Why I don't like the idea of paying for extra retainers.

[Phaydra]

2. Another point a lot of players make is that in FFXI people paid extra all the time for the storage space in the form of mules. I would argue that was because the subscription model was set up with that in mind. Here the "Standard" subscription includes 8 characters which is plenty of storage and includes 16 retainers in total (once you unlock them for every character). But there is no easy way to transfer these items between characters without some middleman or FC chest. We're basically being asked to pay a $2 monthly convenience fee to save us from having to transfer items back and fourth between our characters.
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Paying for extra retainers is part of the subscription model for FFXIV. It was an option in 1.0 at release. People are just now showing outrage for something that has been known about since 2010. The difference between now and then is you get two free retainers as oppose to one.