Getting Started

MistXI runs as closely paralleled to retail as possible. So, Steam or other retail installs of the game client are extremely simple to setup and use. Should you need to install the game from scratch, or do not own a retail copy, it is actually available to download direct from the PlayOnline website: http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/download/media/install_win.html

If you are starting from scratch, you’ll need to update your game client and PlayOnline to the current retail versions. The following section will explain how to do just that.

New Client Updating

This guide starts assuming you have already acquired FFXI and PlayOnline from the above source. If you play retail via Steam or other legitimate method, you can skip the next section.

  1. Open PlayOnline and let it update (and restart it if it asks).
  2. PlayOnline will prompt you if your a New User or Existing User. Choose For PlayOnline Members.
  3. Set ABCD1234 a the username, password, and account ID for your new account. This just allows you far enough in to access the file check. A valid PlayOnline or SquareEnix ID is not required.
  4. On the left side of the screen, click Check Files.
  5. On the Check Files Screen screen where it says “PlayOnline Viewer”, select the down arrow to select “FINAL FANTASY XI”.
    • NOTE: If “Final Fantasy XI” doesn’t show up, you can download a patch to resolve the issue.
    • Close the PlayOnline Viewer.
    • Download the DSP patch.
    • Unzip the patch into your \PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI folder.
    • Open the PlayOnline Viewer.
    • Click Check Files.
    • In the drop down list, “FINAL FANTASY XI” should now show up with “Unknown” as the version. Proceed with the rest of the steps.
  6. Click the Check Files button with “FINAL FANTASY XI” highlighted to begin the check.
  7. This process is validating your current files and should take 20-25 minutes depending on your computer’s hard drive speed. Once complete, it’ll prompt you to begin the update to fix errors (errors meaning files that don’t match current retail). Choose to “Fix the errors”.
  8. PlayOnline will start checking and updating files. This can take 2-4 hours depending on your computer speed and internet connection.
  9. Once everything is updated, exit PlayOnline.
  10. The last step is copying the PlayOnline Viewer’s data folder into the FFXI folder.
    • Navigate to \PlayOnline\SquareEnix\PlayOnlineViewer (or to where you installed FFXI) and copy the \data folder.
    • Navigate to the \PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI folder and paste that folder in that folder.
    • You should now have a \data folder in your \FINAL FANTASY XI folder.
  11. Reboot! This is key, as it sets all of your Windows Registry components into place.

Subsequent Client Updates

When we update the software on the server, you may get an error code that your client doesn’t match the server version. If so, follow these easy steps to force an update of POL.

  1. Inside the \PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\ROM\0 folder > delete the 0.dat file.
  2. Execute PlayOnline Viewer. Click on “Check Files” from the list on the left.
  3. Select “FINAL FANTASY XI” in the drop-down menu (“PlayOnline Viewer” is selected by default) then click on “Check Files”. Be sure that you are checking Final Fantasy XI and not the PlayOnline Viewer.
  4. If Final Fantasy XI is not an option available in the drop-down menu from the “Check Files” menu, you should return to the guide above for new client updates.
  5. PlayOnline Viewer will find errors, click on “File Repair” then “Yes”.
  6. Once everything is done, click on “OK” then “Exit Viewer” and “Yes”.
  7. You can now launch the game using Ashita to play again!

Launcher Setup – Ashita

  1. Go to https://www.ashitaxi.com/ and download the latest version.
  2. Go to https://github.com/LandSandBoat/xiloader/releases and grab the most recent version of the bootloader.
  3. Once you have them, place Ashita in a folder called Ashita in your \Program Files directory or similar location. The executable will automatically extract itself and begin setup (so your desktop’s a bad place for this to happen). This could take a few minutes.
  4. Once Ashita is done installing, place the xiloader.exe file in the ffxi-bootmod folder.
  5. Launch Ashita
  6. Click on the plus (add) icon in the bottom bar to add a new entry.
  7. Fill out the configuration name, file, command, and script as below. This tells Ashita to connect to MistXI, use the private server bootloader, and create a unique script for this server.
    • File: .\ffxi-bootmod\xiloader.exe
    • Command: --server play.mistxi.com
    • Script: default.txt

If you are wanting to use the Era or Dev server, they require different settings flags. You’ll need to use the most recent bootloader available at : https://github.com/LandSandBoat/xiloader/releases

  • Era Command:
    • –server era.mistxi.com –dataport 64230 –viewport 64001 –authport 64231
  • Dev Command:
    • –server dev.mistxi.com –dataport 33230 –viewport 33001 –authport 34231
  1. From here, you’re done! MistXI does support all plugins and add-ons from Ashita, so feel free to use any that you like.
  2. Once you’ve made it here, choose the Create New Account Option, and follow the prompts.
  3. Enjoy MistXI!