% evasion). After, it was a solid 25.
**[[Defender]]s duration was set to 5 minutes, although it wasn't announced.
*[[Monk]]
**[[Chi Blast]] added.
**[[Kick Attacks]] job trait added.
**[[Martial Arts]] was also tweaked so that it would improve further beyond level 15.
**[[Guard]] skill and [[Staff]] skill were also raised.
*[[White Mage]]
**[[Enfeebling Magic]] skill raised.
*[[Black Mage]]
**All Ancient magic spells received the additional effect of lowering resistance to the element they oppose.
**[[Staff]] skill raised.
*[[Red Mage]]
**[[Convert]] added (this was a surprise and wasn't announced).
**[[Fast Cast]] was altered to always reduce spell cast time (prior to this, it would only kick in randomly).\
**[[Marksmanship]] skill removed, and [[Sword]] skill raised.
**[[Phalanx]] and [[Dispel]] were added. This greatly improved the job's usefulness.
*[[Thief]]
**[[AGI]] bonus cut from Trick Attack when used with [[Thief]] as a sub job. This was to protect the integrity of [[Thief]] as a main job.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Rampart]] added.
**[[Throwing]] skill removed.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Call Beast]] added (along with jug pets).
**[[Charm]] success rate lowered when subbing [[Beastmaster]].
**[[Scythe]] skill added.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Ballad]] no longer improved in accordance with a Bard's skill. Tier-I gave 1 MP a tic, and Tier-II gave 2 MP a tic.
**[[March]] songs were weakened.
**Duration of [[Soul Voice]] was shortened from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.
**Although not mentioned, [[Madrigal]] was changed from a percentage increase to a solid value.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Unlimited Shot]] added.
***Along with this, powerful new [[Conquest Points]] ammo were introduced. At this time, changing your ammo would reset your TP. This caused the whole ability to be worthless.
*Magic Added: [[Erase]], [[Phalanx]], [[Dispel]], [[Absorb-STR]], [[Absorb-DEX]], [[Absorb-VIT]], [[Absorb-AGI]], [[Absorb-INT]], [[Absorb-MND]], [[Absorb-CHR]], [[Cure V]], [[Protect IV]], [[Protectra IV]], [[Teleport-Yhoat]], [[Teleport-Altep]], [[Fire III]], [[Blizzard III]], [[Thundaga II]], [[Stonega III]], [[Waterga III]].
|}
*Caps on crafting skills raised to 80.
*Enemies had their magic and ranged attack skill levels increased.
*GA-type spells received an increase in power. Damage now decreased depending on the number of enemies with the area of effect. Also, the MP they consumed was reduced.
*The effect of [[Gravity]] now lowered Evasion by 5%.
*[[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] could no longer be recast on top of themselves.
*[[Enhancing Magic]] effects now wore off when switching jobs.
*The timer for a 2-hour ability would no longer reset upon changing jobs.
*Items would no longer be consumed if a player moved during activation.
*A bug was fixed where [[Regen]] would automatically cure [[Sleep]] status. Normally, [[Poison Potion]]s are needed to avoid [[Sleep]], but until now [[Auto-Regen]] made [[White Mage]]s invaluable allies against monsters with [[Sleep]] attacks.
*[[BCNM]] monsters and boss-level Beastmen could now see through [[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] magics. People could no longer leisurely take snapshots of rare, high-level Beastmen leaders.
**SE forgot to notify players of "True Sight/True Sound" mobs. This made LB3 very difficult, and panic arose among the player base thinking that Sneak and Invisible were broken.
*The window of time within which players could create a [[Skillchain]] was changed. It was announced that [[Weapon Skills]] would no longer chain after a level 3 Skillchain was made.
*Certain skillchain elements were changed. [[Freezebite]]→[[Sunburst]] and [[Freezebite]]→[[Starburst]], which used to make Gravitation, now made Compression.
*[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]] had their skillchain elements changed. [[Rampage]]→[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]]→[[Penta Thrust]] no longer made Skillchains.
*Switching out certain ranged weapons, or anything in the ammo slot, now reset TP.
*New sections were opened in [[Toraimarai Canal]], Delkfutt Tower, [[King Ranperre's Tomb]] and [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]].
*The monsters that would drop Chest and Coffer keys were changed in every dungeon. Beforehand, all monsters of a certain level range had the chance to randomly drop a key. Here, it was set to drop only from specific monsters.
*Orcs level 30 and up received an HP max boost. [[Davoi]] transformed from leveling heaven into a ghost town overnight.
*The service charge for listed goods on the [[Auction House]] was standardized.
*Players could only invite one person per single World Pass.
*Players who set a Search Comment would now have a green mark next to their name in the search results.
*The amount of time a disconnected character would remain in the game was extended from 30 seconds to 1 minute.
*Sets 9 and 10 added to the Macro function.
*A pet's HP bar would now be displayed when choosing a Pet Command.
*Regional Vendors disappeared from [[Jeuno]].
*The title screen was removed, and players could immediately select from a menu when logging in.
*“DATA FILE” was removed from the menu and replaced with “View Safe.” DATA FILE would allow one to browse the aforementioned '''Altana Encyclopedia'''. The text command /datafile was also removed.
*Duration of [[Food]] effects was changed. Stackable food now lasted 30 minutes, and non-stackable food lasted 1 hour.
*Clicking the left mouse button while fishing would now cancel your cast.
*Players could now register others to their blacklist even if they were not in the same area.
*EX and RARE items now had an extra confirmation box when players tried to discard them.
*All [[Dagger]] weapons were changed to inflict Piercing damage. Before, only some were piercing.

*'''Bugs Introduced''':
**Serious problems arose with inputting Japanese characters.
**Players could buy an infinite number of new area maps from vendors.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Game changers'''

*Along with the promised lv60 cap increase, various elements were added that will change the game completely. This started the trend of "If it's a buff, we announce it; if it's a nerf, we ninja it." as we know of right now.
*Food duration was changed from everything lasting one hour to "Stackable items last 30 minutes".
*Latent and Hidden Effect items were introduced at this time. Many players had no idea how to trigger them, and they were regarded as useless.
*Sneak was set to not be able to be overwritten, causing it to have to be dropped before recasting. This caused a higher sense of danger in dungeons.
*Several HNMs were added to the game, but rewards and titles were not properly implemented. This was not intentional, rather it was due to poor programming.
*Pre skill level 200, the equation was 1 skill = 1 accuracy. Post-200, this was suddenly changed to 1 skill = 0.2 accuracy. They did not take this into account with monster's evasion, so it was very hard to hit new high level monsters.
*Incredibly Tough monsters started at 12 levels above you. Monsters 18 levels above players needed to be killed to gain the maximum 200 experience points per kill. The developers did not think this through and were referred to as complete morons because "IT = Death". Fighting them became pointless unless a supreme party configuration was created. Many players started to chain Tough to Very Tough mobs dispite the amount of experience per kill being lowered. Tactics shifted from skillchain spamming to multi-hit weapon skill spamming.
*Not many people used level 3 skillchains, as level 65 was needed to use necessary weapon skills and [[Dancing Edge]] was incredibly strong.

'''Long Lines'''

A certain monster in [[Konschtat Highlands]] caused a huge influx of adventurers looking to acquire new jobs. There were so many challengers, that adventurers formed a long line and waited their turn.

At the same time, a battlefield required for the completion of the Dragoon acquisition quest had an Orcish hut looking like a popular ramen shop.

Competition for the [[Carbuncle's Ruby]] for the [[Summoner]] job quest also was severe, not to mention [[Kazham]] key mobs.

'''2-Hours On Demand'''

Before now, the timers for 2-hour abilities would be reset upon changing jobs. When doing multiple BCNMs, it was customary to repeatedly reset your 2-hours between BCNM attempts.

'''Be Careful With Those Items'''

Up till now, moving while activating an item would cause it to be consumed without effect. This caused particular concern with rare, difficult to acquire items like Warp and Teleport scrolls.

While this was fixed, for much longer players affected by [[Paralyze]] could lose their items without receiving their effects.

Also with this change they added a "delay" when using items. This caused many mecidines to become useless unlike other Final Fantasy games of the past.

'''New Sections in Dungeons'''

The newly opened areas inside these dungeons had previously been shut off. [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] in particular never had monsters before, but now received several NMs for adventurers to hunt.

'''Jeuno's Regional Vendors'''

In various places around Jeuno, there were vendors for each region. These NPCs were invaluable for crafters, until they were removed. Afterwards, Conquest determined where things could or could not be purchased. This gave birth to [[Regional Vendors]].

The new event [[The Green Festival]] reintroduced these vendors for a short period.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of the Zilart Goes on Sale'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The PS2 version and Windows version of the expansion were shipped to stores simultaneously. The price for the expansion only was 3,980 Yen (tax not included). The "FFXI Rise of Zilart All-in-One Pack 2003″ was also released at the price of 7,800 Yen (tax not included) either the PS2 version or the Windows version.

Overall, the expansion was well received. A few complaints included same model mobs in most areas, and lack of progression and improvement were part of the dislikes in the community. What was worse was the countless nerfs that were added in the patch post launch. The economies began to inflate with limited stocked items. Many players quit after discovering the large experience progression requirements post level 60 along with accuracy problems.

The first few thousand people who preordered the expansion were given a Tarutaru Summoner strap pictured below. The Tarutaru is wearing Summoner artifact armor.

[[Image:Zilart_preorder.jpg|250px]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_Japan_Collection1.JPG|400px]]
Two packages, the expansion-only version with a red colored left label (PS2 version pictured below) and All-In-One version (Windows version pictured above) were both available for PS2 and Windows PCs. An official Square Enix logo had yet to be designed, so SQUARESOFT still appeared on the cover. This was Square and Enix’s first collaborative title.

[[Image:FFXI ROTZ PS2.jpg]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Final Fantasy XI Completes 1 Year of Service'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of Zilart OST Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The price for the soundtrack was 2,100 Yen (tax included)
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:ROTZ OST.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Adventurer Appreciation Campaign'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | For a limited time, special moogles appeared in every region. Upon talking to them, one could learn their personal statistics, such as:
Chat Lines, NPC Chat times, Parties Joined, Alliances Joined, Battles Fought, Times K.O.d, Enemies Defeated and GM Calls made.
Highly ranked people on each world would be rewarded with a [[Chocobo Wand]]. Also, once an Earth day, adventurers could receive various presents ([[Little Comet]]s, [[Twinkle Shower]]s, [[Cracker]]s, etc).
| width=500px valign=top | The [[Chocobo Wand]] was awarded to highly-ranked people, and since no [[Chocobo Jack Coat]] existed, it was the only item to increase riding time. The wand was also coveted for having its own distinct graphic.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Expansion Areas Get Cheaper'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*An NPC was added to [[Norg]] that would change your [[Wyvern]] name.
*<pethpp> added to chat.
|}
*Different fees and taxes were lowered in many cases for expansion areas.
*The [[Airship]] abroad now cost 300 gil; Mog House transfer to [[Kazham]] cost 700 gil; transferring to [[Rabao]] cost 200 gil; [[Kazham]] bazaar tax was lowered from 15% to 10%; [[Rabao]] bazaar tax was lowered from 10% to 5%.
*The duration of [[Signet]] was changed to allow more time to players whose nation is ranked low in [[Conquest]].
*Equipping fishing poles or bait now reduced your TP to 0. [[Throwing]] weapons, like [[Boomerang]], also reduced TP to 0.
*[[Black Pepper]] was now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*Mid-level [[Great Katana]] were now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*[[Smoked Salmon]] was now sold at the Cooking Guild.
*The spell recast timer now read “Next” instead of “Last.”
*Three high priests of [[San d'Oria]] had their display names changed: Croisque→[[Chasalvige]], Vicasque→[[Halaviabeau]], Evesque→[[Olbergieut]].
*Dangruf Sulfur changed to [[Sulfur]].
*[[Ancient Goobbue]], [[Voluptuous Vivian]], [[Cemetery Cherry]] and [[Adamantoise]] now dropped gil.
*[[Summoner]]-type monsters could now summon Avatars other than [[Carbuncle]].
*Golem Shards, which dropped from Doll-type monsters were renamed Doll Shards. Golem-type monsters now dropped Golem shards (they were called Crystal Giants at the time).
*A pet’s name and HP bar would now be displayed above the chat log.
*Players could now /check a charmed pet.
*The shortcut key CTRL(Alt)+B now opened the Pet Command menu.
*Guild shop and [[Auction House]] menus would now display equipment/magic names in different colors depending on if they were owned/equipped/learned. Also stackables were changed from yellow to pink.
*Linkshell lists now displayed colors and search comment marks like in search results.
*Merchant NPCs added to [[Norg]].
*The Wyvern attack “Plasma Breath” was renamed “[[Radiant Breath]]”
'''Bugs Introduced'''
*Sneak was once again able to be cast on top of the old effect, but a couple days later removed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Back then, you had to transfer your [[Mog House]] to use the [[Nomad Moogle]], and thus, pay a fee. Add in bazaar taxes and [[Auction House]] fees, and expansion areas started feeling like high-class resorts.

