Garlean Playable Race (?)

[Theodric]

Part of the lore is they are not able to use magic, so they would have to be locked out of any job that can use magic or manipulate aether at all. Which is why I could never happen.

A common misconception - it's rare for Pureblood Garleans to be able to manipulate aether but not impossible. The player character is, already, the exception to pretty much every established 'rarity' rule within the game's lore.

Though even if the writers wanted to stick strictly to canon, we've seen magitek effectively mimic everything from conjuring familiars to teleportation anyway. It could easily be handwaved in a similar manner to how male viera and raen/xaela were never seen before throughout Eorzea before their inclusion.

[MikkoAkure]

A common misconception - it's rare for Pureblood Garleans to be able to manipulate aether but not impossible. The player character is, already, the exception to pretty much every established 'rarity' rule within the game's lore.

Though even if the writers wanted to stick strictly to canon, we've seen magitek effectively mimic everything from conjuring familiars to teleportation anyway. It could easily be handwaved in a similar manner to how male viera and raen/xaela were never seen before throughout Eorzea before their inclusion.

Even if you could play a super-duper special snowflake pureblood Garlean who could use magic, there's also the problem of not having your race brought up once in the 80 or whatever hours of story content where the race as a whole is represented as "the enemy", in a land that has been at war with them for 20-some odd years. The main "good guy" Garlean gets passed that and hides his eye from everyone and is a genetic freak who is a head shorter than other Garleans with different proportions.

Handwaving au ra is one thing, but handwaving you playing as the race that up until the 2nd expansion is only ever represented as the villains trying to destroy the world and cannot use aether normally, as the hero in Eorzea where every single jobs' abilities are described as aetherial manipulation is a pretty big handwave. And that's not taking into account all the technical limitations and the fact we're never getting another race again.

[Lauront]

Even if you could play a super-duper special snowflake pureblood Garlean who could use magic, there's also the problem of not having your race brought up once in the 80 or whatever hours of story content where the race as a whole is represented as "the enemy", in a land that has been at war with them for 20-some odd years. The main "good guy" Garlean gets passed that and hides his eye from everyone and is a genetic freak who is a head shorter than other Garleans with different proportions.

Handwaving au ra is one thing, but handwaving you playing as the race that up until the 2nd expansion is only ever represented as the villains trying to destroy the world and cannot use aether normally, as the hero in Eorzea where every single jobs' abilities are described as aetherial manipulation is a pretty big handwave. And that's not taking into account all the technical limitations and the fact we're never getting another race again.

How about handwaving male Viera?

The WoL is already rarefied enough to be the sole WHM out there, one of the precious few BLMs (needless to say what reputation this job has until it's later rehabilitated), a speshul snowflake Azure Dragoon, etc etc. So this commonly regurgitated objection strikes me as being very feeble.

Fail to see how a Pureblood, who could arguably hide away their third eye with magic glamours, is more of an issue than any of the above. And in case being nearby one with their third eye on display breaks muh immersion, how about a WoL in a chicken suit?

"Never again" is a strong statement in the context of a game with a projected/hoped-for lifespan of 10 years, which may well be seeing an upgrade to its graphics engine that could see future racial additions become easier. I wouldn't be so confident in it if I were you.

For the people claiming they cannot use magic:



Read that carefully. It matters little if one thinks this is a "retcon" or whatever else; it is the current understanding on their ability to wield magic, and it allows for some exceptions, which the WoL could certainly fit without any handwaving over and above the usual - all without even requiring the contrivance of the Resonance. As for the Echo? Unless Garlean Purebloods don't share the same type of soul everyone else does, they too should, in principle, be able to have the Echo awakened within them.

[Vyrerus]

How about handwaving.

That singular passage is leaving room for its author to be wrong, and that is pretty much it. Name one notable pureblooded Garlean that is capable of using magic. I won't wait, because you cannot. They have yet to show even a single one that wasn't possessed by an Ascian or treated to a special procedure.

That same book also says,

"The Empire has banned religion, seeing it as a barbarian practice that all too often results in the summoning of primals. Many of the inhabitants of Garlemald proper are atheists, a fact attributable to their biological and spiritual inability to harbor and wield aether-based magicks. As theologians believe that religion can only truly develop alongside magic, it is little wonder that the Garleans are disinclined to keep any faith."

Something that is integral to the WoL is that we all believe in a patron deity from The Twelve. As a Garlean pureblood it wouldn't make any sense for us to believe in one of The Twelve. That would have to be removed from character creation, specifically for Garleans. Then Garlean players would feel left out.

Also note that the WoL's age is rather young, mid 20s to late 30s. This means that a pureblooded Garlean WoL would have been born after the introduction of Magitek to their society, and would have even less of a reason to leave Garlemald, to learn arcane arts, and to come be a hero in Eorzea.

