New Notorious Monsters (04/06/2008)
New Notorious Monsters (NMs) will be added to areas introduced in the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion pack in the forthcoming version update, with simplified access to their battlefields.
A Word from the Development Team
NM battles have been one of the most popular elements of FFXI since its launch. Nothing stirs the adventurer's soul quite the same way as cooperating with dependable comrades to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, with rare equipment drops being the very tasty icing on the cake.
Thus far, however, getting the chance to battle NMs has been almost as difficult a task as fighting the creatures themselves. One often needed a lot of time and plenty more luck to successfully arrange an encounter with the creatures. In light of the ever-increasing number of fan requests for more opportunities to do battle against powerful monsters and reap the rewards, the development team has decided to implement some changes to make the excitement of NMs—even those of the same caliber as particularly infamous varieties inhabiting Tu'Lia and Al'Taieu—more accessible to all.
Overview of the New System
Carrying out requests from a certain NPC will earn you points which, when accumulated, can be exchanged for NM trigger items. The cost of these triggers will fluctuate based on the corresponding NM's difficulty level and popularity among adventurers. A limit will also be imposed on the number of points that can be earned in one Vana'dielian day (one Earth hour). Even with the above conditions in place, obtaining triggers under this new system should be relatively pain-free, especially when compared to fulfilling the elaborate requirements of some existing NM battles.
*Please note that this point system is applicable only to select new NMs scheduled to appear from the June version update.
In order to maximize flexibility in participant numbers, in most cases the target to which you trade triggers in order to gain entry into battlefields will be located in field areas.
Rewards
Over fifty new types of equipment will be made available as exclusive drops for defeating these new NMs. Here are just a few samples to whet your ravenous adventurer's appetite:
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This update seems made of fucking win. Come on AF2, COME ON AF2!
but I agree, it's not as amazing as it once was :<<<<<<<<<< Q____________Q still good for DL and KV and stuff on WAR I guess, but good thing I have DRK!