Why cant we play Garlean empire?

[uvuvwevwevweonyetenyevweugwemu]

Just curious, scenario or not. How would an aether-bound Echo person fit in garlean?
I mean other than being a lab rat like how they treat kirille, it's not a very fun life.
I imagine the story is very short until level 20 where we have to survive Ifrit's, or concept of Echo.

[Masekase_Hurricane]

I would like to play as the Garlean Empire, but also would like to see a whole new MSQ line from their perspective.

Actually just thinking about it doesnt that make all magic classes impossible to play?

[Kohdo]

I also really like the Empire. I doubt we'll be joining them any time soon, but eventually we'll get an expansion set in Garlemald (fingers crossed for 2019, keeping with the current 2 year cycle) and if the Gods are just, we'll get a gunblade class and tonnes of Imperial clothing and gear.

I would like to play as the Garlean Empire, but also would like to see a whole new MSQ line from their perspective.

Actually just thinking about it doesnt that make all magic classes impossible to play?

Most of the Garlean troops we've encountered have been conscripted from the regions conquered by Garlemald. Only pure-blooded Garleans can't use magic, but they recruit plenty of people from other races who can.

Just curious, scenario or not. How would an aether-bound Echo person fit in garlean?
I mean other than being a lab rat like how they treat kirille, it's not a very fun life.
I imagine the story is very short until level 20 where we have to survive Ifrit's, or concept of Echo.

van Baelsar tried recruiting us at one point, so I guess we'd be Imperial operatives of some sort rather than experiments.

[SaitoHikari]

I don't see this happening in FFXIV proper, but it would be pretty neat to have this concept explored in a one-off single player game set in the XIV universe. Make it a new tactics game to boot.

EDIT: Holy damn this thread is old.

[Airias]

I would like to play as the Garlean Empire, but also would like to see a whole new MSQ line from their perspective.

I'd be really interested in their perspective as well. How loyal are they to their cause, how loyal were they to their master? I could imagine Gaius had many loyal followers, but how did they view Zenos?

Throughout the entire Ala Mhigan part of the story, I couldn't determine which side was the worse to fight for and felt like an invader, fighting for a side that preferred to yammer all day instead of allowing anyone to help them, let alone try to help themselves. I found more respect for Fordola than any other Ala Mhigan we encountered, found some of the Garlean ideologies much more appealing than what the Resistance had to offer, and thus wished to switch sides more than once.
I felt the same way back in HW about the Holy See and the Heretics, only we actually did switch sides there, together with the Ishgardian leadership. It would surprise me enormously if we got to do that in SB.
Anyway, Gaius, Regula, Fordola and Zenos all showed there is more to the Garlean Empire than what we are told in Eorzea and I would like to find out more about that.

[Cilia]

The Garlean Empire has consistently shown itself to be a threat to the peace, freedom, and/or well-being of others. By those tokens alone I cannot support their actions. That said, I am not opposed to a narrative from their viewpoint - far from it, I like being given different angles to view things from so that I can think and consider. I've... considered the Imperial merits we've been shown for quite some time, but again, as long as the Empire shows itself to be a threat to the peace, freedom, and/or well-being of others, I cannot agree with its ideology. Even if a campaign is offered from its point of view.

That's my final stance on the issue barring future developments. I'm tired of arguing about it.

Once we got to Gyr Abania and met with more reasonable Resistance leaders, the Ala Mhigans showed themselves very willing to accept Alliance aid. The Ala Mhigans who did not want to rise up against the Empire had been browbeat or physically beat into submission, or otherwise indoctrinated against Ala Mhigan independence. While many were unwilling to rise up against the Empire for perfectly understandable reasons, they still desired independence from the Empire and I saw no reason not to try and grant it to them, violently if need be.

Or, I guess we could do this...

... figuratively speaking, of course. (/sarcasm, kind of.)

[Qojon]

I want to be a gunblade wielding fruimentari spy assassinating Lalafells Why cant we play Garlean Empire? Have they said anything about being able to play them later on?

Disgusting...

[Theodric]

The Garlean Empire has consistently shown itself to be a threat to the peace, freedom, and/or well-being of others.

Yet, thankfully, we know that isn't the case at all as it has been confirmed through multiple sources that whilst some regions suffer under Garlean rule others have prospered or remained virtually unchanged. It is largely inevitable that we will see such areas in the future for ourselves as we explore more of Hydaelyn. We've also seen Garlemald keeping the peace in Kugane.

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

Yet, thankfully, we know that isn't the case at all as it has been confirmed through multiple sources that whilst some regions suffer under Garlean rule others have prospered or remained virtually unchanged. It is largely inevitable that we will see such areas in the future for ourselves as we explore more of Hydaelyn. We've also seen Garlemald keeping the peace in Kugane.

In defense of Cilia, though - Garlemald has indeed been shown to be a threat to peace, freedom, and/or well-being of others. Not universally, as you point out, but to deny that that description applies to actions taken under their banner and with the implied approval of their government is to engage in willful ignorance of a solid chunk of the plot, up until now. Garlemald is an expansionist empire that enforces a rigid caste system on its conquered territories through military conquest, and so Cilia's accusations are a natural outcome of that policy; that some have benefited from this doesn't somehow erase the suffering of others.

(Also, and this is semantics, but Garlemald isn't keeping the peace in Kugane - that would require them to be serving as policemen and law keepers, a la the Sekiseigumi. They're just not actively attacking the place, which I'm pretty sure is what you meant, but I figured I'd clarify anyways.)

[Airias]

And there is a garlean officer in Ala... Ala... why do they all sound the same? The town with the big crystal in the Peaks. Anyway, this officer is so beloved by the locals they risk their lives for his. Garleans aren't ALL bad, just like the rest of Eorzea isn't ALL good. All of them have been shown to be a threat to peace, freedom and/or the well-being of others on occasion. There is more than black and white, it's all really a grey area and in the case of such a large Empire as the Garlean, it really depends on the local jurisdiction. Thus it would be foolish to lump them all together.

Who says the Ala Mhigans are more right than the Garleans? After all, they invited them and before that, the Ala Mhigans waged wars over lesser reasons than the Garleans are now. At least the latter share a common goal with us - stopping the Primals. Of course, the situation is a lot more complicated than that, as shown by the influence of the Ascians, and we could use much more information. However, Regula showed the Garleans are open to other suggestions and collaboration. But a peaceful solution with combined efforts to put an end to the primal threat is out of reach now thanks to the Resistance. We got a useless piece of desert in exchange, yay.