Newcomer’s Guide to Final Fantasy XI

Final Fantasy XI is a massively multi-player online role-playing game. It functions as an online world. Players can access this world by buying the game and paying a subscription of $12.95 a month. The game is a cross-platform title, which means that players on both PCs and consoles can interact with each other in the same game environment. This makes it a truly unique experience.

The PC version of Final Fantasy XI comes on five disks that you must install to set up the game. The first disk installs the PlayOnline client, a piece of software required for access to the game, while the other disks install the game itself. The PlayStation 2 version requires a special Hard Disk Drive and network adapter, the first of which is usually sold with the title. Once the game and the PlayOnline software have been set up, you will need to download any updates, and then it will be ready to play.

The first thing that you will do in Final Fantasy XI is create your character. There are five races to choose from, all of which possess their own abilities and skills. There are the Hume, who are human and are useful in most areas of the game; the Elvaan, who are Elves and are strong in combat; the Galka, who are enormous beast creatures; the Mithra, who resemble cats; and the Taru Taru, who are small individuals and are talented at magic. They are all great characters and they excel in different ways.

Final Fantasy XI allows you great range in customizing your character. You are able to choose your character’s body size, face and appearance, and select a particular look and style that will suit them. You will also choose a career for your character, and this will affect your progress in the game. The various careers include positions like mages, monks, thieves and warriors. The characters suit certain careers better than others and you must choose one that will fit your character perfectly.

Final Fantasy XI is set in the world of Vana’diel. Vana’diel is a fantastic world that is home to a number of civilizations. The game takes place in the aftermath of the Crystal War, a battle where the five main races fought with the Beastmen, a collection of hostile creatures who wanted to destroy them. The story of the game sees the Beastmen return and stir up further conflict. It is up to your character to face them and defeat them.

Vana’diel consists of two main continents, Mindartia and Quon. It is further divided into a number of regions, all with their own climate and features. There are cities, towns, forests, ports and wasteland areas. Final Fantasy XI allows you to choose from one of three places as your starting point. You can be a citizen of the nations Bastok, San d’Oria or Windurst. Each nation is unique and has its own history and population. In the course of the game you are able to visit other nations and explore them.

Final Fantasy XI contains a great deal to do and is a very engaging game. The world of Vana’diel is immense and there is much to explore and see. There are missions and quests to go on and there are a number of storylines running through the game. There is also an element of teamwork. It is often necessary to join a group of players and work together to defeat enemies and opponents. In general the gameplay is multi-layered and enthralling.

Final Fantasy XI has a well-designed control system that works as a perfect complement to the game. It is best experienced with a keyboard, which allows you to chat with other players. The game controls are logical and it does not take long to grasp the various functions and commands. The game camera works nicely and is easy to handle, allowing you to view the world of Vana’diel as you please. The entire system is great and really strengthens the whole experience.

Final Fantasy XI is a joy to play. A newcomer to the game will be pleased with it and will have no difficulty getting set up and started. It is ideal for anyone who is looking for an interesting and rewarding game.

Read more about Final Fantasty XI at FFXI Gil Price List Guide.

History of Final Fantasy XI

The Final Fantasy series is a superb set of games that have become an important part of video game history. Final Fantasy XI is an especially strong title. It is a terrific modern update on the series, advancing it and taking it into exciting new territory.

Final Fantasy XI is an outstanding entry in a series that is nearly twenty years old. The Final Fantasy series was created by the Japanese company Square Co. in 1987. At the time Square were in a difficult position, as they had focused on making games for the Nintendo Famicom Disk System and this format had become unpopular. The company were eager for success and saw great potential in the role-playing genre. Final Fantasy was their attempt to make a new kind of role-playing title.

Final Fantasy came out in Japan at the end of 1987. It was excellent, offering a fresh and original role-playing experience. Final Fantasy’s strength was that it had a strong narrative that ran throughout the game. This made it very compelling and helped it to capture people’s interest. It was an enormous success and launched what would become a hugely popular franchise. It would lead to Final Fantasy XI and beyond.

When Square made Final Fantasy, they looked at the role-playing genre and explored the possibilities of what it could do. Final Fantasy was innovative, and this sense of invention would become a major element of the series, continuing all the way through to Final Fantasy XI. The first sequel, Final Fantasy II, was equally creative, surprising people by coming up with a completely new plot and characters.

The Final Fantasy series flourished and a number of dazzling games followed. Final Fantasy IV was a gripping, brilliant game and became the second title in the series to be released in North America. Final Fantasy VI had an enthralling story that gave it serious emotion and depth. Final Fantasy X used voice acting and beautiful three-dimensional visuals to create its own game world. These were all strong titles and laid the way beautifully for Final Fantasy XI.

Final Fantasy XI has continued the sense of innovation that is expected of this series. A highly ambitious game, it saw the franchise move into the world of online gaming. Final Fantasy XI is a massively multi-player online role-playing game. It is also unique as it is playable on both consoles and PCs, all of which connect to the same game servers. This has made it the first cross-platform title of its kind.

There was great curiosity about Final Fantasy XI before its release in 2002. Images and previews of the game captured people’s attention. A special bonus disk was included with the release of Final Fantasy X, containing a trailer for the game. Its creator Square Enix also held beta tests for the game to gather players’ feedback and improve it. This allowed them to handle any concerns that people had and fine-tune it.

Final Fantasy XI was launched in Japan on May 16 2002 for the Sony PlayStation 2. The PC release came on November 5th. It had its PC release in North America on October 28 2003, with the European release following in September 2004. The initial Japanese launch was a complicated affair, as the game required a hard drive for the PlayStation 2 console and stocks of these were limited at first. Square Enix responded well to any issues that developed, and also released a game patch to enhance it.

Square Enix adopted an interesting approach to the game, developing it and reworking it even after it had been released. The company has revised it since its launch and made it even better, adding in new areas and new content. This has enriched the Final Fantasy XI experience. There have been two expansions, Rise of the Zilart and Chains of Promathia, to complement the game. A third expansion, Treasures of Aht Urhgan, is planned for spring 2006.

