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First FFXI mini-expansion dated

Crystalline Prophecy comes true.

Square Enix has announced that A Crystalline Prophecy - the first of a series of three mini-expansions for its Final Fantasy XI MMO - will be available for purchase next Monday, 23rd March, ahead of its actual appearance alongside a game update in April.

A Crystalline Prophecy - Ode of Life Bestowing, to give it its full and glorious title, will only be available as a download through the Play Online Viewer that launches all versions of FFXI. It will cost GBP 7.99 / EUR 9.99, and feature a storyline involving a giant, primordial crystal in the sky.

Two more of these Masato Kato-scripted mini-expansions (A Moogle Kupo d'Etat - Evil in Small Doses, and A Shantotto Ascension - The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born) will follow "later this year".

Square Enix is expected to finally unveil its next major MMO at E3 this year, but the six-year-old FFXI is still going strong, with half a million subscribers worldwide.

It even battled through to a victory against Lineage II in the second round of Eurogamer MMO's Ten Level Test. More on the Final Fantasy XI gamepage.