After July 17th, the [[Mog House]] transfer fee and bazaar taxes were done away with, and the [[Auction House]] listing costs were lowered as well. After these changes, [[Kazham]] became a much more popular place in which to level.

'''Walking Worms'''

After the patch landed, a glitch occured where worms began to move around like other monsters instead of burrowing under the ground.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Suggestion Forum Drama'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | '''Latent MP'''
At this time because of Zilart's horrible launch patch, the healer shortage became more apparent. SE suggested that in order to fix this problem, they would have it so when melee jobs sub a mage, they would get more MP. Because this is obviously ignoring the core of why there is a healer shortage, players responded with dismay, at the end, this idea was scratched.
| width=500px valign=top | Later during an interview, the dev team stated that "users have misunderstood their words", that their plan was to increase the number of backline jobs instead. After that, they buffed WHM up, gave them [[Hexa Strike]], [[Divine Breastplate]] and various buffs, obviously in an attempt to draw people to WHM. This shifted the problem of shortage of WHM to the shortage of RDM and BRD.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 10th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Midgardsormr Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players could transfer from any of the 20 initial worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI Entry Disc for PS2 and Windows'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Accompanying the release of Rise of Zilart, the basic game was now sold as an "Entry Disc" and the price lowered to 4,800 Yen (tax not included).
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_PS2_JP_ENTRY.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The world was named Cactuar.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level 70 Unleashed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 70. The fourth Limit Break quest, "[[Riding on the Clouds]]" was added.
**This surprised players with how easy it was compared to leveling and previous Genkai quests.
*A new region, [[Tu'Lia]], was unlocked.
*[[Artifact Armor]] for [[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] added.
*New guards, [[Auction House]] and Delivery NPCs were added to each level of [[Jeuno]]. Bazaar tax was changed to 10%.
**More specifically, this is why there is now an [[Auction House]] in both [[Upper Jeuno]] and [[Port Jeuno]] who are only NPCs.
*New HNMs were added (such as [[King Behemoth]]).
*Commands Added: /lsmes
*Chat Commands Added: <ncall>, <scall>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Bard]]
**Light-based enemies could now resist [[Magic Finale]].
**[[Prelude]] became single target.
*[[Summoner]]
**Healing [[Blood Pact]]s had their MP costs reduced and their effectiveness greatly increased.
**MP required to summon Avatars was also reduced.
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was boosted and the cast time of Elemental Spirits was shortened.
*[[Ninja]]
**Ni-level [[Ninjutsu]] cast time was shortened dramatically from 8 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
*[[Monk]]
**The recast time for [[Chakra]] was shortened from 15 minutes to 5 minutes.
*Magic Added: [[Shell IV]], [[Shellra IV]], [[Regen II]], [[Regen III]], [[Raise III]], [[Thunder III]], [[Stone IV]], [[Water IV]], [[Aeroga III]], [[Firaga III]], [[Knight's Minne IV]], [[Bewitching Etude]], [[Valor Minuet IV]], [[Logical Etude]], [[Sage Etude]], [[Foe Requiem VI]], [[Swift Etude]], [[Puppet's Operetta]], [[Vital Etude]].
|}
*Chocobo rentals established in [[Kazham]], [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]]. [[Rabao]] and [[Kazham]] also received Chocobo shops. Players could now ride Chocobos through [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]], [[Yhoator Jungle]] and [[Eastern Altepa Desert]].
*[[Goblin Digger]]s began appearing in expansion areas.
*The airship for [[Kazham]] was lowered from 300 gil to 200 gil. [[Nomad Moogle]] transfer fees were eliminated, as well as bazaar taxes. [[Auction House]] charges were now calculated in the same way as the three nations.
*[[Tonberry]], [[Sahagin]] and [[Antica]] now dropped gil and Beastman Coins.
*The prices for [[Protect IV]] and [[Protectra IV]] in [[Rabao]] were lowered.
*[[Norg Shell]]s were no longer EX.
*Multiple people could now enter the gate in [[Sea Serpent Grotto]] that required a [[Sahagin Key]]. Initially, only the keyholder could enter after using it.
*Crafting skills raised to a maximum of 90.
*Cure spells adjusted so that MP cost and cast time changed according to the user’s [[Healing Magic]] skill. The enmity generated by [[Cure V]] was made a set value.
**The much demanded "make healing magic have more relation to our curing power" was still not properly addressed.
*Healing Magic skill no longer needed to be used on Undead to get a skillup.
*Recast time for [[Erase]] shortened.
*[[Stoneskin]] now absorbed more damage based on the user’s MND and Enhancing Magic skill.
*Cast time for Bar-spells shortened and MP cost lowered. Their effects now improved along with Enhancing Skill.
*The price of Regen sold in Mhaura was lowered, and [[Regen II]] was put up for sale. [[Regen II]] was now a White Mage exclusive spell.
*MP costs for tier-III and tier-IV Elemental Magic reduced.
*Dark-based enemies could now resist Dispel easier.
*The effect of Gravity could now last between 30~120 seconds.
*The duration of Poison spells, as well as the damage caused by Poison II and Poisonga II, were now based on Enfeebling Magic skill.
*[[Experience Points]] would now carry over into the next level upon a Level Up.
*A cap was set on the amount of [[Experience Points]] lost when K.O.d.
*[[Kindred's Seal]]s added.
*The maximum occupancy of each level of [[Jeuno]] was raised.
*A Mithra child’s shop was added to [[Ru'Lude Gardens]].
*The time it takes for Chocobo rental prices to decrease was shortened by 25% (this made it tougher for prices to get too high).
*Players were no longer disbanded from a party after entering their [[Mog House]].
*Messages now appeared in the chat log when using the Delivery System for sending/receiving items.
*Door names now appeared green in the target box.
*Players could now be added to one’s party across a Region.
*Search results for an Area or Region were now limited to 100 results. World-wide results were expanded to 40 results.
*Players could now set a Linkshell welcome message.
*The color of messages produced with /echo was changed.
*In crafting guilds, basic image support was made free, while advanced support was extended to last 4 times as long.
*Players could no longer repeatedly purchase items from a guild.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered.
*Conquest points were no longer lost when switching national allegiance.
*Elemental spirits would now cast magic even outside of battle.
*Beastmaster-type Goblins occupying [[Batallia Downs]], [[Eastern Altepa Desert]] and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] were repositioned. They now re-summoned pets after 60 seconds instead of 30 seconds.
*Beastman Seal Orbs had their prices changed. [[Moon Orb]] 99→60, [[Star Orb]] 50→40. New Orbs were also added: [[Comet Orb]] for 50 seals, [[Lachesis Orb]] and [[Atropos Orb]]s for 30 seals.
*Defeated monsters were now displayed as grey on the compass.
*Cut scenes could now be replayed at certain NPCs.
*Players could now buy level 1 [[RSE]] clothing from vendors.
*Macros and Map Markers were now saved as files in PlayOnline.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Ninja Tank is Born'''

With Ni-level Ninjutsu shortened to a 1.5 second recast timer, Ninja could now use both tiers of [[Utsusemi]] to tank effectively. Prior to this, both tiers had the same casting times, if not Ni being slower. The supply of Ninja tools wasn't yet large enough to make this technique especially common, but it gradually became the norm. Before this, Ninja was looked at the same as Summoner: "a job with no purpose at all".

'''Experience Point Changes'''

Although publicly saying they had no plans to bring an ease to the level 61+ leveling, they ninja fixed the issue with a few little changes:
*In order to counter the high demand of experience per level at 61+, players were forced to target harder monsters which increased the demand for RDM/BRD.
*Players learned that [[Great Axe]s weapon skill [[Shield Break]] reduced ice-weak enemies evasion tremendously. This caused Warrior to be the most demanded melee at the time.
*Level capped zones became popular leveling spots due to the 2400 EXP loss per death. This penalty was based on the level you were capped at, saving a lot of experience loss.
*Changes to monster placement as well as level range in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Cape Teriggan]], and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] decreased camp choices and in turn made leveling harder.
*With the addition to Escort quests, this is the first time players were able to earn experience points instead of level grinding. Before the discovery of the once-per-week limitation, some had hopes of possibly skipping exp parties all together just by completing the quest.

'''Mog House Disband?'''

Up until now, players were automatically disbanded from their party upon entering their [[Mog House]]. Even just going to change your sub job meant you had to re-join the party afterwards. This was corrected to match [[Nomad Moogle]]s, which were preferred for not causing this issue.

'''Pet Hunting'''

[[Beastmaster]] pets were popular prey due to the high experience they gave relative to their strength. These [[Beastmaster]] were often placed near zone lines, which made them all the more popular for parties to hunt.

However, once their spawn locations were changed, and pet recast was lengthened to 60 seconds, it became too difficult to keep up experience chains, and parties found other prey to hunt.

'''New BCNMs'''

This update saw the addition of five new battlefields:

“[[Hostile Herbivores]]” “[[3, 2, 1...]]” “[[Treasure and Tribulations]]” “[[Infernal Swarm]]” and “[[E-vase-ive Action]]” However, the battlefields had yet to have these names attached.

“[[Come Into My Parlor]]” was set to be added this day, but was delayed until the 22nd.

*Crafting Mats: Some crafting materials were regarded as beyond reach to casual players (such as [[Damascene Cloth]]). Items such as these were added to these BCNMs.

'''Weapon Skills Where?!'''

New weapon skills were not immediately available. The developers stated that they used all of their resources on existing weapon skill graphic effects. Mages were complaining how melee get new weapon skills for free while mages had to work for them every time. This was the birth of [[WSNM]]s

'''Rare HNMs'''

Rare HNMs (like [[Nidhogg]]) were implemented. The spawn time was 60~72 hours. Before this, players occasionally took breaks from camping them. Due to the rarity and desirability of the gear that drops from them, players now continuously camped.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Fireworks Available for a Limited Time'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From July 18th until July 27th, fireworks could be purchased in [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Port Bastok]], [[Windurst Waters]] and [[Rabao]].
| width=500px valign=top | Four types of fireworks were available so users could celebrate summer festivals. The three nations and Rabao sold [[Airborne]], [[Konron Hassen]], [[Kongou Inaho]] and [[Meifu Goma]]. The [[Airborne]] and [[Konron Hassen]] were especially popular as they shot up into the sky. There were still no crafting recipes for these fireworks, and they could only be acquired through purchase.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 22nd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Clotho Orb Added'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The previously delayed [[Clotho Orb]] could now be obtained and its corresponding [[BCNM]] [[Come Into My Parlor]] was added.

|}
*A bug where [[Elvaan]] would have less MP than intended above level 61 was fixed.
*The reward for the Windurst quest [[Catch It If You Can!]] was changed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Bon-Odori II'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Users again held a Bon-Odori event, but this time there was an official moogle to announce the event, as well as the old [[Yughott Grotto]] BGM from the beta test as music.
Actual Bon-Odori event was done by volunteers on each servers.
For example,on Quetzalcoatl server,A Linkshell volunteered and planned whole event.There were two venues,North Gustaberg and West Sarutabaruta .Players gathered and danced,but on West Sarutabaruta venue,there was one compliant from other player who was trying to go to Balga’s Dais but unable to enter Giddeus due to heavy lag on West Sarutabaruta.One of the Staffs got a tell from his mule,So they asked to stop moving for all attendees until his main character could pass West Sarutabaruta.Planning and how it’s done may be different on other servers.

| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Terms of Service Change'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players were now forbidden to use any outside programs or tools while playing.
| width=500px valign=top | Around this time rumors surfaced of GMs unjustly banning players; although officially they announced them as rule breaking. As the GM's reputation was bad to begin with, this event further dented their player's trust.

Before this announcement, there was no action taken against the cheaters. Although, after this change of rules they tried several ways to stop fishbotting. The damage of untrustworthy GMs was already too deep to be undone.

Despite this announcement, the rate of fish bot bans were very minimal and were still found everywhere. Turbo controllers proved difficult to determine by SE if they were bots.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This was an event where a giant creature appeared in the areas surrounded each of the three nations. Even without Calling for Help, multiple parties and alliances could take part. If a player was defeated by the monster, they would not lose any experience.

Due to an glitch, the event was temporarily canceled.
| width=500px valign=top | The event consisted of fighting Doomed-type monsters that roamed the areas outside of home nations. A large amount of adventurers took part in massive battles. This event was made very unpopular as too many people rushed in, and the atmosphere feelt like Lower Jeuno AH at the time. Later, players rumored that this was just in preparation for the Treant + OP warp event, an experimental event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Developer’s Blog Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The beta test now finished, Final Fantasy XI players could begin using this service.
| width=500px valign=top | This service lasted until December 27th, 2005.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges! Redux'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The event that had been canceled back on the 16th was now reborn as a 2-day event, spanning August 30th and 31st.

Touching the Beastman Banner in [[East Ronfaure]], [[North Gustaberg]] or [[West Sarutabaruta]] would cap you at level 30 and allow you to fight the Gigantoad. Defeating the three monsters would display a congratulatory System Message.

