Why do these tabs exist on Lodestone?

[Wobble]

They have been there since day one, but nothing has ever become of them. So I wonder why are they there?

[Fenral]

Those are for a future update.

Please look forward to it!

[Wobble]

Those are for a future update.

Please look forward to it!

Hahaha, been looking forward to it...

[Milmoko_Gemoko]

I keep hoping the Companions tab means we're gonna have more battle pets to choose from other then the Company Chocobo, I have a sweet Coeurl from my Collectors Edition I'd like to see in battle, reckon it would make a mean DSP or Tank class.
So come on Square more battle pets in 3XX please

[NinjaTaru72]

They have been there since day one, but nothing has ever become of them. So I wonder why are they there?

Maybe it was from 1.x?

Back then, If you weren't around, we had "path companions" which was awesome.


Why are path companions gone SE!

[kyuven]

Maybe it was from 1.x?

Back then, If you weren't around, we had "path companions" which was awesome.


Why are path companions gone SE!

Except they redid the lodestone for 2.0.
What this really is is one of those ideas that they wanted to make use of when they made Lodestone, but realized that for whatever reason they wouldn't be able to dedicate the resources required, or it ended up not being very relevant.
These "artifacts" crop up in MMOs all the time. Often there are ideas that make it to implementation in one feature, but not another. And they don't bother removing it on the off chance there's a use for it later.
Path companions are more than likely gone because of limitations regarding item slots and the like. Technically our retainers are as close as we'll get, and if they make a comeback they'll probably not be the same as before.
Remember the whole purpose of path companions was to make the fact that 1.0 had a subscriber base smaller than the cast and crew of a lot of major motion pictures a little less of a problem. Now that 2.0 has rolled around and chocos serve basically the same purpose, there's no reason for them to exist anymore from a mechanics standpoint.
After all despite everything, you can't ride a path companion.

[Zaft]

These "artifacts" crop up in MMOs all the time.

^This. Even after 10 years, there are still tons of spells and abilities that are unused in FFXI, just sitting in the data files, waiting for their day.

After all despite everything, you can't ride a path companion.

[Felis]

Remember the whole purpose of path companions was to make the fact that 1.0 had a subscriber base smaller than the cast and crew of a lot of major motion pictures a little less of a problem.

Wrong
The purpose of a path companion was to have a NPC partner who fight with you in instanced mainstory solo quests and speak for you in mainstory CS. They didn't exist outside of the mainstory.

The best about them was that every companion race and gender had their own personality.

The male Lalafell who fears his own shadow, the female Lalafell who speak in rhyme, the (female) Miqo'te who is full with love.

[Enkidoh]

Wrong
The purpose of a path companion was to have a NPC partner who fight with you in instanced mainstory solo quests and speak for you in mainstory CS. They didn't exist outside of the mainstory.

The best about them was that every companion race and gender had their own personality.

The male Lalafell who fears his own shadow, the female Lalafell who speak in rhyme, the (female) Miqo'te who is full with love.

Exactly, and the purpose for that was due to the fact that in 1.0 you could start the game as any class in any city - even as a Disciple of the Hand or Land (and theoretically have gone through the entire game as a crafter or gatherer). Naturally this would cause problems trying to advance through the story, so the game had alternative means of getting past difficult boss encounters, the Path Companions who would fight for you was just one such means (others were story npcs showing and doing the fighting for you that you directed and the Parley mini-game being a means to convince the enemy to actually flat-out give up without fighting.)

ARR changed things in that there were greater restrictions on what class you could choose at the start (in other words, a Disciple of War or Magic only), which rendered these alternative methods of story advancing obsolete. But I'd still love to see the Path Companions return as an alternative to chocobo companions, they just had so much more personality.

[Bluevann]

Why are path companions gone SE!

It's buried somewhere in the live letters, but Yoshida explained that Path Companions were removed to give spotlight to NPCs in instanced battles (think of Thancred against the voidsent in the lv5 instanced battle of Ul'dah, Y'shola in the Lominsa one, and Papalymo & Yda in the Gridanian one, but also all the others in the class quests etc.), as well as the chocobo companion. He said to implement the path companion back would be redundant at this point, as there is really no need of them.