Unlike previous Final Fantasy games in the series, Final Fantasy XI is the first one to take the series online and to a whole new level. Using the PS2's online capabilities hook up to the internet to play with millions of other fans. Using real time battles take the series further with this game and two other expansion packs which have been released: Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart With the PS2 release, came the PC version, which was eventually followed by the XBOX360 version. Please Note that the US version of Final Fantasy XI (PS2) came pre-installed with Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart and therefore most people will not recognise it as an expansion pack.

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This is the world map of Vana'diel. Click on the map for a larger view

Unlike previous Final Fantasy's in the series, FFXI does not have set charachters, however it has races and genders from which you can pick from.

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Jobs plays a main part of Final Fantasy XI. As you begin the game, you will start with 6 jobs, but as you progress through the game you can unlock more.
By completing certain quests, the door to many other exciting jobs will open.

You can change your job any time, and eventually gain the ability to select a support job. With a support job, you can effectively "hold two jobs at once." Want to be a warrior who can cast white magic? How about a monk with black magic? With support jobs, the combinations are endless!

Below is the list of Jobs that are avaialable in FFXI, along with any techniques that they can lear.
NOTE: Magic Listings can be found in the Black Magic/White Magic/Summoning/Songs Sections

(Rise of the Zilart added three more "extra" jobs to the game:

Ninja
Samurai
Dragoon

Chains of Promathia did not add any new jobs to the game, but Treasures of Aht Urhgan added three:

Blue Mage
Corsair
Puppetmaster

The unique job capability of Final Fantasy XI is the ability to equip a "main job" and a "subjob" or "support job". The "support job" ability is a quest based in the towns of Mhaura and Selbina, and you are eligible for the quest at level 18. The purpose of a "support job" is to enhance your "main job" and is always half the level of your "main job"; for example, a level 75 White Mage could choose a "support job" of Black Mage, and would have all the abilities that a Black Mage has access to up until level 37 (provided their Black Mage is leveled that high).

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Ninja

Ninjas appear as an advanced job available to players who have reached level 30 and completed the ninja flag quest. The quest itself is mostly just sneaking around, which suits well the class unlike a few other advanced job quests that do not seem to follow with the spirit of the job in question.

Ninjas are one of the two tank classes in the game. A tank is the person in a party that is supposed to make the enemy hate him the most so that the enemy attacks the tank at the exclusion of all others. Ninjas do this with low Vitality and Defense because they have good evasion, agility, and a few spells that allow them to create shadows. This is the most popular Ninja spell, called Utsusumi. It comes in Ichi and Ni formats, which is Japanese for one and two. The ichi form creates 3 shadows, and the ni version creates four.

Samurai

Samurai appear as one of the advanced jobs available to players who have reached level 30. The quest involved in becoming a samurai starts in the pirate city, Norg. Ultimately, characters must travel to The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah to fight a treant and then return to norg to claim his prize; the right to level up as a samurai.

Samurai are significantly different than their previous incarnations. They are described as demon killers and they have abilities like Warding Circle that help raise party members resistances to demons.

The real boon of the Samurai, though, is his weapon, the Great Katana, his Store TP ability that allows him to accumulate TP faster than other melee classes and his Meditate ability that will almost instantly give him 100% TP. TP in Final Fantasy XI is used to do Weapon skills and when weapon skills are done in a particular order they will make a Skillchain causing massive damage. Great Katanas are also notable in the game as being easy to make skill chains with so, while the Samurai might not be king of damage, he can be a major force multiplier and a party player.

Dragoon

Dragoons appear as a job class. Dragoon is not one of the 6 basic jobs, so it must be quested for. The quest to become a Dragoon rather suitably involves slaying a Dragon in Gelsba Outpost. After beating this dragon, the player earns the right to level as a Dragoon.

Dragoons are entrusted with a young dragon, called a wyvern, which they can summon. The wyvern fights along side the dragoon and will take on different characteristics determined by the dragoon's subjob. For the most part, the wyvren will focus on physical attacks and do a breath attack when the Dragoon uses a weapon skill. The one substantial difference to this rule is in the case of a Dragoon having a mage subjob. When that Dragoon casts a spell, the wyvern's breath attack will do no damage, but instead heal a member of the party.

Dragoons get three versions of the trademark jump ability; a normal Jump, High Jump, and Super Jump, which does no damage, but removes the Dragoon from the battlefield just long enough for an enemy to forget about the Dragoon and focus its attacks on other party members. They also get an accuracy bonus, which means they theoretically hit slightly more often than other classes, and Dragon Killer, which gives them increased effectiveness when fighting one of the few Dragon- or Wyvern-type enemies in the game.

Blue Mage

Blue Mage is an advanced job that has recently been added by the expansion Treasures of Aht Urhgan. The job of Blue Mage seems to be melee in nature, though it can be played in a variety of different ways. They can learn enemy abilities that, for the most part, either help themselves, personally, or hamper their enemy or enemies. They also have a few abilities similar to a Beastmaster, in that they intimidate beasts in their presence.