The reward was temporary [[Outpost Teleportation]] service (08/31 through 09/14) in [[San d'Oria]], [[Bastok]] and [[Windurst]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=WhiteShadow2>Vana’diel’s White Shadow Returns</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This event was held for 7 hours, from 10pm September 12th to 5am September 13th. Players could receive a [[Moon Carrot]] from a Moogle, and trade said carrots to speedy little rabbits in various areas.

The rabbits were even faster than last year, but the prize was upgraded as well to [[Thoth's Wand]].
| width=500px valign=top | This event was only held in 2002 and 2003, and did not return after that. All of the glitches from the previous event remained, and it all did not go over well with players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Official Benchmark 2 Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The setting for this version was the [[Yuhtunga Jungle]] / [[Yhoator Jungle]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Future Plans'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | SE announced their upcoming plans for the game; from [[Ballista]], [[Dynamis]], further level cap increase, and the release of NA version.
| width=500px valign=top | At this time, they announced that the NA version would share server with the Japanese, which lead to many players worrying, but SE only replied with "We are treating this as an experiment.".

The Development team announced "From now on, the version update will come every few months."(Remember that they said they would update every 1 month, and then changed to 3 months, and now "few months".). They seemed to be using localization for the NA version as an excuse for further slowing down their updates. This did not help the animosity view of Japanese players towards English players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 7th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Fairy World Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | A new world was established for the increasing population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Ends'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | There was a special event on the final day, where Moogles were placed at [[Home Point]]s. Upon speaking with them, you could be teleported to NMs like [[Serket]] or [[King Behemoth]] and fight with them. GMs also joined the fray.
| width=500px |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Nation Rank Missions and Zilart Completed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Rank Missions for rank 8 and 9 added, along with actual rank 9 and 10 to the three nations, completing their story lines.
*The conclusion to [[Rise of Zilart]] was added.
**The Zilart last boss could be unintentionally silenced, which was fixed in an emergency maintenance a couple days later.
*Players could now enter the [[The Shrine of Ru'Avitau]] and [[The Celestial Nexus]].
*Lucky Roll games implemented in [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]].
*Fortune-tellers that predict adventurer affinity were added to the three nations.
*[[BCNM]]s added to [[Sacrificial Chamber]], [[Cloister of Tides]] and [[Chamber of Oracles]] using the [[Moon Orb]].
*Chat Commands Added: <call4> – <call21>
*Text Commands Added: /sit
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Magic Added: [[Sleepga]], [[Sleepga II]]
|}
*[[Avatar]] quests were now limited to once a day.
*The third [[Mog House]] expansion quest was added, with the final available space being 80.
*A shortcut to the 10th floor was added to the West side of [[Lower Delkfutt's Tower]] that could be opened with a [[Delkfutt Key]].
*[[BCNM]] clear times were now displayed.
*[[Magic Burst]] bonuses were increased.
*The effect of [[Clear Mind]] was strengthened.
*[[Summoner]] – Received [[Clear Mind]] trait.
*MP cost and strength of [[Banish]] adjusted. In addition, [[Banish]] now weakened the special defenses of [[Undead]] monsters.
*[[Stoneskin]] could no longer overwrite itself.
*[[Drain]] and [[Aspir]] were adjusted to absorb more based on [[Magic Burst]]s, day and weather.
*TP was no longer reset when changed one's ammo slot. Ranger became popular with [[Unlimited Shot]] and their special ammo.
*A number of monsters were rearranged in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Ifrit's Cauldron]], [[Cape Teriggan]] and [[Valley of Sorrows]].
*New Notorious Monsters were added to dungeons in Zilart areas.
*A number of repop timers for existing NMs was changed greatly (Monsters that popped every 60-72 Earth hours now popped every 24 hours).
**This included [[Fafnir]], [[Behemoth]], [[Adamantoise]] and the like. Their rare versions remained a lottery spawn every of 3~7 days, and stayed that way for years.
*[[King Behemoth]]s area of effect attacks could now strike any player within range.
*The items available in the Mithra child's shop in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]] would now change, and increases or decreases according to sales.
*The items obtainable through [[Chocobo Digging]] now varied based on weather, moon phase, day and time. Elemental ore was now obtainable, although extremely rare.
**This is when Digging became very popular as a gil earning method. Chocobo skill was initially viewable in the skill window.
*New items could now be grown through gardening.
*The prices of the shop on the ferry were stabilized.
*A sound now played when receiving a message or mail.
*Motions now accompanied [[HELM]] activities.
*More items were available from [[HELM]].
*Search comments were now divided into 4 different categories.
*When locked on a target, players could no longer switch targets with cursor keys, the mouse or function keys.
*The TAB key or START button would now activate the Auto-Translator, causing the word to appear blue in your input box.
*System message would now announce whether or not players could apply to transfer servers.
*A single World Pass could now be used to invite up to 5 people.
*A bug occurred wherein [[Bard]]s using [[March]] songs with '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +1''' or '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +2''' equipped would receive a massive boost in effectiveness. This was corrected in the October 28th emergency maintenance. These horns have since been removed.
*Synthesis Results were now displayed to others, and a chat filter was added.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Titan Marathon Ends'''

Around this time, players were repeatedly undertake the Titan acquisition quest in order to earn gil. Now, they were unable to do so until midnight Earth time. With [[Teleport-Altep]] and [[Escape]] for [[Korroloka Tunnel]], players used to easily complete 4 runs in an hour.

'''Cloister of Tides BCNM'''

At this time three BCs were added to the game. Although they had yet to receive their official names, the battlefields were:

“[[Jungle Boogeymen]]” “[[Amphibian Assault]]” and “[[Legion XI Comitatensis]]”

Out of these, “[[Amphibian Assault]]” was added to the [[Cloister of Tides]]. Ultimately, it was decided that the special Avatar battle arena should be unique to the Summoner quests, and the four Sahagin were moved to the [[Sacrificial Chamber]] on June 29th, 2004.

''' Othinus' Bow Popular Among Marksmen'''

New Ex/Rare drops were added to NMs around this time, and they proved to be an immediate hit. One especially, the [[Othinus' Bow]], was so coveted it practically made [[Archery]] obsolete. [[Acid Bolt]]s and [[Sleep Bolt]]s were also added in this update, further improving Marksmanship.

According the Japanese sites, the [[March]] glitch was said to have given players an unimaginable speed boost. Two-handed weapon users could swing like one-handers, dagger users were as fast as [[Hundred Fists]], and [[Monk]] could hold hate comfortably without [[Provoke]].

'''-Ga spells'''

Ga spells were already unpopular due to their MP demand, but now they scaled in accordance to the number of targets hit by the spell. With the improvement of Magic Burst bonuses, despite the high cost, -ga spells became popular as a single target nuke. However, monster -ga spells were not affected by the number of players hit.

'''EX tag items'''

This update implemented a large number of EX items. The dev team reasoning was that "People won't have to camp it again if they already have it", as well as preventing a monopoly situation to sell items. In reality, players found the actual effect is "Even if you don't want to, you have to camp it". In many cases these EX items did not do what the dev team expected it to. On top of this, high priced items still dropped from NMs such as [[Shining Cloth]] from [[King Behemoth]] and [[Damascene Cloth]] from [[Aquarius]]. Players still camped these NMs for profitable gil drops even though they already had the equipment.

As part of the EX craze, the dev team was sure to announce that many NMs could be killed by leveling parties who happen to be killing placeholders. Knowing that Ninja was an unexpected tank, the dev team's idea of balance was very questionable.

'''Development Team running out of ideas?!'''

With the [[Lucky Roll]] and fortune teller features added, this was SE's answer to player's demand for "New Entertainment". The community's view that the development team was simply running out of ideas was largely increased after these were implemented. The question "What the f*** were the developers thinking?" remained a popular meme for years to come.

'''Come Hither!'''

This patch is when the Mithra's "inviting" sit pose (pictured below) was added. This pose had a lot of controversy, so it was changed later to be more feminine and conservative.

[[Image:Mithra_Old_Sit.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 28th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] North American Windows Version Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The North American version of Final Fantasy XI went on sale on October 28th, 2003 for $49.99. When service in North America began for Final Fantasy XI, a large amount of foreign players immediately flooded the game. English chat flowed through towns, and Conquest results were upset by low level activity (there were dead people everywhere). Japanese players avoided home nations due to /shout spam.

Although before the release, some supported the idea of cross server in the name of international gaming. After the release, with the "PL plaz" "Gil plez" "Item pelaz" begging, sexual harassment comments, and the random party replacement(People leaving after 1 kill, leader leaving party after level, tossing leader to a random member without asking, etc, the negative complaints begun.

At the same time, the auto translator feature was added. With the tell spam of "Help Me out!" "cap" "coffer" "thank you", many Japanese players put up the "JP Only" comment. On a side note, "cap" in translator translates to the cap as in baseball cap to the Japanese, just like how "Break" is translated to relaxing to the Japanese.

These all lead to the increasing demand(still active now) of separating servers, mostly from the Japanese players. However, the CEO announced that "Cross nation and Translator are very well done, and we received a lot of praises", even though no one understand where they get those idea from.
| width=500px valign=top | [[File:FFXI Windows NA.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 7th CESA GAME AWARDS Winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI took the award for being the first PS2 MMORPG, connecting PS2 and Windows on the same servers, and for user satisfaction with [[Rise of the Zilart]] updates.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 31st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=Halloween>Trick or Treat!</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From October 31st to November 3rd, players could transform in monsters by trading fruits and sweets to certain NPCs. Prizes included [[Jack-o'-Lantern]], [[Trick Staff]], [[Treat Staff]], [[Pumpkin Head]] and [[Horror Head]]. [[Goblin Chocolate]] was also available for purchase.
| width=500px valign=top | The equipment available during this event was cute and very different, so it immediately became quite popular. Towns were filled with adventurers in puffy hats with bat staves on their back. You could also see people everywhere bopping monsters on the head, testing out the [[Treat Staff]] latent effect of [[Warp]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Treat Staff Effect Changed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Originally, the [[Treat Staff]] would have a much higher rate of activating [[Warp]] during the Halloween event. This was changed so that it would not activate at all outside the time of the event.

This change caused many players to complain, and was very unpopular.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 11th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Conquest Adjustments'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Players under level 5 no longer had an effect on Campaign results when K.O.d.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Many people would group suicide to force regions to become beastmen controlled (Kolshushu was beastmen controlled for almost a year before this change). Even with this change, many regions continued to be beastmen controlled (Qufim, Elshimo, Aragoneu, etc)

Regional merchants became very rare, affecting prices of items such as [[Yagudo Drink]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] Concept Art'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The official site was massively updated with Concept Art (for a set fee) and a Creator’s Voice blog. The Concept Art was found inside the Developer’s Room.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=3 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Plus Beta Testing Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | Beta testing began for services that included a special e-mail address (CHARACTER@WORLD.ffxi.pol.com), mail forwarding and other features.
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | [[File:POL Plus.gif|link=]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] First Annual Spike TV Video Game Awards “Best Online Game” winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 9th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Asura Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This world was established due to the rising population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] "REAL VANA’DIEL" Net Cafe Opens in Akihabara'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Melco Online Entertainment opened a net cafe for the enjoyment of FFXI in Akihabara. There was a [[Mog House]] resting area (smoking allowed), and staff members dressed up as FFXI characters. Satire jokes arose, such as "I am a Dark Knight. Should I AFK IRL too?"

All computers at the time gauged “Incredibly Tough” against the game’s requirements. See the pictures to the right for a glimpse inside this store and the layout.