Final Fantasy XI has established itself as a major presence in online gaming. It sold well, building up more than 500,000 subscribers by January 7 2004. There were almost a million game characters active within this time period. It was well received, enjoying many positive reviews from the game press. It was crucial in building up Square Enix’s PlayOnline service and more than fulfilled their hopes for the title.

Final Fantasy XI is a truly great game. It has combined the creativity and innovation that is the hallmark of Final Fantasy with a state of the art online gaming format. It is an amazing experience and has taken the series in a new direction. It will continue entertaining people for a long time to come.

Beginner’s Final Fantasy XI Gil Guide

Having enough FFXI Gil is the most essential aspects of the game. Gil the major currency used when purchasing or trading items. To be a good player you will need all the Gils you can get. No matter how great your game skills are you will need the Gils to get your equipments, armors, weapons and other items. Having the gears early in the game will help you advance to higher levels at a faster pace than others can. Here are some good tips to start your career in Final Fantasy XI.

Warp Quest
This method can get you about 10k gil within an hour. You need to start with 1k to purchase a slime oil. After you’ve purchased the slime oil, bring it to an NPC named “Unlucky Rat” in the Metal district of Bastok in exchange for a warp scroll. The scroll sells for about a good 7-10K. Seems easy? Well slight problem with this method is that you will need to have enough fame built up before the NPC will take your slime oil. You will be required to run around town doing low level missions to get your fame up. This is where it gets a little time consuming but 10k gil an hour for a lowbie is really good. You can also redo this quest by creating a mule account and transferring 1k gil to that character.

Just Badge Quest
The Justice Badge quest is located in Winhurt and will require 1 rabab tail and 4 onions to complete. you can buy the stack of rabab tail in the auction house for 50-100gil. Easy to do at low level. In the docks of Winhurst you will find an NPC that you can give the rabab tail to. He will give you the Justice Badge which sells for 500-2000 gil in the auction house. After receiving the bad, give him 4 wild ionions and you’ll receive a scroll that sells up to 5000 gil. You can repeat this quest by using a mule.

Fire Crystals
A stack of first crystals can sell for 2000 gil easily over at the auction house. There are 2 good methods to collect fire crystals. The more commonly used method would be the usual beat the mob down and loot method. To start you need to be around level 7-10. You will need signet cast on you at your town gates. Head out North to Gusterburg where you will be able to find many vultures. You’ll only want to kill the vultures and nothing else to conserve time. To the Northwest of San D’oria there is an area full of Orcs. The orcs drop a nice amount of fire crystals as well. You can probably average about 3 stacks in an hour. 6000 gil in an hour for a level 7-10 is not too bad.

The other method of farming fire crystals is by gardening. You start by buying a brass flower pot in the auction house, several vegetable seeds and some water crystals. You then plant the flower plot in your Mog house and put in the vegetable seeds. Feed it some water crystals, after 1-3 days you will have 17 fire crystals come out of it. You can have up to 6-8 flower pots per house, you can easily make 20-30,000 gils every 2-3 days. It only takes a few minutes to purchase the accessories and to plant them. It’s a wealthy short term investment. Money growing on trees is the way I think of it.

Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach – Breath of Fresh Air at Last?

Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach is a fantasy massively multiplayer online game developed by Turbine. In a genre dominated by World of Warcraft’s five million strong player base how does Turbine hope to succeed?…With a really fun game, apparently. Stormreach takes the path less traveled by on many of its features, and while this might keep Turbine up at night wondering if players will enjoy the shift, it fills me with absolute delight. At its core, Stormreach is fundamentally different than other massively multiplayer games. Active combat, platform elements, puzzles, and strategy rule the day in Stormreach, but that’s only the beginning. If you’ve been playing massively multiplayer games since they were popularized with Asheron’s Call and EverQuest in the late 1990’s then Stormreach has been a very long time coming indeed. Dungeons and Dragons Online breaks the mold with its active combat system. Instead of just pressing an attack button and watching the battle unfold (which is the standard in this genre), you have to press a button to swing your weapon, fire your bow, or block with your shield. You can tumble out of the way of oncoming attacks, use cover, and even climb to get out of the way. You can aim spells, arrows, and throwing weapons with precision. But to call Stormreach a twitch game would be doing it a major injustice. Your ability in combat is not determined by how fast you click a button, but instead on how strategically you fight. If you’re a small and frail halfling, for example, then it would be a good idea to roll backwards before that ogre wallops you with his club. This mechanic completely reshapes battle in massively multiplayer games. Combat is exciting, fun, and entertaining to watch. After some time it becomes second nature. Character classes, races, and customization are other areas where Stormreach absolutely shines. Most massively multiplayer games funnel you into a specific role that you decide when you create your character. The genre has defined roles like tanks, damage, crowd control, and healers.

