The FFXIV Cash Shop is greedy

[Catwho]

The retainers costing money is a legacy from FFXI, whereupon every extra character used to cost money, and we utilized those extra characters for item storage, earning them the nickname of "mules." At one point I had a base sub fee of whatever XI cost, plus an extra $5/month for each of the extra characters.

For XIV, they kept the item storage aspect (what we really wanted), charged twice as much, added in a bunch more features (use to sell items and also to farm items while you are afk), and then failed to lock down the extra features past the first 2 that are included for free with the base game.

Horse is out of the barn now. If retainers weren't anything more than mules were, it'd be a little less scummy.

Not excusing it, just explaining it, and that's a fundamental mistake SE can't go back and undo. I think at this point offering up to 4 free retainers would help a little bit, but it's still "pay a little extra and get a lot extra" if you're an omni crafter and a fashion hoarder like I am....

But hey, actual extra characters are free!

[Celef]

But hey, actual extra characters are free!

And you can't use them as mule cause you can't send them mails...

[Catwho]

And you can't use them as mule cause you can't send them mails...

It was at one point possible to trick the server into allowing you to befriend your own alts, but it's something that has since been patched I think.

Upon further reflection, mules in XI also did allow you additional market board slots - and allowed you to have a specialization in more than one craft, something not necessary in XIV. Only the most hardcore crafters had all 8 crafts leveled on 8 different characters, though.

[MsQi]

Not excusing it, just explaining it, and that's a fundamental mistake SE can't go back and undo.

If you mean charging for retainers sure they can. They can just say "starting in November retainers will be free" then stop charging people the retainer fee in November. People who had them would continue to have them. Others can go and unlock them.

But personally I rather have a normal bank and a materials bank, but you know, gotta fight the Flying Spaghetti Code Monster.

[MsMisato]

The retainers costing money is a legacy from FFXI, whereupon every extra character used to cost money, and we utilized those extra characters for item storage, earning them the nickname of "mules." At one point I had a base sub fee of whatever XI cost, plus an extra $5/month for each of the extra characters.

For XIV, they kept the item storage aspect (what we really wanted), charged twice as much, added in a bunch more features (use to sell items and also to farm items while you are afk), and then failed to lock down the extra features past the first 2 that are included for free with the base game.

Horse is out of the barn now. If retainers weren't anything more than mules were, it'd be a little less scummy.

Not excusing it, just explaining it, and that's a fundamental mistake SE can't go back and undo. I think at this point offering up to 4 free retainers would help a little bit, but it's still "pay a little extra and get a lot extra" if you're an omni crafter and a fashion hoarder like I am....

But hey, actual extra characters are free!

DOn't know about that it, retainers were taking place of selling your stuff because there wasn't a functional market board at the time during 1.0 so they were used as a Bazaar in the Marketplace area. But that plan backfired if you recalled going into the section for retainers to browse everyone's wares it took forever to load them. The retainer cost didn't come until way later after ARR relaunched because people start wanting more space. This is when mogstation only did server transfers and name changes for a cost.

Its true about the mules from FFXI though. At the time you had a limited, and I mean an extremely limited inventory space like initially 30 spots where your equipment also took up space. YOu had 50 spots in your moghouse initially. YOu could do the gobbie bag quests and such to expand it to like 80 or 90 spots. Mog bags came out later to store your weapons, armor, and tools and equip them that way with killing your personal inventoryThe cost was a $1 but sub was like 11.95 initially.

[NessaWyvern]

The retainer cost didn't come until way later after ARR relaunched because people start wanting more space. This is when mogstation only did server transfers and name changes for a cost.

Not completely true, the Mogstation also had fantasias back then. It used to be the only way to change your hairstyle, as there was no aesthetician yet. The fantasias were also account-wide, so all the alts I make start out with 8 or so fantasias.