April Version Update

[Yoji_Fujito]

Good day, adventurers!
I imagine your alter egos are getting stronger by the day due to the introduction of the new alter ego points system, but how are you liking things so far? We'd love to hear your feedback regarding this new feature.

In addition to increasing the beastman cap in Besieged to Level 13, April also brings new adjustments designed to make it easier for players just starting out on their adventures, beginning with some improvements to the tutorial quests.

==============
■ Unlocking higher levels in Besieged and adding new rewards
==============

We're increasing the beastman cap to Level 13 (content level of 119). The beastmen are being joined by even more powerful fighters, which will make it that much harder for you to defend the capital. Fortunately, the five Serpent Generals have also received a power boost so as to help you keep the hordes at bay.

At the same time, we plan to add new rewards to the content.


We hope that you will continue to aid in Al Zahbi's defense!

==============
■ Adjustments for newer players
==============
We're streamlining the game's early stages so that newcomers can more easily navigate the game and enjoy everything it has to offer. These improvements will be introduced gradually over the course of multiple updates, with the following changes coming as part of the April version update.

- Revisions to the tutorial quest contents and rewards

Each of the three starting nations feature tutorial quests, but their contents have not been updated for some time now, meaning that they are no longer effective at guiding new players through the game in its current state.

Therefore, this update will cover topics that are essential to playing the game, such as the Records of Eminence. We've also adjusted the item lineup for the obtainable quest rewards in order to make them more practical. Please note that this update will reset your tutorial quest progression status, so you can take on the quest again even if you're already completed it in the past. I hope you give it a try and see what changes we've made for yourself.

- Lowering the price of magical maps

We will be revising the price of the magical maps in the shops. We're relaxing the requirements for maps of dungeons and more distant location by reducing their prices significantly, especially those that used to cost 3,000 gil.

The price of Past Vana'diel maps will also be lowered, but given that such ancient magical maps are still quite valuable in modern day Vana'diel, the prices for them will not be lowered as much. If you want to pick them up cheaply, I suggest you travel to Past Vana'diel and purchase them there.

- Easing the requirements for obtaining the Skirmish key items

To this day, Skirmish and Alluvion Skirmish still provide a good opportunity to obtain valuable equipment. However, we feel like it is somewhat difficult to obtain the necessary key items at the moment.

With this in mind, we will update the system so that you can obtain all of the key items from the NPC Oston in order to make the content more accessible. We will also lower the number of obsidian fragments needed to make the exchange.

==============
■ Ambuscade
==============

- Volume 1: Antica battle (Item Level 119 and above)
- Volume 2: Beast battle (Item Level 109 and above)

This month's Ambuscade features Anticas in Volume 1 and Beasts in Volume 2.
The battle against the Anticas has a special feature where the number of Antica reinforcements will increase as time passes! That can make things rather troublesome on higher difficulty levels, so try to defeat the sabotender that appears alongside the boss in the beginning to prevent them from summoning additional companions.
In the Beast battle, higher difficulty levels cause more different kinds of beasts to appear. Furthermore, once they are defeated, they will boost the abilities of any surrounding beasts. The boosted ability is determined by the type of beast, so keep that in mind when deciding which ones to take on first.


==============
■ Strange Happenings in Vana'diel
==============

As you probably know, "Echoes of Vana'diel" is special crossover content with FINAL FANTASY XIV. To help commemorate this event, we are holding a special campaign for a limited time. You can see here for more details. I'd also like to talk a bit about the equipment that is being offered as rewards for the campaign.

As part of the April version update, the upgraded items will be supported with a storage slip. That leaves two body parts that can't be upgraded yet, hence the "Strange Happenings" of the title. Stay tuned for more information to come!


==============
■ "A.M.A.N. and LIVE!" Season 3 coming soon! (Japan only)
==============
The YouTube LIVE series "A.M.A.N. and LIVE!" is entering its third year here in Japan.

In Season 3, we'll be inviting voice actress and former FFXI adventurer Asami Imai to serve as an ambassador for all things FFXI and detail her ongoing adventures within the game!
The episode will air on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. (JST).

Meanwhile, we'll also be starting a new gameplay streaming series featuring Katayama-san, aka Riekomu, who is in charge of publicity for FFXI! Rather than using a bunch of cheat codes and debugging tools to get through the game, she'll be starting out on an all-new adventure! We'll have more information on this new initiative once the preparations are complete. I hope you're looking forward to joining us on these exciting adventures throughout Vana'diel!

---

Typically in April, we focus on getting ready for the game's upcoming anniversary and other mid- to long-term updates, but this year we plan to add even more to the game than usual, primarily due to the development team's dedication to implementing meaningful changes to the game, no matter how small they may be. Although many of these adjustments are designed to simply shore up the game's foundation, we hope they help you enjoy your life in Vana'diel even more.


Until next time...
Safe journeys!


Mission and Quest-related

Implementation Timing	Update Task	In-progress Task	Details
April	Tutorial	・Add and adjust certain entries	-
April	Records of Eminence	・Update monthly objectives	-

Content and System-related

Implementation Timing	Update Task	In-progress Task	Details
April	Besieged	・Add level 13 units to beastmen armies ・Support for Content Level 119 ・Adjust Serpent Generals ・Adjust ally NPCs ・Allow certain monsters to more easily advance towards Serpent Generals ・Adjustments to certain monsters in strongholds ・Add new accolade exchange rewards	-
April	Skirmishes	・Reduce obsidian fragments required in exchange for simulacrum segments ・Add new types of simulacrum segments to exchange	-
April	Ambuscade	・Replace notorious monsters	-
April	Magic Maps	・Reduce vendor price	-

Item-related

Implementation Timing	Update Task	In-progress Task	Details
April	Items	・Add new items	-
April	Porter Moogle	・Add to list of supported items	-