If you picked a tank character, well, that’s all you did and all you were good at. This was developed as a way to prevent players from accidentally messing up their characters, but as a side effect it prevents any real identity. Any character of a similar role would end up being roughly the same.Dungeons and Dragons Online has no safety net and allows you complete freedom in creating your character. Have you always wanted to make a wizard that can also cast healing spells? Go for it. What about a bard that can wield two-handed swords and pick locks? Sure! You can make just about any character you can think of. You have complete control. Thinking up odd-ball characters and trying them out in Dungeons and Dragons Online is a feature that I truly love about the game. DDO’s system prevents cookie cutter characters and players of similar levels will likely be vastly different, even if they chose the same class. Dungeons in Stormreach are all hand-made, not randomly generated like in other popular massively multiplayer games. You’ll delve through sewers, basements, catacombs, even huge underground cities. Jumping down a chasm on the top of oversized glowing mushrooms into a stronghold of demi-humans isn’t something you’d ever get with a random dungeon generator. In addition to its new design ideas, Dungeons and Dragons Online has great attention to detail. Animations are fluid and lifelike, textures are crisp, and sounds are superb. I don’t know what a giant wooden door sounds like when it slides up a metal rail into the wall in real life, but I imagine it would sound very, very close to how it’s portrayed in this game. Attention to detail spills over into other areas too. Characters can find identical weapons and armor, but they will look completely different. There are about half a dozen different skins for each set of armor and weapon. Not just color variations either, I’m talking about completely different geometry. It’s obvious that Turbine wanted players to feel unique and avoid the “Invasion of the Clones” syndrome of other games. Above all else, Turbine has crafted a game that doesn’t follow the tried and true design for massively multiplayer games. Although we won’t know for another month or two if Stormreach will be a critical success, I’m sure I’m not the only one who really appreciates the direction Turbine has taken the genre. Players coming to DDO from other games might have a hard time adjusting at first. Once they’ve got the hang of combat and triumphantly fend off 200 attacking kobolds, jump over a chasm filled with traps, discover a secret door stacked with treasure, or roll out of the way of particularly nasty spell, they’ll be hooked. Turbine will probably be harassed by people who prefer the old way of massively multiplayer combat, but I hope they will persevere with their design decisions and not second guess themselves. Wizards of the Coast and Turbine should be proud of their creation. Trailblazing is never easy.

If Everyone Hates Gold Sellers, Who’s Buying?

I remember a time when buying and selling MMORPG loot was anathema to most gamers. It was akin to treason against friends, against your community, and least importantly, usually against the End User License Agreement that you failed to read before clicking OK. People used to regard this practice as debilitating to the economies of the games that they played. If you bought, or if you sold, or if you bought and sold, it really didn’t matter – you were a bad, bad boy or girl. Worse still, the marketplace spawned some serious David and Goliath action between small operators paying their rent, and big corporate hacks getting in on the action. In addition, most of these operators have not been content with simply owning the currency and account exchange – that would be all too simple. They expand their operations into website networks and gaming information exchanges – message boards and item databases for those laypersons out there. Why? Because even non-subscription sites can generate millions of dollars in advertising revenue from page views alone, and premium service sites can make much, much more. The ultimate question is this: is the invasion of these supposed “unwanted entities” into the fringes of the gaming business going to hurt the business, or the players… And do we even care anymore? Times have changed. If there was not a market for currency or accounts, there wouldn’t be an economy to worry about. For every ten guys who swear they would never buy or sell gold, I’ll show you nine Pay Pal accounts that will tell you differently. Sure, there are tons of people out there who stand by their convictions and raise their fists in anger every time that IGE or some other gold seller buys another gaming site, but whom are they punishing? Are the masses speaking? I think that they are. They are speaking volumes. The loot sellers are reaping the benefits. Methinks that the community doth protest too much sometimes. I’m not calling every message board troll a liar. Let’s just call them impaired in the area of vocalizing reality through text. It looks really good on paper and saves a lot of pride. The fact is that a survey reports that around 22% of respondents had bought or sold virtual currency in the past. If the sample is representative, that’s over 1 million WOW subscribers for that one example.

Recently the uproar that has been caused by the acquisition of Allakhazam and Thottbot by a holding company that also owns IGE (who although no longer employing John Yantis most certainly back-ends gamerking.com’s gold supply) has been fairly flame oriented. Many long-term subscribers to Alla’s premium services have been canceling the auto renew on their accounts, flaming his decision to sell on his boards, their boards, and every other type of board possible, and in general being disagreeable to the process. Allakhazam had previously gone on record with promises that he would never sell to the low down and dirty loot vendors, so we can assume that the deal was too good to pass up. Additionally, the approach that has been taken in this has been pretty hands off. The team at Allakhazam remains pretty much unchanged. If the informational sites remain the same, or improve their product, do we really care who owns it at the end of the day? Well, maybe human rights advocates and people who are for reversing the trade deficit will care, but for the average gamer who only wants to find the loc for the hidden box of fairy dust in the deep dark cave – there’s really not an issue. (The loc is 254, 72. Remember to bring a flashlight and a 12 pack. It’s a long walk and you can’t use run-speed enchants inside the dungeon, as you might trip and spill your beer. Total party foul.) From a business perspective, there is another animal to consider. Let’s pretend that I am Bob. I own Bob’s Site About Games™. IGE is the Juggernaut. Literally 800 pounds of red armor and muscle (money), ready to spend and flex and spend some more. When IGE enters into its negotiation phase with a company, they don’t really negotiate. They make an offer. They promise that the offer is final. Then they tell you that if you don’t sell now, they are going to find someone else to offer your product or service and spend a metric ton of cash to ensure that your business crumbles into nothing more than a faded memory of bits and bytes. That’s not just conjecture, by the way. Towards the end of 2004, Brock and Yantis called GGO co-founders Jason Allen and Brian MacKay from Hong Kong, where IGE was staging their first buying spree. In a series of very expensive conference calls, they experienced IGE’s tactics first hand. Brian MacKay said, “Brock Pierce is excellent at this. He’s persuasive, he knows how to play the high-powered corporate executive angle, and he does a good job of intimidating you with his raw financial might while simultaneously luring you in with promises. I wouldn’t want to work for him – which is ultimately what I felt he was offering us – but it’s no wonder so many people make the unpopular decision and cave.” So many do in fact sell, and many sell for much less than they should have sold for. Fear and strong-arm tactics can make for some strange bedfellows. Now we have seen what happens when the big guys muscle the little guys, take over and redefine the nature of the product. Yantis tried this a couple times with a few different popular EQ message boards and ended up with a couple of worthless domains. This new and untested “hands off” approach may in fact be working in their favor. How many people knew until recently that Thottbot.com, one of the most popular databases for WOW on the net, was owned by the same holding company that owns IGE? How many care now? Time will really be the only telling factor here, but if the past is prologue, the ZAM network will be garbage. I for one have some moral and ethical issues, mostly dealing with the way that the big gaming companies do business with regards to labor and farming. Exploits that saturate game economies with too much of a good thing can create a stagnant game economy, not even considering that so much US currency finding its way into foreign marketplaces is a pretty bad thing for the real life economy. If you don’t get this part, lern2globaleconomics101 n00b. Let’s just say, for the record, that it’s generally bad to flood a foreign economy with currency and allow them to use that currency to buy up your country’s debt while at the same time very little of their currency is being sent to your country. We call that a trade deficit. If you had your finger on the pulse of the gamer community, you would realize that companies like IGE are doomed to fail miserably. So many of us united against a common enemy cannot be swept aside. Except – well I really do need my epic mount, and it isn’t like I do it all the time. It won’t hurt. Just this once, really. Then never again, I promise.

