Quote Originally Posted by Jojoya View Post
FCs are social groups with their own personality and content interests. People tend to find comfort in being part of like-minded groups that do things together.

If the only reason you're joining the FC is because you want free access to the garden and workshop, naturally they're going to be suspicious. You're not joining to be part of the group, you're joining for gil.

But FCs still need a way to fund their social activities and events. Company Credits are pretty much useless for the purpose - the variety of items that can be purchased with credits and sold for gil (or used to purchase items that can be sold for gil) are too few. Lacking a workshop and garden, they have to rely on member donations. With access to a workshop and garden, they have a way to earn gil to fund those things without bugging their members.

Workshops also used to be social activities. You had to be in a light party with 3 other DOH to operate the Fabrication Station. I can remember plenty of times I would help out friends in their workshops, sitting and chatting as they did whatever it was. Because players complained that it made no sense to require 3 other players when it was usually a single omnicrafter doing all the work, SE removed the requirement.

It's a MMO. It's about playing with others. Social groups do deserve to get some priority as a result. If you're only after a solo player experience, there are so many other games that do that better it's surprising that you're here.
FCs as it is are afterthought feature in this game.
For raiding there are statics. For most of the activities such as hunts there are cross server discords/link shells. For RP there are venues and discords to find them out. General socializing? Once again there are discords and in game people do not talk much anyway.
What is left for FCs then? Treasure hunts?

And now Square Enix are adding trusts to duties so you can play even more of the game without other people if you so desire. Because in truth this genre was never about massive multiplayer, but live service game model. Shared areas are just for showing off glamours, glowy weapons and titles to entice other players in participating in these activities (or go to cash shop).
Housing in this regard is a failure, as players see stuff they cannot get themselves, so devs are basically leaving untapped game revenue (having a house with demolition system forces people to maintain subs).