Basic Rules
Ballista matches are held in the following three areas:

-Jugner Forest
-Pashhow Marshlands
-Meriphataud Mountains

Matches are played by teams, and each team is comprised of adventurers representing a certain nation. The team with the most points at the end of the allotted time period is declared the winner.

Experience is neither lost nor gained during Ballista. Also, skill levels will not rise.
Players are free to use items during Ballista. However, these items will not be reimbursed.
Interaction with monsters and adventurers not participating in Ballista will be restricted. Functions such as magic, trading, bazaars, etc. cannot be used.
During Ballista, a player's linkshell will be disengaged and replaced with a special one used by his/her nation's forces. The words spoken on this linkshell channel can only be heard by that player's team. Say, Shout, Tell, etc. will function as normal.
Players can also form parties while participating in Ballista. These parties are not restricted to nations, making it possible to form a party with members of the opposing team. However, in such cases, only the Party chat mode can be used.

The following actions cannot be performed during Ballista:
-Fishing
-Riding a chocobo
-Utilizing the bazaar of anyone besides the members of your nation's forces
-Trading with anyone besides the members of your nation's forces

Currently, the following do not affect the Conquest:
-The result of a match
-Being knocked out during a match
-The number of Petras a player scores
NPCs unassociated with Ballista will not respond to players participating in the games.

Schedule
Ballista matches will begin as limited events until the following schedule is gradually implemented.
Matches will be played on even days of the Vana'diel calendar in each of the three areas listed above.

The schedule below is the same for every month:

1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30

(These dates are based on the Vana'dielian calendar.)

Level restrictions are based on the month of the match.

1st month	2nd month	3rd month	4th month	5th month	6th month
-Lv30	-Lv40	No restrictions	-Lv50	-Lv60	No restrictions
7th month	8th month	9th month	10th month	11th month	12th month
-Lv30	-Lv40	No restrictions	-Lv50	-Lv60	No restrictions

(These dates are based on the Vana'dielian calendar.)

Participation fees are based on the level restriction of the match.

Level 30	Level 40	Level 50	Level 60	No level restriction
600gil	1600gil	3000gil	4800gil	7500gil

System Messages
Messages Appearing When a Player Enters a Ballista Area
-Entry period information
-Information on the next match
-Results of the last match

Messages Appearing While in a Ballista Area
-Entry period information
-Match commencement
-Match conclusion, match results, and match cancellation
These messages appear to all adventurers in the area, regardless of Ballista participation.

The following messages appear only to those participating in Ballista:
-Rook movement information
-Information on which commands are available for use (Scout, Gate Breach, etc.)
-High scorer (at the conclusion of the match)
-The time at which the current match concludes

In addition, a player can receive a key item known as Ballista earring'h from their nation's Pursuivant.
With this key item equipped, a player will be able to receive hints on gameplay during the match.

Ballista License
Before an adventurer can participate in Ballista, he/she will require a Ballista License.
Only after obtaining permission from the leaders of the three nations, as well as from the Conflict Commander of one's nation, can a player obtain a license. A player must also be at least rank 3 to begin the application process.
This license will never expire and will be lost only if a player changes nationality. If a license is lost in this manner, the player must reapply with the Conflict Commander of his or her new nation.

Entry
To participate in Ballista, a player must first speak with a Herald in one of the three areas mentioned above, and then pay the participation fee.
The entry period is approximately one half of a day (Vana'diel time) before the commencement of the match.

If the difference in number of players on each team grows too large, there will be a temporary stop on the acceptance of applications for the larger team. The application process for that team will recommence when more players have joined the smaller team.
If a player requests a discharge from his or her nation's forces before the match begins, the participation fee will be refunded in full.
At the end of the entry period, if either team has less than six members, the match will be cancelled.
If a match is cancelled, the participation fee will be refunded in full.

Opening Ceremony
At the close of the entry period, if both teams have met the minimum player number requirements, the opening ceremony will begin.
Take caution, as monsters will remain active until the match is underway.

The ceremony consists of:
-A speech by the Herald
-An oath read by a representative from both teams
-The level restriction
-The casting of Invisible and Sneak onto players

During the Match
Once the match begins, Invisible and Sneak will wear off. In addition, any TP stored will reset to zero.
Each nation's Pursuivant will appear near the camps after the starting signal.
No entries will be accepted after the start of the match.
By talking to the Herald, a player can request discharges from his or her nation's forces after the match has started; however, the participation fee will not be refunded.

End of the Match
All matches will conclude after 12:00 Vana'diel time (after one Vana'diel day). At this time, the Herald will conduct a closing ceremony.
After the ceremony, members from the victorious forces can receive their reward* from the Herald. After the match is over, the Herald will return to the Conflict headquarters in Jeuno. All rewards must be collected immediately before the referee's departure. Also, in the case of a draw, the participation fees collected will be refunded in full to members from both forces. This reimbursement must also be carried out before the Herald leaves.

*Reward
The monetary reward for the victors of a match is as follows:
(Entry Fee) + (No. of players on the losing team) / (No. of players on the winning team)
In addition to this sum, the victor's original participation fee will also be returned.
The losing team receives nothing after a match.

Ballista Terminology

Conflict

All nationally sponsored player versus player battle exercises.

Ballista

A Conflict exercise with its roots in San d'Orian Royal Knight battle practices.

Rook

The castle-shaped goal in Ballista. It changes positions at regular intervals.

Petra

A spherical stone used in Ballista. After finding buried Petras on the battlefield, the player must throw these into Rooks to score points for his/her team.

