Ballista

Ballista is one of the forms of Conflict in Final Fantasy XI. With the recent wave of patriotism sweeping Vana'diel, the decision was made to reintroduce Conflict as a form of friendly rivalry between the three nations. Ballista is based upon San d'Orian military training exercises that involve participants digging up small stones called Petras to toss into goals called Rooks scattered around the battlefield. 
==Obtaining the License==
*The prerequisite for a Ballista License is Rank 3 in your current nation.
*You do not need to reobtain your license if you switch nations.
*See Ballista License Quest for details on how to obtain your license.
==Participating in a Match==
Day	Jugner 	Pashhow	Meriphataud	Level Cap
1 	Entry 	  	Closing 	 
2 	Match 	  	  	30
3 	Closing	Entry 	  	 
4 	  	Match 	  	30
5 	  	Closing	Entry 	 
6 	  	  	Match 	30
7 	Entry 	  	Closing 	 
8 	Match 	  	  	40
9 	Closing	Entry 	  	 
10 	  	Match 	  	40
11 	  	Closing	Entry 	 
12 	  	  	Match 	40
13 	Entry 	  	Closing 	 
14 	Match 	  	  	50
15 	Closing	Entry 	  	 
16 	  	Match 	  	50
17 	  	Closing	Entry 	 
18 	  	  	Match 	50
19 	Entry 	  	Closing 	 
20 	Match 	  	  	60
21 	Closing	Entry 	  	 
22 	  	Match 	  	60
23 	  	Closing	Entry 	 
24 	  	  	Match 	60
25 	Entry 	  	Closing 	 
26 	Match 	  	  	None
27 	Closing	Entry 	  	 
28 	  	Match 	  	None
29 	  	Closing	Entry 	 
30 	  	  	Match 	None
Ballista follows a set schedule according to the Vana'diel calendar. Matches alternate between areas, nations participation, and level cap according to the calendar on the right. The entry day for each match proceeds as follows:
*12:00 (Initial Period): Entry period opens for adventurers of nations scheduled to fight who did not fight in the previous match.
*16:00 (Guest Period): Entry period opens for adventurers of nations scheduled to fight who fought in the previous match.
*18:00 (Open Entry): Entry period opens for anyone to fight. Adventurers are temporarily placed on the nation with the least number of players.
*22:00: Entries are closed, except under special conditions.
If you have a Ballista Instaport or at least 200 Ballista Points, and the match has not yet started, a Pursuivant will offer you the option of teleporting to the match. Their locations are:
* Northern San d'Oria - K-9
* Port Bastok - J-12
* Windurst Waters - J-9
* Ru'Lude Gardens - I-8
* Aht Urhgan Whitegate - G-11 
Once at the match location, talk to the Herald to sign up for Ballista. A participation fee is required upon signing up; the fee varies according to the level cap of the match:
:Lv. 30: 500 gil
:Lv. 40: 1000 gil
:Lv. 50: 1500 gil
:Lv. 60: 2000 gil
:Uncapped: 3000 gil
Armor Depository NPCs are available near the Marshals in each zone to allow you to retrieve or store armor sets.
At 22:00, the teams will be balanced based on players' jobs and all participating adventurers will line up facing each other. The Herald will then conduct the opening ceremony. Once the opening ceremony has concluded, all players will automatically gain the effects of sneak and invisible to allow for both teams to get into an appropriate position. At 0:00, the match will begin and Sneak/Invisible will wear off.
:In the event that a match is cancelled (for example, if there are less than three members on each team), the Herald will refund your entry fee and give you a Ballista Instaport and Ballista Instawarp.
==Playing the Match==
:See Battle Alterations for a list of changes to the battle system active during Ballista matches.
The main objective of Ballista is to /quarry for Petras in order to toss them into the Rooks scattered around the battlefield. Note that /quarry is not always successful at this: it may dig up a temporary item, a Petra, or nothing at all.
Petras may be found anywhere on the battlefield, but your chances of digging up one will increase the more distant from a Rook you are. /quarry's success rate is also affected by the current score; members of the winning team will have a lower probability of finding a Petra.
In order to score, you must first gain Gate Breach. Gate Breach can be accomplished by either defeating another player, or being in the immediate vicinity when a member of your party defeats another player.