See [http://web.archive.org/web/20080220132325/http://www.watch.impress.co.jp:80/game/docs/20031107/realv.htm This Link] for an article regarding the store.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Realv03.gif]]
[[Image:Realv01.gif]]
[[Image:Realv02.gif]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level Cap 75'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 75. The final Limit Break quest, "[[Shattering Stars]]" was added.
*[[Dynamis]] was originally planned to be released in this update, but it was delayed.
*New [[Weapon Skills]] attainable through quests ([[WSNM]]) were implemented.
*New NMs were added (4 gods in [[Tu'Lia]], [[Nidhogg]], and more).
**[[Abjuration]]s and [[Cursed Items]] were introduced.
*The [[Storage]] system was implemented.
**This answered demands to make furnishings useful, but then started the demand to make storage accessible without making the extremely long trip back to a player's home nation.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Black Mage]]
**[[Black Mage]]s could no longer be interrupted by receiving damage while under the effect of [[Manafont]]. [[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Samurai]]
**Using [[Meikyo Shisui]] now gave a player 300 TP.
*[[Summoner]]
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was extended to 3 minutes. In addition, [[Avatar Perpetuation]] was reduced to 0 while under its effect.
*[[Dark Knight]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Scythe]] skill raised.
*[[Summoner]]
**[[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Staff]] skill added.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Axe]] skill added.
*Magic Added: [[Flash]], [[Curaga IV]], [[Reraise III]], [[Stun]], [[Blizzaga III]], [[Aero IV]], [[Fire IV]], [[Thundaga III]], [[Blizzard IV]], [[Thunder IV]], [[Archer's Prelude]], [[Goddess' Hymnus]], [[Uncanny Etude]], [[Warding Round]], [[Chocobo Mazurka]], [[Herculean Etude]], [[Maiden's Virelai]], [[Earth Spirit]].
|}
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered, and new areas were added.
*The ??? marks involved in Limit Break quest 3, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" were repositioned, making it easier to complete the quest.
*The [[Moongate pass]] was added. [[Ro'Maeve]] became a popular leveling spot.
*The Great Axe WS [[Shield Break]] no longer depended on the enemy’s strength, but now lowered [[Evasion]] by a set value.
*High-level physical accuracy was raised (post skill level 200). This allowed players to hit mobs without [[Madrigal]].
*A number of high-level monsters had their experience point bonus for parties increased.
*Changing jobs now cleared [[Song]] effects.
*The execution of [[Sneak Attack]] was changed so that players must stand directly behind the monster. "'''Yokodama'''" could no longer be performed.
*Resist traits, Bar-spells and songs now provided much more defense against strong enemies. In addition, a message now displayed in the chat log when resisting an effect.
**These effects were still not very useful against Incredibly Tough monsters.
*The effects of Killer traits and Circle effects were changed from a Slow effect to an Intimidate effect. In addition, Circle abilities now lasted 1 minute and had a recast time of 10 minutes.
*High level [[Weapon Skills]] (such as [[Dragon Kick]] and [[Shark Bite]]) were strengthened.
*The skillchain properties of [[Tachi: Koki]] were changed.
*Level 50-70 monsters in various areas were rearranged.
*Orcs’ HP was once again adjusted.
*The movement speed of [[Behemoth]] and [[King Behemoth]] was raised.
*Knockback was added to a number of monsters’ special abilities.
*When entering a [[BCNM]], the time limit, fastest record, and record holder’s name were now displayed.
*Crafting skills were raised to level 100.
*Rank 9 Conquest items were introduced. The cost of [[Warp]] and [[Reraise]] scroll was cut in half.
*The repop time of treasure boxes was changed. They would also pop much faster if disappearing after a [[Thief]] failed to pick them.
*The [[Mithra]] who could bundle arrows now joined the traveling performers.
*[[Tree Cuttings]] could now be grown into [[Tree Saplings]], which subsequently could be used to produce Elemental Ores and ultimately Staves.
*New [[Auction House]] categories were created for [[Ammo]], [[:Category:Others|Others]], [[:Category:Materials|Materials]] and [[:Category:Misc.|Misc.]]
*Elemental Staves were given unique models.
*Players Level 15-19 could now ride Chocobo from the starting three nations. However, their riding time was limited to 15 minutes.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''No One Can Help You Now'''

The final Limit Break quest had players squaring off against [[Maat]] alone. Until now, quests could easily be completed with parties, but this time people had to face the challenge alone, leaving many unable to overcome it. [[Red Mage]]s especially had a rough time, eventually leading to some adjustments to the difficulty. This quest was very unpopular, and some jobs had it much harder than others.

'''No More Yokodama'''

Yokodama was the practice of Sneak and Trick Attacking from the side of a monster.

(“Yoko” means side, and “dama” is the first two syllables of Damashiuchi, or [[Trick Attack]]).

On this day, it was decided that [[Trick Attack]] would only function properly if one stood directly behind the enemy. The Yokodama was no more.

Square said in an interview the month prior that "Yokodama wasn't planned, and it was making the game too easy. We may consider fixing it." Many players supported this and found it to be making fighting too easy. For some mysterious reason, players then started then complaining about the lack of Yokodama after the patch. The spells [[Flash]] and [[Stun]] were born to alleviate hate control issues.

'''Tu'Lia Notorious Monsters'''

New NMs were added to sky, namely [[Kirin]], [[Byakko]], [[Suzaku]], [[Seiryu]] and [[Genbu]]. At the time, they looked just like any other monsters; even though Byakko means “white tiger,” the model was black. Eventually, these enemies were altered to look unique.

With the sky NM system now implemented, Sky Linkshells were born.

'''WSNMs'''

The majority of the WSNMs had bad performance, so the effort needed to obtain them was not well received.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Holy Night in Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Christmas decorations were put up in all three nations. Players could talk to Moogles once a Vana’diel day to receive [[Popstar]], [[Brilliant Snow]], [[Sparkling Hand]] or [[Air Rider]].

This was the start of the yearly Christmas [[Starlight Celebration]] in Vana’diel.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Starlight2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Rampaging Presents'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | In various areas, a monsters called [[Twinkling Treant]] (a tree decorated on December 16th) appeared. Talking to nearby Moogles would impose a level cap and allow one to fight the monster.

It was announced that defeating the trees would grant the world [[Outpost Teleportation]] service. All servers succeeded in attaining this prize.

'''Destroy the Christmas Tree?!'''
At first, no matter how much you hit the tree, the HP wouldn't decrease. This was a prime weapon/magic skill up opportunity. To prevent this, SE lowered the HP in the middle of the event. This also caused SE to issue a server message saying that if the NM was not killed, that world would not receive OP Warps. Some worlds were able to dispose of the tree quickly, while others just couldn’t manage to take it down. A System Message announced that the event would not end until all servers had one. The ordeal was finally over after Midgardsormr was the last to claim victory.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Twinkling Treant 2003.jpg|450px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 29th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Outpost Teleport Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As a reward for success in the Christmas event, all worlds were bestowed with [[Outpost Teleportation]] Service following a maintenance.
| width=500px valign=top |
|}

{{Template:History_Nav}}

The History of Final Fantasy XI/2003

2017-11-10T18:14:29Z

Aish: Bon-Odori II first person account added

{{Template:History_Nav}}

==<span id=2003>2003 - Rise of the Zilart Era</span>==
From April of 2003, the first expansion disc, “[[Rise of the Zilart]]” widened the scope of adventurer activity farther than ever before. In October, service began in North America. December 2003 saw the introduction of the level 75 cap. It was a very busy and event-filled year for Vana’diel.

{| width=1200px border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Lucky Sheep Roam Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | To celebrate the New Year, there were sheep named Fortune Ram, Bless Ewe, Merry Mary, Happy Baabaa and Lucky Lamb. In addition, two Mandragora named “Ake” and “Ome” appeared in each nation, including Jeuno.

[[Image:FirstNewYears.jpg]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Ake_ome.jpg|400px]]
Ake and Ome were two Mandragora NPCs with little oranges on their heads. They didn’t do anything special besides stand around in town, but adventurers just couldn’t get enough screenshots of the adorable pair.

Ake and Ome get their names from the phrase “Akemashite omedetou,” which is said to wish a Happy New Year.

The [[Monstrosity]] item [[Ake-Ome Spirit]] was derived from this event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Worlds Consolidate Into Kujata, Bismarck'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Ixion, Typhon and Kirin were shut down and the population added to Kujata and Bismarck.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] FFXI-TV Begins Broadcasting'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On “Channel BB” (channel 755) of Sky Perfect TV!, a program titled FFXI-TV begins broadcast. This program was aired 13 times in 30 minute segments. Square Enix sponsored this program. Vana'diel Wind (known today as Live Vana'diel) occasionally aired the program. The Japanese actress [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuko_Mizuno Yuko Mizuno] stared in the program. This program aired until August 31st, 2004.
| width=500px valign=top | No subtitles were added to the show. Each time, the player was given a task via a Moogle "Directive". Below is a list of the episodes.
{| border=0 width=100%
! width=15% | Episode
! Directive
! Area Focus
|-
| 1
| FFXIをインストールせよ!!
(Install FFXI!!)
| [[Chateau d'Oraguille]], [[Northern San d'Oria]] Cathedral
|-
| 2
| 初級クエストを攻略せよ!!
(Capture the beginner quest!!)
| [[Windurst]]
|-
| 3
| パーティープレイを会得せよ!!
(Acquire Party Play!!)
| [[Metalworks]]
|-
| 4
| パーティープレイ応用編!!
(Party Play applied version!!)
| [[West Ronfaure]], [[La Theine Plateau]]
|-
| 5
| サポートジョブをゲットせよ!!
(Get support jobs!!)
| [[La Theine Plateau]], [[Mhaura]], [[Selbina]]
|-
| 6
| チョコボ! そして新たなる大地!!
(Chocobo ! And a new world!)
| [[Jeuno]]
|-
| 7
| ジラートの幻影!!召喚魔法!
(Rise of the Zilart! Summoning magic!!)
| [[Kazham]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]]
|-
| 8
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話!!
(Rise of the Zilart development story!!)
| [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[The Boyahda Tree]]
|-
| 9
| ジラートの幻影マル秘開発話パート2 & 新エリア探訪!
(Rise of the Zilart development story 2 & New Area Exploration!)
| [[Cape Teriggan]], [[Quicksand Caves]]
|-
| 10
| ドラゴン退治！！ミッション「他国を回れ」
(Dragon ridicule!! Mission "[[Journey Abroad]]")
| [[Norg]]
|-
| 11
| Notorious Monsterを撃破せよ！！
(Defeat Notorious Monster!!)
| [[Ifrit's Cauldron]]
|-
| 12
| 闇の王を討て！召喚士になれ！！
(Deceive the King of Darkness! Be a summoner!!)
| [[Western Altepa Desert]], [[Rabao]]
|-
| 13
| 召喚士になれ！！
(Be a summoner ! !)
| [[To Catch a Falling Star]]
|}
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jan. 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 8th annual AMD Awards prize winner!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI won the award "Digital Contents of the Year" during the 8th annual AMD awards.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Counter of the Crafting Bug'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As we knew it, there was a crafting bug in which a player could force an interruption on their craft. The result of this was that the crystal broke, did not generate any material losses, and the player still had a chance of skilling up. This was discovered and fixed in a few days.
| width=500px valign=top | Those who exploited this bug either had their skill rolled back or were perm banned. This caused the uproar from players, complaining that they run this game like an offline game. This news was also reported on TV in Japan.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''January 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Rise of the Zilart Release Date'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The release date for [[Rise of the Zilart]] was announced in January of 2003. Along with that, the announcement also included a temporary change to the update schedules: in which, updates would be every few months instead of monthly.
| width=500px valign=top | This was obviously well received by many players even after the official expansion launch. SE's reply to this for the next couple of years was that "We did not plan this kind of workload." and the like. Although it was planned as a temporary change, by the end of 2004 they decided to just make it their normal update speed for many years to come.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 5th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Search Comments Implemented'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[BCNM]] battlefields added.
**At the time of implementation, [[Star Orb]]s cost 50 seals, and [[Moon Orb]]s cost 99 seals.
*Search comments implemented.
*Text Commands Added: /echo
**Added to Chat: <st>, <lastst>, <stpc>, <stnpc>, <hp>, <mp>, <job>, <hpp>, <mpp>, <bt>, <scan>, <mjob>, <sjob>, <pet>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Red Mage]]
**Enfeebling magic skill raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Axe]] skill raised.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills removed (they never had Axes they could equip anyway).
*Magic Added: [[Regen]], [[Refresh]]
|}
*The ability to cycle through a history of chat targets using CTRL(Alt)+R was added.
*When entering chat text, players could now utilize the shortcut keys CTRL(Alt)+S, R, T, L or P.
*A Compact Keyboard mode was added.
*The Rank 3 Dragon fight received a level cap of 25, while the Rank 5 [[Fei'Yin]] battlefield received a level cap of 50.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] altered.
*Certain Notorious Monsters that pop after specified intervals of time were changed so as to not immediately appear after a world maintenance.
*Careful consideration had to be given to terrain in dungeons allowing players to avoid being attacked.
*Area of effect magic spells were given a vertical range limit of 4m in either direction. This was done to prevent the trick wherein adventurers could damage Serket in the basement of [[Garlaige Citadel]] from the upper floor.
*[[Serket]]s Earth Pounder also no longer hit innocent low level players on the top floor of [[Garlaige Citadel]].
*[[Sneak]] now wore off when opening a Treasure Chest or Treasure Coffer.
*Mimics added as a new trap for Thieves trying to open treasure boxes.
*Party leaders now had their name displayed in yellow in search results.
*Players could now form an alliance by selected a party leader from the search list (when in the same area).
*Auto-Party limited to finding players one level either above or below the user.
*Players could now cycle through macro pages with R2 and L2.
*Players could now change the names of their Friends when adding them to the Friend List.
*Using the /attack command now put the player into cycle target mode.
*When fishing, the O button would now cancel your cast.
*Events added to the Bastok Missions [[Fetichism]] and [[To the Forsaken Mines]].
*The level requirement for [[Atop the Highest Mountains]] lowered from level 55 to level 51.
*A dialog box was added to warp points inside Delkfutt Tower.
*Conquest rewards were altered so that Rank 1 nations received more benefits, and differences between Rank 2 and Rank 3 nations were added.
*Consumable items, such as [[Instant Reraise]] scrolls, made available for purchase with [[Conquest Points]].
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Level Cap?!'''

Because there were a lot of high levels at this time already, this was done to stop players from soloing the mission BCs.

'''NM Spawn Time'''

The NM Spawn time change was made due to uproar that it was unfair that only "Haijins" (in english, it would mean "No Life People") could log in immediately after a server maintenance. This was the only answer that SE had to "solve" the problem for more casual players.

