Another Dose of Aht Urhgan Details for Final Fantasy XI fans

Missions, Areas, Besieged and Assault details emerge about new FFXI expansion

March 28, 2006

Square Enix has let out another bag of informational goodies about its upcoming expansion to Final Fantasy XI, Treasures of Aht Urhgan.

The developer compares Treasures of Aht Urhgan to previous expansions saying that it has about the same number of new areas as was seen in Rise of Zilart and Chains of Promathia, but that the nature of these areas (Aht Urhgan resides on a compltely new continent) will present a wider range of new gaming experiences — including new enemies and battle styles.

Like with Zilart and Promathia, Aht Urhgan will present a new string of missions what will tell the story of this new Empire, and unlock in-game benefits, presumably including new equipment and areas.

The new Empire of Aht Urhgan will be accessible by ship from Mhaura. A similar ferry already connects Mhaura to Selbina — two villages at oposite ends of FFXI's Vana'diel. Square Enix makes note, though, that certain requirements may be necessary before a player is able to travel to the new areas. This could be in the form of a required Rank, completion of a specific quest or the attainment of a specific level. This can again be compared to Rise of Zilart, where the village of Kazham (and the entire South-East continent) were only accessible by completing a quest which granted an airship pass to that area.

The Empire of Aht Urhgan | More FFXI Screenshots

As always, the new areas will also bring new quests, which can bring new abilities and equipment to a player, and possibly raise Fame in the the new areas (thus enabling more quests). The most noteworthy of such quests, however, will be the three new job quests, which unlock the ability to play the game as a Blue Mage, Corsair or Puppetmaster.

A Blue Mage, Corsair and Puppetmaster | More FFXI Screenshots

In addition, Square Enix has released information about two new styles of battle that will be introduced in Treasures of Aht Urhgan: Besieged and Assault.

Besieged

Besieged is a cooperative style of gameplay that is comparable to Garrison, which currently exists in Final Fantasy XI. In Garrison, players join a party and protect non-playable characters (NPCs) called Recruits from waves of Beastman attacks.

In Besieged, however, this defensive style of battle takes on a new role. While Garrison battles take place at Outposts out in the field, Besieged takes place within the city walls of Al Zahbi, the capital city of Aht Urhgan.

Besieged begins as Beastmen invade | FFXI Screenshots

At certain points during the game, Beastmen will invade the town in seach of a powerful treasure — the Astral Candescence. Once the beastmen attack, the Empire of Aht Urhgan will declare martial law, meaning that everyone in the area that can pick up a weapon and fight will be recruited to assist in the Besieged conflict. Beseiged conflicts may also involve a number of NPC allies, including members of Al Zahbi's defense force as well as mercenary forces (including hired Goblins and Qiqirn)

If the Empire fails to protect the Astral Candescence and the Beastmen make away with the treasure, then it will be up to the players to regain control of the object. Groups of adventurers must join together and reverse the attack — approaching the Beastmen's establishments to reclaim the treasure.

Assault

Another style of gameplay being introduced in Treasures of Aht Urhgan is Assault. In Assault, parties of three to six players can decide on a location and level restriction for their game. They can then choose an Assault mission to complete, which involves fighting their way through an enemy stronghold.

The incentive to participate in Assault is through earning Assault Points, which can be traded in for items and equipment, as well as your mercenary rank. Leveling this rank increases the options for future Assault missions.

Assault | FFXI Screenshots

The target for Assualt is largely higher-level players — as is most of the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion. The purpose of this expansion seems largely to keep high-level players (who have completed much of the other missions and quests in the game) interested in playing Final Fantasy XI.