:Gate Breach will only last for a limited amount of time. If you are on the leading team, Gate Breach status will last for 1.5 Vana'diel hours (~3.5 Earth minutes); if you are on the losing team, Gate Breach status will last for 3 Vana'diel hours (~7 Earth minutes).
Once you have gained Gate Breach, you must now find a Rook to toss the Petras in. The distance and direction of the nearest Rook can be found by using /scout. The act of scoring can be interrupted by any number of actions (both beneficial and hostile), so be sure to have a clear shot at a Rook. You may score up to five Petras at a time, with each Petra counting as one point. If a majority of the opposing team has left the battle area, however, all Rooks' gates will open, allowing anyone to score without gaining Gate Breach.
:When there is a large difference in the number of members on each team, two Rooks will appear on the battlefield.
If you have managed to successfully score for your team, Gate Breach status will be disengaged and you must regain it before being able to score again. The first petra you attempt to score will have an extra 3-5 second delay before throwing it into the rook. From there on, even if your shot is canceled, your throwing time will be shortened to ~5 seconds. This will be reset if you go back to camp or zone, but being revived will not reset this. 
No experience points loss is incurred for being K.O.'d in Ballista. If you are defeated, you will be automatically revived after a certain amount of time (determined by the number of times you have been defeated since you last chose to return to camp). Each defeat carries a +5 second penalty to your next revival timer (with the timer initially set at 15 seconds); this revival timer has no maximum limit. Once you are revived, you will be at 100% HP, your current MP or 50% MP, whichever is greater, and your current TP or 50% TP, whichever is lesser. Additionally, you will be considered as "preparing for battle": invisible, unable to use items, job abilities, ballista commands, and unable to attack or be attacked. 
Alternatively, you may choose to return to camp and reset the revival timer while spawning at 100% HP and MP. In either case, you will lose all accumulated Petras; the only way to retain Petras after K.O. is to be Raised and suffer its associated Weakened state.
:If you are K.O.'ed, lose connection, and reconnect after the match has concluded, the "Return to Camp" option will change to "Return to Home Point"; no experience loss is incurred if you Home Point as a result of dying during a Ballista match.
:When there are less than 41 players participating, the position of the camps will be located closer to the centre of the Ballista battlefield.
At 0:00, the match will conclude, all players HP and MP will be restored to the maximum allowed, and the team who has scored the most Petras will be declared the winner.
===Best of Three===
Matches played in Meriphataud Mountains are divided into three 7-hour (Vana'diel time) matches, each with a 90-minute interval between them. Winning a match earns the victors one match point. The nation with the most points at the end of the series is declared the champion.
==Rewards==
Rewards in Ballista come in the form of Experience Points, Gil, Ballista Points, and Ballista Ranking.
===Experience Points===
All adventurers who have actively participated in Ballista are awarded the appropriate amount of experience points corresponding to their level during Ballista.
* Level 30-39: 300 EXP
* Level 40-49: 350 EXP
* Level 50-59: 400 EXP
* Level 60-74: 450 EXP
* Level 75: 500 EXP 
===Gil===
The gil reward for the winning team is equal to double the participation fee. If the match is a draw, both teams will have their entry fee refunded. The losing team gets nothing. Also, if the winning team has fewer members than the other there is a slight gil increase for winning.
===Ballista Points===
Ballista Points are awarded after each match, based on your participation (earning match points, defeating opponents, or helping other members of your team). These points are used to reserve access to the Dioramas, purchase item vouchers, and teleport to upcoming Ballista matches. 
:You may only posess a total of 2000 Ballista points.
==Ballista Ranking==
The Ballista Points Ranking system ranks players from the last 10 matches, based on the number of Ballista points gained during a single match. Ranking information is separate for each Ballista location.
Players can sign up for Ballista Ranking by talking to the Marshal in the area after a match.
*Players who have not registered will not be considered in the ranking.
*After a match, players have 4 Vana’diel hours (~10 minutes Earth time) to register their results.
*The ranking list cannot be viewed during the registration period.
*After the registration period has ended, you must view the ranking list within 4 Vana’diel days (~4 hours Earth time) at the match site to receive your final assessment and any rewards you have earned.