'''The First BCNMs'''

Six BCNMs were initially added:
“[[Tails of Woe]]” “[[The Worm's Turn]]” “[[Steamed Sprouts]]” “[[Dismemberment Brigade]]” “[[Grimshell Shocktroopers]]” and “[[Divine Punishers]]”, although they were yet to be given these names.
Also, the battlefields were not yet called “BF” and were referred to as BC戦, an acronym of Burning Circle.

'''Enter Mimics'''

Up until now, the only trap awaiting Thieves who failed to pick a chest was a severe Weakness effect. Now, treasure boxes could turn into Mimic-type monsters. If one managed to defeat the Mimic, they would always receive a key. Sneak and Invisible wearing off also was to stop thieves from picking all day. With the latter two changes, the thief lock picking craze gradually went down.

'''Red Mages Head to [[Ranguemont Pass]]'''

Although the high-end spell [[Refresh]] was added to the game, how to obtain the scroll was still shrouded in mystery. A rumor originating on an Internet message board soon spread, which claimed that a Hecteyes-type monster in [[Ranguemont Pass]], namely [[Taisai]], dropped the scroll.

The truth, however, was that the scroll was a reward from a BCNM. The drop rate was approximately 1 in 8 runs, and the Auction House price of the spell was 1 million gil. This was unheard of back then.

Many [[Red Mage]]s believed the rumor and hunting of the NM was widespread. As a reference to this incident, the NM [[Taisaijin]] was given [[Refresh]] in its Treasure Pool when it was added later on.

'''Fish Botting'''

To counter fish botting, the system was changed so that when pressing the O button, the fishing would be cancelled. However, they forgot to implement this on the ENTER button or the right mouse click.

'''Combat and Magic Skillup Parties'''

After this update, the rate of which combat and magic skillups were gained was dramatically reduced. This caused jobs that have multiple 2 handed weapons to find it extra hard to keep everything capped. This change gave birth to "Skill up Parties" that were popular for quite awhile.

The combat and magic skill tweak was "Ninja'd" into the update and players who called GMs to report bugs had only received typical responses that "it wasn't changed".
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Feb. 8th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Tenshodo's Envoy'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | On February 8th until February 14th, new NPCs appeared in the three nations selling [[Kukuru Bean]]s and [[Selbina Milk]]. At the same time, a recipe for [[Bubble Chocolate]] (HQ [[Heart Chocolate]]) was added. There was no official event for Valentine's day yet.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''February 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Lag!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Enormous lag problems happened in the month of February 2003, and it seemed that Playonline and something else clashed making servers unstable. People experienced serious glitches during their gameplay.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 13th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Seraph and Lakshmi Open'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Two new worlds were establish to alleviate the rising population. Players could transfer to the new worlds only from select existing worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Mar. 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Cherry Blossoms Appear'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Cherry blossom trees in full bloom appeared in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]], [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Metalworks]] and [[Windurst Waters]].
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:SpringBlossom_2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 1st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] The Two Companies Combine'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Formerly called Square and Enix respectively, Japan's two massive RPG makers combined and Square Enix was born. From here on, the change was reflected in Final Fantasy XI’s credits and the screenshot function.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] The Rise of the Zilart Preliminary Update'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap now became 65. The third Limit Break quest, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" was added.
**Causing amazement among players, the EXP table for lv61+ was changed to a much harsher climb compared with pre-60.
*[[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] were added as Advanced Jobs. Only [[Summoner]] could be attained without installing the expansion, but players without [[Rise of Zilart]] would be limited to [[Carbuncle]].
*An airship route between [[Jeuno]] and [[Kazham]] was opened.
*Rank 6 and 7 missions were implemented, along with actual Rank 7 and 8, for each nation.
*[[Nomad Moogle]]s were placed in foreign areas (you had to move your [[Mog House]] to utilize them).
*<pettp> was added.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Warrior]]
**[[Aggressor]] no longer boosted the accuracy of [[Ranged Attack]]s. The recast timer was also changed. Before the patch, it gave a 25% boost to accuracy (and -15% evasion). After, it was a solid 25.
**[[Defender]]s duration was set to 5 minutes, although it wasn't announced.
*[[Monk]]
**[[Chi Blast]] added.
**[[Kick Attacks]] job trait added.
**[[Martial Arts]] was also tweaked so that it would improve further beyond level 15.
**[[Guard]] skill and [[Staff]] skill were also raised.
*[[White Mage]]
**[[Enfeebling Magic]] skill raised.
*[[Black Mage]]
**All Ancient magic spells received the additional effect of lowering resistance to the element they oppose.
**[[Staff]] skill raised.
*[[Red Mage]]
**[[Convert]] added (this was a surprise and wasn't announced).
**[[Fast Cast]] was altered to always reduce spell cast time (prior to this, it would only kick in randomly).\
**[[Marksmanship]] skill removed, and [[Sword]] skill raised.
**[[Phalanx]] and [[Dispel]] were added. This greatly improved the job's usefulness.
*[[Thief]]
**[[AGI]] bonus cut from Trick Attack when used with [[Thief]] as a sub job. This was to protect the integrity of [[Thief]] as a main job.
*[[Paladin]]
**[[Rampart]] added.
**[[Throwing]] skill removed.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Call Beast]] added (along with jug pets).
**[[Charm]] success rate lowered when subbing [[Beastmaster]].
**[[Scythe]] skill added.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Ballad]] no longer improved in accordance with a Bard's skill. Tier-I gave 1 MP a tic, and Tier-II gave 2 MP a tic.
**[[March]] songs were weakened.
**Duration of [[Soul Voice]] was shortened from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.
**Although not mentioned, [[Madrigal]] was changed from a percentage increase to a solid value.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Unlimited Shot]] added.
***Along with this, powerful new [[Conquest Points]] ammo were introduced. At this time, changing your ammo would reset your TP. This caused the whole ability to be worthless.
*Magic Added: [[Erase]], [[Phalanx]], [[Dispel]], [[Absorb-STR]], [[Absorb-DEX]], [[Absorb-VIT]], [[Absorb-AGI]], [[Absorb-INT]], [[Absorb-MND]], [[Absorb-CHR]], [[Cure V]], [[Protect IV]], [[Protectra IV]], [[Teleport-Yhoat]], [[Teleport-Altep]], [[Fire III]], [[Blizzard III]], [[Thundaga II]], [[Stonega III]], [[Waterga III]].
|}
*Caps on crafting skills raised to 80.
*Enemies had their magic and ranged attack skill levels increased.
*GA-type spells received an increase in power. Damage now decreased depending on the number of enemies with the area of effect. Also, the MP they consumed was reduced.
*The effect of [[Gravity]] now lowered Evasion by 5%.
*[[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] could no longer be recast on top of themselves.
*[[Enhancing Magic]] effects now wore off when switching jobs.
*The timer for a 2-hour ability would no longer reset upon changing jobs.
*Items would no longer be consumed if a player moved during activation.
*A bug was fixed where [[Regen]] would automatically cure [[Sleep]] status. Normally, [[Poison Potion]]s are needed to avoid [[Sleep]], but until now [[Auto-Regen]] made [[White Mage]]s invaluable allies against monsters with [[Sleep]] attacks.
*[[BCNM]] monsters and boss-level Beastmen could now see through [[Invisible]], [[Sneak]] and [[Deodorize]] magics. People could no longer leisurely take snapshots of rare, high-level Beastmen leaders.
**SE forgot to notify players of "True Sight/True Sound" mobs. This made LB3 very difficult, and panic arose among the player base thinking that Sneak and Invisible were broken.
*The window of time within which players could create a [[Skillchain]] was changed. It was announced that [[Weapon Skills]] would no longer chain after a level 3 Skillchain was made.
*Certain skillchain elements were changed. [[Freezebite]]→[[Sunburst]] and [[Freezebite]]→[[Starburst]], which used to make Gravitation, now made Compression.
*[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]] had their skillchain elements changed. [[Rampage]]→[[Rampage]] and [[Penta Thrust]]→[[Penta Thrust]] no longer made Skillchains.
*Switching out certain ranged weapons, or anything in the ammo slot, now reset TP.
*New sections were opened in [[Toraimarai Canal]], Delkfutt Tower, [[King Ranperre's Tomb]] and [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]].
*The monsters that would drop Chest and Coffer keys were changed in every dungeon. Beforehand, all monsters of a certain level range had the chance to randomly drop a key. Here, it was set to drop only from specific monsters.
*Orcs level 30 and up received an HP max boost. [[Davoi]] transformed from leveling heaven into a ghost town overnight.
*The service charge for listed goods on the [[Auction House]] was standardized.
*Players could only invite one person per single World Pass.
*Players who set a Search Comment would now have a green mark next to their name in the search results.
*The amount of time a disconnected character would remain in the game was extended from 30 seconds to 1 minute.
*Sets 9 and 10 added to the Macro function.
*A pet's HP bar would now be displayed when choosing a Pet Command.
*Regional Vendors disappeared from [[Jeuno]].
*The title screen was removed, and players could immediately select from a menu when logging in.
*“DATA FILE” was removed from the menu and replaced with “View Safe.” DATA FILE would allow one to browse the aforementioned '''Altana Encyclopedia'''. The text command /datafile was also removed.
*Duration of [[Food]] effects was changed. Stackable food now lasted 30 minutes, and non-stackable food lasted 1 hour.
*Clicking the left mouse button while fishing would now cancel your cast.
*Players could now register others to their blacklist even if they were not in the same area.
*EX and RARE items now had an extra confirmation box when players tried to discard them.
*All [[Dagger]] weapons were changed to inflict Piercing damage. Before, only some were piercing.

*'''Bugs Introduced''':
**Serious problems arose with inputting Japanese characters.
**Players could buy an infinite number of new area maps from vendors.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''Game changers'''

*Along with the promised lv60 cap increase, various elements were added that will change the game completely. This started the trend of "If it's a buff, we announce it; if it's a nerf, we ninja it." as we know of right now.
*Food duration was changed from everything lasting one hour to "Stackable items last 30 minutes".
*Latent and Hidden Effect items were introduced at this time. Many players had no idea how to trigger them, and they were regarded as useless.
*Sneak was set to not be able to be overwritten, causing it to have to be dropped before recasting. This caused a higher sense of danger in dungeons.
*Several HNMs were added to the game, but rewards and titles were not properly implemented. This was not intentional, rather it was due to poor programming.
*Pre skill level 200, the equation was 1 skill = 1 accuracy. Post-200, this was suddenly changed to 1 skill = 0.2 accuracy. They did not take this into account with monster's evasion, so it was very hard to hit new high level monsters.
*Incredibly Tough monsters started at 12 levels above you. Monsters 18 levels above players needed to be killed to gain the maximum 200 experience points per kill. The developers did not think this through and were referred to as complete morons because "IT = Death". Fighting them became pointless unless a supreme party configuration was created. Many players started to chain Tough to Very Tough mobs dispite the amount of experience per kill being lowered. Tactics shifted from skillchain spamming to multi-hit weapon skill spamming.
*Not many people used level 3 skillchains, as level 65 was needed to use necessary weapon skills and [[Dancing Edge]] was incredibly strong.

'''Long Lines'''

A certain monster in [[Konschtat Highlands]] caused a huge influx of adventurers looking to acquire new jobs. There were so many challengers, that adventurers formed a long line and waited their turn.

At the same time, a battlefield required for the completion of the Dragoon acquisition quest had an Orcish hut looking like a popular ramen shop.

Competition for the [[Carbuncle's Ruby]] for the [[Summoner]] job quest also was severe, not to mention [[Kazham]] key mobs.

'''2-Hours On Demand'''

Before now, the timers for 2-hour abilities would be reset upon changing jobs. When doing multiple BCNMs, it was customary to repeatedly reset your 2-hours between BCNM attempts.

'''Be Careful With Those Items'''

Up till now, moving while activating an item would cause it to be consumed without effect. This caused particular concern with rare, difficult to acquire items like Warp and Teleport scrolls.

While this was fixed, for much longer players affected by [[Paralyze]] could lose their items without receiving their effects.

Also with this change they added a "delay" when using items. This caused many mecidines to become useless unlike other Final Fantasy games of the past.

'''New Sections in Dungeons'''

The newly opened areas inside these dungeons had previously been shut off. [[Bostaunieux Oubliette]] in particular never had monsters before, but now received several NMs for adventurers to hunt.

'''Jeuno's Regional Vendors'''

In various places around Jeuno, there were vendors for each region. These NPCs were invaluable for crafters, until they were removed. Afterwards, Conquest determined where things could or could not be purchased. This gave birth to [[Regional Vendors]].

The new event [[The Green Festival]] reintroduced these vendors for a short period.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Apr. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of the Zilart Goes on Sale'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The PS2 version and Windows version of the expansion were shipped to stores simultaneously. The price for the expansion only was 3,980 Yen (tax not included). The "FFXI Rise of Zilart All-in-One Pack 2003″ was also released at the price of 7,800 Yen (tax not included) either the PS2 version or the Windows version.

