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Chains of Promathia Press Release

This was just sent to my email:
SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCES FINAL FANTASY® XI EXPANSION – CHAINS OF PROMATHIA™ 500,000 Players Await the Latest Expansion, Scheduled For Simultaneous Release In Japan and North America This Fall
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 28, 2004) – Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. (“Square Enix U.S.A.”), the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive products in North America, today announced the newest expansion to its fast-growing massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), FINAL FANTASY® XI, titled “Chains of Promathia.” With a community of 500,000 players and 1.2 million active characters from Japan and North America combined, this FINAL FANTASY XI expansion promises to bring more exciting adventures for all levels of gamers. Chains of Promathia is scheduled for release this fall in both Japan and North America. The first cross-platform, cross-continent MMORPG, FINAL FANTASY XI, allows gamers to connect to the same exact world regardless of whether they are playing on a personal computer (PC) or PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and whether they are playing in North America or Japan. In Japan, FINAL FANTASY XI for the PlayStation 2 and for Windows® were released in May and November 2002, respectively. Approximately a year later in October 2003, FINAL FANTASY XI for Windows® launched in North America, followed by the PlayStation 2 version in March 2004. This first online title in the world-renowned series has quickly become one of most popular MMORPGs to date. About FINAL FANTASY XI FINAL FANTASY XI blends sorcery and technology. The once peaceful world of Vana’diel® stands at the brink of war as a power struggle slowly emerges among the three nations. The struggle focuses on the control of sacred crystals: an essential source of all creation. An unknown malevolent force rises in Vana’diel with a passion for the energy within the crystals. In FINAL FANTASY XI, players will undertake multiple adventures through vast environments in the world of Vana’diel, a persistent world that has more than 100 areas to explore, including mountains, forests, ice plains, deserts, oceans, rivers, castles, and dungeons. The brand new gaming universe contains the award-winning visual content, innovative gameplay and deep storyline seen throughout the FINAL FANTASY series. FINAL FANTASY XI allows players to create their alter ego that will exist in the world of Vana’diel, choosing from a variety of races, facial features, hairstyles and colors. They will be able to play at their own pace and form parties by utilizing the various communication tools that have been incorporated into FINAL FANTASY XI, including easy-to-use chat and messaging systems. The inclusion of the “Rise of the Zilart” expansion pack expands the storyline and opens up a variety of higher-level skills and abilities. The soon to be released expansion “Chains of Promathia” brings a new chapter to the story of Vana’diel. Expanding the world of Vana’diel, new areas never before seen in maps will surface and towns, which have been spoken of but never seen, will emerge. Fabled legends will also be realized in Chains of Promathia. As some of the mysteries of Vana’diel are unraveled, additional secrets will be discovered in the intricately designed expansion, Chains of Promathia. The expansion will be available on CD-ROM and will not be available for download. Availability and Pricing Published by Square Enix U.S.A., Inc., FINAL FANTASY XI for Windows® is available for a suggested retail price of $49.99 (USD). FINAL FANTASY XI for the PlayStation 2, published by Sony Computer Entertainment America and pre-installed on the internal Hard Disk Drive is available for a suggested retail price of $99 (USD). Subscribers will receive their first 30 days of access without charge. Aside from Internet service provider access charges, the free trial period will begin on the date players create their first Content ID or character. Any additional Content IDs purchased are also available without charge until the end of the free trial period. After 30 days, players can continue to play FINAL FANTASY XI by paying a monthly fee of $12.95 (USD) for one FINAL FANTASY XI character and can create up to 15 additional characters for an additional charge of $1.00 (USD) per character, per month. Tetra Master®, the online version of the wildly popular and addictive mini-game from FINAL FANTASY IX, is also included in the package and is available for $1.00 (USD) per month. Payment for monthly access charges must be made by credit card only (restrictions apply). PlayOnline™ FINAL FANTASY XI is a multiplayer online game in which players play via the Internet, and is playable via broadband or dial-up connection on both the PC and PlayStation 2. FINAL FANTASY XI is accessible only through the PlayOnline network service, a network service created by Square Enix. PlayOnline provides a wide range of online services and entertainment including games, entertainment and communication. Thus, PlayOnline not only serves as a portal to the world of FINAL FANTASY XI, but also a gateway to several other applications including communication tools such as email, messaging, a “Friend List,” games, support, downloadable files and audiovisual customization. Players will create personalized PlayOnline identities or “handles” that allow other players to communicate with each other, no matter where they are on the PlayOnline network. These basic services on the PlayOnline network will be free of charge. For more information on PlayOnline, FINAL FANTASY XI and Tetra Master, please visit the official Web site at http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml. FINAL FANTASY XI for Windows® System Requirements The minimum system requirements for FINAL FANTASY XI for Windows are as follows: Windows 98/98 SE/Me/2000/XP, Intel® Pentium® III 800Mhz or higher, 128MB RAM, 6GB of hard drive space, DirectX® 8.1 compatible sound card, CD-ROM drive, keyboard, 56K or faster Internet connection, and either the ATI® Radeon™ 9000 series or NVIDIA® GeForce™ series video card with 32MB of RAM. FINAL FANTASY XI for PlayStation 2/Hard Disk Drive (40GB) (for PlayStation®2) Specifications Published by Sony Computer Entertainment America, FINAL FANTASY XI for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system comes pre-installed on the Hard Disk Drive (40GB)(for PlayStation®2). The Hard Disk Drive attaches to the Network Adaptor (Ethernet/modem) (for PlayStation®2), which connects to both broadband and dial-up networks and rests in the expansion bay of the PlayStation 2 console. The launch of the Hard Disk Drive opens a new world for gamers by enabling the possibility of new entertainment experiences utilizing 40GB of storage capacity. Additional product features include faster caching times and in the near future, the ability to download content for online games such as new tracks, stadiums and characters. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated FINAL FANTASY XI “T” for Teen. For more information about the ESRB, visit http://www.esrb.org. About Square Enix Co. Ltd. and Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix) develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Square Enix brings two of Japan’s best-selling franchises – FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 49 million units worldwide and DRAGON QUEST (DRAGON WARRIOR® in North America) which has sold over 31 million units worldwide – under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation. Square Enix U.S.A. Inc., located in Los Angeles, Calif., handles operations in North America including localization, marketing and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix U.S.A. can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix-usa.com. About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one™ game console, and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is set to revolutionize the home entertainment market, offering the most compelling interactive content and the capability to be used as a network terminal in the coming broadband era. Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one game console and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. More information can be found at http://www.playstation.com. # # # © 2001-2004 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Title Design by Yoshitaka Amano. FINAL FANTASY, TETRA MASTER and VANA’DIEL are registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. SQUARE ENIX, PLAYONLINE, RISE OF THE ZILART, THE CHAINS OF PROMATHIA and the PLAYONLINE logo are trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. PlayStation and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Windows and DirectX are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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GoGo kitty
# Apr 28 2004 at 3:00 PM Rating: Decent
I'm betting that the Dancer will be one of the next jobs. You just know they're looking for a reason to put Mitrha in a revealing outfit!

