Happy New Year! (01/01/2026)
Happy New Year to all of you adventurers throughout Vana'diel.
I would like to thank you for your continued support of FFXI throughout the past year. Largely in part to numerous new and veteran adventurers alike playing the game so much, we were able to make many more revisions to the game than we originally planned. I'd like to take a moment to briefly cover some of the more significant changes that were made.
■ 2025 content revisions
======
======
As I mentioned at the beginning, a combination of these measures and various other factors helped us welcome many new and returning adventurers to Vana'diel over the course of 2025. The game was particularly lively this past year, with many new adventurers hanging around the so-called "starting areas" such as San d'Oria, Bastok, and Windurst. There were also numerous players posting screenshots, videos, and other illustrations on social media, and even streaming their time spent in Vana'diel online.
In addition, the cooperative content known as Vana'Bout that has players combining across Worlds to achieve a common goal saw an increase in the number of participants with each new round. I was especially impressed with how everyone seems to exceed the expected plaudit goals. We plan to continue making updates to the content and make it even more enjoyable as time goes on. Elsewhere, there was a large increase in the number of adventurers in the Asura and Bahamut Worlds, which unfortunately forced us to close them down to new adventurers. We have been working to modernize our infrastructure, which includes replacing the servers, but some users have still been unable to play on their preferred World due to unexpectedly high demand. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and will continue monitoring each World's population and take appropriate action as necessary.
■ 2026 development and admin policy
It was this time last year during the New Year's holiday period when I mentioned the areas listed below that we would be focusing on with the game, based on the results of the 2024 FFXI Adventurers' Survey.
・Expanded solo play options
・Revitalizing existing content and character leveling adjustments
・Autogroup improvements
We intend to continue improving these areas in the year to come, concentrating on those that have not been fully implemented yet.
Next, I'd like to talk about some of the specific things we're working on in 2026, including things that are already underway. However, please note that some of these items are still in the planning stage, and we therefore cannot guarantee that all of them will be implemented.
・Stat upgrade system (tentative name)
We will be implementing a new system that lets you upgrade the alter egos' stats. It works by allowing you to spend upgrade points, which you can earn through everyday activities during your adventures. These points can be used to strengthen your alter egos overall, thereby raising their basic stats. We're currently hard at work on this feature with the goal of releasing it in March 2026!
・Alter ego equipment system (tentative name)
We plan to add a feature that enables you to utilize dedicated equipment for your alter egos, kind of like how the puppetmaster attachments work. The plan is to make the equipment obtainable even when playing solo, and we are also looking into the possibility of using some existing content and crafting systems.
・Adding notorious monsters to high-tier Limbus battles
These notorious monsters are extremely powerful monsters equivalent to Tier 3 found in Limbus research facilities. I recommend that you team up with a good-sized party in order to take on this challenge.
・Additional high-tier mission battlefields
We plan to add high-tier mission battlefields from three additional scenarios that were originally sold as downloadable content so that players can enjoy these classic scenes from the game's past.
・Placement of new notorious monsters
We will be adding new notorious monsters across Vana'diel. Make sure to check out which monsters have been added and also what you can obtain from them!
・Integration of the home point and survival guide systems
Currently, there are several NPCs that allow you to teleport, but we feel that it's too difficult in the game to know which NPCs can teleport you to which destinations. In order to fix this problem, we're currently looking to see if we can't combine at least some of the portals. Our first step will be to start with something fairly simple: merging the teleportation function of the home point and the survival guide features.
・Improved character growth guidance
Immediately after creating a new character, you can use the auto acceptance function of the Records of Eminence objectives in order to view a guide of the minimum necessary steps to develop your character. Our plan is to create a system that will merge both new and existing goals into a single path, and inform you of any subsequent steps that you should take.
We also have numerous other items under consideration, and will be sure to let you know once they are ready.
・An update that fixes an issue that could prevent the PlayOnline Viewer from running properly under certain conditions.
・Removing certain essential hardware from the development environment.
・Improvements to the tools used to manage the various resources that make up the game.
In order to minimize the risk of service disruptions, we have postponed some UI-related quality-of-life features, such as the ability to register blue magic sets and adjustments to the Assist Channel. We appreciate your understanding regarding this matter.
