October Version Update

[Yoji_Fujito]

Good day, adventurers!
It's finally starting to feel like autumn, and you can notice the changing of the seasons within Vana'diel as well. The version update is relatively compact this month, focusing primarily on the updates to Ambuscade.
The Development team is working hard to ensure the game's overall stability so that you can enjoy your adventures within Vana'diel as the game prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027 and hopefully many more to come. Although there will not be any noticeable changes in the short term, we are doing our utmost to support the game for the foreseeable future.

During the month of October, we plan to extend the in-game events and campaigns beyond their usual schedules, giving you even more time to enjoy them at your leisure. We have also prepared a variety of events this month, including the Harvest Festival seasonal event, the return of the event celebrating the completion of Echoes of Vana'diel, and various other campaigns and content to help support your adventures.
I'll go into each topic in more detail below.

* Please note that the content being described is still under development, so details such as the names, numerical values, and other specifications are all subject to change. We appreciate your understanding.


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■ About the campaigns
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・Harvest Festival



Trick or treat!
It's that time again, as the nations of San d'Oria, Bastok, and Windurst get ready to celebrate the upcoming Harvest Festival.

During the event period, you'll find various activities awaiting you at the Harvest Festival locations in each country. By giving treats to the NPCs in costumes, you can also dress up as a monster. Once in costume, enjoy lively Harvest Festival-themed activities such as the costume contest and the Wake of the Lilies, and shopping at the special Harvest Festival stalls. You can even enlist the help of the moogles to challenge Pyracmon in battle.



After you've enjoyed the town festivities, head out to find the pumpkins that are used as decorations around Vana'diel!
This time around, you should try looking for locations associated with Echoes of Vana'diel. There are nine pumpkins in total hidden throughout the land. You will receive a reward for finding five, seven, and all nine pumpkins. Finding five pumpkins will earn you various items, including the Ilm Huaraches. Once you find all nine pumpkins, you'll receive the Ilm Tiara, plus a little something extra.


・About the Ilm equipment series



Once again, you can obtain the Ilm series of equipment that was available last year by participating in seasonal events and the login campaign. So whether this is your first time or if you didn't manage to complete the set last time, I hope you'll give it a try!

■ How to Obtain the Items

Ilm Tiara (head): Harvest Festival (Grab those gourds!)
Ilm Manillas (hands): Trade the specified items to the Curator Moogle
Ilm Weskit (body): October 2026 login campaign
Ilm Lappa (legs): Trade the specified items to the Curator Moogle
Ilm Huaraches (feet): Harvest Festival (Grab those gourds!)

・October login campaign



As part of the October login campaign, you can get furnishings, alter egos, and also the Ilm Weskit.



The Scientist's Board furnishing is the featured item for this month. Combine it with items such as the Chemistry Set that is available as part of this month's login campaign and you can give your Mog House the appearance of a classroom or laboratory.

Also, as a continuation of last month, you can obtain the Cipher: Koru-Moru, Cipher: Sakura, Cipher: S. Sibyl, Cipher: Luzaf, Cipher: Uka, and other alter egos for just 5 points. This is your chance to get a head start on collecting any alter egos that you haven't acquired yet in order to prepare for the alter ego equipment system (tentative name) that's currently scheduled to arrive this winter.


・Returning recipes



This month, the pumpkin-themed Cushaw Lantern furnishing and also equipment such as the Ilm Manillas and Ilm Lappa will be making their return.

Elsewhere, in order to aid those of you making your way through the new Dynamis content, we'll be adding items that can be used to weaken the boss monsters in Dynamis - Buburimu, Dynamis - Valkurm, and Dynamis - Qufim to the list of exchangeable items. Once you defeat the boss monsters in the three areas, you'll be given access to Dynamis - Tavnazia, making this a great opportunity to take on the subsequent content or upgrade your relic armor.

You'll also be able to trade for items related to the event "The Shadow Lord's Dominion."


・The Shadow Lord's Dominion - 3rd Session



This will be the third and final appearance of the event known as The Shadow Lord's Dominion.

I hope that all of you newcomers who discovered FFXI through the recent crossover content and any veteran adventurers who have already faced the fearsome Shadow Lord will enjoy this battle we've prepared for you.

The great sword Travesty, which was added during the second session of the event, features the Regain effect and also gives you a chance to avoid consuming TP when using weapon skills. These attributes make it an excellent choice for taking into battle.


