VanaFest 2010 Special Talk Session (02/28/2010)

From FFXI Wiki
In attendance at the special talk session were Producer Hiromichi Tanaka, Director Koichi Ogawa, Battle Director Akihiko Matsui, planners Yoji Fujito and Mizuki Ito, and Global Online Producer Sage Sundi. The discussion revolved around the new content being planned for the upcoming version update as well as the game's future direction.

* All announcements made are for content under development, and thus changes may occur without notice.

Wings of the Goddess Missions and Quests

The Story Continues!

New Wings of the Goddess missions will be coming to you in the March version update!

Image02-28-2010 0.jpg

Nerves run high as the embattled Allied Forces march on the enemy's heartland, Valdeaunia, to execute a daring operation to strike down the Shadow Lord. Charged to stand at the helm of this desperate campaign is the celebrated San d'Orian hero, Sir Ragelise B Baloumat of the Knights of the Ironcrest Hawk…





Image02-28-2010 1.jpg

Dauntless soldiers who would dare follow Castle Zvahl's perilous passageways to their end will find themselves standing before the Throne Room. There, they will learn the true identity of the imposing dark figure whose entrance is heralded by a garrulous imp…






Image02-28-2010 2.jpg

The repercussions of Atomos' mindless devouring of memories and time have extended even to the present. The ominous comet has again appeared, this time above the skies of San d'Oria and far closer now than ever before. What could this possibly portend for the future of Vana'diel…?





What will become of the heroes and heroines of the Allied Forces? All will be revealed upon the release of the March version update! The Wings of the Goddess mission storyline draws ever nearer to its epic finale, with but one more set of episodes to follow those of the March version update.

Nation Quests

The three nation quest storylines, too, are set to reach their enthralling conclusions this summer. Astounding rewards await brave soldiers who would stay loyal and true to their nation till the very end!

Campaign

Image02-28-2010 3.jpg

The new version update will offer a host of additions sure to delight veteran campaigners, including:
- A long-awaited decoration unlocked
- New Campaign Ops
- A new battleground: Castle Zvahl
- …and all-new rewards!




Image02-28-2010 4.jpg

Among the new rewards will be formidable weapons that allow the wielder to employ devastating weapon skills formerly exclusive to certain Campaign NPCs. With the addition of Castle Zvahl to the Campaign battlefront, adventurers who fight bravely for the Allied cause will be rewarded with a chance to square off against the Shadow Lord himself! Needless to say, those who emerge victorious will be rewarded with spectacular spoils befitting their heroic deeds.




Image02-28-2010 5.jpg

Trial of the Magians

Image02-28-2010 6.jpg

"Trial of the Magians" is the title given to a new quest series designed especially for level 75 characters.









Quest Structure

The quests will be divided into a number of categories, and progression in each will allow players to earn different rewards. The following quest branches and more are being considered:

- Weapon enhancement.
- Armor enhancement.

Trial of the Magians will be introduced to the game in multiple stages, with the initial set of weapon enhancement quests slated for addition in the March version update.

Enhancing a Weapon

A Trial of the Magians weapon enhancement quest can be initiated by first trading a suitable weapon to a Magian Moogle NPC, at which point a list of corresponding quests will be displayed. Players may choose a quest based on difficulty level and the enhancement they would like added to their weapon, which will be granted upon the fulfillment of the quest objective.

A single weapon can undergo numerous upgrades. By trading an already-enhanced weapon to a Magian Moogle, players can undertake successive quests to have it further improved. Multiple quests can be undertaken simultaneously.

By repeating the quests, up to 80 different features can be added to a single weapon. With figures such as Damage and Delay added to the equation, there exist 500 possible attribute patterns for a single quest branch!

There are also plans to make it possible to enhance Relic and Mythic weapons through Trial of the Magians. While players can expect quest difficulty to far exceed similar quests released thus far, we are con