Couple of things today -- mostly weird, but one decent one...

Start with the decent one...

Hooked up with Kimiko doing Campaign last night to start meriting DNC, and am now in CloakAndDagger, which I think Kimiko has mentioned a couple of times. :) I've already been warned that one person humps and another bites, so I'll keep the fists and polearm sharpened. :)

Here's the weird:

1) POL Maintenance yesterday, five hours worth, takes down EVERYTHING. Why? (I guess, short of actual physical server maintenance...)

2) They're bringing back Mog Bonanza, early this time. Whether this means they'll now do it twice or that they have something else planned for the next (final?) anniversary celebration...

Purchases Christmas Eve through mid-January, drawing end of January, redemption through mid-February.

45 days from creation to purchase eligibility. (Meaning you have about til Dec. 1 to buy any mules specifically for Mog Bonanza.)

Some changes to the prize list. (2009 info from the Wiki)

First, a little info:

The top gil prize for the last Mog Bonanza was about 85.7 million gil (pari-mutuel, down from the 100M flat prize from the 2008 event).

2nd gil prize was 6.23 million gil. (2008 was flat 10M)

3rd gil prize was about 712K. (2008 was flat 1M)

Looking at the prize lists:

L5: One of the in-game Statues was added, the Shadow Lord. No other additions or deletions.

L4: One addition and one downgrade here: Yoichi's Sash (Einherjar/ANNM crafting drop, rarely available, about 100K on Siren AH -- downgraded from L3 last year) and Vilma's Ring (Drop from extremely rare Marlboro types in Yuhtunga Jungle -- Rare/Ex Ring +1 to INT, MND, and CHR, Converts 25 HP to MP L40 All).

L3: Gil % the same at 27% of all sales. One change to accomodate the move of Yoichi's Sash: Vampiric Claws (NM drop from Phomiuna Aqueducts Bat Trio -- Rare/Ex Hand-to-Hand Weapon, +8 DMG +60 Delay Additional Effect: HP Drain) Beaucedine Dynamis Armor an option again.

L2: Gil % the same at 23%. One Addition to the list: Birdman Cape (NM drop from two different ToAU NM's, at least one having no known pop method and the other a possible NM pop from a quest -- Back piece DEF 7, MP +30, CHR +9, Enhances Resist Paralyze L 69 Mages and PUP -- Rarity has made it impossible to determine value, may never have been dropped), Xarcabard Dynamis Armor an option here again.

L1: Gil % the same at half the sales. There's a Mog Coupon List addition, as a third Mog Coupon has been added. (Get to that in a second) One other Addition: Shadow Ring (Rare/Ex Dynamis Lord drop -- Occasionally annuls magic damage taken (I assume this to mean an occasional complete 100% reduction.), Enhances resistance vs. Death, On Darksdays: Magic Defense Bonus)

The new Mog Coupon List appears to be the Absolute Virtue Sin trades -- effectively, AV drops.

So, there you go. Salivate, Vana'diel. :)