Garlean Playable Race (?)

[Ayuhra]

I could see Garleans being added after next expansion where they may become a more neutral presence for us. Older stories might be weird playing as a Garlean but you'd have to figure maybe your adventurer has something going on that prevents them from being loyal to the empire. IDK.

The purebloods are just Elezen with round ears so do that and make them another clan of hyur (the clan system could be expanded I think without adding entirely new races).

[wereotter]

I could see Garleans being added after next expansion where they may become a more neutral presence for us. Older stories might be weird playing as a Garlean but you'd have to figure maybe your adventurer has something going on that prevents them from being loyal to the empire. IDK.

Yoshida has stated that Garleans aren't playable because of the conflicts it would set up in the story. Imagine going into Yanxia as a Garlean during Stormblood and trying to beat back the empire to liberate the region how odd that will make a lot of the story. Similar conflicts would rise with the ARR story, and even some of the minor notes like how Lucia hides that she's Garlean while in Ishgard, yet you as an unknown ward of House Fortemps can wander around unashamedly Garlean?

This is all in addition to the issues brought up where the Garleans can't manipulate aether. This is a plot point brought up a few times. But the problem really would become that most if not every job in the game uses aether to charge up their attacks. So you'd be limited to like maybe one job? And that wouldn't make for a fun game experience for the player if they're limited on what they can do because of their race.

[Ayuhra]

Yoshida has stated that Garleans aren't playable because of the conflicts it would set up in the story. Imagine going into Yanxia as a Garlean during Stormblood and trying to beat back the empire to liberate the region how odd that will make a lot of the story. Similar conflicts would rise with the ARR story, and even some of the minor notes like how Lucia hides that she's Garlean while in Ishgard, yet you as an unknown ward of House Fortemps can wander around unashamedly Garlean?

This is all in addition to the issues brought up where the Garleans can't manipulate aether. This is a plot point brought up a few times. But the problem really would become that most if not every job in the game uses aether to charge up their attacks. So you'd be limited to like maybe one job? And that wouldn't make for a fun game experience for the player if they're limited on what they can do because of their race.

Garleans can do magical or magic adjacent things through a synthetic echo.

As things are right now, though, no playing a Garlean might not make much sense. But if we ever do a soft plot reset through another calamity or something I can easily see them be playable.