Overall, the expansion was well received. A few complaints included same model mobs in most areas, and lack of progression and improvement were part of the dislikes in the community. What was worse was the countless nerfs that were added in the patch post launch. The economies began to inflate with limited stocked items. Many players quit after discovering the large experience progression requirements post level 60 along with accuracy problems.

The first few thousand people who preordered the expansion were given a Tarutaru Summoner strap pictured below. The Tarutaru is wearing Summoner artifact armor.

[[Image:Zilart_preorder.jpg|250px]]
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_Japan_Collection1.JPG|400px]]
Two packages, the expansion-only version with a red colored left label (PS2 version pictured below) and All-In-One version (Windows version pictured above) were both available for PS2 and Windows PCs. An official Square Enix logo had yet to be designed, so SQUARESOFT still appeared on the cover. This was Square and Enix’s first collaborative title.

[[Image:FFXI ROTZ PS2.jpg]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Final Fantasy XI Completes 1 Year of Service'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 23rd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI: Rise of Zilart OST Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The price for the soundtrack was 2,100 Yen (tax included)
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:ROTZ OST.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Adventurer Appreciation Campaign'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | For a limited time, special moogles appeared in every region. Upon talking to them, one could learn their personal statistics, such as:
Chat Lines, NPC Chat times, Parties Joined, Alliances Joined, Battles Fought, Times K.O.d, Enemies Defeated and GM Calls made.
Highly ranked people on each world would be rewarded with a [[Chocobo Wand]]. Also, once an Earth day, adventurers could receive various presents ([[Little Comet]]s, [[Twinkle Shower]]s, [[Cracker]]s, etc).
| width=500px valign=top | The [[Chocobo Wand]] was awarded to highly-ranked people, and since no [[Chocobo Jack Coat]] existed, it was the only item to increase riding time. The wand was also coveted for having its own distinct graphic.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 27th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Expansion Areas Get Cheaper'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*An NPC was added to [[Norg]] that would change your [[Wyvern]] name.
*<pethpp> added to chat.
|}
*Different fees and taxes were lowered in many cases for expansion areas.
*The [[Airship]] abroad now cost 300 gil; Mog House transfer to [[Kazham]] cost 700 gil; transferring to [[Rabao]] cost 200 gil; [[Kazham]] bazaar tax was lowered from 15% to 10%; [[Rabao]] bazaar tax was lowered from 10% to 5%.
*The duration of [[Signet]] was changed to allow more time to players whose nation is ranked low in [[Conquest]].
*Equipping fishing poles or bait now reduced your TP to 0. [[Throwing]] weapons, like [[Boomerang]], also reduced TP to 0.
*[[Black Pepper]] was now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*Mid-level [[Great Katana]] were now sold at the [[Tenshodo]].
*[[Smoked Salmon]] was now sold at the Cooking Guild.
*The spell recast timer now read “Next” instead of “Last.”
*Three high priests of [[San d'Oria]] had their display names changed: Croisque→[[Chasalvige]], Vicasque→[[Halaviabeau]], Evesque→[[Olbergieut]].
*Dangruf Sulfur changed to [[Sulfur]].
*[[Ancient Goobbue]], [[Voluptuous Vivian]], [[Cemetery Cherry]] and [[Adamantoise]] now dropped gil.
*[[Summoner]]-type monsters could now summon Avatars other than [[Carbuncle]].
*Golem Shards, which dropped from Doll-type monsters were renamed Doll Shards. Golem-type monsters now dropped Golem shards (they were called Crystal Giants at the time).
*A pet’s name and HP bar would now be displayed above the chat log.
*Players could now /check a charmed pet.
*The shortcut key CTRL(Alt)+B now opened the Pet Command menu.
*Guild shop and [[Auction House]] menus would now display equipment/magic names in different colors depending on if they were owned/equipped/learned. Also stackables were changed from yellow to pink.
*Linkshell lists now displayed colors and search comment marks like in search results.
*Merchant NPCs added to [[Norg]].
*The Wyvern attack “Plasma Breath” was renamed “[[Radiant Breath]]”
'''Bugs Introduced'''
*Sneak was once again able to be cast on top of the old effect, but a couple days later removed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Back then, you had to transfer your [[Mog House]] to use the [[Nomad Moogle]], and thus, pay a fee. Add in bazaar taxes and [[Auction House]] fees, and expansion areas started feeling like high-class resorts.

After July 17th, the [[Mog House]] transfer fee and bazaar taxes were done away with, and the [[Auction House]] listing costs were lowered as well. After these changes, [[Kazham]] became a much more popular place in which to level.

'''Walking Worms'''

After the patch landed, a glitch occured where worms began to move around like other monsters instead of burrowing under the ground.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''May 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Suggestion Forum Drama'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | '''Latent MP'''
At this time because of Zilart's horrible launch patch, the healer shortage became more apparent. SE suggested that in order to fix this problem, they would have it so when melee jobs sub a mage, they would get more MP. Because this is obviously ignoring the core of why there is a healer shortage, players responded with dismay, at the end, this idea was scratched.
| width=500px valign=top | Later during an interview, the dev team stated that "users have misunderstood their words", that their plan was to increase the number of backline jobs instead. After that, they buffed WHM up, gave them [[Hexa Strike]], [[Divine Breastplate]] and various buffs, obviously in an attempt to draw people to WHM. This shifted the problem of shortage of WHM to the shortage of RDM and BRD.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 10th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Midgardsormr Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players could transfer from any of the 20 initial worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] FFXI Entry Disc for PS2 and Windows'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Accompanying the release of Rise of Zilart, the basic game was now sold as an "Entry Disc" and the price lowered to 4,800 Yen (tax not included).
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:FFXI_PS2_JP_ENTRY.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jun. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The world was named Cactuar.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 17th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level 70 Unleashed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 70. The fourth Limit Break quest, "[[Riding on the Clouds]]" was added.
**This surprised players with how easy it was compared to leveling and previous Genkai quests.
*A new region, [[Tu'Lia]], was unlocked.
*[[Artifact Armor]] for [[Samurai]], [[Ninja]], [[Dragoon]] and [[Summoner]] added.
*New guards, [[Auction House]] and Delivery NPCs were added to each level of [[Jeuno]]. Bazaar tax was changed to 10%.
**More specifically, this is why there is now an [[Auction House]] in both [[Upper Jeuno]] and [[Port Jeuno]] who are only NPCs.
*New HNMs were added (such as [[King Behemoth]]).
*Commands Added: /lsmes
*Chat Commands Added: <ncall>, <scall>
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Bard]]
**Light-based enemies could now resist [[Magic Finale]].
**[[Prelude]] became single target.
*[[Summoner]]
**Healing [[Blood Pact]]s had their MP costs reduced and their effectiveness greatly increased.
**MP required to summon Avatars was also reduced.
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was boosted and the cast time of Elemental Spirits was shortened.
*[[Ninja]]
**Ni-level [[Ninjutsu]] cast time was shortened dramatically from 8 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
*[[Monk]]
**The recast time for [[Chakra]] was shortened from 15 minutes to 5 minutes.
*Magic Added: [[Shell IV]], [[Shellra IV]], [[Regen II]], [[Regen III]], [[Raise III]], [[Thunder III]], [[Stone IV]], [[Water IV]], [[Aeroga III]], [[Firaga III]], [[Knight's Minne IV]], [[Bewitching Etude]], [[Valor Minuet IV]], [[Logical Etude]], [[Sage Etude]], [[Foe Requiem VI]], [[Swift Etude]], [[Puppet's Operetta]], [[Vital Etude]].
|}
*Chocobo rentals established in [[Kazham]], [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]]. [[Rabao]] and [[Kazham]] also received Chocobo shops. Players could now ride Chocobos through [[The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah]], [[Yuhtunga Jungle]], [[Yhoator Jungle]] and [[Eastern Altepa Desert]].
*[[Goblin Digger]]s began appearing in expansion areas.
*The airship for [[Kazham]] was lowered from 300 gil to 200 gil. [[Nomad Moogle]] transfer fees were eliminated, as well as bazaar taxes. [[Auction House]] charges were now calculated in the same way as the three nations.
*[[Tonberry]], [[Sahagin]] and [[Antica]] now dropped gil and Beastman Coins.
*The prices for [[Protect IV]] and [[Protectra IV]] in [[Rabao]] were lowered.
*[[Norg Shell]]s were no longer EX.
*Multiple people could now enter the gate in [[Sea Serpent Grotto]] that required a [[Sahagin Key]]. Initially, only the keyholder could enter after using it.
*Crafting skills raised to a maximum of 90.
*Cure spells adjusted so that MP cost and cast time changed according to the user’s [[Healing Magic]] skill. The enmity generated by [[Cure V]] was made a set value.
**The much demanded "make healing magic have more relation to our curing power" was still not properly addressed.
*Healing Magic skill no longer needed to be used on Undead to get a skillup.
*Recast time for [[Erase]] shortened.
*[[Stoneskin]] now absorbed more damage based on the user’s MND and Enhancing Magic skill.
*Cast time for Bar-spells shortened and MP cost lowered. Their effects now improved along with Enhancing Skill.
*The price of Regen sold in Mhaura was lowered, and [[Regen II]] was put up for sale. [[Regen II]] was now a White Mage exclusive spell.
*MP costs for tier-III and tier-IV Elemental Magic reduced.
*Dark-based enemies could now resist Dispel easier.
*The effect of Gravity could now last between 30~120 seconds.
*The duration of Poison spells, as well as the damage caused by Poison II and Poisonga II, were now based on Enfeebling Magic skill.
*[[Experience Points]] would now carry over into the next level upon a Level Up.
*A cap was set on the amount of [[Experience Points]] lost when K.O.d.
*[[Kindred's Seal]]s added.
*The maximum occupancy of each level of [[Jeuno]] was raised.
*A Mithra child’s shop was added to [[Ru'Lude Gardens]].
*The time it takes for Chocobo rental prices to decrease was shortened by 25% (this made it tougher for prices to get too high).
*Players were no longer disbanded from a party after entering their [[Mog House]].
*Messages now appeared in the chat log when using the Delivery System for sending/receiving items.
*Door names now appeared green in the target box.
*Players could now be added to one’s party across a Region.
*Search results for an Area or Region were now limited to 100 results. World-wide results were expanded to 40 results.
*Players could now set a Linkshell welcome message.
*The color of messages produced with /echo was changed.
*In crafting guilds, basic image support was made free, while advanced support was extended to last 4 times as long.
*Players could no longer repeatedly purchase items from a guild.
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered.
*Conquest points were no longer lost when switching national allegiance.
*Elemental spirits would now cast magic even outside of battle.
*Beastmaster-type Goblins occupying [[Batallia Downs]], [[Eastern Altepa Desert]] and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] were repositioned. They now re-summoned pets after 60 seconds instead of 30 seconds.
*Beastman Seal Orbs had their prices changed. [[Moon Orb]] 99→60, [[Star Orb]] 50→40. New Orbs were also added: [[Comet Orb]] for 50 seals, [[Lachesis Orb]] and [[Atropos Orb]]s for 30 seals.
*Defeated monsters were now displayed as grey on the compass.
*Cut scenes could now be replayed at certain NPCs.
*Players could now buy level 1 [[RSE]] clothing from vendors.
*Macros and Map Markers were now saved as files in PlayOnline.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Ninja Tank is Born'''

With Ni-level Ninjutsu shortened to a 1.5 second recast timer, Ninja could now use both tiers of [[Utsusemi]] to tank effectively. Prior to this, both tiers had the same casting times, if not Ni being slower. The supply of Ninja tools wasn't yet large enough to make this technique especially common, but it gradually became the norm. Before this, Ninja was looked at the same as Summoner: "a job with no purpose at all".

'''Experience Point Changes'''

Although publicly saying they had no plans to bring an ease to the level 61+ leveling, they ninja fixed the issue with a few little changes:
*In order to counter the high demand of experience per level at 61+, players were forced to target harder monsters which increased the demand for RDM/BRD.
*Players learned that [[Great Axe]s weapon skill [[Shield Break]] reduced ice-weak enemies evasion tremendously. This caused Warrior to be the most demanded melee at the time.
*Level capped zones became popular leveling spots due to the 2400 EXP loss per death. This penalty was based on the level you were capped at, saving a lot of experience loss.
*Changes to monster placement as well as level range in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Cape Teriggan]], and [[Labyrinth of Onzozo]] decreased camp choices and in turn made leveling harder.
*With the addition to Escort quests, this is the first time players were able to earn experience points instead of level grinding. Before the discovery of the once-per-week limitation, some had hopes of possibly skipping exp parties all together just by completing the quest.

'''Mog House Disband?'''

Up until now, players were automatically disbanded from their party upon entering their [[Mog House]]. Even just going to change your sub job meant you had to re-join the party afterwards. This was corrected to match [[Nomad Moogle]]s, which were preferred for not causing this issue.

'''Pet Hunting'''

[[Beastmaster]] pets were popular prey due to the high experience they gave relative to their strength. These [[Beastmaster]] were often placed near zone lines, which made them all the more popular for parties to hunt.

