Awfully weak story... or is it? [WARNING:SPOILERS]

[Beldargon]

OP: your argument begs a political discussion about pro/anti big government. The downside of Gaius is that, like Aristotle, he believes that government belongs in the hands of an elite minority (the aristocracy).

Whereas the Grand Companies (more so in the case of Gridania and especially Limsa Lominsa than the Sultanate of Uldah) espouse a more power to the people, small government-style of leadership.

[Jinrya-Geki]

If you consider enslavement/pillage/rape of entire nations as "the right" then, I suppose.

Who did Gauis rape? He enslaved and pillaged Ala Mihgo, but you know what? With how every single Ala' Mighan npc acts, I could honestly say I hope they never get it back. He brought stability and prosperity to another city as told by his 2nd-in-command.

[shinros]

Well duh when I was talking with gaius in the last dungeon he asked me who I was fighting for eorzea, myself or friends. I picked my myself if I could I would slash into friends there too. When he said do I believe in eorzea I went lol no. As a black mage eorzea would murder my friends and not bat an eyelid and after doing all the quests to 50 I no longer trust anyone. Ishgard was the worst country I have ever been to.

Plus after watching gridania 1.0 and the doing the quests here in 2.0 I could see why the dusk elves stayed under ground instead of living in the forest and the resistance fighters? Oh we won't save his life because the forest said so even as he is bleeding out! Ul'dah spending loads of times screwing over their own nation, corrupt guards everywhere exploiting refugee's and doing anything under the sun. A woman was going to be sold into sexual slavery and the crowd did nothing and don't get me started on the whole kobold issue. Titan did not try to temper you like the other primals he wanted to kick your ass since you broke the oath and started murdering kobolds.

Personally? If I had the choice? I would not want to join a grand company but the game forced me. Plus that garlean roe general? His country got better after the empire took it.

There are no bad guys here.

Overall seriously? Screw everyone I don't care anymore.(Apart from cid :X) I am now fighting for myself and my beastmen black mage buddies. Plus after reading the lore forum I am questioning how good hydaelyn actually is. Anyway it won't matter since I am going to the void when I die since I am a black mage.

[Enkidoh]

Plus after watching gridania 1.0 and the doing the quests here in 2.0 I could see why the dusk elves stayed under ground instead of living in the forest and the resistance fighters? Oh we won't save his life because the forest said so even as he is bleeding out!

That scene with Grienfarr during the GLA class quests in 1.0 wasn't because 'the forest said so', that was just the stuck up Wood Wailers talking, simply because Grienfarr was a GLA who 'fights for profit'. Besides, Greinfarr didn't do himself any favours by attacking the Wood Wailers, even if he was being taunted. It's like attacking a cop, of course they're going to respond to violence in kind.

Ul'dah spending loads of times screwing over their own nation, corrupt guards everywhere exploiting refugee's and doing anything under the sun. A woman was going to be sold into sexual slavery and the crowd did nothing and don't get me started on the whole kobold issue. Titan did not try to temper you like the other primals he wanted to kick your ass since you broke the oath and started murdering kobolds.

Well yeah, it's Ul'dah. It's stated constantly money talks there - a jewel balanced on scales with a flame is their actual flag for crying out loud. The Brass Blades are corrupt because they're little more than thieves with authority (it was even stated as such at the very beginning of the Ul'dah storyline) - the Sultanate is so undermanned they use mercenaries for their military - it's to the point that anyone with a strong sword arm could become a Brass Blade, well, except the player of course ).

As for the refugee woman, well, Unghust was a creep, but he got his just deserts in the end, becoming nothing but a mindless slave to Ifrit and (presumably) is executed by the Immortal Flames accordingly. The townspeople didn't step in because, lets face it, he's leader of an armed gang. It's called 'bystander syndrome', until someone finally has the guts to do something, no one will. The same thing happens in real life all too often sadly.

And as for Titan, the jury is still out on exactly who broke the treaty between Limsa and the kobolds, but the fact is, Titan would still have posed a threat anyway even if the kobolds had been left alone. Primals corrupt their followers and make them more hostile. It was stated as such in 1.0 and is the same in ARR. So your character would have had to have fought him eventually regardless.

Plus that garlean roe general? His country got better after the empire took it.

Considering Garlemald's history of brainwashing those they conquer, I'm not liable to take what Rhiatyan said at face value. He's definitely a noble sort, but still, he's fanatically devoted to Gaius, would kill his own mother or drink a baby's blood if Gaius ordered him to, and thus, no matter how you look at it, he is Eorzea's enemy, like the rest of the Garleans. Really the only sympathetic Garlean in the game is that marooned Juggernaut pilot in Raincatcher Gully who says he hates the Garleans, doesn't believe in their propaganda and only wants to go home to see his family.

