Would you join the Empire if you could? Ave imperium!

[saber_alter]

no thank you, i have no intrest in fighting on the same side as magitek nazis with gunblades and funny masks. now the holy see of ishgard on the other hand...

[crowservo]

Totally would join if they put Kefka in charge imo.

[Cluebilly]

no thank you, i have no interest in fighting on the same side as magitek nazis with gunblades and funny masks. now the holy see of ishgard on the other hand...

Religious zealots who blindly followed a guy who killed numerous innocents and didn't question the sudden rise in deaths of 'heretics'. Yeah that sounds loads better

[saber_alter]

Religious zealots who blindly followed a guy who killed numerous innocents and didn't question the sudden rise in deaths of 'heretics'. Yeah that sounds loads better

hey! i'm just doing it to kill the dragons.

[Cluebilly]

hey! i'm just doing it to kill the dragons.

Okay fair enough. Defeating a dragon is pretty cool

[Alyko]

Holy crap yes, I would join the Empire.

B-but they take slaves and brainwash them!

You learn about this from a decidedly anti-Empire NPC, of course they'll make them out to be the bad guys.

B-but Ala Mihgo!

Which was in the middle of a self-destructive civil war before the Empire stepped in and prevented further bloodshed by bringing order

B-but they loosed the primals at Silvertear!

Those same primals which they now wish to stop. So why aren't you helping them?

B-but Hydaelyn!

Oh, just because it says they're bad automatically makes them bad? And you call THEM brainwashed.

Imagine an awesome ending battle. You'd be there on the elevator with Garlemard making his speech and you could make the decision right there to join the Empire. Garlemard will forgive your past transgressions if you help him bring order to Eorzea. He repairs your Magitek armor, and you'd be put in an instance where you could blow away Minfilia, that stupid Lala and Miqote, and optionally Tataru with one shot with your Magitek armor, sort of like Sephiroth vs Cloud.

The ending credits could showcase a technologically advanced Ul'dah without refugees, Gridania free of elementals, and Limsa free of pirates. And there you would be perched on Ultima next to Garlemard waving and smiling to the cheering crowds because they're free of the primal threat forever thanks to Ultima.

Now that would have been a great twist in a single-player story. Too bad this is an MMO. Instead we pave the way for hard mode and extreme mode primals and the continued strife in Eorzea. But it's okay because we killed the guy in black armor threatening our freedom to abuse refugees and cower from elementals. Great story guys! Can't wait for the expansion!

[VisRalis]

Okay fair enough. Defeating a dragon is pretty cool

That's what all the Dragoons say.
We make dis look good~

[Enkidoh]

Imagine an awesome ending battle. You'd be there on the elevator with Garlemard making his speech and you could make the decision right there to join the Empire. Garlemard will forgive your past transgressions if you help him bring order to Eorzea. He repairs your Magitek armor, and you'd be put in an instance where you could blow away Minfilia, that stupid Lala and Miqote, and optionally Tataru with one shot with your Magitek armor, sort of like Sephiroth vs Cloud.

The ending credits could showcase a technologically advanced Ul'dah without refugees, Gridania free of elementals, and Limsa free of pirates. And there you would be perched on Ultima next to Garlemard waving and smiling to the cheering crowds because they're free of the primal threat forever thanks to Ultima.

Now that would have been a great twist in a single-player story. Too bad this is an MMO. Instead we pave the way for hard mode and extreme mode primals and the continued strife in Eorzea. But it's okay because we killed the guy in black armor threatening our freedom to abuse refugees and cower from elementals. Great story guys! Can't wait for the expansion!

Ironically enough, after finally finishing the main storyline the scenes in the Praetorium actually had me thinking about a similar alternative result for the end of the game (player character betraying Eorzea and joining Gaius and the Empire), however, I envision a very different outcome from such a situation.

Eorzea would become little more than an ultra-Balkanized dystopia constantly beset by ongoing (although probably mostly ineffective) resistance formed from the tattered remains of the Grand Companies.

Without Merlwyb to keep the pirates under control, they would become bloodthirsty and would be constantly attacking both civillain and Imperial transports, only without any check on their power. Ul'dah would probably be turned into a police state with a puppet ruler replacing the Sultana (and the Syndicate, if they still exist, would be equally ineffectual and propped up by Imperial gil). Gridania would probably isolate itself, the forest closing itself off like a green shield despite the best efforts of Garlemald to break through.

And all through this the player has taken on a Garlean name and is waging a genocidal war against the beastmen which just inflicts more pain and suffering on the realm, as the beastmen temper more and more hapless civilians and Imperial soldiers alike, the Empire despite their best attempts to harness the Echo, have all come to naught.

Imperial propaganda claims the tide is turning against the beastmen and their dreaded eikons, but the reality is very different. Imperial losses are rising by the day, and even with a realm-wide draft can not fully extinguish the beastmen threat, especially as they have entered into an uneasy alliance with Minfillia, who has gone underground with the remains of the Scions to hide from persecution.

And all the Mothercrystal can do is shed tears for Her fallen champion.

[Nahara]

The Empire has tried on numerous occasions to kill me. Not exactly the kind of thing that screams "we're really the good guys, join us".

[Nayto]

Now that would have been a great twist in a single-player story. Too bad this is an MMO. Instead we pave the way for hard mode and extreme mode primals and the continued strife in Eorzea. But it's okay because we killed the guy in black armor threatening our freedom to abuse refugees and cower from elementals. Great story guys! Can't wait for the expansion!

Here, stop hurting yourself.