$$
# Apr 28 2004 at 3:00 PM Rating: Decent
WIll they expansion cost anything extra like will we have to buy it or will it be a major upgrade for people who already have it... or what??????? Cause i dont even know if I could afford
RE: $$
# Apr 29 2004 at 9:06 AM Rating: Decent
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862 posts
I'm sure that there will be a cost for the expansion, probably $29.99. There most likely will not be a monthly cost to use the expansion, since there is no additional cost to use the Rise of Zilart.

As for what will be included in the expansion, I seriously doubt that there will be any new jobs introduced. Probably just some new areas, new items, new quests, maybe some new abilities or something. But not jobs. Come on people, do you really think that they are going to add new jobs every time they make an expansion? Even with the lack of new jobs, I still think that the expansion will be well worth the price, unless you are incredibly cheap. This game is so hot, any new stuff is just icing on the cake baby. Icing on the cake...:P
Awesome!
# Apr 28 2004 at 2:24 PM Rating: Decent
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180 posts
I'm really excited about this new expansion pack! The new areas sound really interesting, but as for the new jobs thing, I doubt there will be any more in this one. At the moment, there's no need for anymore.
PIRATES!!! :)
# Apr 28 2004 at 1:39 PM Rating: Default
ok, lets see here...

1. Norg was introduced in the last expansion, being a pirate city and all.

2. I heard something about "portable rafts" being introduced. (can anyone confirm this?)

3. On the post below, the rumor about pirate class.

Hypotosis: New flag quest in Norg, giving you the ability to become a pirate.

skillz: helps the rafting/boating and new "plunder" skill. (sort of like thief, but different some way, those crazy SOBs at SE will think of somethin! ;) )

There is also a pirate gun...but then again, thats wierd that it would have that title and not be part of the AF gear for the class. Perhaps "shwasbuckler"?? (or how ever you spell it, im uber 1337 at splining :p).

So yea, if the class is introduced, DIBS ON NAME "JackSperrow"!!!!!!!!

Granted, it IS only a hypotosis, but i can dream!!! "~_~"

P.S. does anyone else know of any reason they could add the pirate class??



Edited, Wed Apr 28 14:41:04 2004
Wa-hoo!
# Apr 28 2004 at 1:28 PM Rating: Decent
Oooooooh yeah baby, you know what time it is!

