I know it doesn't REALLY matter, but I wish you could change your "City-State"

At the end of the day, it's ALMOST never referenced, but I still wish it were possible somehow to change your "City-State". That is determined (and permanently recorded on your character sheet) based on the class you first started out as. It essentially doesn't matter, but I deal with OCD, and it's just something I spend an awful lot of time thinking about.

Moreover, it would be cool if you could also unlock cutscenes for the other "starting areas" to boot. Especially when taking the boat to Old Sharlayan for the first time, it kind of felt like you were "meant" to start in Limsa. Plus, Limsa Lominsa is ALWAYS listed first, even on the teleporting menu.

Maybe it could be tied to "New Game+" in some capacity?

Weird how we can change our patron god with fantasia, but not starting zone.

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Originally Posted by Terin

Especially when taking the boat to Old Sharlayan for the first time, it kind of felt like you were "meant" to start in Limsa. Plus, Limsa Lominsa is ALWAYS listed first, even on the teleporting menu.

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The boat scene travelling to Old Sharlayan early in EW's story was actually referencing 1.0 in that it actually reconstructed the starting scene for a player starting in Limsa Lominsa in 1.0, right down to using the same camera views and hearing Hydaelyn's voice through the Echo, at least, up to climbing the stairs (if you can track down a copy of the old 1.0 Benchmark program, it actually includes this scene more or less in it's entirety).

Limsa Lominsa was the first city revealed in 1.0's development and also was the city used in the Alpha and Beta tests in 1.0 and so also figured in a lot of the early promotional material to the game (contrasting with ARR where Gridania was the early focus instead).

It was simply a callback to FFXIV's early history and not representative of any one city being the 'canon' story, as all three stories combine anyway fairly early on, and your starting city choice is rarely if ever mentioned again.

I think the reason SE never bothered with allowing you to change city state alliegance was not just because of this reason, they probably believe that as it's only important for a very short time early on, that if a player wanted to experience "the other city stories", then they probably assumed it was easier just to create an alt and play through those alternate city storylines then with another character rather than allowing you to get the "full experience" on one character only.

Of course this is not the same thing, but as SE has never stated any opinion on this subject I think they probably don't consider it a problem or necessary to change I'm afraid.

I am with you,

Choose gladiator but never had intention nor am I attracted to Ul’Dah at all.

Felt more Gridanian inclined & would love to switch grand company’s title without a second though

Same thing here. Gridania is my starting city state. It's actually literally the only reason I am in Twin Adder. I like everything to match, I even try to make the patron diety match.

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Originally Posted by Vencio

I am with you,

Choose gladiator but never had intention nor am I attracted to Ul’Dah at all.

Felt more Gridanian inclined & would love to switch grand company’s title without a second though

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You aren't locked to the Grand Company of whatever city you start in. I started in Gridania as an Archer, and when the time came I chose Maelstrom because I like it better. You're given the choice of all three when the time comes. The only time you are ever locked into the same GC as your starting city, is when you use a Story Skip, because it makes your decisions for you. Meaning you do the next step.

Once you reach a certain rank, you can swap to any GC. Your old rank is retained from your first GC, you start at the bottom of your new one. Ultimately you can rank them all up to Captain if you want. You can only have one active at a time, however.

Probably technical reasons it can't be changed, as it's linked to your quests, and changing it would probably break a bunch of stuff. Even if they could allow changing it, the benefit would be far too small to justify the expense and the opportunity cost.

It would mess up New Game+ due to the starting handful that are different for each city-state.

And given that one of the first quests after you enter the world proper involves going to your starting class HQ and actually taking up that class, that's probably a reason as well. If you have no jobs from Gridania, but set your City-State to Gridania, New Game+ wouldn't work for that part.

I mainly just wish one could get all 3 of the items you get for finishing the starting quest series in all the city-states.

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Originally Posted by Feronar

Probably technical reasons it can't be changed, as it's linked to your quests, and changing it would probably break a bunch of stuff. Even if they could allow changing it, the benefit would be far too small to justify the expense and the opportunity cost.

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Yeah, that's kind of what I think it could be, as well. But it does make me wonder "what DOES the backend code look like on that?". Because some of those starting quests are in the Unending Journal thing, but are listed under those REGIONS instead of the traditional MSQ section, it does make me wonder.

Still, it would also make New Game+ a little more fun if you could experience all three starting areas, in addition to "changing your initial one". Same for the quest that happens when you FIRST choose a Grand Company, where the quest sends you to the region nearest your GC, where the Garleans survey the wreckage of Biggs & Wedge's airship, the cutscenes taking place in said region.

I started un Gridania, but I never hang there coz Limsa is my vibe. This is one of many it would be cool if ideas that there really is no reason not to do, other than, you know, time travel being required from a lore perspective, but at this point I doubt anyone cares about that.

You can change your Grand Company though, but not storyline, however you can live that out with alts if you want it all, it is not a long path from level 1 to 50.

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Originally Posted by Themarvin

You can change your Grand Company though, but not storyline, however you can live that out with alts if you want it all, it is not a long path from level 1 to 50.

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Hah.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Oh man. The idea of LEVELING a second character? I loved the story, don't get me wrong, but having to experience that whole thing again FROM SCRATCH would be freaking BRUTAL.

Plus, you know, losing all the Pets and Mounts acquired -- many of which came from limited-time events -- not to mention losing your House.

I love FFXIV, but it just isn't a game that's feasible to really "change your main" on. I made that mistake once, when Heavensward released and I thought "I still love my ORIGINAL character, but I'm gonna create a new Au Ra". If I could go back in time, I'd have never changed, but I'm so invested now, I would never change character ever again.

That said, I *do* wish you could change those things. Even simply having New Game+ "override" your ACTUAL starting choices.

Speaking of Grand Companies, Ishgard please.

You'd have to complete HW, but switching between them is already a thing so why not.

I wish they would acknowledge Hrothgar are from Bozja and consider them ex-garlean citizens.

It's tiring that even during the reaper quest they're like "Oh, you're Eorzean".

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Originally Posted by HollowedDoll

Speaking of Grand Companies, Ishgard please.

You'd have to complete HW, but switching between them is already a thing so why not.

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interestingly the ishgardian banner is under the textures used in pvp

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Originally Posted by Lihtleita

Weird how we can change our patron god with fantasia, but not starting zone.

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Well it's easier to change your religion than your birth certificate :D

I'm surprised it isn't allowed by default.

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Originally Posted by Syln

Well it's easier to change your religion than your birth certificate :D

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But you can do it.

I kinda feel that, I mean, it doesn't bother me as much, but I started as Gladiator because I wanted to tank, Ul'dah however never really appealed to me.