Retainers as companion

Similar to the FF11 model, Adventure follower, retainers should be able to accompany you on your journey to assist you in open world content. While we have the Chocoba system that already fills that purpose, it lacks depth. The Chocoba system does not have an advance class system, leveling, or customization outside of Barding or color dye. While the Devs can focus on the Chocoba system and deliver these demands, I and perhaps other players would prefer to have a more humanoid companion.

So what can they or should they do?

Well I think companions overall should have the same limitations of Chocobas, such as being dismiss in cities, housing, dungeons, and take up slots in parties when active. Only combat classes should be allowed to venture out with the player and would require a venture coin or similar fashion to summon them for a limited time. They should be able to level through combat and ventures, learning new abilities similar to that of a normal player. They should not be stronger than a normal player, but strong enough to feel that they are contributing in a fight.


Story:

Besides combat, they should have their own story based off their race, sex, or class. These stories should be a simple side quest(s) giving the retainers depth.

Balance:

When it comes gear and class combinations some could argue a balancing issue with the retainers, but due to them being open world it should not be too much of an issue to the player base. My idea is for them to only have a ilevel power. Such as having a ilevel of (X) would only net them a (%) base damage, heal, or HP.

Leveling system:

Retainers should be able to level with the player and through ventures. They should sync with the player level so long as they are higher level than the player. If the player is higher level than the retainer will be summoned with its current level.

Unlocking:

I put a lot of thought into it and ultimately believe that lvl 50 patch 2.1 content is the best time to unlock this content. Retainer would be unlock through side quest(s) and required to be atleast level 30 to unlock. most job abilities will be avaliable at level and This allows the Chocoba system to still be used. This also establishes the player as the warrior of light instead of an adventurer who was Shanghai into killing primals.

Armor/ weapon:


Same limitation that your retainer currently has. If you want to fight your way through the world with Lord Hein or a katana wielding school girl by all means!

TL:DR

Retainers should be your companion through the world leveling with you as you quest, hunt, or complete fates.

This would be cool. I don't like having a big stupid-looking chocobo alongside me when I'm out questing, but having a retainer follow me would be interesting. Would also be a good way to make use of old hand-me-down equipment instead of just pawning it or turning it in for seals, if my retainer's stats actually matter.

I feel they are missing a great opportunity for utilizing an old system for players of all types.

Or what about the GC Squadrons? They at least have the excuse that all of them are trained for combat. I think it's about time we got to promote one of them to be our aide-de-camps to follow us on our adventures.

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Originally Posted by Edax

Or what about the GC Squadrons? They at least have the excuse that all of them are trained for combat. I think it's about time we got to promote one of them to be our aide-de-camps to follow us on our adventures.

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Hmm, but I'd like to see the companions of other players and show off mine, (as well as know where the extra damage is coming from/ who's healing/ who's tanking) and it'd be weird to see someone who is ALSO using best girl Careless Whisper... :T

I think being able to show off our custom retainers would be a really cool idea. Maybe DoL retainers can give buffs for you while you're crafting/gathering?

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Originally Posted by Edax

Or what about the GC Squadrons? They at least have the excuse that all of them are trained for combat. I think it's about time we got to promote one of them to be our aide-de-camps to follow us on our adventures.

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They lack capabilities for customization. squads have zero customization and are all based RNG for stats and looks. They should remain as a squad for helping players going through dungeons.

Rather than trying to reinvent the system they should just extend the retainer system that already has half the requirements I listed. They just need to utilize them for combat purposes.

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Originally Posted by Reaperking386

They lack capabilities for customization. squads have zero customization and are all based RNG for stats and looks. They should remain as a squad for helping players going through dungeons.

Rather than trying to reinvent the system they should just extend the retainer system that already has half the requirements I listed. They just need to utilize them for combat purposes.

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Uhh no, you can choose what gear they wear so they can be customized, and they are not RNG based for looks. Everyone recruits members from the same pool as everyone else.
https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...urer_Squadrons

Very well then my B, but in truth I hate the squad system and never cared for it. It was bad content in my own opinion. That was nice on paper, but poorly done. I would hate to go through that system to unlock a combat companion and would hate other players to have to trud through all the GC content for it and still have to level the squad.

The trouble is, Retainers were never designed for such a function and were originally meant to be nothing more than a shop front on the Market (both in 1.0 and in ARR), and extra storage space. The Venture system did not require much effort to expand it, as sending them out hunting all takes place off screen.

Also retainers are ill-suited to trooping through the countryside beside you lore-wise because, that is why they are retainers in the first place! Retainers are specifically little more than servants, dogsbodies who do odd jobs for you - in fact the retainer vocate in 1.0 outright says that to the player, that "they are hardly the brightest candle in the chandelier", but "that they excel at the tasks you adventurers usually regard as below you" (paraphrased). And as they are found to be somewhat of a lazy and untrustworthy lot at the best of times, not to mention downright larcenous (I mean, it's the only explanation for how they happen to come by most of the items they may bring back during Ventures, like parts of houses!), I definetely wouldn't trust them in battle beside me!

