New Info for Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urghan

Cerberus, new beastmen, areas and Puppetmaster job added to Square Enix official site

March 23, 2006

Square Enix has updated the official site for its upcoming Final Fantasy XI expansion pack: Treasures of Aht Urhgan. Among the updates are new adversaries and area details, and official information about the new Puppetmaster job.

One of the updates is the confirmation of Cerberus as an opponent in the expansion. Fans of previous Final Fantasy titles will recognized the three-headed beast, as will fans of mythology. In Greek and Roman mythology, Cerberus is Hades' guardian of the underworld. In Final Fantasy XI, "the Cerberus of Halvung was discovered buried in igneous rock during a construction project." The site says that "even the menacing Troll mercenaries are said to cover their ears and shiver in fear when the jarring roar of Cerberus echoes through the tunnels." It isn't clear whether or not Cerberus will ultimately be a summonable avatar, although many fans are hoping the answer is "yes".

Cerberus | Final Fantasy XI Screenshots

Trolls? They're new too. Another form of beastmen previously unnanounced, Trolls are home to Mount Zhayolm. Trolls are mercenaries, and are currently being controlled by the Moblins and are very hostile towards the Imperial capital of Aht Urhgan. Also introduced are the "Black Puddings", of "flans", which will again be familiar to fans of previous Final Fantasy titles.

Trolls | Final Fantasy XI Screenshots

A page on the Puppetmaster job, which surfaced earlier, have now officially been added to Square Enix's FFXI site. The site still gives little actual information about the job, though. Puppetmasters are said to use a "customizable" puppet to entertain, and to confound enemies. The puppet is supposedly called an "automation". In addition to the puppet, the Puppetmaster will specialize in hand-to-hand fighting, making it comparable to the skills of the existing jobs of Beastmaster or Dragoon mixed with that of a Monk.

A Tarutaru Puppetmaster | Final Fantasy XI Screenshots

Treasures of Aht Urhgan will be released on April 18, 2006 as an expansion for the PC and PlayStation 2 versions of Final Fantasy XI. The Xbox 360 version of the game will also be released on the same day, and includes all three expansion packs for the game: Treasures, along with the previous Rise of Zilart and Chains of Promathia.