The exclusion of random battles from
Final Fantasy XI may be a blessing for many gamers, but with it comes the need
of a new way to battle.
When an enemy is sighted, the player has the option of making it its target by
pressing the "Action" button. Once this is done, a window appears
displaying options such as "Attack", "Item",
"Magic", or "Auto-Attack". The latter makes the player
continuosly attack the enemy until either of them is destroyed or once the
"Release" button has been pressed.
Besides this subtle change in the battle system, arias have been
introduced. This, in theory, is the time needed to cast a magic spell, and as
logically stated, the more powerful spells will take the longest to cast. This
space of time needed to perform spells will also be used for preparing items for
use.
Also, any item found after a battle will either be kept by the character who
defeated the enemy if he/she is alone, or shall go to a "pool" each
party will have for items.
