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Final Fantasy XI Burning Circle Notorious Monster (BCNM) Guide
What It Is -
BCNM
stands for
Burning Circle Notorious Monster
. A BCNM is a special type of arena battle in Final Fantasy XI where adventurers fight a specific mob or group of mobs. Unlike most areas of the game, BCNMs are instanced, meaning that the area is only available to you and your party or alliance; no one else will be able to see or assist you in the fight.
Accessing a BCNM -
A standard BCNM is accessed by trading a special type of orb item to one of the Burning Circles placed within dungeons throughout Vana'diel. These orbs are available from the NPC
Shami
in
Jeuno Port
, in exchange for a number of
Beastmen's Seals
or
Kindred's Seals
. When you trade the appropriate number of seals to Shami, as listed in the chart below, he will give you an orb in return. Trading that orb to the Burning Circle provides access to a BCNM.
Seals & Orbs -
The Beastmen's and Kindred's Seals are both Exclusive, and can stack up to 99; you can have multiple stacks of both kinds, as many as you obtain. The Beastmen's Seals can drop from any mob in the game, although they primarily drop from mobs that provide experience. Kindred's Seals are similar, but only drop from mobs which are level 50 or above. The only way to get these seals is by killing mobs for them; they cannot be traded between players in any way. To get an orb requires turning in between 20-60 seals, depending on the type of orb it is. The amount of seals required is based on the level cap of the BCNM; a level 20 BCNM takes 20 Beastmen's Seals, a level 50 BCNM takes 50, etc. The orbs are Rare and Exclusive, and are usually obtained from Shami right before a party goes out to the BCNM. Typically once a group has decided to go to a specific BCNM, every person in the party obtains an orb, so that the BCNM can be fought many times in a row.
Getting into the BCNM -
All Burning Circles are found within dungeon zones across Vana'diel. These Burning Circle areas are usually very small zones themselves, that are just big enough to walk in and move to the BCNM. Once at the glowing Burning Circle, a player trades the orb to the circle and selects the BCNM he wishes to enter. At that point, everyone in the player's group (or for a few BCNM, an entire alliance) can go into that BCNM by selecting the Burning Circle and choosing the BCNM as well.
Limits & Restrictions -
When entering a BCNM, all spell and ability buffs are automatically stripped. Food effects remain, but all other buffs are removed upon entering the Burning Circle. All BCNMs have a character limit: some allow only 3 characters to go in, most are set up for a full party of 6, and a handful allow a full alliance. Almost all BCNMs are also level limited. This means that when you enter a BCNM at a higher level than the limit, you will have your level temporarily reduced while you are in the BCNM. For example, if your party goes into the level 40 capped
Steamed Sprouts
BCNM, everyone who is higher level than 40 will have their level temporarily set down to 40, with only the spells, abilities, HP and MP that any other level 40 character of their job would have. Once you leave the BCNM, through defeat or victory, the level limit is removed. It is important to make sure you bring the proper equipment for the level limit of the BCNM; any equipment that requires a higher level will automatically be removed and unable to be worn inside the BCNM. You can go into a BCNM at a lower level than the limit, although it is rarely wise to do so. Most BCNM are designed to be beat with the maximum number of characters allowed, who are all at the level limit. The hardest BCNMs in the game do not have any level limits; characters all the way up to level 75 can go into them without any reduction. Of course, the monsters in these BCNMs are appropriately high level as well! There is one other possible limitation when going into a BCNM. Sometimes if another party has gone into a BCNM at the Burning Circle where you are, you may have to wait 10 minutes before you can go in to your own fight.
The Fight -
BCNMs are usually simple designs: you have to defeat the mobs in the time limit given in order to win. The type and amount of opponents vary greatly, depending on which BCNM you choose to do. Note that attempting the same BCNM multiple times can produce slight variations in the level of some of the mobs; many of them have level ranges just like regular mobs elsewhere in the game.