You can view Ballista Rankings for all locations by speaking to the Marshal in Ru'Lude Gardens. However, as this Marshal may not have the most current data, players wishing to see the latest rankings are advised to talk to the Marshals stationed in each Ballista area.
===Chevrons===
Chevrons are awarded to the top scorer for each job, and the top scorers overall. A player can check the number of chevrons accumulated to date by talking to a Marshal. Also, /checking other players during a match will reveal the total number of chevrons they have received. 
Chevrons have the following caveats:
* Chevrons are only valid for one week Earth time. After that, the player must return the chevron in order to participate in future Ballista matches.
* Players may only wear one chevron at a time. If a player qualifies for more than one chevron, a decision must be made as to which chevron to receive. A player may, however, refuse to receive a chevron. 
**Regardless of which you choose, the fact that you earned both will still be recorded in your character's Ballista statistics.
The title granted according to the chevron awarded varies:
Ranking 	Key Item 	Title
1st 	Gold Ballista Chevron 	Gold Balli☆☆☆☆star
2nd 	Mythril Ballista Chevron	Mythril Balli☆☆☆star
3rd 	Silver Ballista Chevron 	Silver Balli☆☆star
4 - 10th	Bronze Ballista Chevron 	Bronze Balli☆star
Job 	Key Item 	Title
Warrior 	Bloody Ballista Chevron 	Searing★Star
Monk 	Orange Ballista Chevron 	Striking★Star
White Mage 	White Ballista Chevron 	Soothing★Star
Black Mage 	Black Ballista Chevron 	Sable★Star
Red Mage 	Red Ballista Chevron 	Scarlet★Star
Thief 	Green Ballista Chevron 	Sonic★Star
Paladin 	Sparking Ballista Chevron 	Saintly★Star
Dark Knight 	Ebon Ballista Chevron 	Shadowy★Star
Beastmaster 	Furry Ballista Chevron 	Savage★Star
Bard 	Brown Ballista Chevron 	Singing★Star
Ranger 	Ochre Ballista Chevron 	Sniping★Star
</tr>
Samurai 	Jade Ballista Chevron 	Slicing★Star
Ninja 	Transparent Ballista Chevron	Sneaking★Star
Dragoon 	Purple Ballista Chevron 	Spearing★Star
Summoner 	Rainbow Ballista Chevron 	Summoning★Star
Puppetmaster	Silk Ballista Chevron 	Swaying★Star
Corsair 	Coral Ballista Chevron 	Surging★Star
Blue Mage 	Sapphire Ballista Chevron 	Sapphire★Star
Dancer 	Sequined Ballista Chevron 	Sprightly★Star
Scholar 	Velvet Ballista Chevron 	Sagacious★Star
:XBOX 360 users: Being in possession of a Gold Ballista Chevron and talking to a title bard will grant you the option of unlocking an achievement. You must have the chevron in your Key Items for the option to appear.
==Battle Alterations==
A number of adjustments have been made to keep Conflict (and by extension, Ballista) play reasonably balanced.
===Job Abilities===
The following job abilities are altered:
*Provoke prevents the victim from targeting anyone except the provoker. Provoke also effectively prevents the victim from casting self-targeting spells, such as Utsusemi. Please note that during any form of Conflict, Provoke can miss a target.
*Steal and Mug steal Petras (if there are any) from the target.
*Charm, Gauge, and Tame have no effect whatsoever.
*Flee duration is extended.
===Melee===
*Maximum melee range is increased to allow for hitting opponents who are running away.
*Weapon Skill damage is reduced.
===Magic===
*Players gradually build a resistance to most enfeebling magic, as well as Lullaby.
*Sleep is limited to a 45-second duration.
*Magic damage is reduced.
===Commands===
The following commands are only available during Ballista:
*/quarry: Dig for Petras or temporary items. /quarry's behavior varies according to which Ballista Key Items you have in your possession.
*/targetopp: targets closest member of opposing nation within range.
*/sprint: Grants Flee-like speed for a set amount of time. You cannot use /sprint if you are holding a Petra.
*/scout: Reveals the location of the nearest Rook. You cannot use /scout if you are not carrying any Petras.
*<petra>: reveals how many Petras you are holding
*<gatebreach>: reveals if you are affected by Gate Breach status or not.
