Treasures of Aht Urhgan

Release Information
Release date has been set for April 18, 2006.

The expansion will be playable, in full or in part, at Square Enix's FFXI Fan Festival 2006 taking place in Santa Monica, California, USA on the days of March 10th and 11th.


 * The XBox 360 release of Final Fantasy XI is currently slated for May 2006.

General Focus
Interviews with Square Enix state that this expansion's focus will be on
 * New Jobs that will be introduced
 * Improvement of (and benefits for) lower level soloing
 * Lower level content to support the above.

New Content
To date, Square Enix has released the following information about specific new expansion content on their Official Treasures of Aht Urhgan Site:

Assault


"Assault" means to make a sudden attack on a fortified area. Your goal in Assault is to fight through an enemy stronghold with a small, elite unit of mercenaries.

In order to participate, you must first go to the Commissions Agency, where you can view a list of available tasks. Choose any task that interests you, and gather the number of people necessary to finish the operation. Then, enter the enemy's stronghold and complete your tasks.

If you manage to complete the Assault and make it back alive, the Empire of Aht Urhgan will reward you with fame and an appropriate reward.

Assault can only be undertaken by small, select groups. In exchange, the Imperial Army will evacuate any non-participants so that you can fully concentrate on the operation. On the other hand, no one will be around to help if you find yourself in trouble, so you must always be on guard.

Besieged
“Besieged” is a form of defensive battle that takes place when enemy forces breach the gates of Al Zahbi. The Imperial army declares martial law, and the city is enveloped in conflict.

After martial law is declared, anyone in the area who can use a weapon is required to join the Imperial Army in combat and take charge of Al Zahbi's defense. However, repeated beastman attacks have nearly destroyed the city's fortifications, transforming the majority of these defensive battles into aggressive clashes on the streets themselves.

Al Zahbi's enemies are after one thing--the “Astral Candescence” located in the Hall of Binding. The fate of Aht Urhgan and the beastmen ride on this single item, which allegedly draws upon the infinite energy of the Astral Plane.

Five “Serpent Generals” hold the keys to the Hall of Binding. They must be protected at all costs while driving the beastmen from the city. The safety of the townspeople and the future of Al Zahbi rest in the hands of the adventurers!

Besieged Allies Mamool Ja Savages The Undead Swarm

Improved Content
Square Enix has stated that the Merit Point system will be altered or improved with (or at the time of) this expansion's release.