Final Fantasy XI Skill Chain Chart

Final Fantasy XI is a complex game of strategy, questing, adventuring, and fun. One of the more innovative and interesting aspects of Final Fantasy XI combat is the skill chain (or renkei).

A skill chain is an advanced combat combo between players. Used correctly, you can blast through monsters, rack up impressive experience chains, and level faster — not to mention be the envy of lesser, chainless groups.

The most difficult thing to do in pulling off a skill chain is knowing what weapon skills work together. Download and print this excellent skill chain chart courtesy of Kitsune Graphics and you’ll never be without a skill chain again!

Click the image enlarge or download button to download.

Final Fantasy XI – Short Cut Keys

Command	Function
Keyboard Shortcut Commands
F1 – F6	When in party it selects a member in order from the list
F7	Same as F1
F8	Targets and toggles through closest None-Player Character (NPC)
F9	Targets and toggles through closestPlayer Character (PC)
F10	Pick the closest party member from you
Ctrl/Alt + [0-9]	Use specific Macro
Ctrl/Alt + SHIFT + [0-9]	Switch Between pages of Macro
* (star key at keypad)	If a target is selected, it will lock or unlock from target. If no target is selected you will rest to heal.
Ctrl + A or Alt + A	Toggles attack mode. Start attack & Stop attack
Ctrl + C or Alt + C	Inspect the current target
Ctrl + E or Alt + E	Opens the Equipment window
Ctrl + G or Alt + G	Makes the target monster attackable by anyone. No experience will be given to anyone.
Ctrl + H or Alt + H	Sits down for recovery
Ctrl + I or Alt + I	Opens the Item window
Ctrl + J or Alt + J	View current job ability
Ctrl + L or Alt + L	Changes the chatmode to Linkshell
Ctrl + M or Alt + M	Opens the Magic window
Ctrl + P or Alt + P	Changes the chatmode to Party
Ctrl + R or Alt + R	Reply to the latest “tell” message player you recieved “tell” message from
Ctrl + S or Alt + S	Changes the chatmode to Say
Ctrl + T or Alt + T	Changes the chatmode to Tell
Ctrl + V or Alt + V	Toggles through “Point of view”. 1st Person and 3rd Person views
Ctrl + W or Alt + W	View current weapon ability
Ctrl + D or Alt + D	Use a Range Weapon on the current target

Final Fantasy XI – Combat Commands

Battle Commands
/attack (/a) [Target]	Auto-attack your current target.
/attackchange	Changes target
/attackoff	Stop attacking.
/autotarget on/off	Toggles auto-target for battles. Will automatically attack next enemy if the current enemy you are attacking dies.
/lockon [Target]	Your character will follow the target if /automove is engaged.
/target (/ta)	Targets the closest item, person, or enemy nearest to you.
/targetpc	Targets the nearest playable character to you.
/targetnpc	Targets the nearest non-playable character to you.
/help (/h)	If you are in trouble, this command will call other people in your area for help. You will not gain experience if you call for help.
/assist (/as)	Auto-target the enemy who is attacking a player who called for /help.
/item [Item Name]	Use the consumable item in your inventory.
/equip [Item Name]	Equip weapons, armor, etc.
/magic (/ma) ”[Spell]” [Target]	Allows you to cast a magic spell. The spell name bust be properly spelled and capitalized. This also works with Ninjitsu and Songs.
/weaponskill (/ws) ”[Skill]” [Target]	Allows you to use a weapon skill.
/ninjitsu (/nin) ”[Spell]” [Target]	Allows you to cast Ninjitsu.
/song (/so) ”[Song]” [Target]	Allows you to cast a song.
/jobability (/ja) ”[Job Ability]” [Target]	Allows you to use a job ability.
/pet ”[Pet Command]” [Target]	Give your pet a command.
/range (/ra) [Target]	Use a ranged attack provided that you have a ranged weapon equipped.
/shoot [Target]	Use a ranged attack provided that you have a weapon that can shoot.
/throw [Target]	Use a ranged attack provided that you have a weapon that can be thrown.
/check (/c) [Target]	Check an enemy to see how difficult the enemy would be to fight. Check a player to see their equipment, title, bazaar info, etc.
/fish	Go fishing if you have a rod equipped with bait and are near water.
/dig	Command your chocobo to dig provided that you have Gyshall Greens in your inventory. One Gyshall Green per dig.
/dismount	Dismount from your chocobo.
/heal	Character will kneel and go into healing mode.

Targeting
<t>	Selects your current target.
<st>	Select a target while locked on to another target. Helpful for healing while attacking at same time.
<stpc>	Subtarget, restricted to players.
<stnpc>	Subtarget, restricted to non-players.
<lastst>	Name of the last subtarget selected.
<bt>	Targets the mob being fought by your party.
<p0>-<p5>	Selects a party member. 0 is yourself.
<me>	Selects yourself.
<pos>	Lists your current position based on map grid coordinates.
<mpos>	Lists your current position while on a boat or airship.
<call0>-<call21>	Plays a sound effect with controller vibration (for PS2). This is useful for alerting party members to danger, skill chains, etc. These only work in party chat mode.
<scall0>-<scall21>	Same as <call#>, except without the controller vibration.
<ncall0>-<ncall21>	Same as <call#>, except without the sound effect.
<hp>	Displays your current health.
<mp>	Displays your current mana.
<tp>	Displays your current TP as a percent.
<hpp>	Displays your current health as a percent.
<mpp>	Displays your current mana as a percent.

Pet Commands
<pethp>	Shows your pet’s current HP.
<pettp>	Shows your pet’s current TP.

The Workings of Fame

FAME OVERVIEW
Imagine a new adventurer, Dravok, starting in Bastok to look for fame and fortune in the great world of Vana’diel. As one adventurer among thousands of others, he has to work to become known to both the political powers within his home city, and the townsfolk there and across the world. While he hails from Bastok, Dravok is little known either there or the greater world at large. Knowledge of Dravok’s work in Bastok is reflected by the fame that he obtains by completing quests. His fame progresses in discernible levels that can be checked by talking with an NPC (non-player character), in this case Flaco, who represents the fame group of Bastok. When Dravok interacts with one of these fame evaluation NPCs, they will tell him how famous he is in their city or fame group. Once Dravok becomes famous in his home city of Bastok, he may be heading out to explore the world further. Just because he is well-known in his home city, however, doesn’t mean that word of his work has spread to many of the other cities in the world. He will have to prove himself further in each of the places he goes, to truly become a renowned adventurer.

HOW QUESTS WORK
As you walk around the world of Vana’diel, you will come across many NPCs who have work they want done, or who need assistance in one way or another. Completing these quests will increase the fame of your character, within the fame group related to that specific NPC. The fame group is generally, but not always, based on the location of the NPC: helping someone in Bastok will raise your Bastok fame, doing something for an NPC in San d’Oria will raise your fame in that city, and so forth. The primary exception to this is the Tenshodo fame group, which is represented by NPCs all across the world, as detailed in the Fame Group Relationships section.

When you complete a quest, you will usually receive various rewards, including a small increase to your fame for that fame group. When these increases in fame reach a certain amount, your fame for that fame group will move to the next level. Your fame level is a hidden statistic, and so it isn’t listed on your character information. The way you check your fame level is by interacting with the fame evaluation NPC for that fame group, who is usually found within a tavern or another similarly busy place within the city. The message the fame evaluation NPC gives you lets you know what your fame level is for that fame group. There are nine listed levels of fame in each group, and the messages for those levels are compiled in the How To Check Your Fame Level section.

Most quests can only be done once: you talk to the starting NPC, you do what they want, they give you your reward and the quest is done. However, there are some quests which can be repeated, and these are generally considered the easier (albeit boring) way to raise your fame. As you complete these quests over and over, your fame will slowly be raised by the successive completions. Some of the best repeatable quests are mentioned in the How To Level Up Fame section.

If you are intent on obtaining high levels of fame, it is important to understand how fame is rewarded within FFXI. Some points to keep in mind, to clarify issues that are often confusing for new players:

Quests vary widely in how much fame they reward. Each quest has its own level of fame associated with it, so that if one character has done 30 quests and another character has done 30 different quests, they will not have identical fame.
The amount of fame rewarded from a quest is often based on it’s difficulty. A simple quest that involves walking across the city to deliver an item will give a very small amount of fame. A harder quest that involves going out and killing creatures will usually reward a bit more. A quest that involves going to another city far away or takes many different steps to complete will generally provide the most fame.
Quests which require a high character level to complete give more fame than those which can be completed at level 1. While there are no actual level requirements for most quests, some quests involve going to high level areas and/or killing creatures that just can’t be done by a low level character. These more difficult quests will generally provide more fame than the ones that can be done at low levels.
Your rank level has no impact whatsoever on your fame level. Your rank is raised by completing missions, which are started by the gate-guards in your home city. Your rank represents your political popularity, and is raised by the leader of your home city as you complete specific, sequential missions. Your fame is raised by the quests you complete, which are far more scattered and represent your common popularity with the everyday person on the street. Unlike missions, no particular quest is required to obtain a specific level of fame. (One caveat to this rule regarding ranks: some quests do require access to certain areas of the world that aren’t initially available. That access is granted by having a certain rank, and so for those quests, your rank does matter. One example of such an area is the Chateau d’Oraguille in San d’Oria.)
BONUSES OF FAME
So why good does fame do for you? In FFXI, gaining fame will open up many possibilities that wouldn’t be there otherwise. As your fame increases, other quests become available that were not accessible at lower levels of fame. Not only that, but completing simple quests will often provide an opportunity to access later quests in that series; many NPCs have multiple quests which they give out in a certain order. These later quests often provide more substantial rewards than the early ones. An ongoing attempt to list all the quests in the game by the fame level required to obtain them can be found here. Quests are a nice way to add to your bank account, both by the gil rewarded directly and by selling off the quest rewards that you don’t need to other players.

Quests also break up the monotony of leveling and provide information about the world of Vana’diel. Taking off time from gaining levels to do quests is a fun way to see more of the game. As your fame raises, you will find that many NPCs will react differently to you, and tend to treat you a bit better. One concrete benefit from fame is the change in the price of items at merchants, whether standard vendors or Regional Merchants. The higher your fame, the lower the price of goods when you buy from a merchant who is related to that group of fame, and the more a merchant will pay when you sell goods. Each item does have a minimum price when sold from a merchant, beyond which it will not drop. Note that you can increase your fame beyond level 9, which will not provide a new fame message, but will be reflected in further benefits when buying or selling at merchants.

Fame Group Relationships

There are seven known discrete groups of fame. These various types of fame are related to each other in the following manner:

Bastok Related
This fame group is raised by quests done for the city of Bastok.
This fame group is also increased by quests done for the cities of Selbina and Rabao.
San d’Oria Related
This fame group is raised by quests done for the city of San d’Oria.
This fame group is also increased by quests done for the cities of Selbina and Rabao.
Windurst Related
This fame group is raised by quests done for the city of Windurst.
This fame group is also increased by quests done for the cities of Mhaura and Kazham.
Jeuno Related
This fame group is raised by quests done for the city of Jeuno.
This fame group is also increased by the average of San d’Oria, Bastok and Windurst fame levels.
Kazham Related
This fame group reflects quests done for the city of Kazham.
This fame group is also increased by quests done for the city of Windurst.
Selbina Related
This fame group reflects quests done for the cities of Selbina and Rabao.
This fame group is also increased by the average of Bastok and San d’Oria fame levels.
Tenshodo Related
This fame group reflects quests done for the Tenshodo HQ in Lower Jeuno and Tenshodo Branch at Warehouse #2 in Bastok Port.
This fame level also reflects quests done for The Brugaire Consortium in San d’Oria Port, and for Nanaa Mihgo’s thieves in Windurst Woods.
This fame level also reflects quests done in the city of Norg.

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How to Level Up Fame
If your fame is too low, you can complete repeatable quests and thereby enhance your fame. Repeatable quests generally provide very small amounts of fame each time they are completed, but they can be done infinitely to eventually raise your fame. The following is a list of repeatable quests that can enhance your fame in their fame group.

Bastok Related
Trade treant bulbs to complete the Gourmet quest in Bastok Market.
Trade rusty buckets to complete the Buckets of Gold quest in Bastok Market.
Trade Quadav helms to complete the Vengeful Wrath quest in Bastok Mines.
Trade pinches of Zeruhn soot to complete the Minesweeper quest in Bastok Mines.
Repeat the A Discerning Eye (Bastok) quest in Bastok Port.
Enhance fame in Selbina or Rabao.
San d’Oria Related
Trade bat wings to complete the Fear of the Dark quest in North San d’Oria.
Trade flints to complete the Starting a Flame quest in South San d’Oria.
Trade rabbit skins to complete the The Merchant’s Bidding quest in South San d’Oria.
Trade honey to complete the The Sweetest Things quest in South San d’Oria.
Trade black tiger fangs to complete the Tiger’s Teeth quest in South San d’Oria.
Repeat the A Discerning Eye (San d’Oria) quest in San d’Oria Port.
Enhance fame in Selbina or Rabao.
Windurst Related
Trade beehive chips to complete the Paying Lip Service quest in Windurst Woods.
Trade crawler calculi to complete the Creepy Crawlies quest in Windurst Woods.
Trade cornets to complete the Mandragora-Mad quest in Windurst Walls.
Trade giant bird feathers to complete the A Feather In One’s Cap quest in Windurst Waters.
Trade Bastore sardines to complete the Something Fishy quest in Windurst Port.
Repeat the A Discerning Eye (Windurst) in Windurst Port.
Repeat the A Potter’s Preference quest in Mhaura.
Jeuno Related
Repeat the Community Service quest in Lower Jeuno.
Enhance fame in Bastok, San d’Oria, or Windurst.
Kazham Related
Repeat the A Discerning Eye (Kazham) in Kazham.
Enhance fame in Windurst.
Selbina Related
Trade La Theine cabbages, ears of millioncorn, or clumps of Boyahda moss to complete the Only the Best quest in Selbina. This is one of the best repeatable quests for raising fame since it raises Selbina fame, which in turn raises both Bastok and San d’Oria fame, which in turn raises Jeuno fame.
Enhance fame in Bastok or San d’Oria.
Tenshodo Related
Trade chunks of zinc ore to complete the Shady Business quest in Bastok Port.
Repeat the A Job for the Consortium quest in San d’Oria Port.
Trade Yagudo necklaces to complete the Mihgo’s Amigo quest in Windurst Woods.

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How to Check Your Fame Level
The NPCs listed below will let you know the fame level that you are currently at, within the group of fame they represent. The messages listed relate to your current fame level. (Note: the entries that are marked with two asterisks (**) are simple translations, and are not accurate. The rest have been verified as the actual text from the game. Those marked with a ?? are the game text, but of an unverified level.)

Bastok Related
Fame Evaluation NPC: Flaco
(Bastok Port, E-6 down left in front of the Steaming Sheep Restaurant)

Level 1 [Name]? What is that, some kind of snail? Oh, that’s your name. You must be a rookie adventurer, right?
Level 2 [Name]? Hmm…sounds familiar. Who was it again? Oh. Well uh…not many people know who you are, but if you work hard enough, word will get around about your good deeds.
Level 3 Oh, you’re [Name]. Yeah, I’ve heard of you. You’re not doing too bad for an adventurer. Keep working hard, and the people of Bastok will come to recognize your efforts.
Level 4 Hello there, [Name]. Quite a few people are talking about the things you’ve done for Bastok. People are starting to talk about you. Keep on doing whatever you’re doing!
Level 5 Hello there [Name]. A lot of people know what you’ve done for Bastok. People are saying good things about you. Keep up the good work!
Level 6 Most everyone in this country knows your name by now, [Name]! People are saying great things about you. You don’t know how proud that makes me feel–I’ve been following your progress ever since you came to Bastok.
Level 7 You must be [Name]. Don’t look so surprised, as everyone knows your name and what you’ve done for Bastok. [Name], we’re very proud to have someone like you as a Bastoker.
Level 8 Master/Miss [Name]! You are a hero to the people of Bastok! Everyone here knows your name and what you’ve done for us! You are the example every Bastoker should follow!
Level 9 Oh, it’s you, [Name]. I’ve known you since you started off here in Bastok, but I never thought you would come this far. You’ve become a household name in these parts. You’re even considered a hero by some… like me. I pray that the Goddess Altana looks down upon you favorably in your journeys!

San d’Oria Related
Fame Evaluation NPC: Namonutice
(South San d’Oria, K-6 upper right in the Lion’s Spring Tavern)

Level 1 Hmm… [Name], you say? No, never heard that name. Do not expect me to learn the name of every recruit! Do good for the kingdom and her people, and they shall come to know you. Once you have their trust, they will request your help more readily. Just keep your head down, and your day shall come.
Level 2 [Name]…? Hmm… I might have heard that name before. Then again, maybe not. You are not famous yet. Keep your nose to the grindstone and work for the people. Soon, they will know you better!
Level 3 Ah, [Name]. That is a name I often hear. People speak well of you! Your deeds for the kingdom have earned you much honor.
Level 4 [Name]! You have become well known in these parts! I hear much of your accomplishments. Keep up the good work, and greatness lies in your future.
Level 5 Ah, [Name]! You are famous in our kingdom! Of you no ill is spoken. Give to the kingdom and she will give to you, no?
Level 6 [Name]! I would venture that much the kingdom has heard your name. And your reputation sparkles. Indeed I am proud of you. And to think I first knew you when you were a new recruit!
Level 7 Hello, [Name]. Practically all of the kingdom has heard of you now. What’s more, your reputation is stellar. I look forward to even greater things from you!
Level 8 [Name]! People are talking about you! Every infant in his cradle knows your name! And they hold you in highest regard! I am so proud of you! May your kind deeds continue! 
Level 9 Sir/Lady [Name]! There isn’t a soul in the kingdom that doesn’t consider you a hero! As a representative of the people of San d’Oria, I humbly ask you to continue your efforts for the good of the country. May the light of the Goddess shine upon you!

Windurst Related
Fame Evaluation NPC: Zabirego-Hajigo
(Windurst Waters North, F-10 upper right)

Level 1 [Name]? Hmm… Sorry, but I never heard that name before.
Level 2 [Name]? Hmm… Now, was that the name of the…? No, that was some other lady/lord.
Level 3 Oh, you’re the [Name] that people are starting to talk about. I’ve heard pretty good things about you.
Level 4 Why, if it isn’t [Name]! I heard some guys talking about you over their dinners at the eatery last night. They had nothing but good things to say about you. Keep up the good work!
Level 5 Hello there, [Name]! There aren’t many Windurstians who don’t know that name. We’re all proud to have you on our side! Keep up the great work!
Level 6 Mister/Miss [Name]! You’d have to be living in a hole somewhere not to have heard that name. All the bards in the land are singing songs of your outstanding deeds. Keep up the extraordinary work!
Level 7 Mister/Miss [Name]! There isn’t a soul in all of Windurst that has yet to hear the tales of your feats. Why, I remember when you were just a fledgling adventurer. It seems like just yesterday…
Level 8 A day doesn’t go by when I fail to hear a tale of your deeds. I am proud to be a citizen of the same great country as Sir/Lady [Name]. Keep up the marvelous work!
Level 9 Sir/Lady [Name]! I am honored to have the hero of Windurst in my presence. Every man and woman in the country knows by heart the tales of your courage. May the Goddess shine her light of grace upon you.

Jeuno Related
Fame Evaluation NPC: Mendi
(Lower Jeuno, H-8 in the lower section near the sea, in between the two stairways.)

Level 1 [Name], eh? Hmm… That name is vaguely familiar… But I’m afraid few in this town have heard of you. Just keep working at it. You’ll make a name for yourself eventually.
Level 2 Oh, so you’re [Name]…Yes, I heard some travelers in a tavern talk about you. It seems you’ve a fair reputation.
Level 3 [Name]! You have become well known in these parts! I hear much of your accomplishments. Keep up the good work, and greatness lies in your future.
Level 4 Hello, [Name]! I hear your name mentioned quite often these days. You’ve done well, my friend. Keep at it.
Level 5 Hello, [Name]! A good deal of people here in Jeuno know about you! And they all say you’re quite the do-gooder! Thank you for serving our fair city. Keep up the good work!
Level 6 Why, it’s [Name]! Your growing reputation precedes you. We hope your already substantial contributions to our humble city will continue to grow with time.
Level 7 Why, hello, [Name]. I say, literally everyone in Jeuno knows your name. It is my pleasure to inform you how impressed we are with your service to Jeuno. We hope to see more of your commendable generosity in the future!
Level 8 Lord/Lady [Name]! To all citizens here, your name is synonymous with courage and sacrifice. Not a day goes by without hearing of your saintlike service to Jeuno. I speak for all of Jeuno when I express my sincerest appreciation for your generosity. Indeed, bards shall sing of your virtues for ages to come!
Level 9 You have emerged as a hero to the people of Jeuno. Just the sound of your name strikes courage into their hearts. As a representative of its citizens, I humbly ask you to continue your efforts for the good of the duchy.

Kazham Related
Fame Evaluation NPC: Ney Hiparujah
(Kazham, I-11 upper left)

Level 1 ** I’m sorry, but I ain’t heard of your name before.
Level 2 ** I don’t think I’ve heard of your name before so much.
Level 3 ?? Wait… don’t tell me… It’s…[Name], right? Yeah, I’ve been hearing your name more often lately. A little bit more work, and soon everybody will know who you arrre.
Level 4 Hi therrre, [Name]. I’ve been telling everybody about my new friend. We’re friends, right? Keep up the good work. The betterrr my friends look, the betterrr I look!
Level 5 Oh, [Name]! Long time no see! Your name comes up a lot these days. And guess what? Nobody has anything bad to say about you. That’s a compliment in itself!
Level 6 You know, I don’t think there’s a person in this village who doesn’t know yourrr name. You keep up the good work, and I’ll have to start calling you Mister/Miss [Name]!
Level 7 Mister/Miss [Name]! Arrre you heading out on anotherrr dangerous mission? Be careful! We’ll all be rooting for you. I know it has been hard to get such a good reputation, but don’t take it for granted. Yourrr work is farrr from being done!
Level 8 Mister/Miss [Name]! You are one smooth cat! I’ve neverrr met a mainlander who did so much for islanders. I’m proud to call you my acquaintance…my friend!
Level 9 Lord/Lady [Name]! The fame your name carries stretches from here to Windurst! I cannot begin to put into words the gratitude this village feels forrr you. Live long, hero of Kazham!