However, once their spawn locations were changed, and pet recast was lengthened to 60 seconds, it became too difficult to keep up experience chains, and parties found other prey to hunt.

'''New BCNMs'''

This update saw the addition of five new battlefields:

“[[Hostile Herbivores]]” “[[3, 2, 1...]]” “[[Treasure and Tribulations]]” “[[Infernal Swarm]]” and “[[E-vase-ive Action]]” However, the battlefields had yet to have these names attached.

“[[Come Into My Parlor]]” was set to be added this day, but was delayed until the 22nd.

*Crafting Mats: Some crafting materials were regarded as beyond reach to casual players (such as [[Damascene Cloth]]). Items such as these were added to these BCNMs.

'''Weapon Skills Where?!'''

New weapon skills were not immediately available. The developers stated that they used all of their resources on existing weapon skill graphic effects. Mages were complaining how melee get new weapon skills for free while mages had to work for them every time. This was the birth of [[WSNM]]s

'''Rare HNMs'''

Rare HNMs (like [[Nidhogg]]) were implemented. The spawn time was 60~72 hours. Before this, players occasionally took breaks from camping them. Due to the rarity and desirability of the gear that drops from them, players now continuously camped.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Fireworks Available for a Limited Time'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From July 18th until July 27th, fireworks could be purchased in [[Port San d'Oria]], [[Port Bastok]], [[Windurst Waters]] and [[Rabao]].
| width=500px valign=top | Four types of fireworks were available so users could celebrate summer festivals. The three nations and Rabao sold [[Airborne]], [[Konron Hassen]], [[Kongou Inaho]] and [[Meifu Goma]]. The [[Airborne]] and [[Konron Hassen]] were especially popular as they shot up into the sky. There were still no crafting recipes for these fireworks, and they could only be acquired through purchase.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 22nd, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Clotho Orb Added'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The previously delayed [[Clotho Orb]] could now be obtained and its corresponding [[BCNM]] [[Come Into My Parlor]] was added.

|}
*A bug where [[Elvaan]] would have less MP than intended above level 61 was fixed.
*The reward for the Windurst quest [[Catch It If You Can!]] was changed.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Jul. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Bon-Odori II'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Users again held a Bon-Odori event, but this time there was an official moogle to announce the event, as well as the old [[Yughott Grotto]] BGM from the beta test as music.
Actual Bon-Odori event was done by volunteers on each servers.
or example,on Quetzalcoatl server,A Linkshell volunteered and planned whole event.There were two venues,North Gustaberg and West Sarutabaruta .Players gathered and danced,but on West Sarutabaruta venue,there was one compliant from other player who was trying to go to Balga’s Dais but unable to enter Giddeus due to heavy lag on West Sarutabaruta.One of the Staffs got a tell from his mule,So they asked to stop moving for all attendees until his main character could pass West Sarutabaruta.Planning and how it’s done may be different on other servers.

| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 15th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Terms of Service Change'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Players were now forbidden to use any outside programs or tools while playing.
| width=500px valign=top | Around this time rumors surfaced of GMs unjustly banning players; although officially they announced them as rule breaking. As the GM's reputation was bad to begin with, this event further dented their player's trust.

Before this announcement, there was no action taken against the cheaters. Although, after this change of rules they tried several ways to stop fishbotting. The damage of untrustworthy GMs was already too deep to be undone.

Despite this announcement, the rate of fish bot bans were very minimal and were still found everywhere. Turbo controllers proved difficult to determine by SE if they were bots.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges!'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This was an event where a giant creature appeared in the areas surrounded each of the three nations. Even without Calling for Help, multiple parties and alliances could take part. If a player was defeated by the monster, they would not lose any experience.

Due to an glitch, the event was temporarily canceled.
| width=500px valign=top | The event consisted of fighting Doomed-type monsters that roamed the areas outside of home nations. A large amount of adventurers took part in massive battles. This event was made very unpopular as too many people rushed in, and the atmosphere feelt like Lower Jeuno AH at the time. Later, players rumored that this was just in preparation for the Treant + OP warp event, an experimental event.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Developer’s Blog Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The beta test now finished, Final Fantasy XI players could begin using this service.
| width=500px valign=top | This service lasted until December 27th, 2005.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Aug. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] A Mysterious Creature Emerges! Redux'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The event that had been canceled back on the 16th was now reborn as a 2-day event, spanning August 30th and 31st.

Touching the Beastman Banner in [[East Ronfaure]], [[North Gustaberg]] or [[West Sarutabaruta]] would cap you at level 30 and allow you to fight the Gigantoad. Defeating the three monsters would display a congratulatory System Message.

The reward was temporary [[Outpost Teleportation]] service (08/31 through 09/14) in [[San d'Oria]], [[Bastok]] and [[Windurst]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=WhiteShadow2>Vana’diel’s White Shadow Returns</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This event was held for 7 hours, from 10pm September 12th to 5am September 13th. Players could receive a [[Moon Carrot]] from a Moogle, and trade said carrots to speedy little rabbits in various areas.

The rabbits were even faster than last year, but the prize was upgraded as well to [[Thoth's Wand]].
| width=500px valign=top | This event was only held in 2002 and 2003, and did not return after that. All of the glitches from the previous event remained, and it all did not go over well with players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Official Benchmark 2 Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The setting for this version was the [[Yuhtunga Jungle]] / [[Yhoator Jungle]].
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Sep. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Announcement of Future Plans'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | SE announced their upcoming plans for the game; from [[Ballista]], [[Dynamis]], further level cap increase, and the release of NA version.
| width=500px valign=top | At this time, they announced that the NA version would share server with the Japanese, which lead to many players worrying, but SE only replied with "We are treating this as an experiment.".

The Development team announced "From now on, the version update will come every few months."(Remember that they said they would update every 1 month, and then changed to 3 months, and now "few months".). They seemed to be using localization for the NA version as an excuse for further slowing down their updates. This did not help the animosity view of Japanese players towards English players.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 7th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Fairy World Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | A new world was established for the increasing population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 14th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] North American Beta Test Ends'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | There was a special event on the final day, where Moogles were placed at [[Home Point]]s. Upon speaking with them, you could be teleported to NMs like [[Serket]] or [[King Behemoth]] and fight with them. GMs also joined the fray.
| width=500px |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct 21st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Nation Rank Missions and Zilart Completed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Rank Missions for rank 8 and 9 added, along with actual rank 9 and 10 to the three nations, completing their story lines.
*The conclusion to [[Rise of Zilart]] was added.
**The Zilart last boss could be unintentionally silenced, which was fixed in an emergency maintenance a couple days later.
*Players could now enter the [[The Shrine of Ru'Avitau]] and [[The Celestial Nexus]].
*Lucky Roll games implemented in [[Norg]] and [[Rabao]].
*Fortune-tellers that predict adventurer affinity were added to the three nations.
*[[BCNM]]s added to [[Sacrificial Chamber]], [[Cloister of Tides]] and [[Chamber of Oracles]] using the [[Moon Orb]].
*Chat Commands Added: <call4> – <call21>
*Text Commands Added: /sit
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*Magic Added: [[Sleepga]], [[Sleepga II]]
|}
*[[Avatar]] quests were now limited to once a day.
*The third [[Mog House]] expansion quest was added, with the final available space being 80.
*A shortcut to the 10th floor was added to the West side of [[Lower Delkfutt's Tower]] that could be opened with a [[Delkfutt Key]].
*[[BCNM]] clear times were now displayed.
*[[Magic Burst]] bonuses were increased.
*The effect of [[Clear Mind]] was strengthened.
*[[Summoner]] – Received [[Clear Mind]] trait.
*MP cost and strength of [[Banish]] adjusted. In addition, [[Banish]] now weakened the special defenses of [[Undead]] monsters.
*[[Stoneskin]] could no longer overwrite itself.
*[[Drain]] and [[Aspir]] were adjusted to absorb more based on [[Magic Burst]]s, day and weather.
*TP was no longer reset when changed one's ammo slot. Ranger became popular with [[Unlimited Shot]] and their special ammo.
*A number of monsters were rearranged in [[The Boyahda Tree]], [[Ifrit's Cauldron]], [[Cape Teriggan]] and [[Valley of Sorrows]].
*New Notorious Monsters were added to dungeons in Zilart areas.
*A number of repop timers for existing NMs was changed greatly (Monsters that popped every 60-72 Earth hours now popped every 24 hours).
**This included [[Fafnir]], [[Behemoth]], [[Adamantoise]] and the like. Their rare versions remained a lottery spawn every of 3~7 days, and stayed that way for years.
*[[King Behemoth]]s area of effect attacks could now strike any player within range.
*The items available in the Mithra child's shop in [[Ru'Lude Gardens]] would now change, and increases or decreases according to sales.
*The items obtainable through [[Chocobo Digging]] now varied based on weather, moon phase, day and time. Elemental ore was now obtainable, although extremely rare.
**This is when Digging became very popular as a gil earning method. Chocobo skill was initially viewable in the skill window.
*New items could now be grown through gardening.
*The prices of the shop on the ferry were stabilized.
*A sound now played when receiving a message or mail.
*Motions now accompanied [[HELM]] activities.
*More items were available from [[HELM]].
*Search comments were now divided into 4 different categories.
*When locked on a target, players could no longer switch targets with cursor keys, the mouse or function keys.
*The TAB key or START button would now activate the Auto-Translator, causing the word to appear blue in your input box.
*System message would now announce whether or not players could apply to transfer servers.
*A single World Pass could now be used to invite up to 5 people.
*A bug occurred wherein [[Bard]]s using [[March]] songs with '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +1''' or '''Royal Spearmen's Horn +2''' equipped would receive a massive boost in effectiveness. This was corrected in the October 28th emergency maintenance. These horns have since been removed.
*Synthesis Results were now displayed to others, and a chat filter was added.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''The Titan Marathon Ends'''

Around this time, players were repeatedly undertake the Titan acquisition quest in order to earn gil. Now, they were unable to do so until midnight Earth time. With [[Teleport-Altep]] and [[Escape]] for [[Korroloka Tunnel]], players used to easily complete 4 runs in an hour.

'''Cloister of Tides BCNM'''

At this time three BCs were added to the game. Although they had yet to receive their official names, the battlefields were:

“[[Jungle Boogeymen]]” “[[Amphibian Assault]]” and “[[Legion XI Comitatensis]]”

Out of these, “[[Amphibian Assault]]” was added to the [[Cloister of Tides]]. Ultimately, it was decided that the special Avatar battle arena should be unique to the Summoner quests, and the four Sahagin were moved to the [[Sacrificial Chamber]] on June 29th, 2004.

''' Othinus' Bow Popular Among Marksmen'''

New Ex/Rare drops were added to NMs around this time, and they proved to be an immediate hit. One especially, the [[Othinus' Bow]], was so coveted it practically made [[Archery]] obsolete. [[Acid Bolt]]s and [[Sleep Bolt]]s were also added in this update, further improving Marksmanship.

According the Japanese sites, the [[March]] glitch was said to have given players an unimaginable speed boost. Two-handed weapon users could swing like one-handers, dagger users were as fast as [[Hundred Fists]], and [[Monk]] could hold hate comfortably without [[Provoke]].

'''-Ga spells'''

Ga spells were already unpopular due to their MP demand, but now they scaled in accordance to the number of targets hit by the spell. With the improvement of Magic Burst bonuses, despite the high cost, -ga spells became popular as a single target nuke. However, monster -ga spells were not affected by the number of players hit.

'''EX tag items'''

This update implemented a large number of EX items. The dev team reasoning was that "People won't have to camp it again if they already have it", as well as preventing a monopoly situation to sell items. In reality, players found the actual effect is "Even if you don't want to, you have to camp it". In many cases these EX items did not do what the dev team expected it to. On top of this, high priced items still dropped from NMs such as [[Shining Cloth]] from [[King Behemoth]] and [[Damascene Cloth]] from [[Aquarius]]. Players still camped these NMs for profitable gil drops even though they already had the equipment.

As part of the EX craze, the dev team was sure to announce that many NMs could be killed by leveling parties who happen to be killing placeholders. Knowing that Ninja was an unexpected tank, the dev team's idea of balance was very questionable.

'''Development Team running out of ideas?!'''

With the [[Lucky Roll]] and fortune teller features added, this was SE's answer to player's demand for "New Entertainment". The community's view that the development team was simply running out of ideas was largely increased after these were implemented. The question "What the f*** were the developers thinking?" remained a popular meme for years to come.

'''Come Hither!'''

This patch is when the Mithra's "inviting" sit pose (pictured below) was added. This pose had a lot of controversy, so it was changed later to be more feminine and conservative.

[[Image:Mithra_Old_Sit.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 28th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] North American Windows Version Released'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The North American version of Final Fantasy XI went on sale on October 28th, 2003 for $49.99. When service in North America began for Final Fantasy XI, a large amount of foreign players immediately flooded the game. English chat flowed through towns, and Conquest results were upset by low level activity (there were dead people everywhere). Japanese players avoided home nations due to /shout spam.