Ahem.

Hurray! I was just thinking about this, looks like it'll be pretty cool. But please let them have some new jobs and new features... a proper PvP arena or something would be great. And a Blue Mage would be cool as well... oh well, I guess we'll wait and see, eh?
taznavia
# Apr 28 2004 at 1:15 PM Rating: Decent
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72 posts
if you look at the opening picture of taznavia in the Chains of Promathia homepage you see that that scene, is from the opening movie of FFXI, it's where the kid was "holding" the city in between his thumb and forefinger. This expansion was definately in the works for a very long time.
RE: taznavia
# Apr 28 2004 at 2:23 PM Rating: Decent
Yea, I noticed that too. It's the city Aldo is from, from the begining movie. I always wonderd where that place was...most people told be it was San d'Oria, but it looks nothing like San d'Oria. But now I know what it is. =D
GREEDIE
# Apr 28 2004 at 12:22 PM Rating: Default
there getting greedie at SE if they wont put new jobs ingame. Makes expantion wortheless to me if only put new areas/quests/monsters. seems they will get away with it to like in eq , planetside.
<me> wheeps in sorrow :(

Edited, Wed Apr 28 13:22:51 2004
RE: GREEDIE
# May 07 2004 at 8:37 AM Rating: Decent
oh, you mean Squaresoft...

thats right, soft!
RE: GREEDIE
# May 07 2004 at 8:35 AM Rating: Decent
what is SE?!
RE: GREEDIE
# Apr 28 2004 at 6:31 PM Rating: Decent
As far as I saw in planetside Sony never got away with an expansion. For one thing the expansion sucked majorly. I remember playing the demo of it and I was about the only one in the new expanded area. Secondly, you should never have to pay for an expansion pack to a mmorpg. We're paying $13 a month. That $13 a month is justified because they change the game around every so often and should go for the expansion. I'm gonna be really pissed at SE if they make us pay extra for this thing >< The sad thing is that they probably will... :/
New Jobs
# Apr 28 2004 at 11:56 AM Rating: Decent
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137 posts
Without actual proof that SE has said, "There will be no new Jobs," I will have to continue to listen to rumors and hope.

That being said, there has been a rumor flying around Fenrir that the new jobs would be BlueMage, TimeMage and Pirate.

We've all heard about blue mage before, but I would be really interested to know exactly what a Time mage can do... and Pirate, seems a little far fetched to me.
RE: New Jobs
# Apr 28 2004 at 12:48 PM Rating: Decent
I hadn't heard any rumors about a time mage yet, but if they were to include it, I imagine they would have similar abilities to the time mages from FFV and FFT. Namely Haste, Slow, Demi, Meteor, etc. However, most spells that Time Mages would cast have already been included in the game, so I doubt that this would be a viable new class. Perhaps a lower level to cast those spells would make the class worth while, but I would be much more interested in a Blue Mage, or Geomancer. Apart from those two jobs I had heard about a Dancer and a Berzerker, but like all rumors I take all of the above with a grain of salt, at least till Square-Enix releases something official.
Hopes
# Apr 28 2004 at 11:38 AM Rating: Decent
Actually, if you read the Fablinix's adventure at FFXI's site, you might notice that Fablinix the goblin is searching for Movalpolos, the new area. This probably means that Square Enix has this expanion in mind from months ago!

Please post if there are any information to new job, skills, weapon, armor or new game features. I really hope they would finally let people upgrade their linkshells to something more like a clan.
RE: Hopes
# Apr 28 2004 at 6:23 PM Rating: Decent
If i can complete your subject, the tonberry king said that he would bring them at Movalpolos... maybe it will be near the temple of Uggalepih !!!!! (just an Hypothesis)
New Mages
# Apr 28 2004 at 11:19 AM Rating: Decent
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87 posts
me and my ls buddies were talking, there should be two new mages: a geomancer and a blue mage, a blue mage should have the ability to acquire enemies abilities as such in the old game, and the geomancer could use special abilities based on the type of area they're in, ice, forest, plain, desert, etc. also, what we were talking about was that the mages should have a new ability (doesn't include SMN), they should be able to scribe spells that they already know, and each spell scribed would require a certain ink and type of parchment/leather, and some inks and leather would be better than others and to scribe the spell, you would need at least the minimum grade of ink and leather to scribe it on, or else you fail automatically, and even at the mininmum you fail, but the higher the grade of leather and ink it is, the less chance you have at failing, good idea? this way, mages could somehow earn their living, as it is a very hard job due to all the spells needed
No new jobs.
# Apr 28 2004 at 11:05 AM Rating: Decent
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53 posts
Not sure where this "blue mage" idea came from, but it has already been confirmed with S-E (from several sources) that there will be no new jobs, and no level cap increase.
expansion
# Apr 28 2004 at 11:03 AM Rating: Decent
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1,630 posts
..additional secrets will be discovered in the intricately designed expansion, Chains of Promathia. The expansion will be available on CD-ROM and will not be available for download.

