I don't want to join a Free Company because...

[VanillaH]

Because every worthless little FC is worth to join right? ......right? Get a site, post recruitment in forums, get voice comms server, advertise your FC. Stop pestering people with your /tell FC invites.

[Fleur]

Well, I might transfer servers, depending on how population issues go.

Besides that, I find myself unwilling to give up my complete social freedom for anything less than just the right FC. Joining a FC means that no matter what my mood, I can never just log on and play without the potential for required (if I don't want to seem like a jerk) social interaction.

And it is hard to find the "right" one. So many FC's have great looking websites with elaborate statements and recruitment forms, yet I'd have to contact someone in-game for basic info like when they run events.

Someday though, I hope to join one!

[Naberrie]

I don't even get tells. I just get blind invites. Which is extremely annoying. A blind invite is one of my two biggest pet peeves in an MMO. The only time I'll accept one is in a FATE. (And never blind invite someone then queue them into DF without telling them. This happened to me once while in a FATE in Phase 3. I accepted the invite thinking it was someone in the FATE, then find the DF box popping up. I'm thinking "WTF is going on?" Turns out someone was desperate for a healer, saw me as CNJ, invited me without asking and then queued us. Not cool.)

Anyway, back to the subject, I will join one someday. But only with people I encounter on my server and find I want to spend time with. Not any FC that spams or blind invites me.

[Phaydra]

Because the last FC I joined was full of racist little children. There was even one guy named Black Slave.

[Reuskon]

I have yet to join a FC in game yet, for several reasons. The usual invites I've gotten so far, seem to be people just running around a city or zone and inviting anyone and everyone they meet. I'm sorry, I truly am, but I don't want to be just another +1 for your FC. I'd rather know that I was recruited based on who I am, or how well I play, or anything other than having a character logged into the game. This applies to the ones that spam shout chat in every zone they go in with their recruitment message as well.

Aside from that, I'll get someone at the end of an instance that asks if I'm looking for a FC, usually via tell. This happens even if there was absolutely no communication throughout the run, not a word spoken outside the obligatory 'hi' or 'hello' before beginning. Even after attempting conversation.

[Reuskon]

Another of the main reasons, for me and from the looks of the other responses, is that I'm antisocial. I also have a tendency to rub the wrong way with the majority of people just by being myself. So I tend to keep quiet and out of the way, usually only interacting with a select few.

I also like playing alone most of the time, especially in games like this that don't really promote any party play outside of a dungeon or rare FATE. I'm a slow leveler, I take my time and smell the roses along the way, so joining a FC makes me feel obligated to level or keep up with others, otherwise I can't contribute my share. Even when playing with friends, I'm the one that lags behind, or the last one to cross the finish line. I hate feeling like I'm letting people down like that.

There's also a lot of things I don't like, that guilds/FC's require like signing up for (a likely dead) guild website or having to use a VOIP.

[Sove92]

There's also a lot of things I don't like, that guilds/FC's require like signing up for (a likely dead) guild website or having to use a VOIP.

Pretty much this is why we formed our own FC with friends (we do accept others, though), no need to deal with this kind of BS. VOIP is surely better than text-only but it is by no means necessary. I'll never use VOIP because I'm shy and I find it very embarassing when others in the house can hear me apparently talking to nobody. Not to mention I most likely don't want to hear your voice in the background. Websites are generally only used by larger gaming communities, if a small-medium FC has one, it's worthless.

[Diavolo]

I have a small FC that's for more casual players who aren't going to want to be on some sort of fixed schedule. Besides, you can socalise with people without being in an FC. I know a lot of people who don't want to join one because a.) they've been in one and have been told they "need" to be on during certain times, b.) they got told they would be charged a monthly gil fee (random amount) for membership or c.) they like to adventure alone.

If I didn't have mine, I'd not be in one. I'm fine playing with just my girlfriend when it's all said and done. I mainly use mine to help out people with their hunting log/dungeons/answer questions. We don't really plan anything because we realise people sometimes just want to do their own thing.

[seikenflash]

My legacy group is on Excalibur and I am on ragnarok, they already have a spot for me, and we follow each other on the lodestone, I won't be joining any ragnarok FC because I know I will be transferring to a different server in the very near future

[Uncuddly]

Hold up, everybody referring to themselves as "antisocial"! This word is widely misunderstood and refers to jerks who are ruining society for everybody. If you are merely inclined to mind your own business, you are "asocial". Nothing wrong with that.

Personally I'm not in any rush to join a Free Company. I've had the guild experience in other venues. Sometimes it is great. Often it is not so great. From the friendly groups that fade as people seek more progressive raids to hardcore teams that simply burn out after one too many sleepless nights, there is a mercenary ebb and flow that doesn't appeal to me.

If I ever join a FC it will be for loyalty to the specific people involved. In the meantime, I am content to heal anybody that comes along.