Ready yourselves for new challenges against familiar faces, for the July version update to Final Fantasy XI will include the arrival of two new high-tier mission battlefields, featuring the Shikaree Hunters X, Y, and Z, as well as the mastermind of the Crystal War itself, the Shadow Lord! These battles will prove to test your blades and your magic, and will reward those victorious with rare and valuable prizes, so prepare yourselves!

Excited for these new battles? Let us know all about it over on the ZAM forums!

From the official Final Fantasy XI forums:

[dev1218] New High-Tier Mission Battlefields Will Be Added

• New High-Tier Mission Battlefields
  • ★The Shadow Lord Battle
    
    Show the angst-ridden Shadow Lord that white is the new black once more!
  • ★Head Wind
    
    Teach Shikaree X, Y, and Z that there's more than one way to skin a cat!

• Joining the Fray
  The key items required to participate in these battlefields can be acquired from the following NPCs in exchange for merit points.

  Trisvain in Northern San d'Oria (J-7)

  

  Raving Opossum in Port Bastok (J-11)

  

  Mimble-Pimble in Port Windurst (L-5)

  

  • Required key items
    
    

    Key Item	Number of Merit Points Required
    Shadow Lord phantom gem	20
    Head Wind phantom gem	20

    * Players must be level 95 or greater and have cleared the original missions in order to receive these items.
• Regarding Difficulty Levels
  Each mission battlefield is divided into five levels of difficulty. Boss strength, number and drop rate of spoils, and content level increase in line with difficulty.
  
  

  Difficulty	Content Level
  Very Easy	113
  Easy	116
  Normal	119
  Difficult	Greater than 119
  Very Difficult	Greater than 119

  * Any player may select a difficulty level, but the battlefield's level will be determined by the first person to enter.
  * Players must have cleared the battlefield on normal to select either difficult or very difficult.
  * All party members must be in possession of the required key item to enter.
• Mission battlefield, boss, and entry restrictions
  
  

  Mission Name	Required Key Item	Point of Entry	Boss	Entry Restrictions
  ★The Shadow Lord Battle	Shadow Lord phantom gem	Throne Room	Shadow Lord	All Levels
  				Thirty Minutes
  				Six-Person Party
  ★Head Wind	Head Wind phantom gem	Boneyard Gully	Shikaree X Shikaree Y Shikaree Z	All Levels
  				Thirty Minutes
  				Six-Person Party

• Spoils
  Spoils are rewarded both for vanquishing the boss and clearing the battlefield, and include items needed for reforging artifact and relic armor in addition to equipment unique to each battlefield.