Really I would love to see SE instead bring back the old Path Companions from 1.0 as they really were adventurers lore wise (and even had the Echo - Minfilia assigned them to you when you first joined the Scions' predecessor organization the Path of the Twelve), they could fight competently and would be able to do everything the player's character does. They even had (story specific) dialogue in 1.0. Alas though, I think Yoshi has all but abandoned them... as much as I would love to have mine back. :(

My retainer killed garuda a lot of times for all those weapons she brings me. ._.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

The trouble is, Retainers were never designed for such a function and were originally meant to be nothing more than a shop front on the Market (both in 1.0 and in ARR), and extra storage space. The Venture system did not require much effort to expand it, as sending them out hunting all takes place off screen.

Also retainers are ill-suited to trooping through the countryside beside you lore-wise because, that is why they are retainers in the first place! Retainers are specifically little more than servants, dogsbodies who do odd jobs for you - in fact the retainer vocate in 1.0 outright says that to the player, that "they are hardly the brightest candle in the chandelier", but "that they excel at the tasks you adventurers usually regard as below you" (paraphrased). And as they are found to be somewhat of a lazy and untrustworthy lot at the best of times, not to mention downright larcenous (I mean, it's the only explanation for how they happen to come by most of the items they may bring back during Ventures, like parts of houses!), I definetely wouldn't trust them in battle beside me!

Really I would love to see SE instead bring back the old Path Companions from 1.0 as they really were adventurers lore wise (and even had the Echo - Minfilia assigned them to you when you first joined the Scions' predecessor organization the Path of the Twelve), they could fight competently and would be able to do everything the player's character does. They even had (story specific) dialogue in 1.0. Alas though, I think Yoshi has all but abandoned them... as much as I would love to have mine back. :(

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Yes, but you can still build upon that system and even so, Edax did bring up that they could work on squadrons instead, but I prefer not since Squadrons and GC rank quests were not very popular and drawn out.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

The trouble is, Retainers were never designed for such a function and were originally meant to be nothing more than a shop front on the Market (both in 1.0 and in ARR), and extra storage space. The Venture system did not require much effort to expand it, as sending them out hunting all takes place off screen.

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I think they have originally been intended (hence why the system has reserved 8 of them per character, even in V1.0) to be companions, but probably not in the same style of FFXI. If you recall from 1.0, you couldn't customize your retainers, they were exactly like the squadron is now, except they only got used for the market.

I'd rather have those customizable retainers over the squadron, but it would require de-coupling the marketboard from them first, and at this point in the game I don't see it happening, and instead we get the venture system which is basically RNG lottery. Just like the Squadron's when not playing an actual dungeon.

Ideally Yoshi-P would find a way to put the retainers not currently on the market into "4-man" parties the same as the Squadron (Eg the same dungeons), but have different styles of play (eg the squad takes orders, the retainers have programmable AI) and GC costs only apply to the stronger Squadrons, where as the Retainers only cost ventures.

But putting them on the field is likely not going to happen since it would create a situation where you could be theoretically in a party of 24+ (chocobo+pet.) Which is one of the issues that V1.0 had (leve party chains.) Like I don't expect any field use of NPC type characters to be possible without instancing every field zone so there are no other players to crash it.

Replacing the chocobo companion with retainers would only make the chocobo obsolete. From the system you described, the retainers are simply better in every way! This trivializes the time and effort players spent on leveling their chocobos. Hence, I am very much against the idea laid out in the OP. However, if the intent is simply to do a skin swap (replacing the chocobo with a retainer through a cosmetic swap), then I am agreeable to such cosmetic swap.

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Originally Posted by Fooldar

Replacing the chocobo companion with retainers would only make the chocobo obsolete. From the system you described, the retainers are simply better in every way! This trivializes the time and effort players spent on leveling their chocobos. Hence, I am very much against the idea laid out in the OP. However, if the intent is simply to do a skin swap (replacing the chocobo with a retainer through a cosmetic swap), then I am agreeable to such cosmetic swap.

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Unless we combine a companion with a chocobo!
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7d/68...d9411e9415.png

I would love to see this. I like having chocobo companion but it would be so much cooler if you could choose who or what to use as one.

Have you seen some of the comics involving FFXIV retainers? They are hilarious! One of my favorites showed two retainers hanging out at a beach, underneath the shade of an umbrella taking pictures of their feet amongst the tides. One of them tells the other during an exploration venture, "We probably should get started, our boss is likely on her way back" The other responds, "Nah, just give her that crab over there, salted with enthusiasm and you're good!"

I thought it was such a hilarious and accurate representation of our retainers who pretty much bring you total junk despite being away for 18 hours. I would sooner have them fix that than take their incompetent asses with me out into the field. I have my actual squadron for that, who still rely on me for total direction to make proper decisions.

I've profited far more from my retainers sending them on quick ventures than I have explorations, and this pisses me off like nothing else. Any minion that has been brought back to me, I could have just bought three times over with quick venture spoils.

Having retainers as companions has seemed like a natural progression to me ever since I unlocked mine years ago, although I've given up hope. Almost any new option for a companion would be something I'd consider a welcome addition.