Overall seriously? Screw everyone I don't care anymore.(Apart from cid :X) I am now fighting for myself and my beastmen black mage buddies. Plus after reading the lore forum I am questioning how good hydaelyn actually is. Anyway it won't matter since I am going to the void when I die since I am a black mage.

Heh, considering it was shown in both 1.0 and ARR that the beastmen are one step away from slaughtering each other if given the chance, good luck with that. Oh, and when you finally become a voidsent and are sent back to whatever dark hell you crawled out of, give my regards to Atomos.

[Jinrya-Geki]

Considering Garlemald's history of brainwashing those they conquer, I'm not liable to take what Rhiatyan said at face value. He's definitely a noble sort, but still, he's fanatically devoted to Gaius, would kill his own mother or drink a baby's blood if Gaius ordered him to, and thus, no matter how you look at it, he is Eorzea's enemy, like the rest of the Garleans. Really the only sympathetic Garlean in the game is that marooned Juggernaut pilot in Raincatcher Gully who says he hates the Garleans, doesn't believe in their propaganda and only wants to go home to see his family.

I don't think there was enough detail to think he would be that kind of person. All we did get was him question Gauis giving command. He also did not attack you on sight. In fact, he gave us a chance to what Gauis has done for his people.

When Gauis unleashed the "supposed" true power of the Ultima weapon was "I did not want this."

He was never shown to have a hypnosis power, and it was a lesser rank Garlean that used it.

[Astarica]

Honestly the whole Garlean/Eorzea conflict is more like WoW's Alliance versus Horde, e.g. we don't like the other guys because they're not 'us', except since the Empire are obviously supposed to be the bad guys this doesn't quite work out. There's really no moral superiority of either side, and if anything the Garlean Empire probably has more progressive ideas. For example Gaius's proposal of wiping out the Beastman while they got the Ultima Weapon sure sounds like a pretty good idea given there's a clear history of Beastman aggression. For all the talk about peace with Beastman, you still more or less ended up just killing every Beastman that wasn't a Sylph to keep them pacified, and I'd say Gaius has the right idea. If you can't coexist with them, you might as well kill them all. The Primals can't be summoned if they have no followers, and sure the Beastman will fight hard but that's why he has the Ultima Weapon.

If the story is supposed to make sense, Eorzea would've already been wiped out by one of the Beastman tribes since the existing powers are woefully inadequate at dealing with them. When considering the Primal's ability to temper new followers and that Echo is obviously an extremely rare power, it's more like a miracle how come none of the three factions have already been wiped out.

[Kat_Manx]

I have a question, IDK if it's OT but I was considering Fufuchas opinions on the war. While doing the Botanist quests, I was fairly sure I saw a jewel on Fufuchas head hiding under the hat. Is Fufucha Garlean? Because they have the third eye-thingy. Can Lallafells be Garleans? Or do they all look Hyur-ish?

[KaleHitsuga]

I don't think there was enough detail to think he would be that kind of person. All we did get was him question Gauis giving command. He also did not attack you on sight. In fact, he gave us a chance to what Gauis has done for his people.

When Gauis unleashed the "supposed" true power of the Ultima weapon was "I did not want this."

He was never shown to have a hypnosis power, and it was a lesser rank Garlean that used it.

Does not take hypnosis to brainwash. Garlemald in 1.0 was seen to use fear, intimidation, and misinformation to indoctrinate the children of Ala Mhigo (other places too) Indoctrination actually makes you believe what you are told, right or wrong, is the truth. Garleans don't need gods, because they are made to believe wholly in the Emperor. Not just as a man, as the one true voice of reason. The only law of humanity. The only true god. They're really not much better than tempered beastmen, their primal is just a man instead.

[KaleHitsuga]

I have a question, IDK if it's OT but I was considering Fufuchas opinions on the war. While doing the Botanist quests, I was fairly sure I saw a jewel on Fufuchas head hiding under the hat. Is Fufucha Garlean? Because they have the third eye-thingy. Can Lallafells be Garleans? Or do they all look Hyur-ish?

The original people of Garlemald are a different race all together. They are, from Cid and Nero, usual blonde Hyur like people, and the mark on their foreheads is actually a third eye, not a jewel. Now many Lalafel tribes do where jewels, but they are not to be mistaken for Garlean eyes.

[Cobayn]

Totalitarianism or Democracy?

I think we should have to right to be stupid if we want. It's a lot better than to be made stupid by force.

The difference is choice.