As for the Echo, we've been shown half-blooded Garleans can have it through Arenvald. Never a pureblood, though. I'd posit that since the Echo is tied to a being's aetheric waveform, yes, it would be entirely possible for Garleans to have the Echo, but in my opinion it would lay dormant until they learned how to manipulate aether. If their body even could. Of course, even that wouldn't be enough to know they had the Echo. They'd have to encounter an event that let them know they had it. Considering the Echo lies dormant even in individuals who can readily manipulate aether, who's to say that a pureblooded Garlean would ever meet the right condition short of artificial means to precipitate the activation of their Echo? Further still, if Garleans could have the Echo, then why would it be a surprise to them to learn about such a thing from their warring with Eorzea?

To let us play Garleans would be to make the lore bend over backwards to accommodate the possibility. It would break too much while giving so little while also injecting dissonance into nearly every sidequest and cutscene. No thanks.

[Theodric]

That singular passage is leaving room for its author to be wrong, and that is pretty much it. Name one notable pureblooded Garlean that is capable of using magic. I won't wait, because you cannot. They have yet to show even a single one that wasn't possessed by an Ascian or treated to a special procedure.

Lucia. She casts healing spells during The Steps of Faith.

[Vyrerus]

Lucia. She casts healing spells during The Steps of Faith.

I went and did some looking. Perhaps she did at one point in time, but now she just stays on the sideline the whole time, untargetable, issuing orders, never participating in combat. Conjurer Temple Knights spawn on top of her a lot though, and they do sometimes start out casting cure on other temple knights.

In the Grand Melee when she becomes the target of The Fury's Gaze or whatever, she uses an Aqua Vitae, and then runs off, shouts, "Fury Protect Me!" and then uses Rampart.

[myahele]

That singular passage is leaving room for its author to be wrong, and that is pretty much it. Name one notable pureblooded Garlean that is capable of using magic.

The only one that I can think of was Lucia casting cure back in Heavensward. Many assumed it was just an oversight since Cid used "Aqua Vitae" to heal, but then there was that passage in the lore book that came later on.

That said, I rather they focus on more character creation options.

[Vyrerus]

The only one that I can think of was Lucia casting cure back in Heavensward. Many assumed it was just an oversight since Cid used "Aqua Vitae" to heal, but then there was that passage in the lore book that came later on.

That said, I rather they focus on more character creation options.

Oh, so there is one. And she happens to be one of my favorite characters. Neat.

There's a couple of ways we can go with this.

1) Who are Livia and Lucia's parents? We haven't been given a concrete on that, have we? However, recently in the Werlyt storyline it was brought up that even mixed blood Garleans can manifest a third eye through Gaius's associate, Severa. It's entirely possible, door's open, that Lucia's parentage isn't pureblood Garlean.

2) Perhaps purposely done to try and throw cheeky players who looked under her tiara earlier off the scent for the small twist in mid-late Heavensward where it's brought out that she's Garlean explicitly.

3) Lucia is a "goe" or an espionage agent, tasked with infiltrating a highly religious society as an acolyte to steal into their holy treasure vault. Given how long Garlemald has been fighting and conquering places like Bozja, who readily wield items that give anyone who know what they are the ability to cast "lost" spells and skills... I wouldn't put it past Garlemald's espionage branch to have some Lost Actions on stock, ready to give to those tasked with impersonating peoples capable of wielding magicks. Likely taken off of dead Bozjans.

4) Lucia was moved to being faithful and spiritual by Ser Aymeric. Upon becoming truly faithful, this allowed her part of what is essential to manipulate aether in the current age. This lets her cast basic spells. (this would be my preferred thing, but they haven't told us anything about it, have they? Unless you're talking about an EE article I'm unaware of?)

[grinkdaboy]

throw in a retcon where the blessing of light/echo grants people that are aetherically challenged (like that lalafell from the blm questline) the ability to use aether normally

bing bang zoom done

it'd be even easier since they are literally elezen but with custom heads. even emet was recycled and made from the old couple in ishgard who sell hunt stuff. same skeleton and all. just give them hyur ears and the eye on their forehead and it's all done

[Theodric]

throw in a retcon where the blessing of light/echo grants people that are aetherically challenged (like that lalafell from the blm questline) the ability to use aether normally

That could potentially work. It wouldn't feel cheap to me, either, since the Echo is already something with near limitless potential.

As for the idea that Pureblood Garleans would be shunned and never welcomed during the MSQ's, I don't think that's the case. Certainly, the example of Alphinaud not supporting a Garlean playable character seems strange to me when he was prepared to travel to the heart of Garlemald itself to try and set up peace talks.

It's the equivalent of suggesting that nobody should be able to play an Imperial or High Elf in Skyrim because they're distrusted at the time of the game due to the civil war going on. But as we know from that game, not every High Elf is aligned with the Thalmor and not every Imperial is aligned with the Empire. To bring it back to FFXIV, that's the case with Pureblood Garleans as well. Not every Pureblood Garlean is aligned with Imperial Garlemald.

Personally I don't have a problem with their inclusion and actively support it. Others are free to disagree, of course, though I think it's pretty clear that neither side is going to change their mind - especially when many of the 'issues' and 'obstacles' are based around subjective plot elements.