Winning & Loot -
If you defeat the opponents in the BCNM, an Armory Crate will appear. When selected, it opens and puts a pile of rewards in the treasure pool. Most rewards are provided randomly from a large list of possible items that can load in that particular BCNM, although in some BCNMs certain items load all the time. As with other mobs drops, the best items that can load in any BCNM are the rarest. In most pickup groups who do BCNMs, the standard procedure is for all the loot to go to whoever used their orb for that specific BCNM. In a Linkshell group or other party of players who work together regularly, the proceeds are often made by selling all the item from all the BCNMs, and then the final gil profit is split up among the members of the BCNM group.
Losing & Death -
Death often happens when learning how to win a BCNM. When a character dies in a BCNM they lose experience for the level they're at, which is usually the level cap of the BCNM. So a level 70 character who dies inside a level capped 40 BCNM, will only lose experience as a level 40 character. It is possible to run away from a BCNM by selecting the Burning Circle at the start of the fight arena, assuming that a mob isn't currently fighting your character. This is often done by the remaining characters if the fight goes poorly and many other characters have died. If everyone dies inside the BCNM, it will move everyone out after 3 minutes and end the encounter. Alternately, if
Reraise
is up, either from casting the spell or via an item, that can be used inside the BCNM after dying if there is still time left. The time limit is a constant enemy in BCNMs; if you take too long in the fight and the time runs out, you will be kicked out of the BCNM and lose.
Wrapping Up -
Once an orb is used, whether you win or lose, it is changed into a cracked version in your inventory. This can be disposed of by trading it back to Shami, or by discarding it. You can repeat the BCNM as many times as you have orbs; once the party runs out of orbs, if you wish to continue you must return to Shami to obtain more by trading him more seals. Note that if you lose the BCNM or exit it from inside, you are put back into the starting section of the BCNM zone. When you win, however, you are placed on the opposite side and must walk back through the dungeon zone before getting to the BCNM entrance again.
Non-Standard BCNMs -
BCNMs have been added that don't use the standard orbs or Battle Circles; otherwise, they function like a regular BCNM. So far, the only non-standard BCNM in the game is
Ouryu Cometh
, a BCNM that is on an island in
Riverne - Site #A01
.
BCNM Orb Chart
Orb
Seals Required
BCNM Level Limit
Cloudy Orb
20
Beastmen's Seal
Level 20
Sky Orb
30
Beastmen's Seal
Level 30
Star Orb
40
Beastmen's Seal
Level 40
Comet Orb
50
Beastmen's Seal
Level 50
Moon Orb
60
Beastmen's Seal
Level 60
Atropos Orb
30
Kindred's Seal
No Level Restriction
Clotho Orb
30
Kindred's Seal
No Level Restriction
Lachesis Orb
30
Kindred's Seal
No Level Restriction
Themis Orb
99
Kindred's Seal
No Level Restriction
BCNM List
Name
Zone
Required Item
Restriction
Charming Trio
Balga's Dais
Level 20, 15 minutes, 3 members
Creeping Doom
Balga's Dais
Level 30, 15 minutes, 3 members
Harem Scarem
Balga's Dais
Level 30, 30 minutes, 6 members
Royal Succession
Balga's Dais
Level 40, 15 minutes, 3 members
Steamed Sprouts
Balga's Dais
Level 40, 30 minutes, 6 members
Rapid Raptors
Balga's Dais
Level 50, 15 minutes, 3 members
Treasure and Tribulations
Balga's Dais
Level 50, 30 minutes, 6 members
Wild Wild Whiskers
Balga's Dais
Level 60, 15 minutes, 3 members
Divine Punishers
Balga's Dais
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Early Bird Catches the Wyrm
Balga's Dais
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 18 members
Moa Constrictors
Balga's Dais
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Royale Ramble
Balga's Dais
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Seasons Greetings
Balga's Dais
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Legion XI Comitatensis
Chamber of Oracles
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Cactor Sauve
Chamber of Oracles
