Think Ishgard will have its own Grand Company, or be a starter City-State?

[Everdark]

wasn't something said about joining one of the four great houses in the first "big" reveal for Heavensward..? I'd look it up but you know ... lazy.

[StouterTaru]

I'd like to see them as a new GC, to fill in as free agents for frontlines.

[Ametrine]

Honestly I would love it if Ishgard became a possible home base for you after getting the jobs, but find a Jueno like scenario more likely, since right now you are find as many players circling Mor Dhona as you do the three city-states.

We have a better chance of the Crystal Braves becoming a proper GC.

Ishgard also employs a unique military system compared to the others, with the Holy Knights doing basically everything the other's GCs do. But, since Ishgard has the four high houses, and the city is core of Heavensward, maybe the option of aligning to one for future gear, story, and PVP has some merit.

I'm really hoping Coerthas opens for some player housing, though!

[Sapphic]

Some form of monster play (similar to LOTRO) would be fun (doubt it would happen tho:P) Where you can sign up as on the side of Ishgard or Dravanians and on Dravanian side you get put as one of the Dravanian races instead Or even like LOTRO create a Dravanian "monster" to use when you sign up for it.

http://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Monster_Play

[Zuhra]

I'm actually impressed by how often this question gets asked on a weekly basis...

[BraveheartRamo]

I believe there would be a GC, and I hope they would raise the ranks a little. As for city starter, new players don't usually get the expansion with main game nor it might be available in the market. Same city starters will pertain.

[Bluevann]

Considering the great scorn shown towards adventurers and foreigners alike in Coerthas's quests, it'd be pretty absurd for Ishgard to enstablish an adventurer's guild within its walls (and thus become a starting city). The Holy See is their leader, and frankly I can't imagine his figure bowing down to forming a Grand Company, as there really isn't a necessity in Ishgard. The Grand Companies were enstablished to gather intel, military power and supplies under a common banner for each city-state. The Holy See can already have all that in his hands just by being himself.

As for the Houses, the description of the city in the introductionary slides put a lot of emphasis on the importance of bloodlines, so I doubt we'll get to "join" them. Perhaps a sort of pledge could happen, as servants of sorts, similar to the Mercenary system in the Aht Urhgan expansion of FFXI.

[EdwinLi]

Well if we do get the choice to join one of the four houses, most likely for a Main Scenario reason, our ranks most likely will just be a a type of loyalty system rather than become part of the House we choose.

Basically we startout as a Vassal of "House" and then from there we work our way up to Knight of "House" with the moving up rank being a simple side-content like our GC Ranks.

[Ametrine]

As for the Houses, the description of the city in the introductionary slides put a lot of emphasis on the importance of bloodlines, so I doubt we'll get to "join" them. Perhaps a sort of pledge could happen, as servants of sorts, similar to the Mercenary system in the Aht Urhgan expansion of FFXI.

This is exactly what I was eluding to, and despite the only way we could literally "join" the house in the sense of bloodlines is marriage (though my headcanons of Haurchefant's feelings aside), it is entirely plausible that we players could become a sort of knight for them, as Aymeric points out that neither he nor Lucia have any sort of noble ties, but are on the two highest seats of the highest level of the Knighthood.

So, apparently commoners and outsiders can become knights and raise through the ranks, even if via extraordinary circumstances.

[Akuryu]

I don't think they'd make Ishgard a starting city because they'd have to develop a whole new storyline for players starting out there. They'd also have to develop a ton of new low level content in and around Ishgard, because a new player starting out there isn't going to be able to walk to Lower La Noscea just to kill some level 2 ladybugs. At this stage in the game's life, it doesn't make sense to devote such development resources to low level content that most players will have no interest in.