Why cant we play Garlean empire?

I want to be a gunblade wielding fruimentari spy assassinating Lalafells :) Why cant we play Garlean Empire? Have they said anything about being able to play them later on?

I would expect the class to be playable in an expansion, but as far as the nationality, I doubt it.

You have threatened a Lalafell.

The nation of Lalafells now descends upon you.

At the very most, we'll be visiting Garlemald sometime in the future.

After completing the main story quests I found myself caring more for the Garlean Empire than I did for the hypocritical city states present on Eorzea. Ul'dah is full of starving refugees and the rich get richer whilst the poor get poorer. On top of that, the beast races were forced out into Thanalan and ended up relying on banditry for the sake of surviving. Limsa Lominsa isn't much better - the pirates stupidly broke a peace treaty with the Kobolds and the Gridanians are more than willing to stand by and watch strangers and refugees in their lands perish if the whimsical Elementals do not grant them their blessing.

I found myself very sympathetic towards the Garlean Empire. There's shades of grey, they've blood on their hands but they're more well-intentioned extremists than irredeemably evil. I'd love to be able to play one in the future and see Garlemald from the perspective of one of its inhabitants rather than the 'heroes' of Eorzea invading it.

One thing to point out as far as the elementals and Gridanian go -- it hasn't really been touched on in ARR that I've seen but the elementals are a very real, very deadly, very much in control in the Shroud. In 1.0, people who pissed off the elementals tended to get eaten by the forest, like dissolving into green light while screaming. Or worse, as I haven't seen any examples of 1.0's "wildlings" people taken by the the forest but still alive. The empire did not have much luck in the Shroud even with their tech in 1.0, mostly they were eaten. Gridania only exists because of the treaty between it and the elementals, otherwise a settlement of the size would never be able to exist in an area where the environment itself was quite literally out to kill it. And yes for the Gridanian's the treaty seems to mostly be "do as I say and anticipate my every whim" towards the elementals --their entire government and culture is based on this.

Not to say that Gridania does not make more than its share of morally dubious choices (you could argue that excepting the elmentals terms is one as children are fair game to them if they piss the elementals off) but if they want to have a city in the forest there is no other option than to obey the elementals whims.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

After completing the main story quests I found myself caring more for the Garlean Empire than I did for the hypocritical city states present on Eorzea. Ul'dah is full of starving refugees and the rich get richer whilst the poor get poorer. On top of that, the beast races were forced out into Thanalan and ended up relying on banditry for the sake of surviving. Limsa Lominsa isn't much better - the pirates stupidly broke a peace treaty with the Kobolds and the Gridanians are more than willing to stand by and watch strangers and refugees in their lands perish if the whimsical Elementals do not grant them their blessing.

I found myself very sympathetic towards the Garlean Empire. There's shades of grey, they've blood on their hands but they're more well-intentioned extremists than irredeemably evil. I'd love to be able to play one in the future and see Garlemald from the perspective of one of its inhabitants rather than the 'heroes' of Eorzea invading it.

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Yup during the endgame dungeon when Gaius was asking those questions after everything I have been through I said no if I believed in Eorzea. Personally after watching the 1.0 gridinia story on youtube it made me hate the elementals and I could see why the duskwights decided to stay in the caves. Oh and the fact they won't heal a dying man I was like what!? In this main story no one is a good guy here IMO heck I was struggling with picking a GC to join if I had the choice I would refused to join one.

In the end I just followed minfillia advice and using them to benefit myself.

Lets not forget being a black mage they would murder my friends on sight.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

I found myself very sympathetic towards the Garlean Empire. There's shades of grey, they've blood on their hands but they're more well-intentioned extremists than irredeemably evil. I'd love to be able to play one in the future and see Garlemald from the perspective of one of its inhabitants rather than the 'heroes' of Eorzea invading it..

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Well intentioned huh? I know the 3 city states aren't the best and got worst after the whole bahumt being summoned and all but Garlean empire is still worst I don't see how saying 'join me or die' is well intentioned for the record I don't even see the people of eorzea invading Garlean empire when they in fact just want them out of eorzea

Because they're the antagonists? This is a FF game where you usually play as the 'underdog'/repressed country or people, not the aggressors. Besides, the Garlean Empire itself is evil - the game makes great pains to show this (after all, in 1.0 Gaius slaughtered the entire Ala Mhigan resistance single-handedly, shot the player's Path Companion at point blank range (without a second thought) and went to do the same to the player, then willing fought the Archons (and ended the battle with overkill by calling a cannon blast from his airship to take them all out!).

And don't get me started on Nael - how much more evil can you get than dropping a literal moon on a country? ;)

Having said that though, not all it's troops are the same - after all during ARR

you find a hermit in Eastern La Noscea named Drest who turns out was a Garlean pilot who was shot down while on a reconnaissance mission for the Empire by the Maelstrom - presumably he was the pilot of the wrecked Juggernaut rusting nearby - and has been hiding out in the wilderness ever since - he mentions he doesn't even believe in their propaganda and was forcibly drafted into the Garlean army and just wants to return home to his homeland to reunite with his wife and family.

Of course this is in contrast to how many Garlean soldiers are depicted as sneering, arrogant warmongers, but it did make the player think that just because someone is wearing a uniform, they may not follow the dogma that goes with it.

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Originally Posted by GiseleValkyrie

Well intentioned huh? I know the 3 city states aren't the best and got worst after the whole bahumt being summoned and all but Garlean empire is still worst I don't see how saying 'join me or die' is well intentioned for the record I don't even see the people of eorzea invading Garlean empire when they in fact just want them out of eorzea

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Well that big roe said his country was pure chaos before the empire came along his people would murder and kill each other. Personally I think there is no good guy here I just fight for myself/friends thats it.