Though these creatures can appear hauntingly similar to existing monsters, their ferocious nature sets them apart from their weaker cousins. Many an adventurer has met an untimely demise by failing to recognize risks that come with engaging these deadly adversaries. To ensure you fare better, this post not only includes in-depth views of three select notorious monsters, but provides screenshots for all twenty being introduced. It will also take a first-time look at three pieces of epic gear obtainable by slaying the beasts.
Notorious Monsters
Only when a creature grows more cunning, more aggressive, more deadly than its brethren is it worthy of a name.
—Frandelont Raimdelle
Bomb Baron
Feared around the realm for reducing all it touches to ash, the Bomb Baron pursues its prey with a passion hotter than the whitest forge. Legend says this abomination was once an adventurer who made his name culling thousands upon thousands of bombs across Eorzea, until one day a stray bomb caught him unawares and he died of burns rendered by the voidsent's timely explosion. Upon hearing of the soul's arrival in the fiery depths of the sixth hell, the Bomb King snatched it up and used ash from his own body to resurrect the adventurer as a bomb. He dubbed the creation the "Bomb Baron" and sent him back to Eorzea, telling him that his soul would suffer eternal torment until he had taken the lives of as many adventurers as he had bombs.
Phaia
Until recently, the sylphs celebrated a traditional springtime festival known as the Dance of the Tusks, in which tribe elders would enter a ring armed only with a spear and a cape, and test their mettle against ferocious wild boars. When a tragic accident led to one of the elders being gored and eaten, however, the tribe was left with little choice but to abandon their heritage. Fearing the wrath of the elementals, the sylphs canceled all future Dances and set the remaining boars free, including the fattened male champion, Phaia, who still roams the Black Shroud, his bloodlust as intense as the day he gained his freedom.
Kokoroon Quickfingers
A multi-talented qiqirn thief, it is said that Kokoroon Quickfingers is so nimble that he can empty a man's purse and have the pouch back on his belt quicker than the blink of an eye. Originally from La Noscea, Kokoroon earned fame in the Sailors Ward of Limsa Lominsa where he would use his deft digits to strum jolly tunes on his lute, luring audiences into absent-minded revelry. Then, during intermissions, he would mingle with crowds, laughing and sharing tales, all the while snatching coins from the pockets of his unsuspecting victims. Needless to say, it was not long before Kokoroon had a bounty placed on his head by the Knights of the Barracuda, and was forced to flee across the Strait of Merlthor to the parched deserts of Thanalan where it is said he still wanders today, lute in hand, ever in search of his next victim.
Lost Treasures
Kple Kple
Two-handed Conjurer's Arm
Requires: Conjurer
Optimal Rank: 30
Magic Potency: 112
Magic Accuracy: 126
Critical Hit Rate: 136
Earth: 50%
Wind: 50%
Dexterity: +2
Intelligence: +2
Piety: +2
Number of Attacks: +1
This staff is said to have been created by a powerful conjurer who took the taproot of an ancient rosewood tree burned to the ground by a levinbolt, and fixed to it a ceremonial sun mask used by the primitive tribes on the distant southern continent of Meracydia. The magicked weapon is said to grant its wielder the ability to hear the whispers of the elementals.
Shield of the Savage
Shield
Requires: Gladiator, Conjurer, Thaumaturge
Optimal Rank: 30
Defense: 11
Attack: 21
Blocking: 85
Wield Rate: 13
HP: +12
Strength: +1
Vitality: +1
This massive shield carved from maple and draped in thick sheep leather is presented by Ixali tribal elders to warriors who have shown exceptional bravery in battle. Once received, its owner will use the shield until it literally falls to pieces; the damage it bears proof of the battles the shield has seen. The twin spikes protruding from the lower section of the frame can be used as hooks to rip an opponent's shield from his hands or destroy it altogether.
Loyalist's Bliaud
Attire
Requires: Conjurer, Thaumaturge
Optimal Rank: 30
Defense: 58
Magic Defense: 72
Evasion: 33
Resilience: 42
Wind: 3%
Intelligence: +3
Mind: +3
Piety: +3
Magic Accuracy: +2
Elemental Resistences: +35
The Loyalist's Bilaud is a thick coat of indigo velveteen that was once awarded by the Pontifex to musketeers who performed exemplary deeds in service of the Holy See of Ishgard. The grossly oversized shoulder pads and billowing drapery about the hem make for a stunning silhouette, and the look was considered à la mode for many decades. The garment was far from practical for use on the battlefield, however, as the gaudy design proved an easy target for enemy archers.
* Patch 1.17 will also see the introduction of class-specific equipment. If an item's help text states that it "requires" a certain class, only adventurers of that class will be able to equip the item.
Subject: New NMs *Updated 16:45 +8gmt* 
Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:13 am