■ Other News
In March 2026, we will be airing a special episode of A.M.A.N. and LIVE! in Japan. During the broadcast, I hope to cover the alter ego upgrade system that we're looking to implement in phases, starting with the March 2026 version update. Your local community team will be providing more details about our plans going forward, so please keep an eye out for additional information to come.
I know that was a lot to take in, but please rest assured that the entire development team is fully committed to working hard to ensure that everyone enjoys an even more rewarding Vana'diel experience in 2026 and beyond.
I hope you are looking forward to another year of adventure in FINAL FANTASY XI.
======
Event Period:
Wednesday, December 31, at 7:00 a.m. (PST) to Monday, January 12, at 6:59 a.m.
======
New Year's activities
Go Watch the Parade!
Bring Cheer for Those in Need!
Get Your Hands on an Ake-Ome Spirit!
Festive Goods for Sale!
Check Out the New Festival Dial!
Additionally, Chacharoon in Ru'Lude Gardens (I-8) will be selling special limited-time items during the following period.
======
Sales period:
Wednesday, December 31, at 7:00 a.m. (PST) to Wednesday, January 7, at 6:00 a.m.
======
Read on for the list of limited-time items.
Trade them items and gil to receive a variety of other items and magic effects.
- NPCs and related areas
NPCs:
Mirthful Ixion
Gleeful Alicorn
Areas:
West Ronfaure / East Ronfaure / Valkurm Dunes / Konschtat Highlands / La Theine Plateau / Jugner Forest / Batallia Downs / Beaucedine Glacier / Xarcabard / Qufim Island / North Gustaberg / South Gustaberg / Pashhow Marshlands / Rolanberry Fields / Western Altepa Desert / Eastern Altepa Desert / West Sarutabaruta / East Sarutabaruta / Tahrongi Canyon / Buburimu Peninsula / Meriphataud Mountains / Sauromugue Champaign / The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah / Yuhtunga Jungle / Yhoator Jungle
The moogles have cleverly hidden seven types of Tenshodo trading cards across the land and challenged the Goblins to find them. But the cunning Goblins, determined to come out on top in the contest, have taken to riding chocobos, and that simply isn't fair, kupo!
1. Speak to the moogle.
Speak to a moogle in the following locations in order to confirm the necessary trading cards for the event.
2. Find the trading cards.
Trading cards can occasionally be found by examining overturned soil in the following locations. Try to move quickly and find them before the Goblins do.
West Ronfaure / La Theine Plateau / Jugner Forest / Batallia Downs / South Gustaberg / Konschtat Highlands / Pashhow Marshlands / Rolanberry Fields / East Sarutabaruta / Tahrongi Canyon / Meriphataud Mountains / Sauromugue Champaign
The odds of receiving trading cards increase with the more people you have in your party. Team up with other adventurers to increase your odds of success!
3. Deliver the trading cards to the moogle.
Collect the specified trading cards and deliver them to the moogle in order to exchange them for fabulous rewards.
Speak with Ake or Ome in the following locations to obtain the Ake-Ome Spirit item which grants the ability to possess a special monster in Monstrosity.
* Speaking with Ake or Ome while already possessing an Ake-Ome Spirit will cause something special to occur.
Moogles in the following locations sell various New Year-themed items.
Moogle Locations
The festival dial is a special dial that gives you a chance to obtain rewards from high-tier mission battlefields and high-tier avatar battlefields such as ★The Orb's Radiance and ★Divine Interference that were previously unavailable from other dials.
You need an #FES dial key in order to use the festival dial, which can be obtained by fulfilling certain conditions in each seasonal event.
During the New Year's event, if you were unable to obtain some of the rewards for the following activities, you can attempt them again and receive an #FES dial key as a reward for completing them. So take on the activities bit by bit each day and something good might happen!
* You can acquire one #FES dial key per day (Earth time).
Supported activities
Go Watch the Parade!
Bring Cheer for Those in Need!
There are two types of items, and each can be purchased once per day (Earth time).
* Sales reset at 7:00 a.m. (PST).
* Sales reset at 3:00 p.m. (GMT).
Chacharoon's Location
I would like to thank you for your continued support of FFXI throughout the past year. Largely in part to numerous new and veteran adventurers alike playing the game so much, we were able to make many more revisions to the game than we originally planned. I'd like to take a moment to briefly cover some of the more significant changes that were made.