Gate Breach

This status is achieved by defeating a member of the opposing team. Only a player with Gate Breach status can throw a Petra into a Rook.

Herald

The acting referee of a Ballista match.

Pursuivant

These assistants of the Herald are dispatched by each nation to watch over their force's camp, as well as offer advice to players.

Camp

Players have the choice to be transported here after being knocked out. Also, a Pursuivant is stationed nearby.

/quarry

The command used to dig for Petras.

/scout

The command used to locate the nearest Rook.

/sprint

The command used to temporarily increase movement speed.

Laisser aller!

Signals the start of the match.

Victoire!

Signals Victory

Echec

Signals Defeat

Onscreen Interfaces
With the start of the match, the following information will appear in the upper left corner of the screen:
-The number of members in each nation's force
-The number of Petras a player is carrying
-Gate Breach status (indicated by a star-shaped mark located by the Petra counter)

Also, the following buttons will appear in the action command menu:
-"Quarry"
-"Sprint" or "Scout"
Finally, the color of the participant's name will change and an icon representing the player's nationality will be displayed to the left of his/her name.

Quarry
This command (/quarry) allows a player to dig up the area at his or her feet and search for buried Petras. However, an attempt may not always be successful.
The further a player is from a Rook, the easier it is to find Petras.
Once a Petra has been obtained, a player cannot dispose of away.
A player will lose his/her Petras by making an area change or returning to camp after being knocked out.
Sometimes, items can be found by using the Quarry command. However, the rules of Ballista require a player to use those items immediately. The Quarry command cannot be repeated in quick succession.

*	If a player uses Quarry while invisible, the status will wear off.
*	Quarry will be cancelled if a player is attacked while digging.
*	Thieves can steal Petras from opposing players by using the Steal or Mug commands.

Sprint
Sprint (/sprint) temporarily increases a player's movement speed. Sprint can only be used when a player does not possess any Petras.
The Sprint command cannot be repeated in quick succession.

Scout
Scout (/scout) informs the player of the location (distance and direction) of the nearest Rook. Scout can only be used when a player possesses a Petra.
The Scout command cannot be repeated in quick succession.

Penalty
A penalty is incurred to players who change equipment during a match.
After equipping new armor or weapons in any slot other than "ammo," a player will be penalized for a set number of seconds. During this period the player will be "stunned" and unable to move or act. Concerning the ammo slot, a penalty will only be incurred if a weapon or item is unequipped and a new one is not equipped in its place.
Also, further equipment changes can be made while penalized. However, caution should be taken when performing these actions, as a player will be vulnerable to attacks from nearby players.

Special Abilities
Provoke
Provoke can be used to lock the target of an enemy player. While provoked, a player can only target the provoker. All actions performed by the person provoked (attacks, magic, items, etc.) will be directed at the provoker.
This ability can be used to help teammates who are in trouble. However, Provoke is not guaranteed to take effect.

Steal
Petras can be stolen from members of the opposing force by using this ability.

Mug
Increases the chances of stealing large numbers of Petras from a member of the opposing forces.

Auto-Attack
During Ballista, the range of all melee weapons is increased.

"Resist" Abilities
All "Resist" abilities are enhanced.

Weapon Skills
The range of all melee weapon skills is increased. However, that of ranged weapons is not affected.

K.O.
[K.O.]
Experience will not be lost when knocked out.
There are three options available after being knocked out:

1.	Wait for automatic revival A few moments after being knocked out, a player will automatically revive. At this time, 100% of the player's HP and 50% of the player's MP will be restored. The amount of time a player must wait for automatic revival increases each time this method is chosen.

2.

Return to camp Choosing to return to camp will warp a player back to his/her nation's base, where he/she will be revived with full HP and MP. There is nothing special about the camps themselves. They are merely points in the current area where you are revived to and where your Pursuivant is located.

Reviving using the above methods will not weaken the player. These two forms of revival will result in the loss of all Petras.
Also, after using the above methods, the player will spend a short amount of time "preparing for battle." During this period, he/she cannot be attacked.

3.	Be raised When raised with magic or a bard song, a player will temporarily be in a weakened state. However, that player will not lose the Petras he/she has accumulated.

If a player is knocked out when the match comes to a close, he/she can still accept automatic revival without the loss of experience points. In such instances, "Return to Camp" will change to "Return to Home Point." Players in this situation can choose to return to their home point without a loss of experience points.
[Instances where a player will have the option to "Return to Home Point"]
-When the match ends while in the process of being moved by the spell Tractor
-When a player returns to a finished match after losing his/her connection while in a knocked out state.

Rooks
Rooks are open territory for both teams. Anyone can score Petras in any Rook.
The number of Rooks on the battlefield is determined by the number of players participating in the match. The Rooks change their position at regular intervals.
A Petra cannot be thrown in a Rook directly before or after it moves.

In most cases, Petras can only be thrown in Rooks when a player has achieved Gate Breach status. However, if the majority of the leading force's members have left the area, the Rooks' gates will open, allowing any player to freely score Petras (with or without achieving Gate Breach status).

Scoring
Petras may be thrown into Rooks only after a player defeats a member of the opposing team and has achieved Gate Breach status. However, only ten Petras can be scored at one time, and once a player has scored, his/her Gate Breach status will be disengaged.

*	One Petra counts for one point.
*	A player cannot throw Petras while he/she is invisible.
*	If a player is attacked while throwing a Petra, his/her shot will be cancelled.
*	After throwing, a player must wait a minimum of five seconds before attempting another shot.

At the end of a match, the high scorer and his/her point total will be displayed.