Blue Magic in has a couple of attributes. Blue Mages themselves might be somewhat weaker than other jobs in terms of their statistics; however, most of the abilities they can learn do come with modifiers to the Blue Mage's statistics. This is unlike most incarnations of the Blue Mage.

As far as racial selection goes, there is no one race that would stand significantly better than any other. Blue mage spells cast off of every statistic in the game, depending on the spell in question. If anything, certain blue mages will excel at casting certain spells while lagging behind slightly with others. In all, each race can approach the job as equals, simply from a different perspective.

The Blue Mages are linked to Aht Urhgan and a group or concept know as the Immortals. Aside from elite military rankings, however, Blue Mages have a dark history behind their creation.

Corsair

The Corsair is a special job class, based off the gambler. They are, in a large sense, modeled after pirates in this rendition, but according to the game's plot they are not pirates at all. They are incapable of wearing heavy armor and use mostly their knives, swords, and special hexa-guns to dish out damages. They use the rolling of dice and the drawing of cards to increase attributes of their fellow party-members.

Corsairs have a number of abilities that have very gambling inspired names, like Double-Up, and then another set of abilities that they use which are modeled after other classes and give bonuses based on what you would assume those jobs would be good at. For instance, a Ranger's Roll will give nearby party members increased accuracy. The rolling of dice, however, is not a guaranteed success story. Each ability has lucky and unlucky numbers.

Story-wise, Corsairs were once a sort of naval fleet under the command of the Kingdom of Ephremand, which was invaded and taken over by the Empire of Aht Urghan. The fallen Corsairs pose as undead enemy-type characters and take on a Fomor form and are particularly violent and aggressive. The other Corsairs, a small group known as the Seagull Phratrie, still survives. The Phratrie's hideout is located in Arrapago Reef; their ship was damaged while escaping an Imperial naval fleet, so they cannot sail as they once did. In current times, the Imperials are determined to wipe out the Corsairs once and for all, but they always seem to escape capture one way or another. Even though the Empire has tried bribing and even a double-agent, the Seagull Phratrie always seems to elude their grasp.

Puppetmaster

Puppetmasters are entertainers from the far East on Vana'diel. They use their puppets to entertain audiences, but they are also effective in combat. This is a playable advanced job since the addition of Treasures of Aht Urhgan. Puppets are summonable by the Puppetmaster just like a Dragoon summons his wyvren. The puppet joins the puppetmaster in battle, but unlike any other pet in Final Fantasy, the puppet can actually be equipped with a new head or chasis as well a dozen special upgrades.

Puppetmasters are accompanied by an Automaton, which according to the story of Final Fantasy XI, is a recent invention of a prominent engineer of the Eastern Empire, a galka named Ghatsad. Traditionally, the entertainers of the past had used marionettes to entertain crowds. These new creations are built and maintained by their puppetmaster owners and function without the use of any strings or other attachment. Instead a puppetmaster actually has a remote which he can use to control his pet.




From some of the descriptions of Puppetmasters released by Square-Enix, there are some very vague connections between Puppetmasters and a recurring job in the Final Fantasy series; Machinist. )

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There are two different types of magic's in the game that can be used by the different Jobs that are available.

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Avatars in the Final Fantasy world have many other names, two of which are Summons, and Aeons. In Final Fantasy XI the job class "Summoners" are able to summon Avatars at will.

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Songs are the way of the Bards. They use songs to attack and defend. The Job description of a Bard can be found [Here] along with a physical abilities list.

