Carbuncle is one of the five terrestrial avatars in Final Fantasy XI. Associated with rainbows and a strange gem called Carbuncle's Ruby, he is the patron of player summoners. Upon completing the associated quest, which is basically a tour of the weather on Vana'diel to restore a carbuncle ruby, the player gains the job of Summoner along with Carbuncle. Every time a player becomes a summoner, a rainbow appears in the sky over La Theine Plateau the following day. Carbuncle is also the name of a server.
History[]
During the Crystal War, Carbuncle assisted the adventurer and Lehko Habhoka with the execution of Lehko Hahoka's plan. This plan led to protection of the Federation of Windurst from the Yaguda armies, however, it required the death of Fenrir.
When the adventurer took the carbuncle ruby to the house of the hero in Windurst, Carbuncle communicated with the adventurer, asking for the ruby to be filled with the seven colors in the sky. After the adventurer finished this, Carbuncle asked the ruby be taken to La Theine Plateau. There, Carbuncle manifested itself to the adventurer to form a pact. Carbuncle served as the adventurer's guide as they became a summoner. After forming a pact with Carbuncle, the adventurer went on to meet with and form pacts with the six sleeping gods of Vana'diel. Uran-Mafran was steeling a portion of the adventurer's power and erasing the memory of anyone who could stop him. Carbuncle explained that Uran-Mafran was becoming powerful and needed to be stopped. After the adventurer chased Uran-Mafran from the proto-crystals, he was finally defeated in the proto-crystal that resided in the Cloister of Gales.
When the keeper of the apocalypse appeared in Vana'diel, Bahamut began attacking the enlightened races to protect the mothercrystals. Rather than helping the enlightened races, Diabolos tried to usher them into Dynamis. When Tenzen and the adventurer went to Carbuncle to ask for assistance, Carbuncle's initial plan was to commence the War of the Avatars to stop the keeper of the apocalypse. Tenzen contended with Carbuncle and persuaded it to help in their cause.
Gameplay[]
Carbuncle is both, a boss and an avatar in Final Fantasy XI.
Notorious Monster[]
While Carbuncle is usually considered the weakest player-avatar, Carbuncle Prime is, in enormous contrast, an extremely powerful enemy avatar, and can be faced in a separate sidequest. A somewhat weaker version of Carbuncle Prime (in comparison) tends to appear in different areas of Limbus at random when opening treasure chests. There are a total of three encounters with Carbuncle.
| Name | Content | Requirements | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waking the Beast | Battlefield | Clear all six Trial Cloister quests. |
|
| Limbus Questline |
|
Participate in Limbus | Quest Progression |
| Waking the Beast High Tier Battlefield | High Tier Battlefield | Clear Waking the Beast Quest |
|
Summon[]
Carbuncle has weak physical attacks, but has useful skills like Healing Ruby and Shining Ruby, a healing spell and a defensive spell respectively. Carbuncle has a lower Perpetuation Cost than any other Avatar (potentially as low as zero with certain equipment), making him a favorite for special tasks such as pulling or kiting mobs.
Blood Pact: Rage[]
| Level | Name | MP | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Searing Light | All | Massive light-element damage to enemies within area of effect. Only available during Astral Flow. |
| 5 | Poison Nails | 11 | Deals minor piercing damage and may inflict poison. |
| 55 | Meteorite | 108 | Deals moderate light-element magic damage. |
| 76 | Holy Mist | 152 | Massive light-element magic damage to a single target. |
Blood Pact: Ward[]
| Level | Name | MP | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healing Ruby | 6 | Restores a moderate amount of HP to target party member. |
| 24 | Shining Ruby | 44 | Boosts the defense and magic defense of all Party members within area of effect. |
| 44 | Glittering Ruby | 62 | Increases a random stat for each party member. The stat is randomly chosen per player. |
| 65 | Healing Ruby II | 124 | Restores a large amount of HP for party members within area of effect. |
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
Carbuncle was a mythical creature reportedly sighted in the Americas by Spanish conquistadors. It is described as a small creature, either a bird or a mammal, that has a gem in its forehead crystallized from the brain of a dead dragon. According to myth, it is good luck to catch a carbuncle. A carbuncle is also an archaic name given to any red cabochon cut gemstone. The name applied particularly to red garnet.