Final Fantasy XIV Enters Spooky Season With Black Cats And Ghosties

It’s October, which means the season of spooks has arrived! You’re probably already seeing all kinds of creepy creatures, from black cats to ghosts, in your everyday life, and why should video games be any different? Thank goodness they’re not, especially if you’re a Final Fantasy XIV player. Square Enix’s MMO offers the Black Coeurl (a black cat) and Mama Automaton (basically a ghost) for players to acquire when joining in the scary festivities.

How to Obtain the Black Coeurl and Mama Automaton

The nice thing about these monstrous minions is that the method for obtaining both the Black Coeurl and Mama Automaton are the same. They are prizes in the Manderville Gold Saucer, which you can read about here! The cat costs 20,000 Manderville Gold Saucer Points (or MGP), and the ghostie can be redeemed for 30,000 MGP. That’s because ghosts are exactly 50 percent better than cats.

Once you have enough of the area’s currency, simply go to the main area of the park. At the front desk, there will be an attendant with the title “Gold Saucer Attendant ”. Speak to him and select the third option (“Prize Exchange III”), where you will see both of the critters available for purchase. Note that they will not show up in your Minion Guide automatically after you buy them—you will need to go into your inventory and “use” the newly acquired item before they are added to the list of available minions.

What is MGP and How Do I Get It?

Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

MGP is obtained by participating in different activities around the Gold Saucer. The most lucrative method is to participate in GATEs which occur every 20 minutes at the 20, 40 and 60 minute marks. Depending on your performance, up to 4,000 MGP can be awarded during these events, so even if you do well, it will take completing a handful to get enough points to afford one of the minions, perhaps even both.

Another couple of easy options are buying Cactpot Tickets, of which there are two kinds. There is a small lottery—basically a scratcher—that can be purchased up to three times daily, and a jumbo lottery where you can purchase three tickets weekly with the winning numbers being drawn every Saturday. Since players can use MGP to purchase up to three tickets per drawing, this can be a simple and effective way to farm MGP with little effort on your part.

Screenshot: Square Enix / Kotaku

It may seem counterintuitive to spend currency when you are trying to save up for a specific prize, but the great thing about the Cactpot lotteries is even if you don’t win the jackpot, you will receive a consolation prize, the amount received almost always being greater than what you spent on the actual ticket. Which is a terrible way to run a lottery. As an added bonus, the daily tickets are actually fairly easy to win, and if you are playing three times every day, you should have no problem getting a winning ticket several times a week—that’ll net you 10,000 MGP per win!

Decorating in Final Fantasy XIV is just as fun as in real life, so take advantage of this opportunity to get into the Halloween spirit. Or, if you are reading this too late, know that these prizes are available year round, so you can pick them up now, show your love of black cats and ghosts independently of the festivities, and be ready for when the ghoulies return next year.

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