Several XI thoughts on my vacation....

Starcade is up on the mountain, meditating on ways to combat Comeatmebot and his friends.

While that (and awaiting my paycheck on Friday) is going on, I see a big first-time event and an update to the Adoulin site!

• As a preview to Seekers, Final Fantasy XI is holding it's first-ever Double XP event NEXT weekend (7:00 AM PST 2/8 through 6:59 AM PST 2/11 -- JP midnight Saturday morning to just short of JP midnight Tuesday morning -- effectively 72 hours).  Abyssea is not included, but Dedication effects stack.

I'm of two minds:  The first is that this really does appear to have some sort of "WE NEED SUBSCRIBERS NAO!" desperation.

The second is that it makes perfect sense.  With people re-subbing for the expansion, give them the opportunity to get on the horse, as it were, to level up quite a bit.

• The Adoulin website has been updated with a new song for the city of Adoulin itself, information on the Geomancer job, and the Colonization system.

Geomancer:
 
Basically, as expected, Geomancy takes the form of effectively creating Sphere effects (not unlike those on certain pieces of recent gear), but, this time, either around the Geomancer (Indicolure spells) or around a point where a luopan is set (Geocolure spells -- and those can only be done under a GEO main job).

These -colure spells -- these "Sphere" effects, if you will -- can either help the party members within the effect or harm opponents within it.

The main "weapon" -- though it's not clear as to how much damage it would do -- is the handbell, apparently.  Skilling it up will improve spell effects.

They also talk about one of the traits, where the direction in which you cast an effect will have an impact as to the nature of the effect!  It's called Cardinal Chant.

Rune Fencer will come later.

Colonization System:

They don't really go into much detail here, but basically reveal three of the seven HNM's -- the seven Naakuals -- of the Adoulin system -- three of the "boss monsters" of probable lairs which players will have to liberate under the said Colonization system.

Tchakka, The Riptide Naakual, a shark.
Achuka, The Firebrand Naakual, and I have no idea what you call that cross between a lizard, a horned beast, and God knows what else Square-Enix threw in there!
Colkhab, The Matriarch Naakual, the big Bee.