■ 2025 content revisions
======
Limbus renewal
Implementation of the Character Race Change Service
Continued revisions to Besieged
Addition of a shared area to Dynamis – Divergence
A.M.A.N. Trove renewal
======
As I mentioned at the beginning, a combination of these measures and various other factors helped us welcome many new and returning adventurers to Vana'diel over the course of 2025. The game was particularly lively this past year, with many new adventurers hanging around the so-called "starting areas" such as San d'Oria, Bastok, and Windurst. There were also numerous players posting screenshots, videos, and other illustrations on social media, and even streaming their time spent in Vana'diel online.
In addition, the cooperative content known as Vana'Bout that has players combining across Worlds to achieve a common goal saw an increase in the number of participants with each new round. I was especially impressed with how everyone seems to exceed the expected plaudit goals. We plan to continue making updates to the content and make it even more enjoyable as time goes on. Elsewhere, there was a large increase in the number of adventurers in the Asura and Bahamut Worlds, which unfortunately forced us to close them down to new adventurers. We have been working to modernize our infrastructure, which includes replacing the servers, but some users have still been unable to play on their preferred World due to unexpectedly high demand. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and will continue monitoring each World's population and take appropriate action as necessary.
■ 2026 development and admin policy
It was this time last year during the New Year's holiday period when I mentioned the areas listed below that we would be focusing on with the game, based on the results of the 2024 FFXI Adventurers' Survey.
・Expanded solo play options
・Revitalizing existing content and character leveling adjustments
・Autogroup improvements
We intend to continue improving these areas in the year to come, concentrating on those that have not been fully implemented yet.
Next, I'd like to talk about some of the specific things we're working on in 2026, including things that are already underway. However, please note that some of these items are still in the planning stage, and we therefore cannot guarantee that all of them will be implemented.
Strengthening alter egos
・Stat upgrade system (tentative name)
We will be implementing a new system that lets you upgrade the alter egos' stats. It works by allowing you to spend upgrade points, which you can earn through everyday activities during your adventures. These points can be used to strengthen your alter egos overall, thereby raising their basic stats. We're currently hard at work on this feature with the goal of releasing it in March 2026!
・Alter ego equipment system (tentative name)
We plan to add a feature that enables you to utilize dedicated equipment for your alter egos, kind of like how the puppetmaster attachments work. The plan is to make the equipment obtainable even when playing solo, and we are also looking into the possibility of using some existing content and crafting systems.
Expansion of battle content
・Adding notorious monsters to high-tier Limbus battles
These notorious monsters are extremely powerful monsters equivalent to Tier 3 found in Limbus research facilities. I recommend that you team up with a good-sized party in order to take on this challenge.
・Additional high-tier mission battlefields
We plan to add high-tier mission battlefields from three additional scenarios that were originally sold as downloadable content so that players can enjoy these classic scenes from the game's past.
・Placement of new notorious monsters
We will be adding new notorious monsters across Vana'diel. Make sure to check out which monsters have been added and also what you can obtain from them!
Story replay feature
Playing environment improvements
・Integration of the home point and survival guide systems
Currently, there are several NPCs that allow you to teleport, but we feel that it's too difficult in the game to know which NPCs can teleport you to which destinations. In order to fix this problem, we're currently looking to see if we can't combine at least some of the portals. Our first step will be to start with something fairly simple: merging the teleportation function of the home point and the survival guide features.
・Improved character growth guidance
Immediately after creating a new character, you can use the auto acceptance function of the Records of Eminence objectives in order to view a guide of the minimum necessary steps to develop your character. Our plan is to create a system that will merge both new and existing goals into a single path, and inform you of any subsequent steps that you should take.
We also have numerous other items under consideration, and will be sure to let you know once they are ready.
Improvements to the development and admin environment
・An update that fixes an issue that could prevent the PlayOnline Viewer from running properly under certain conditions.
・Removing certain essential hardware from the development environment.
・Improvements to the tools used to manage the various resources that make up the game.
In order to minimize the risk of service disruptions, we have postponed some UI-related quality-of-life features, such as the ability to register blue magic sets and adjustments to the Assist Channel. We appreciate your understanding regarding this matter.