Does that mean that PS2 players wont be able to play the expansion?
RE: expansion
# Apr 28 2004 at 11:06 AM Rating: Excellent
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3,473 posts
PS2 Players will be able to use it also. It will probably be released seperately than the windows release, maybe a week apart, or it may be at the same time.
info
# Apr 28 2004 at 11:01 AM Rating: Decent
This was an obvious expansion as earlier this year Square Enix Registered "Chains of Promathia" which on the page SOMEWHERE(not sure where) promathia I believe was a Beastman god... (If i remember correctly) wonder if thats what the Moblins are digging for :S anyway I believe info will slowly be unveiled, I mean, they want as much hype as possible, but until they balance things etc... make them final they can't say much, but it's obvious those areas are very developed IMO... meaning they are pretty far along... ... BUT WHY THE FALL? I already can't wait T_T
RE: info
# Apr 28 2004 at 12:28 PM Rating: Decent
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116 posts
Promathia was the Dark God that created the beastmen. He is the counterpart to Altana, the goddess of light that created the 5 races. You can see both of their statues in the Hall of the Gods. The other gods bound Promathia with chains I believe, which is the source for the expansion name I guess.

The Shadowlord was a servant of Promathia supposedly, maybe for a higher rank we could fight him. o_O
Price of expansion pack
# Apr 28 2004 at 10:51 AM Rating: Decent
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321 posts
Anyone know the price of the expansion to current FFXI players? It lists prices for the FFXI on PC and PS2, but they include the main game. Is there a seperate price for just the expansion?
RE: Price of expansion pack
# Apr 28 2004 at 11:31 AM Rating: Excellent
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3,473 posts
Yes, the expansion will cost extra.. usually around $30.
RE: Price of expansion pack
# Apr 28 2004 at 5:21 PM Rating: Decent
Dah! Why must we pay $30? We already paid 50 bucks for the freaking game, now we've got to pay 30 more for an expansion? RotZ came free, and the updates do too... I kind of expected less payment. Oh well, life goes on without my $30.
Bluemage?
# Apr 28 2004 at 10:42 AM Rating: Decent
18 posts
I havn't heard anything about a blue mage....what are it's rumored abilities?

I'd love to see some more mage classes to help with magic main/sub combos.
RE: Bluemage?
# Apr 28 2004 at 11:06 AM Rating: Decent
Well, as in past Final Fantasy games, I'd think that a Bluemage would learn abilities from monsters. I can just imagine how great this would be! I mean, imagine having a lv20 Bluemage that can cast Jetstream. :)
RE: Bluemage?
# Apr 28 2004 at 1:53 PM Rating: Decent
I believed bluemage = beastmaster

and beastmaster can use sic to commands the Pet to make a special attack.

right?
RE: Bluemage?
# Apr 28 2004 at 4:58 PM Rating: Decent
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339 posts
Quote:
I believed bluemage = beastmaster


Actually, Beastmaster and Bluemage are 2 different jobs completely. I think FFV had both Beastmaster and Bluemage jobs in the same game. The beastmaster's big advantage is that it has a tank for itself when it charms an enemy, and it can use the beast's abilities and what not. The Blue Mage doesn't have a personal tank cuz it doesn't charm monsters, yet it has a wider range of abilities cuz he memorizes all the monster abilities that were used on himself. Therefore, the Bluemage isn't limited to the abilities of the specific monster he is facing, but at the same time, he doesn't have the benefit of the personal tank like the Beastmaster does.
New Areas
# Apr 28 2004 at 10:42 AM Rating: Decent
There'll be two confirmed new areas, go into POL and when you get to the FFXI screen, click on the Chains or Promathia thing on the bottom of the screen. It has Screenshots and descriptions of the two new areas. ^^
blue mage
# Apr 28 2004 at 10:32 AM Rating: Default
i think they will introduice the blue mage , but rumors say that the blue mage will allready be in an update in this summer
all speculation though :x
if anyone can confirm it please do ^^
...and
# Apr 28 2004 at 10:20 AM Rating: Decent
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91 posts
On the site there's teaser info about two new areas. Including one which looks like some kinda freaky beastman city :D
Hi
# Apr 28 2004 at 10:15 AM Rating: Decent
18 posts
Yes, I'm happy to hear about the expansion, but what are the details?

I'm gussing not much released...
RE: Hi
# Apr 28 2004 at 10:20 AM Rating: Excellent
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3,473 posts
Not much will be released at this time. But when we get word on it, you guys will also.
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