・More Strange Happenings in Vana'diel



The "More Strange Happenings in Vana'diel" event is currently underway within the game.

Once again, giant monsters have appeared in the Alzadaal Ruins, the Boyahda Tree, and Ru'Aun Gardens. Work together with your fellow adventurers in the area to investigate these strange happenings and defeat the invaders.




The materials obtained from these monsters can be used to reforge your high-level race-based equipment (four pieces in total) into even more powerful gear. Also, gathering the three types of materials lets you synthesize the weapons Ja Ja Sword and Ja Ja Mace, which are modeled after those wielded by Gulool Ja Ja.

See here for more details on the materials and reforging process for each.


・Adventures with Trust Magic! Content Support Campaign



This month, we are holding various campaigns to help develop your characters and upgrade your equipment.
These include the Alter Ego Expo Campaign, which strengthens your alter egos, and the Omen Job Card Campaign - PLUS!, which offers more opportunities to earn job cards. These and the other campaigns are a great chance to help you progress through your current in-game content or tackle objectives that you've been meaning to take on. These campaigns are the perfect stepping stone toward many more adventures to come.


・Moogle Support Campaign for New & Returning Adventurers



The "Moogle Support Campaign for New & Returning Adventurers" is also underway, allowing you to obtain the following items once simply by logging in during the campaign period.

・Trust tome
・Mog Pell (Red)
・Mog Pell (Ochre)

The Trust tome is used to earn alter ego points, while you can exchange the Mog Pell (Red) and Mog Pell (Ochre) for various items. I hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity, whether you are just starting out on your adventures or are returning home to Vana'diel after a long absence.

Read on for details about the various campaigns.


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■ Ambuscade updates
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・Volume 1: Dullahan (Content Level 119 & up)
・Volume 2: Fomor (Content Level 109 & up)

October is the time of the Harvest Festival, so the monsters awaiting your challenge this month are the Dullahan and Fomor.
With the Dullahan in Volume 1, once it uses Charge-Up to build up its next attack, it will unleash a special ability based on the charge level. Take care when you see the "boss's rage is beginning to boil over" message, as it will reflect damage back to you!
In Volume 2, the fomors attack while adorned with pumpkins, making them the perfect foes for the season. One of your opponents utilizes the special ability Trick or Treat, which takes your buff from eating sweets, so make sure to avoid it once you've eaten some.


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■ Announcing Episode 73 of Freshly Picked Vana'diel!
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We plan to air the 73rd episode of Freshly Picked Vana'diel sometime in November.

In this episode, we'll be sharing details on upcoming updates to the game, focusing primarily on the November 2026 version update, as well as other planned additions and adjustments. So stay tuned for more info to come!


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■ Get ready for the FFXI Adventurers' Survey 2026!
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We previously conducted the Adventurers' Survey back in November 2024. Through that survey, we received numerous replies that have proven invaluable in shaping how we develop and operate FFXI at present.

Given that the survey was two years ago now, I feel like the way you play FFXI and what you hope to see from it have probably changed over time. As such, when looking back on FFXI's journey so far, and what the future holds for the game as it approaches its 25th anniversary next year, we feel like this is a good time to ask for your feedback once again.

Therefore, I hope you'll share with us your thoughts and opinions on the current state of Vana'diel as well as what you'd like to see from the game going forward.

We plan to share some of the results from the survey on the aforementioned 73rd episode of Freshly Picked Vana'diel in November.

Please see here for more details about the survey.


As always, our entire team remains committed to ensuring that all of you adventurers can enjoy their time in Vana'diel this October. I hope that you continue to enjoy the world of FFXI.

Safe journeys!


Event-related

Implementation Timing	Update Task and Details	In-progress Task	Details
October	Seasonal Event	・Update Halloween event	-
October	Moogle Support Campaign for New & Returning Adventurers	・Update special presents	-
October	Phantom Gem Campaign	・Add ★Ode of Life Bestowing to list of eligible high-tier mission battlefields	-
October	Login Campaign	・Update reward lineup	-
October	Curator Moogle	・Update lineup of exchangeable items	-

Mission and Quest-related

Implementation Timing	Update Task and Details	In-progress Task	Details
October	Records of Eminence	・Update monthly objectives	-

Content and System-related

Implementation Timing	Update Task and Details	In-progress Task	Details
October	Ambuscade	・Replace notorious monsters	-

Item-related

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