Retainers, confirmed, you have to pay for them.

[Mjollnir]

So will paying for an additional retainer give just one, or one on each character?

[mbncd]

So will paying for an additional retainer give just one, or one on each character?

I suspect just one, otherwise for $4 someone could have 32 retainers on one account (2 retainers for each of 8 characters by default, 2 more bought).

[ReplicaX]

My opinion.

• It's an optional service.
• It is not even remotely PTW or even leads to PTW.
• The Live Letter stated the reasons behind the fees. (Uses up server resources)
• You can easily manage your items between the Armory, Inventory, Armoire and 2 free retainers. (No additional fee)
• Taking advantage of Retainer Ventures requires more time and effort for additional retainers. (Still requires obtaining Ventures)

If you are an obsessive Hoarder, then you are gonna pay for it. Or use excuses like PTW, micro-transactions, etc.

It is still a business. With all the talk of FC Housing wards and Personal Housing (Houses obtainable via no real money or micro-transactions) and closely monitoring and balancing server resources. I can see why this has an additional/optional fee outside two free retainers.

However, improvements to Inventory Management still need to be made, period. Additional retainers is not a full excuse.

Examples:

• I want a tackle box, with no real money fees to manage all my fishing lures/baits. It can be a quest, crafted or even obtainable via gil or tomestones for all I care.
• Personal Housing Furniture: Some personal storage (limited).

[Xairos]

^ Yes a tackle box! great idea.

[Delsus]

I will reserve judgement on it until I have seen the retainer venture system. We were going to be able to pay for extra retainers in 1.0, however at that time they were just for extra inventory and to sell on the market, so yeah as I said I'll reserve judgement for now.

[Yshnal]

Oh, I forgot to mention something. After reading the ventures description in the patch notes, it states that we can get different items (some of them unique) for each of the following:

- Disciples of War and Magic - Hunting/Field Exploration
- Miner - Mining/Highland Exploration
- Botanist - Botany/Woodland Exploration
- Fisher - Fishing/Waterside Exploration

Also, it's worth mentioning the following:

A retainer's class can be changed at any time. However, you must reset their current class and level before assigning a new one.

Considering that if we want to change the class of one of our retainers we must first reset their level (from how it's worded it makes it seem that the level is lost), that would mean that if we want to progress we'll have our two retainers permanently set as a specific class. That means that they won't be able to procure items (including unique ones only obtained from ventures) from the other two venture types.

Doesn't that give an unfair advantage (P2W) to those that buy two more retainers and cover the four venture types?

[Jacien]

Is the Optional Service for additional retainers coming out when 2.2 is out or later?

I wanna buy 2 ASAP.

Yes, I am the problem.

[Versiroth]

Not picking a fight, but im curious what collectible stuff is taking up all that space. Also, do you fish? because the lures also take up a lot.

For the record: I chucked out my DL stuff, I keep AF1 and Myth gear, I also kept CT gear. All that extra fits on the first two pages of my 1st retainer. I have 4 lvl 50 jobs.

Vanity stuff like the foestriker, battlemage, etc. All DL gear. Unique looking weapons. Seasonal stuff that can't go into the armoire. Extra crafting material/gear. Leveling gear as I still have PUG and ARC to finish leveling, etc, etc. Needless to say, I'm pretty much at capacity.

[Starlord]

Doesn't that give an unfair advantage (P2W) to those that buy two more retainers and cover the four venture types?

Not exactly:

1) You need to use seals to obtain these "tokens" 1k per 5 (which means if you sent all 4 out you would need almost all coins to send them out on "1" Venture)
2) By the screenshot taken by SE (and if the tnl exp is the same as the players) it will take a considerable amount of time to even get 1 venture to 50 let alone 4.
3) If by chance you make it (hardcore style) with all 4 Venture to 50 then you "earned it" at that point.
4) The more you level your retainer, the more it will cost you "token related" most likely. Also, end-game Ventures will require something else for them to set out ( I believe that was said).

Keeping that in mind, it doesn't have a P2W feel to it at all.

[ReplicaX]

Doesn't that give an unfair advantage (P2W) to those that buy two more retainers and cover the four venture types?

Not when you have to take the additional time to obtain more Ventures to use all those retainers. Aka via other content (Dailies/Treasure Maps), which still limit the amount.

Edit: Starlord beat me.