■ Other News
In March 2026, we will be airing a special episode of A.M.A.N. and LIVE! in Japan. During the broadcast, I hope to cover the alter ego upgrade system that we're looking to implement in phases, starting with the March 2026 version update. Your local community team will be providing more details about our plans going forward, so please keep an eye out for additional information to come.
I know that was a lot to take in, but please rest assured that the entire development team is fully committed to working hard to ensure that everyone enjoys an even more rewarding Vana'diel experience in 2026 and beyond.
I hope you are looking forward to another year of adventure in FINAL FANTASY XI.
| FINAL FANTASY XI Producer/Director Yoji Fujito |
======
Event Period:
Wednesday, December 31, at 7:00 a.m. (PST) to Monday, January 12, at 6:59 a.m.
======
New Year's activities
Go Watch the Parade!
Bring Cheer for Those in Need!
Get Your Hands on an Ake-Ome Spirit!
Festive Goods for Sale!
Check Out the New Festival Dial!
Additionally, Chacharoon in Ru'Lude Gardens (I-8) will be selling special limited-time items during the following period.
======
Sales period:
Wednesday, December 31, at 7:00 a.m. (PST) to Wednesday, January 7, at 6:00 a.m.
======
Read on for the list of limited-time items.
Go Watch the Parade!
Trade them items and gil to receive a variety of other items and magic effects.
- NPCs and related areas
NPCs:
Mirthful Ixion
Gleeful Alicorn
Areas:
West Ronfaure / East Ronfaure / Valkurm Dunes / Konschtat Highlands / La Theine Plateau / Jugner Forest / Batallia Downs / Beaucedine Glacier / Xarcabard / Qufim Island / North Gustaberg / South Gustaberg / Pashhow Marshlands / Rolanberry Fields / Western Altepa Desert / Eastern Altepa Desert / West Sarutabaruta / East Sarutabaruta / Tahrongi Canyon / Buburimu Peninsula / Meriphataud Mountains / Sauromugue Champaign / The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah / Yuhtunga Jungle / Yhoator Jungle
Bring Cheer for Those in Need!
The moogles have cleverly hidden seven types of Tenshodo trading cards across the land and challenged the Goblins to find them. But the cunning Goblins, determined to come out on top in the contest, have taken to riding chocobos, and that simply isn't fair, kupo!
1. Speak to the moogle.
Speak to a moogle in the following locations in order to confirm the necessary trading cards for the event.
2. Find the trading cards.
Trading cards can occasionally be found by examining overturned soil in the following locations. Try to move quickly and find them before the Goblins do.
West Ronfaure / La Theine Plateau / Jugner Forest / Batallia Downs / South Gustaberg / Konschtat Highlands / Pashhow Marshlands / Rolanberry Fields / East Sarutabaruta / Tahrongi Canyon / Meriphataud Mountains / Sauromugue Champaign
The odds of receiving trading cards increase with the more people you have in your party. Team up with other adventurers to increase your odds of success!
3. Deliver the trading cards to the moogle.
Collect the specified trading cards and deliver them to the moogle in order to exchange them for fabulous rewards.
Get Your Hands on an Ake-Ome Spirit!
Speak with Ake or Ome in the following locations to obtain the Ake-Ome Spirit item which grants the ability to possess a special monster in Monstrosity.
* Speaking with Ake or Ome while already possessing an Ake-Ome Spirit will cause something special to occur.
Festive Goods for Sale!
Moogles in the following locations sell various New Year-themed items.
Moogle Locations
Check Out the New Festival Dial!
The festival dial is a special dial that gives you a chance to obtain rewards from high-tier mission battlefields and high-tier avatar battlefields such as ★The Orb's Radiance and ★Divine Interference that were previously unavailable from other dials.
You need an #FES dial key in order to use the festival dial, which can be obtained by fulfilling certain conditions in each seasonal event.
During the New Year's event, if you were unable to obtain some of the rewards for the following activities, you can attempt them again and receive an #FES dial key as a reward for completing them. So take on the activities bit by bit each day and something good might happen!
* You can acquire one #FES dial key per day (Earth time).
Supported activities
Go Watch the Parade!
Bring Cheer for Those in Need!
Purchase Goods at Chacharoon's Shop!
There are two types of items, and each can be purchased once per day (Earth time).
* Sales reset at 7:00 a.m. (PST).
* Sales reset at 3:00 p.m. (GMT).
Chacharoon's Location