The following commands are altered during Ballista:
*/linkshell: sends a message to all members on your team.
*/check: checks a player, revealing the number of Petras they hold, whether or not they have Gate Breach status, and Chevrons they have obtained. Checking players often in ballista is good strategy.
===Interaction===
The following actions are prohibited while participating in a Ballista match:
*Fishing
*Chocobo interaction
*Using bazaars (or trading) between non-participants or the opposing team
*NPC interaction, other than the Ballista NPCs
Additionally, all non-participants and monsters will become invisible during the match; however, /say, /shout, and /tell are unrestricted.
===Other===
*Resist traits are greatly enhanced.
*AoE magic and weapon skills will only hit those within the same party or alliance as the target.
*Wide Scan can be used by any job to find everyone on your nation's team.
*Equipment changing is discouraged. Penalty is automatically inflicted for a couple of seconds when you change any piece of equipment. Penalty effectively acts as a combination of Bind and Stun. You may still /quarry while Penalized.
:*Swapping ammo is allowed, unequipping ammo is penalized.
*Skill points and Blue Magic spells may not be obtained during Ballista, with the exception of Enhancing Magic skill from spells cast on yourself.
*TP is reset at the beginning of each match or after recovering at camp.
==Items==
A number of items have been developed for use with Ballista, both in the form of Key Items and temporary items.
===Key Items===
*Ballista Band - Gives the option of keeping or discarding the first Petra dug up.
*Ballista Earring - Gives information about upcoming matches once per Vana'diel day when the wearer zones into an area where a Pursuivant is present. Also gives hints and tips during the match.
*Ballista Instaport - Teleports you to an upcoming match after speaking to a Pursuivant.
*Ballista Instawarp - Transports you to your Home Point after speaking to a Pursuivant.
*Petra Shovel - All temporary items dug up are automatically put into your inventory without any prompt. If your temporary item inventory is full, the item dug up will be automatically discarded.
===Temporary Items===
All players can carry 10 temporary items (15 in Pashhow Marshlands and Jugner Forest matches, where normal item use is restricted). Players may buy items from a Marshal by trading Ballista points for tickets that can be redeemed for items. Note that some items can only be obtained under certain conditions.
When participating in Pashhow Marshlands, you will be provided with several random temporary items at the start of the match.
Item 	Ballista points
Revitalizer 	700 (60+ cap only)
Body Boost 	300
Mana Boost 	300
Drachenessence 	30
Barfire Ointment 	50
Baraero Ointment 	50
Barstone Ointment 	50
Barblizzard Ointment	50
Barthunder Ointment 	50
Barwater Ointment 	50
Petra Eater 	30
Catholicon 	100
Potion 	15
Item 	Ballista points
Hi-Potion 	45
X-Potion 	90
Elixir 	200 (50+ cap only)
Max-Potion 	200 (50+ cap only)
Hi-Elixir 	200 (50+ cap only)
Ether 	20
Hi-Ether 	60
Super Ether 	120
Smelling Salts	75
Healing Powder	100
Panacea 	200
Remedy 	100
The following items can only be obtained through /quarry:
*Wizard's Drink (60+ cap)
*Giant's Drink (60+ cap)
*Carnal Incense
*Spiritual Incense
*Celestial Incense
*Catholicon +1
*Lethe Water
*Lethe Water +1
*Demoralizer
*Mana Powder
*Megalixir
*Lethe Powder
*Daedalus Wing
*Pro-Ether
*Sleeping Potion
*Blinding Potion
*Poison Potion
*Antidote
*Silent Oil
*Prism Powder
*Silent Oil
*Apple au Lait
*Orange au Lait
*Pamama au Lait
*Pear au Lait
*Persikos au Lait
*Apple Juice
*Grape Juice
*Melon Juice
*Orange Juice
*Pineapple Juice
*Tomato Juice
==Vana'Bout==
Vana'Bout Round 4 features Ballista as a non-daily objective. For the objective, one must participate in an official match or a private match in Diorama Abdhaljs-Ghelsba as described above. Players must remain in the match until its conclusion to recieve credit. There are community reports of matches in Diorama Abdhaljs-Ghelsba occasionally failing to grant credit for the objective.Seankp, FFXIAH Forum
==References==
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