1.0 factions disappeared

[Enkidoh]

To be really honest, I'm not sure they were really ever that important to the lore in 1.0, and were basically just dressing to give some interesting names for levequest petitioners (in fact, I don't remember them ever being mentioned anywhere else in 1.0 other than a name on a levequest - please counter that if that is wrong though!).

The Grand Companies (which were added later in 1.0's life after Yoshi took over) pretty much ended up replacing them anyway so I guess it's no surprise the old leve factions kind of fell by the wayside as yet another 'Tanaka-era' 1.0 idea that Yoshi ultimately abandoned.

Having said that, if it makes you feel better, I always preferred Azeyma's Shields over the other two because... reasons...

[Shadotterdan]

To be really honest, I'm not sure they were really ever that important to the lore in 1.0, and were basically just dressing to give some interesting names for levequest petitioners (in fact, I don't remember them ever being mentioned anywhere else in 1.0 other than a name on a levequest - please counter that if that is wrong though!).

The Grand Companies (which were added later in 1.0's life after Yoshi took over) pretty much ended up replacing them anyway so I guess it's no surprise the old leve factions kind of fell by the wayside as yet another 'Tanaka-era' 1.0 idea that Yoshi ultimately abandoned.

Having said that, if it makes you feel better, I always preferred Azeyma's Shields over the other two because... reasons...

The name on the leveplate thing reminds me, just spitballing here, but do any of them show up as the people requesting the leve? I know there's some group like Maisenta's traders that only really show up in that lore.

[Enkidoh]

The name on the leveplate thing reminds me, just spitballing here, but do any of them show up as the people requesting the leve? I know there's some group like Maisenta's traders that only really show up in that lore.

No, as far as I remember anyway - each normal city-issued levequest had a specific affiliation towards one of the three, and thus you got points called 'Faction Credits' towards each depending on the affiliation of the leve you did when you completed a levequest; eventually you would earn enough points to then do special 'factional levequests' requested by that specific faction that would reward even better items (stuff like the old Onion doublet gear came from them originally).

But the leveplates themselves were issued at the leve counter in the Adventurer's Guilds, you never saw any of the factional representatives themselves, at least, I don't remember any, and my memory is less than reliable, so do not take that as gospel! :P Either way, the Grand Company leves basically replaced them, kind of like how Guildhests replaced 1.0's Behest system, it's just another old 1.0 idea that ARR replaced with something similar, but not.