The version update scheduled for Thursday, March 29th will finally unlock the gates to the exciting world of chocobo racing! Now, players from across the globe will have the opportunity to test their chocobo?s abilities on the racetrack against some of Vana?diel?s most skilled riders.

Development Concept

Last summer and fall, several surveys regarding chocobo racing were conducted from premiere FINAL FANTASY XI sites in Japan, North America, and Europe. The development team then took these valuable opinions and used them to create exciting new content that focused on what the players wanted most.

Due to the fact that chocobo racing is completely new to FINAL FANTASY XI, much time has been necessary for development and testing. Because of this, we have determined that rather than delaying the release of the content, it is better to release portions of it at a time, thus allowing players to experience some of the features right away.

Then, in future patches, a variety of new features will be added to turn up the excitement. The following is a tentative schedule of the updates and their content:

Summer, 2007: Player vs. player races, betting
Fall/Winter, 2007: New official races, practice races (player vs. player)
2008: Final official races

Basic Information

- What is Chocobo Racing?
The newly added racetracks are the perfect place to test out and show off your very own chocobo?s skills. These automated races will require you to piece together a picture-perfect plan based on variables such as chocobo condition and the weather, using options consisting of orders given to your jockey and items to be utilized on the track. But that?s not all. Performing well in these races will earn you gil or VCS-mint chocobucks, which can be used to purchase items or services that will assist you in breeding.

- How to Participate
First, you must be raising an adult chocobo or have one out to pasture and possess its VCS registration card. Next, you must visit one of the CRA?s (Chocobo Racing Association) branches located in San d?Oria, Bastok, and Windurst, and register your chocobo to race.

- What are Chocobucks?
Chocobucks are a special type of currency for use at CRA-sanctioned establishments. Chocobucks can be earned by winning special races and can be exchanged for items and services used in chocobo breeding. Chocobucks are also required to participate in certain official races.

- Types of Races
The following are the two types of races available at this time:

Official Race
By successfully completing the objectives of these "mission-style" races, more challenging races will be unlocked. Can you clear them all?

Free Run
Free runs are "practice" races that may be run at any time (for a small gil fee). By placing in these races, you will receive chocobucks that can be used to purchase items or participate in higher-level official races. Use these practice races to hone your skills and save up funds.

Click here to review the details of this all-new feature.
You can also click here to download exclusive footage of the races!