Spell	Level Learned	Element	Description
Knight's Minne	1	Earth	User Only - Increases defense of all party members within range
Valor Minuet	3	Fire	User Only - Increases attack of all party members within range
Army's Paeon	5	Light	User Only - Restores 1 HP every 3 seconds to all party members within range
Foe Requiem	7	Light	Single Target - Gradually reduces HP of enemy over time
Herb Pastoral	9	Lightning	User Only - Increases Poison Resistance of all party members within range
Light Threnody	10	Darkness	Single Target - Lowers resistance to light
Sword Madrigal	11	Light	User Only - Increases physical accuracy of all party members within range
Dark Threnody	12	Light	Single Target - Lowers resistance to darkness
Sheepfoe Mambo	13	Wind	User Only - Increases physical evasion of all party members within range
Earth Threnody	14	Wind	Single Target - Lowers resistance to Earth
Army's Paeon II	15	Light	User Only - Restores 2 HP every 3 seconds to all party members within range
Water Threnody	16	Lightning	Single Target - Lowers resistance to Water
Foe Lullaby	16	Light	Single Target - Puts enemy to sleep (can be stacked with sleep spell for extra effectiveness)
Foe Requiem II	17	Light	Single Target - Gradually reduces HP of enemy over time
Wind Threnody	18	Ice	Single Target - Lowers resistance to Wind
Scop's Operetta	19	Ice	User Only -Increases silence resistance of all party members within range
Fire Threnody	20	Water	Single Target - Lowers resistance to Fire
Knight's Minne II	31	Earth	User Only - Increases defense of all party members within range
Enchanting Etude	22	Light	User Only - Statistically increases charisma of all party members within range
Ice Threnody	22	Fire	Single Target - Lowers resistance to Ice
Valor Minuet II	23	Fire	User Only - Increases attack of all party members within range
Spirited Etude	24	Water	User Only - Statistically increases mind power of all party members within range
Lightning Threnody	24	Earth	Single Target - Lowers resistance to Lightning
Mage's Ballad	25	Light	User Only - Restores 1 MP every 3 seconds to all party members within range
Learned Etude	26	Ice	User Only - Statistically increases intelligence of all party members within range
Horde Lullaby	27	Light	Multiple Target - Puts enemies within range to sleep (can be stacked with sleepga spell for extra effectiveness)
Quick Etude	28	Wind	User Only - Statistically increases agility of all party members within range
Advancing Match	29	Lightning	User Only - Statistically increases attack speed of all party members within range
Vivacious Etude	30	Earth	User Only - Statistically increases vitality of all party members within range
Hunter's Prelude	31	Lightning	Single Target - Increases ranged accuracy
Dextrous Etude	32	Lightning	User Only - Statistically increases dexterity of all party members within range
Fowl Aubade	33	Light	User Only -Increases sleep resistance of all party members within range
Magic Finale	33	Light	Single Target - dispels positive effects from a mob
Sinewy Etude	34	Fire	User Only - Statistically increases strength of all party members within range
Arm's Paeon III	35	Light	User Only - Restores 3 HP every 3 seconds to all party members within range
Light Carol	36	Darkness	User Only -Increases light resistance of all party members within range
Foe Requiem III	37	Light	Single Target - Gradually reduces HP of enemy over time
Earth Carol	38	Wind	User Only -Increases earth resistance of all party members within range
Battlefield Elegy	39	Earth	Single Target - Decreases attack speed
Water Carol	40	Lightning	User Only -Increases water resistance of all party members within range
Knight's Minne III	41	Earth	User Only - Increases defense of all party members within range
Wind Carol	42	Ice	User Only -Increases wind resistance of all party members within range
Valor Minuet III	43	Fire	User Only - Increases attack of all party members within range
Fire Carol	44	Water	User Only -Increases fire resistance of all party members within range
Army's Paeon IV	45	Light	User Only - Restores 4 HP every 3 seconds to all party members within range
Ice Carol	46	Fire	User Only -Increases Ice resistance of all party members within range
Foe Requiem IV	47	Light	Single Target - Gradually reduces HP of enemy over time
Lightning Carol	48	Earth	User Only -Increases lightning resistance of all party members within range
Goblin Gavotte	49	Fire	User Only -Increases bind resistance of all party members within range
Dark Carol	50	Light	User Only -Increases darkness resistance of all party members within range
Blade Madrigal	51	Lightning	User Only -Increases physical attack accuracy of all party members within range
Dragonfoe Mamba	53	Wind	User Only -Increases physical evasion of all party members within range
Gold Cappricio	54	Wind	User Only -Increases petrification resistance of all party members within range
Mage's Ballad II	55	Light	User Only - Restores 2 MP every 3 seconds to all party members within range
Shining Fantasia	56	Light	User Only -Increases blind resistance of all party members within range
Foe Requiem V	57	Light	Single Target - Gradually reduces HP of enemy over time
Carnage Elegy	59	Earth	Single Target - Lowers attack speed
Victory March	60	Lightning	User Only -Increases attack speed of all party members within range
Knight's Minne IV	61	Earth	User Only - Increases defense of all party members within range
Bewitching Etude	62	Light	Single Target - Statistically increases charisma
Valor Minuet IV	63	Fire	User Only - Increases attack of all party members within range
Logical Etude	64	Water	Single Target - Statistically increases mind parameter
Sage Etude	66	Ice	Single Target - Statistically increases intelligence
Foe Requiem VI	67	Light	Single Target - Gradually reduces HP of enemy over time
Swift Etude	68	Wind	Single Target - Statistically increases agility
Puppet's Operetta	69	Ice	User Only -Increases silence resistance of all party members within range
Vital Etude	70	Earth	Single Target - Statistically increases vitality
Archer's Prelude	71	Lightning	Single Target - Statistically increases ranged accuracy
Goddess's Hymnus	71	Light	User Only - Gives all party members in range the effect of Reraise.
Uncanny Etude	72	Lightning	Single Target - Statistically increases dexterity
Warding Round	73	Light	User Only -Increases curse resistance of all party members within range
Chocobo Mazurka	73	Wind	User Only -Special Song! Gives all party members within range increased movement speed (cannot be used in dungeons)
Herculean Etude	74	Fire	Single Target - Statistically increases strength
Maiden's Virelai	75	Light	Single Target - Special Song! Renders target temporarily harmless. It cannot be targeted, and it will follow you