RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Square Enix announced today that it will be release three online expansion for Final Fantasy XI. Unlike past expansions, these will only be made available via digital download.

Masato Kato, who worked on the original Final Fantasy XI storyline as well as the scenarios for numerous other Square Enix RPGs including Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, is in charge of the scenario for the expansions. There’s not a great deal of information yet about the specifics of each expansion aside from a brief teaser for each one:

A Crystalline Prophecy – Ode of Life Bestowing:
One day, a giant crystal appeared in the skies above Jeuno, triggering a series of unexplained happenings across the land. Now, adventurers will set forth to unravel the mysteries of this primordial crystal that holds the secret of Vana’diel’s past.

A Moogle Kupo d’Etat – Evil in Small Doses:
It all started with an innocent drop of rainwater and a rickety, ramshackle Mog House desperately in need of repairs. Little did anyone suspect that this was only the beginning of a harrowing nightmare unheard of in the annals of moogle-kind.

A Shantotto Ascension – The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born:
The eccentric Professor Shantotto returned to Windurst one day after a mysterious, unexplained absence, shocking her colleagues with behavior so outrageous it put her old self to shame! When she goes so far as to proclaim herself ruler of her own empire, adventurers set out to discover the truth behind her alarming shift in personality.

According to the game’s official blog, the expansions are expected to be available for around ten dollars, though no official pricing has yet been announced. Updates for the most recent expansion, Wings of the Goddess will continue; the new expansions are meant to function as add-ons, introducing new storylines in pre-existing areas. The blog also suggests that while solo players around level thirty will be able to play, the later segments of the storylines will probably require parties of around level seventy-five.

The first expansion is due out in spring 2009 and the others a few months thereafter in the order listed above. They will be available for purchase via the PlayOnline Viewer and Final Fantasy XI and Rise of Zilart are necessary in order play them. For more information players can go to the official site, though so far there’s only the teaser summaries up.