Although before the release, some supported the idea of cross server in the name of international gaming. After the release, with the "PL plaz" "Gil plez" "Item pelaz" begging, sexual harassment comments, and the random party replacement(People leaving after 1 kill, leader leaving party after level, tossing leader to a random member without asking, etc, the negative complaints begun.

At the same time, the auto translator feature was added. With the tell spam of "Help Me out!" "cap" "coffer" "thank you", many Japanese players put up the "JP Only" comment. On a side note, "cap" in translator translates to the cap as in baseball cap to the Japanese, just like how "Break" is translated to relaxing to the Japanese.

These all lead to the increasing demand(still active now) of separating servers, mostly from the Japanese players. However, the CEO announced that "Cross nation and Translator are very well done, and we received a lot of praises", even though no one understand where they get those idea from.
| width=500px valign=top | [[File:FFXI Windows NA.jpg|250px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 30th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] 7th CESA GAME AWARDS Winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Final Fantasy XI took the award for being the first PS2 MMORPG, connecting PS2 and Windows on the same servers, and for user satisfaction with [[Rise of the Zilart]] updates.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Oct. 31st, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] <span id=Halloween>Trick or Treat!</span>'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | From October 31st to November 3rd, players could transform in monsters by trading fruits and sweets to certain NPCs. Prizes included [[Jack-o'-Lantern]], [[Trick Staff]], [[Treat Staff]], [[Pumpkin Head]] and [[Horror Head]]. [[Goblin Chocolate]] was also available for purchase.
| width=500px valign=top | The equipment available during this event was cute and very different, so it immediately became quite popular. Towns were filled with adventurers in puffy hats with bat staves on their back. You could also see people everywhere bopping monsters on the head, testing out the [[Treat Staff]] latent effect of [[Warp]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Treat Staff Effect Changed'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Originally, the [[Treat Staff]] would have a much higher rate of activating [[Warp]] during the Halloween event. This was changed so that it would not activate at all outside the time of the event.

This change caused many players to complain, and was very unpopular.
|}
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 11th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Conquest Adjustments'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
Players under level 5 no longer had an effect on Campaign results when K.O.d.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | Many people would group suicide to force regions to become beastmen controlled (Kolshushu was beastmen controlled for almost a year before this change). Even with this change, many regions continued to be beastmen controlled (Qufim, Elshimo, Aragoneu, etc)

Regional merchants became very rare, affecting prices of items such as [[Yagudo Drink]].
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #b68540}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Counterfeit_Gil_icon.png|25px|link=]] Concept Art'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | The official site was massively updated with Concept Art (for a set fee) and a Creator’s Voice blog. The Concept Art was found inside the Developer’s Room.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=3 align=center valign=top | '''Nov. 18th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #9b70ea}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historybeta.png|25px|link=]] PlayOnline Plus Beta Testing Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | Beta testing began for services that included a special e-mail address (CHARACTER@WORLD.ffxi.pol.com), mail forwarding and other features.
|-
| width=1050px valign=top colspan=2 | [[File:POL Plus.gif|link=]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 4th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] First Annual Spike TV Video Game Awards “Best Online Game” winner'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |  
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 9th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #ac1717}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historynews.gif|25px|link=]] Asura Opens'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | This world was established due to the rising population. Transfer was available from all worlds.
| width=500px valign=top |
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 12th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #405fb6}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:JPFlag.png|link=]] "REAL VANA’DIEL" Net Cafe Opens in Akihabara'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Melco Online Entertainment opened a net cafe for the enjoyment of FFXI in Akihabara. There was a [[Mog House]] resting area (smoking allowed), and staff members dressed up as FFXI characters. Satire jokes arose, such as "I am a Dark Knight. Should I AFK IRL too?"

All computers at the time gauged “Incredibly Tough” against the game’s requirements. See the pictures to the right for a glimpse inside this store and the layout.

See [http://web.archive.org/web/20080220132325/http://www.watch.impress.co.jp:80/game/docs/20031107/realv.htm This Link] for an article regarding the store.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Realv03.gif]]
[[Image:Realv01.gif]]
[[Image:Realv02.gif]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Level Cap 75'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top |
{| style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA" width="100%"
|
{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed red; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>New Features & Content</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*The level cap became 75. The final Limit Break quest, "[[Shattering Stars]]" was added.
*[[Dynamis]] was originally planned to be released in this update, but it was delayed.
*New [[Weapon Skills]] attainable through quests ([[WSNM]]) were implemented.
*New NMs were added (4 gods in [[Tu'Lia]], [[Nidhogg]], and more).
**[[Abjuration]]s and [[Cursed Items]] were introduced.
*The [[Storage]] system was implemented.
**This answered demands to make furnishings useful, but then started the demand to make storage accessible without making the extremely long trip back to a player's home nation.
|}

{| width=100% style="border: 2px dashed purple; border-radius: 5px; background-color: #eae9e9"
| '''''<u>Job Adjustments</u>'''''
|-
| cellpadding=10px |
*[[Black Mage]]
**[[Black Mage]]s could no longer be interrupted by receiving damage while under the effect of [[Manafont]]. [[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Samurai]]
**Using [[Meikyo Shisui]] now gave a player 300 TP.
*[[Summoner]]
**The effect of [[Astral Flow]] was extended to 3 minutes. In addition, [[Avatar Perpetuation]] was reduced to 0 while under its effect.
*[[Dark Knight]]
**[[Axe]] and [[Great Axe]] skills raised.
*[[Beastmaster]]
**[[Scythe]] skill raised.
*[[Summoner]]
**[[Club]] and [[Staff]] skills raised.
*[[Bard]]
**[[Staff]] skill added.
*[[Ranger]]
**[[Axe]] skill added.
*Magic Added: [[Flash]], [[Curaga IV]], [[Reraise III]], [[Stun]], [[Blizzaga III]], [[Aero IV]], [[Fire IV]], [[Thundaga III]], [[Blizzard IV]], [[Thunder IV]], [[Archer's Prelude]], [[Goddess' Hymnus]], [[Uncanny Etude]], [[Warding Round]], [[Chocobo Mazurka]], [[Herculean Etude]], [[Maiden's Virelai]], [[Earth Spirit]].
|}
*[[Expeditionary Force]] was altered, and new areas were added.
*The ??? marks involved in Limit Break quest 3, "[[Whence Blows the Wind]]" were repositioned, making it easier to complete the quest.
*The [[Moongate pass]] was added. [[Ro'Maeve]] became a popular leveling spot.
*The Great Axe WS [[Shield Break]] no longer depended on the enemy’s strength, but now lowered [[Evasion]] by a set value.
*High-level physical accuracy was raised (post skill level 200). This allowed players to hit mobs without [[Madrigal]].
*A number of high-level monsters had their experience point bonus for parties increased.
*Changing jobs now cleared [[Song]] effects.
*The execution of [[Sneak Attack]] was changed so that players must stand directly behind the monster. "'''Yokodama'''" could no longer be performed.
*Resist traits, Bar-spells and songs now provided much more defense against strong enemies. In addition, a message now displayed in the chat log when resisting an effect.
**These effects were still not very useful against Incredibly Tough monsters.
*The effects of Killer traits and Circle effects were changed from a Slow effect to an Intimidate effect. In addition, Circle abilities now lasted 1 minute and had a recast time of 10 minutes.
*High level [[Weapon Skills]] (such as [[Dragon Kick]] and [[Shark Bite]]) were strengthened.
*The skillchain properties of [[Tachi: Koki]] were changed.
*Level 50-70 monsters in various areas were rearranged.
*Orcs’ HP was once again adjusted.
*The movement speed of [[Behemoth]] and [[King Behemoth]] was raised.
*Knockback was added to a number of monsters’ special abilities.
*When entering a [[BCNM]], the time limit, fastest record, and record holder’s name were now displayed.
*Crafting skills were raised to level 100.
*Rank 9 Conquest items were introduced. The cost of [[Warp]] and [[Reraise]] scroll was cut in half.
*The repop time of treasure boxes was changed. They would also pop much faster if disappearing after a [[Thief]] failed to pick them.
*The [[Mithra]] who could bundle arrows now joined the traveling performers.
*[[Tree Cuttings]] could now be grown into [[Tree Saplings]], which subsequently could be used to produce Elemental Ores and ultimately Staves.
*New [[Auction House]] categories were created for [[Ammo]], [[:Category:Others|Others]], [[:Category:Materials|Materials]] and [[:Category:Misc.|Misc.]]
*Elemental Staves were given unique models.
*Players Level 15-19 could now ride Chocobo from the starting three nations. However, their riding time was limited to 15 minutes.
|}
| width=500px valign=top | '''No One Can Help You Now'''

The final Limit Break quest had players squaring off against [[Maat]] alone. Until now, quests could easily be completed with parties, but this time people had to face the challenge alone, leaving many unable to overcome it. [[Red Mage]]s especially had a rough time, eventually leading to some adjustments to the difficulty. This quest was very unpopular, and some jobs had it much harder than others.

'''No More Yokodama'''

Yokodama was the practice of Sneak and Trick Attacking from the side of a monster.

(“Yoko” means side, and “dama” is the first two syllables of Damashiuchi, or [[Trick Attack]]).

On this day, it was decided that [[Trick Attack]] would only function properly if one stood directly behind the enemy. The Yokodama was no more.

Square said in an interview the month prior that "Yokodama wasn't planned, and it was making the game too easy. We may consider fixing it." Many players supported this and found it to be making fighting too easy. For some mysterious reason, players then started then complaining about the lack of Yokodama after the patch. The spells [[Flash]] and [[Stun]] were born to alleviate hate control issues.

'''Tu'Lia Notorious Monsters'''

New NMs were added to sky, namely [[Kirin]], [[Byakko]], [[Suzaku]], [[Seiryu]] and [[Genbu]]. At the time, they looked just like any other monsters; even though Byakko means “white tiger,” the model was black. Eventually, these enemies were altered to look unique.

With the sky NM system now implemented, Sky Linkshells were born.

'''WSNMs'''

The majority of the WSNMs had bad performance, so the effort needed to obtain them was not well received.
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 16th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Holy Night in Vana’diel'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | Christmas decorations were put up in all three nations. Players could talk to Moogles once a Vana’diel day to receive [[Popstar]], [[Brilliant Snow]], [[Sparkling Hand]] or [[Air Rider]].

This was the start of the yearly Christmas [[Starlight Celebration]] in Vana’diel.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Starlight2003.jpg|450px]]

'''Image courtesy of [https://horyu028.jimdo.com/ Horu@Quetzalcoatl]'''
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 26th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #f90}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Excalibur icon.png|25px|link=]] Rampaging Presents'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | In various areas, a monsters called [[Twinkling Treant]] (a tree decorated on December 16th) appeared. Talking to nearby Moogles would impose a level cap and allow one to fight the monster.

It was announced that defeating the trees would grant the world [[Outpost Teleportation]] service. All servers succeeded in attaining this prize.

'''Destroy the Christmas Tree?!'''
At first, no matter how much you hit the tree, the HP wouldn't decrease. This was a prime weapon/magic skill up opportunity. To prevent this, SE lowered the HP in the middle of the event. This also caused SE to issue a server message saying that if the NM was not killed, that world would not receive OP Warps. Some worlds were able to dispose of the tree quickly, while others just couldn’t manage to take it down. A System Message announced that the event would not end until all servers had one. The ordeal was finally over after Midgardsormr was the last to claim victory.
| width=500px valign=top | [[Image:Twinkling Treant 2003.jpg|450px]]
|-
| bgcolor=#d2cac0 width=125px rowspan=2 align=center valign=top | '''Dec. 29th, 2003'''
| width=1050px colspan=2 | <div style="{{linear-gradient|right|#FFFFFF, #1ca4bc}}"><font color=#FFFFFF>    '''[[Image:Historyversionup.png|25px|link=]] Outpost Teleport Service Begins'''</font></div>
|-
| width=500px valign=top | As a reward for success in the Christmas event, all worlds were bestowed with [[Outpost Teleportation]] Service following a maintenance.
| width=500px valign=top |
|}

{{Template:History_Nav}}

User:Aish

2017-11-08T08:25:20Z

Aish: a few days break

I'm just another JP player who's playing since 2002,although very slow.I do BLM,WHM,GEO,and recently COR.I don't understand how to do SC yet :P

Quick memo:I got a cold and my contribution for [[The History of Final Fantasy XI]] will be a few days later.[[User:Aish|Aish]] ([[User talk:Aish|talk]]) 03:25, 8 November 2017 (EST)

Talk:The History of Final Fantasy XI

2017-11-05T17:34:31Z

Aish: reply

Talk:The History of Final Fantasy XI

2017-11-05T08:13:09Z

Aish: /* Help */ reply

User:Aish

2017-11-04T17:55:47Z

Aish: self introduction

I'm just another JP player who's playing since 2002,although very slow.I do BLM,WHM,GEO,and recently COR.I don't understand how to do SC yet :P

Talk:The History of Final Fantasy XI

2017-11-04T17:46:32Z

Aish: /* Help */

Talk:The History of Final Fantasy XI

2017-11-04T17:34:35Z

Aish: reply

Talk:The History of Final Fantasy XI

2017-11-04T17:22:20Z

Aish: