New Updates to the Test Server on FFXI

[Andromeda]

There are some new adjustments and additions announced for implementation on the test server for FFXI. Those on the test server can already try these out as they have been added as of Oct 26th. Many of the updates come to the jobs themselves with new abilities and adjustments. There are some additions to Salvage Battlefield as well. To clearly layout the changes I will put the information in quotes directly from the FFXI forums. You can see the forum postings at this link. Testing in Progress

The first part is on the new job abilities. Not all jobs received them, but the ones that did are outlined here.

• New special job abilities will be introduced.
  * These special abilities will not share the same recast time as previous ones.
  * The recast time will be decreased from two hours to one.
  * The abilities displayed with a gray background have not been included in the October 26 test server update.

Job	Ability Name	Effect
Warrior	WAR SP 2	Grants a 100% chance of activating Double Attack.
Monk	-	-
White Mage	Asylum	Grants a powerful resistance to enfeebling magic and Dispel.
Black Mage	Subtle Sorcery	Decreases enmity generated by magic and increases magic accuracy.
Red Mage	-	-
Thief	-	-
Paladin	-	-
Dark Knight	Soul Enslavement	Auto-attacks absorb target's TP.
Beastmaster	-	-
Bard	-	-
Ranger	-	-
Samurai	Yaegasumi	Evades all special attacks that deal physical or magic damage. Enhances the potency of your next weapon skill every time you evade a special attack.
Ninja	-	-
Dragoon	-	-
Summoner	Astral Conduit	Eliminates recast times for Blood Pacts and fully restores MP upon activation.
Blue Mage	Unbridled Wisdom	Allows unlimited casting of blue magic spells that use Unbridled Learning. Additionally, Unbridled Learning will have no recast time.
Corsair	-	-
Puppetmaster	Heady Artifice	Allows automatons to use a special ability that varies by head. Harlequin Head: Mighty Strikes Valoredge Head: Invisible Sharpshot Head: Eagle Eye Shot Stormwaker Head: Chainspell Soulsoother Head: Benediction (will only affect the automaton and members of its master's party) Spiritreaver Head: Manafont
Dancer	Grand Pas	Gives five finishing moves, resets flourish recast timers, and eliminates the cost of finishing moves. Effect ends either when its duration expires or is used three times.
Scholar	Caper Emissarius	Transfers the whole party's enmity to a party member of your choice.

* Abilities implemented on the test server have provisional names, help text, and graphical effects. Actual effects of these abilities may be changed or adjusted.

The second is about the Salvage Battlefield.

This battlefield expansion is aimed at seasoned adventurers and many of the rules are based on those of previous Salvage content. The method by which Pathos of Alzadaal restrictions can be removed, however, has been modified.

Differences from Previous Salvage Content

• Entry is restricted to adventurers level 96 and above.
• Pathos of Alzadaal restrictions may no longer be removed by imbued items, but by the following methods:
  
  • Defeating certain monsters in specified areas will randomly remove a Pathos of Alzadaal restriction from participants.
  • Examining the Runic Lamps within each remnant will allow players to remove restrictions of their choice.
    
    * Runic Lamps will be available near remnant entrances and teleport exits.
    
    * The chance for removing restrictions, and which monsters' defeat are capable of removing restrictions, are still under development.

Test Server Settings

• Participants may enter battlefields alone.
• Remnants Permits will not be required for entry.
• No time restrictions will be placed on battlefield reentry.
• Only the Zhaylom and Arrapago Remnants are available for entry at present.
• The placement and strength of enemies, as well as items obtainable, may differ from the release version.
• Boss enemies are still under development, and will be replaced with substitute enemies.
• Notorious monsters that only spawn under certain conditions will not be introduced.

The third focuses on the Bard adjustments which change some single target songs to multi target and increase the cast time accordingly. The other is about the job ability Pianissimo.

• The following bard songs have been changed from affecting a single target party member to affecting all party members in an area of effect centered on the caster, and their casting time has been changed from four to eight seconds.
  
  Enchanting Etude / Spirited Etude / Learned Etude / Quick Etude /
  Vivacious Etude / Dextrous Etude / Sinewy Etude / Bewitching Etude /
  Logical Etude / Sage Etude / Swift Etude / Vital Etude /
  Uncanny Etude / Herculean Etude / Hunter’s Prelude / Archer’s Prelude /
  Foe Sirvente / Adventurer’s Dirge
• The job ability “Pianissimo” will undergo the following adjustments.
  
  • An additional effect that halves the casting time of the next song will be added.
  • The level at which this ability is learned will be decreased from forty-five to twenty.

The last is about the abilities Perfect Defense and Tabula Rasa with changes to them and the systems that they impact.

The job abilities below have been adjusted in the following ways:

• Summoner
  
  • Alexander's Perfect Defense
    
    • Effect duration will be reduced from ninety seconds to thirty seconds plus an additional second for every twenty points of one's summoning magic skill. For example, with a summoning magic skill value of 600, the ability's effect duration would be a maximum of sixty seconds (the base thirty seconds plus thirty more seconds for one's skill value).
  
  
• Scholar
  
  • Embrava (castable only while Tabula Rasa is in effect)
    
    • Effect duration will be reduced from five minutes to ninety seconds.
    • Haste potency will increase by 1% for every twenty points of one's enhancing magic skill instead of for every fifteen points. Therefore, an enhancing magic skill value of 500 will increase the potency of haste by a maximum of 25%
    • Embrava will grant the effect of Refresh instead of Regain. The value of the effect, however, will remain the same.

Modifications will be made to the following battle systems to accommodate the above job ability adjustments.

• Nyzul Isle Uncharted Area Survey

  Astraria in Possession Before Implementation		Astraria in Possession After Implementation
  0～4	→	0
  5～9	→	1
  10～14	→	2
  15～19	→	3
  20～24	→	4
  25	→	5

  • The number of astraria needed to exchange for equipment has been lowered from twenty-five to five.
    *The number of astraria already in one's possession will be divided by five, with the remainder disregarded.
  
  
• Legion
  
  • Enemies' HP will be reduced by ten percent.
  
  
• Einherjar
  
  • The enemy Odin that appears in Odin's Chamber II will have its HP reduced by ten to fifteen percent.