Final Fantasy XI Story Recap | What You Need to Know for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

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When I learned that a Final Fantasy XI themed raid would be coming in Final Fantasy XIV’s newest expanion, Dawntrail, I knew I would need a refresher. Instead, I thought I’d bring it to everyone! This video covers the broad strokes and recaps the FFXI Main Story from the base game up through the Chains of Promathia expansion pack. Everything you need to know before Echoes of Vana’diel launches in FFXIV Dawntrail is here!

Apologies for the low quality on images and video clips.. FFXI is old man. Probably older than some of you, even.

A HUGE SHOUTOUT TO KORVANA (FFXI THE MOVIE)
LINK TO KORVANA’S CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgxZPnp_A-J2TpCXd8fKTmA

The Balance Discord Server: https://discord.gg/thebalanceffxiv
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Questions? Suggestions? Leave them in the comments below!
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ALL SONG TITLES AND ARTISTS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
FFXI Main Theme / Intro Movie – Nobuo Uematsu
The Republic of Bastok – Kumi Tanioka
Anxiety – Nobuo Uematsu
Ro’Maeve – Naoshi Mizuta
The Divine – Naoshi Mizuta
Faded Memories – Promyvion – Naoshi Mizuta
Ve’Jugannon Palace – Naoshi Mizuta
The Celestial Capital – Al’Taieu – Naoshi Mizuta

ALL OTHER MUSIC PROVIDED BY EPIDEMIC SOUND
Outro Song: Strange Fantasy – Chaxti
Music Provided by Epidemic Sound
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Introduction + Shoutouts
1:31 FFXI Base Game
6:03 The Rize of Zilart
12:40 CoP Disclaimer
13:10 Chains of Promathia
28:20 Discussion – Catch your breath!
28:44 My Theory
32:30 Send off + Outro

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13 thoughts on “Final Fantasy XI Story Recap | What You Need to Know for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail”

  3. Good recap of the story! Thanks for putting all this together. Was also laughing at some of the story points that you were (" …with biological weapons?" lol) thanks for leaving those takes in instead of rerecording

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  5. I didn't get anywhere trying to play Final Fantasy XI so I have no particular attachment to Vana'diel, but I think an underrated sad notion that comes long with setting Vana'diel as a time in the past of the XIV world is that means that Vana'diel is dead, and I don't know if they'd want to make that call while the original game is still running in some form. I personally would much rather see the continued trend of re-imagining themes, creatures, characters, and arcs from other Finals Fantasy into XIV rather than just plopping the events of XI wholesale into the timeline. Even if it falls into a forgotten era, there's a lot of baggage on the continuity of XIV that comes with just setting a whole game in there somewhere, and it forces the developers to be beholden to lore and story that they themselves did not write.

    Having to reconcile how or even if Galka turned into Roegadyn as well as us having met friends of Tenzen and the events of the Maiden's Rhapsody crossover as well as whatever went on with Shantoto does my head in. Precedence SEEMS to imply it'd be an alternate timeline or something, but if it's the same continuity there's no reason they'd recognize such a different world as it is.

    All this to say thank you for putting this video together! It's nice to have a cliff notes version of the events of XI to ground myself. I weirdly feel like I've never encountered anyone talking about the various ancients involved in the storyline for this game. Also all of these various people that try to kill you personally at one point or another lmao.

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  6. So correct me if im wrong on this since its been past 10yrs or so wat about wotg expasion i thought it explains about the current vana diel
    where we at is dream of altana, and true vana diel is where shadowlord won and there were void started to slip in ? idk its been yrs

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  8. It's been over a decade since I played through these expansions, so this was a good refresher. I would also appreciate a recap of Treasures of Aht Urhgan, Wings of the Goddess, Seekers of Adoulin, and Rhapsodies (maybe also Abyssea since it ties into CoP a bit). That's obviously a lot of work, but this video was well done.

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  9. Been slowly playing through FFXI, never touched it before last year. Its actually been really fun, very different type of gameplay ,but Im starting to catch its charm.
    Also I love your theory of how FFXI and FFXIV could be connected, both MMO lores have enough similarities that having Vana'Diel somewhere between Sundering and Allagan makes sense. Since wasnt the First or Second Astral Era the Era of Heroes and Gods.

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  10. Going off the FFXI event, Iroha is still stuck in Eorzea at the end. Though it was only an event, she is the perfect catalyst to start this raid. Though in her recollections, all the events in Vana'diel have already happened which is where I think "Echoes" will take effect.

    I know you're not in favor of Vana'diel being another shard, going a bit dark here, but what if why Iroha couldn't return was because her shard wasn't there anymore. What if Vana'diel WAS the shard that Rejoined during the latest Seventh Umbral Calamity, in a reality where Bahamut won by awakening Promathia (Zodiark). Some narratives would have to change to fit XIV similar to the Void being FF4 but not FF4.

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  11. Thanks for the summary. It's been a long, long while since I played XI. Despite the nostalgia gremlins in my brain urging me to dip back into Vana'diel, I think it's better to let it live in my memory. The game's changed so much since I played last (2011), that I'm not sure it would be worth it, especially since my fonder memories are of meeting people with whom I am still friends today. Imagine–20 years of friendship from a MMORPG. I'm looking forward to the raid, for sure.

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