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Eye of the Storm
Chamber of Oracles
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
The Scarlet King
Chamber of Oracles
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Wings of Fury
Ghelsba Outpost
Level 20, 15 minutes, 3 members
Petrifying Pair
Ghelsba Outpost
Level 30, 15 minutes, 3 members
Toadal Recall
Ghelsba Outpost
Level 30, 30 minutes, 6 members
Shooting Fish
Horlais Peak
Level 20, 15 minutes, 3 members
Carapace Combatants
Horlais Peak
Level 30, 15 minutes, 3 members
Dropping Like Flies
Horlais Peak
Level 30, 30 minutes, 6 members
Under Observation
Horlais Peak
Level 40, 15 minutes, 3 members
Tails of Woe
Horlais Peak
Level 40, 30 minutes, 6 members
Eye of the Tiger
Horlais Peak
Level 50, 15 minutes, 3 members
Hostile Herbivores
Horlais Peak
Level 50, 30 minutes, 6 members
Shots in the Dark
Horlais Peak
Level 60, 15 minutes, 3 members
Dismemberment Brigade
Horlais Peak
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Horns of War
Horlais Peak
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 18 members
Contaminated Colosseum
Horlais Peak
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Double Dragonian
Horlais Peak
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Today's Horoscope
Horlais Peak
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Making a Mockery
Jade Sepulcher
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Shadows of the Mind
Jade Sepulcher
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Tough Nut to Crack
Navukgo Execution Chamber
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Happy Caster
Navukgo Execution Chamber
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Die by the Sword
Qu'Bia Arena
Level 30, 15 minutes, 3 members
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Qu'Bia Arena
Level 30, 30 minutes, 6 members
Undying Promise
Qu'Bia Arena
Level 40, 15 minutes, 3 members
Factory Rejects
Qu'Bia Arena
Level 40, 30 minutes, 6 members
An Awful Autopsy
Qu'Bia Arena
Level 50, 15 minutes, 3 members
Idol Thoughts
Qu'Bia Arena
Level 50, 30 minutes, 6 members
Celery
Qu'Bia Arena
Level 60, 15 minutes, 3 members
Brothers D'Aurphe
Qu'Bia Arena
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Demolition Squad
Qu'Bia Arena
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Come Into My Parlor
Qu'Bia Arena
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
E-vase-ive Action
Qu'Bia Arena
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Infernal Swarm
Qu'Bia Arena
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Ouryu Cometh
Riverne - Site #A01
No Level Restriction, 60 minutes, 18 members
The Wyrmking Descends
Riverne - Site #B01
No Level Restriction, 60 minutes, 18 members
Amphibian Assault
Sacrificial Chamber
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Jungle Boogymen
Sacrificial Chamber
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Call to Arms
Talacca Cove
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Compliments to the Chef
Talacca Cove
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Kindred Spirits
Throne Room
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
Crustacean Conundrum
Waughroon Shrine
Level 20, 15 minutes, 3 members
Birds of a Feather
Waughroon Shrine
Level 30, 15 minutes, 3 members
Grove Guardians
Waughroon Shrine
Level 30, 30 minutes, 6 members
Royal Jelly
Waughroon Shrine
Level 40, 15 minutes, 3 members
The Worm's Turn
Waughroon Shrine
Level 40, 30 minutes, 6 members
The Final Bout
Waughroon Shrine
Level 50, 3 minutes, 3 members
3, 2, 1...
Waughroon Shrine
Level 50, 30 minutes, 6 members
Up in Arms
Waughroon Shrine
Level 60, 15 minutes, 3 members
Grimshell Shocktroopers
Waughroon Shrine
Level 60, 30 minutes, 6 members
The Hills Are Alive
Waughroon Shrine
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 18 members
Copycat
Waughroon Shrine
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Operation Desert Swarm
Waughroon Shrine
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
Prehistoric Pigeons
Waughroon Shrine
No Level Restriction, 30 minutes, 6 members
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