Selbina Related
Fame Evaluation NPC: Waylea
(Rabao, G-9 down right)

Level 1 ** Who is it? I’ve never heard of the name.
Level 2 ** I wonder if I have heard of your name before…
Level 3 ** I have heard of your name before.
Level 4 ?? Hm? [Name]? I’ve heard that name before. Seems you’re building yourself a good reputation. But you’ve still got a long way to go until you can say you’re truly famous. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, so keep at it.
Level 5 ?? Greetings, [Name]. Your endeavors in neighboring countries have reached us here in Rabao, and the glory of your reputation precedes you. I feel honored to have known you before you became so famous. Good luck with your continuing adventurers!
Level 6 ** It seems most people know you!
Level 7 Wow, [Name]! There’s hardly a soul in all of Rabao who hasn’t heard your name! I could hardly believe the stir you’ve been making. You’ve entered the ranks of the truly great adventurers! But don’t be content with your position; aim for the very top!
Level 8 [Name!] Every time I speak with you, you seem to have gained in status. Pretty soon, I’m gonna have to start making appointments to talk to you! There isn’t a person in the whole of Rabao who hasn’t heard of you. I never dreamed you would come so far!
Level 9 Ah, [Name]. I’ve known you since you were just starting out around here, but to think you would go on to achieve such glory… In Rabao and beyond, your name is on everyone’s lips. It wouldn’t be going to far to say you’ve achieved the status of hero in my eyes. May the blessings of the Goddess Altana watch over your continuing endeavors.

Tenshodo Related
The fame evaluation NPC for Tenshodo fame is Vaultimand (in Norg, H-8 upper right.) Because of the difficulty in regularly traveling to Norg to check fame levels, a common method of figuring out your Tenshodo fame level is by checking the price of rice balls sold by Ghebi Damomohe (Lower Jeuno, J-7 in the Neptune’s Spire Inn.) The price that a character pays for a rice ball will drop as his Tenshodo fame rises, per the table below. This is a useful gauge until a character reaches level six Tenshodo fame, at which point the rice balls drop in price to their minimum. The most popular quests in Norg (the six Ninja scroll quests and the Trial by Water summoner quest) can all be obtained with level four Tenshodo fame, when the price of rice balls is at 160 or lower.

Level 1 Who the hell are you? [Name]? Never heard of ya. How am I supposed to remember the name of one puny ant when there’s millions of ya swarmin’ around? Rice Ball Price
186-172
Level 2 [Name]? I mighta hearda somebody that went by that name, but I meets a lot of people in me line of work. Don’t look so upset there, matey. It takes a lot t’get people t’remember ya. It all starts with trust! 169-168
Level 3 Wait a minute, I remeber you…Mich…no…[Name], right? Ya see, do a little work, and people start recognizin’ ya. Keep up tha good work! 164-163
Level 4 Well if it isn’ [Name]. Hear yer name lots ’round these parts lately. Why, I remembers when you was nothin’ but a measly insect. Thanks t’me advice, you’re doin’ quite well here in Norg. 160-156
Level 5 Oh, [Name]. I was just talkin’ to me mateys about ya the other day. Nothin’ bad, of course. They had all heard about yer deeds fer Norg. Some are even startin’ t’think that maybe all you adventurers ain’t so bad after all. 155-150
Level 6 [Name]! There’s hardly a soul in Norg that doesn’t know yer bloody name. Oh, sorry ’bout that. Me mum never did teach me no manners. I’ll watch me damn mouth…I mean, I’ll watch me mouth from now on. 148-144
Level 7 [Name]…Mister/Miss [Name]. You’ve become quite the household name ’round Norg. All me mateys keep askin’ me if I can introduce them to ya. You’ve made quite a reputation for yerself! Lookin’ at ya gets me thinkin’ like I should leave tha life on the open sea, and become an adventurer! —
Level 8 ** I have hear of your showing activity again! —
Level 9 Lord/Lady [Name]! Next t’our leader, Gilgamesh, yer the most famous person in all’a Norg! Some me mateys are even callin’ ya a hero! May the light of the Dawn Goddess shine down upon ya in all yer journeys ’round Vana’diel! —

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Setting Your Title
When you complete many quests, your title (the words displayed on your profile and shown to others when they examine you) is changed. If you want to retrieve a past title of yours, you can do so by paying a certain amount of gil to an NPC in the cities. The following is a list of the NPCs who can do this for you:

Bastok Tuh Almobankha in Bastok Port, I-7 by the riverside
San d’Oria Moozo-Koozo in South San d’Oria, K-6 in the Lion’s Spring tavern
Windurst Burute-Sorute in Windurst Walls, H-10
Jeuno Tuh Almobankha in Lower Jeuno, I-8 in the Merry Minstrel Meadhouse
Selbina Yulon-Polon in Selbina, I-9 in Shepherd’s Muster
Mhaura Willah Maratahya, I-8 in the Sailor’s Stay
Tenshodo Quntsu-Nointsu in Norg, G-7

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Guide Credits & Updates
This guide is maintained and primarily written by Matthew Bramblet, player of Cuer on the Fairy FFXI server. The original translated fame message list and leveling information came from the Bilingual FFXI Website and has gone through numerous iterations as it traveled around the net. My thanks to those who provided information to make the guide as accurate and complete as possible.

This guide was last updated on April 30, 2004; changes are as follows:

April 30, 2004
Tenshodo and Kazham end fame message additions, and updated rice ball prices for level 1 Norg fame
April 7, 2004
Tenshodo and Kazham fame message additions, and more info on Tenshodo fame
Added links to the quest database at Allazhazam.com for all the quests in the guide
March 29, 2004
Minor fixes to fame messages
Tenshodo fame message addition, and expansion with rice ball prices
Added the Mhaura title changer
Added the A Discerning Eye quests as a way to raise fame
March 19, 2004
Updated Jeuno and other subsidiary fame to more accurately reflect how they interconnect
Split Kazham fame off into its own category; it doesn’t move quite in tandem with Windurst fame, although they are closely related
Updated the messages for Tenshodo and Kazham fame
Expanded on fame theory and details to create ‘The Workings of Fame’ section
March 15, 2004
Revamped the previous text compilation into html and expanded it dramatically