FAQs

Sections

Setup & Logging In

Help on client issues, configuration, POL- and FFXI- error messages, and troubleshooting.

Content, Quests, & Missions

Help with content and expansion questions, characters (creating, modifying), communication/linkshells, partying, chat, and quest troubleshooting.

Jobs, Leveling, & Crafting

Help with common questions about jobs, how general game mechanics work, leveling up, and crafting.

General FAQs

Is there a guide for new players?

Absolutely! We work to keep our New Players Guide updated with suggestions from the community.

Does this cost any money?

Absolutely not. We will never charge players any sort of currency or tradable item for playing on Nocturnal Souls. This is a 100% free service provided by a team of passionate players. If you’re looking to spend some money, buy a sub for the FFXI retail and support further development on the core game–it’s a fantastic game!

Is there a database of items and mobs?

Yes! If you visit the Members Portal at https://members.nocturnalsouls.net, you can search for mobs, items, and see all of your personal stats.

Log in using your account credentials you use to log into the game.

Can I transfer my character from another server?

At this time, no, we do not support character imports or exports. The progression of our server is quite different from other servers and our code and database isn’t exactly aligned with DSP nor those servers running the LegionDark code base.

How many characters can I have on my account?

Currently, DSP supports up to 4 characters on an account. Creating more than this can cause the account to become inaccessible due to a long-standing bug in DSP.

Players can have as many accounts as they want, however, we only allow 3 accounts to be logged in concurrently from the same household/IP address.

Can I change my appearance, race, or gender?

You sure can! Be sure to log out of your character first and go to the Members Portal. Click Me > {Character Name} and then click your profile picture. You can change your face (including many of the rare/NPC faces), race, and gender as often as you like.

Can I change my character’s name?

At this time, not without the intervention of a GM. Due to the server storing logs, auction house records, and other histories by player name, not ID, we do not allow players to casually change their name.

We do allow name changes in the event of:

• Player harassment/resolution
• A name violating our server guidelines

If you have a concern about your character’s name, please contact a member of staff.

When is there server maintenance?

Unless there’s an emergency, Nocturnal Souls plans for server maintenance weekly at 10am CT on Monday mornings. If there isn’t a reason to take the services down, then we won’t. Be sure to watch the #updates channel in Discord for details. We’ll always announce planned outages along with any update notes in there.

If it’s an emergency, we may take down services at any time, but will work with the online playerbase to give people enough time to get to a safe spot and logout.

I’ve tried asking for help, but no one responds.

If you’ve asked in Discord, specifically in the #support channel, it’s possible simply no one is around right now. Even when staff members are not around, our community will try to help out the best they can to answer questions, in Discord or the NocturnalSouls linkshell.

Please keep in mind that all staff members are volunteers and have responsibilities outside of Nocturnal Souls. A team member will get back to you as soon as possible.

Communication and Partying

Is there a server-wide/global chat channel?

The NocturnalSouls linkshell provides global chat; however, as with some private servers, the /say channel is not a global chat channel. It’s just, in our opinion, weird and makes it difficult for people in groups or nearby to chat outside of tells.

Can we create our own linkshells?

You bet! Since FFXI now supports TWO equipped linkshells, you can have the NocturnalSouls LS and a private LS equipped at the same time. Check the city vendors to purchase a linkshell.

Why are there so many party issues?!

This is to do with DSP’s wonky handling of party packets. Sometimes you’ll notice the alliance or party break, people appearing in parties when they’re not, or just mass confusion overall.

To fix this, please use the commands /pcmd leave or /pcmd breakup (for parties) OR /acmd leave or /acmd breakup (for alliances) to save yourself the hassle of having to relog each time.

Do you read or store our chats?

No. We’re seriously serious about privacy. We do not audit, store, or display any chat streams or communications, public or private. The only thing we can see is that {Person A} sent a message on a channel (tell, linkshell, shout, say, etc) and we don’t even store that once the server resets.

That said, YOU should audit your own chat. Don’t send passwords or other secure information to other people (ever) and be wary of what personal information you tell people in game. #basicrulesoftheinternetapplyhere. =]

Things we do log and monitor:

• vendor transactions
• trade transactions
• delivery box transactions
• auction house transactions
• BCNM and battlefield activity
• All GM commands and attempts at using GM commands

What kinds of servers run Nocturnal Souls?

Keeping the Nocturnal Souls infrastructure up and going is a priority. Thankfully, everything’s being run by a bunch of computer geeks… and we’re a bit retentive about uptime.

• 2x dedicated servers each with 128GB RAM, RAID 10 SSDs for each mount point, redundant power supplies, and redundant NICs.
• Servers and network infrastructure supported by dual UPS units giving approximately 60 minutes of uptime in the event of an outage with custom server message spam that the servers are coming down in the event of an outage.
• All databases backed up every 15 minutes and shifted offsite every 30 minutes with automated restore tests once a week.
• Onsite technical support (aka: it’s in someone’s basement)

Other highlights:

• All zones (maps) are operated on independent servers to enhance uptime and user experience (if one zone crashes, none of the other zones go down).
• All services are constantly monitored for uptime every few seconds and restarted immediately if errors occur.
• Separate development, test, and production environments to aid in content creation and testing.