Lore Question: Killing Poachers, why? Hypocritical?

[ShinChuck]

So, recently doing leves in Gridania, I did the "Open Season" and "The Goodwill Traders" quests for the first time. Basically, they require to you kill several miqo'te on sight, because they're allegedly guilty of poaching, "one of the most severe crimes".

This strikes me as a pretty harsh penalty, especially considering most of combat in the game is some form of poaching, and even the legal killing sanctioned by leves is so commonplace as to question why an arbitrary body, the Adventurer's Guild, can say it's okay for me to kill raptors and toads, but it's not okay for Raptor and Toad Poacher too. From a lore perspective, doesn't this make PCs a) hypocrites and b) deserving of being killed on sight?

It reminds me of many of the quests I came across in my brief time playing WoW. "These guys are low level bandits of some type, so it's okay to slaughter them. This person stole something from me, so go ahead and kill her and take it back. These harpies were here first, but they're ambushing us when we get close, so shred them with this thresher." There were a few that seemed pretty weak in terms of rationale, that made my PC seem either a ruthless mercenary, or simply dumb, and the poacher leves are similar in my mind (not quite as bad as the latter two examples, just there to illustrate the point).

The stock response on games like WoW was, "Well, they attack me on sight anyway, so I'm just defending myself," which is pretty flimsy rationale for the game to give you!


The two leves are below, any others of this nature people have come across?

http://ffxiv.zam.com/en/guildleve.html?ffxivguildleve=12530

http://ffxiv.zam.com/en/guildleve.html?ffxivguildleve=12484


Anyway, just a random lore question, and I'm surely overthinking it. Just curious for opinions!

[Anonymoose]

Short Answer: You can't expect Gridanians to be sane.

Long Answer: Poachers are a type of enemy, much like you would see the Wavekin slugs come in forms such as Sea Hare and Sea Slug, you'll also see types of The Spoken. When it comes to Spoken that are of the 5 main races, you'll mostly see poachers, pirates, bandits, and imperials. You are correct in your assumption that all forms of farming in this game are, in fact, poaching. Hell, Gridania has asked me to go poaching for them several times.

If you're looking for a way to reconcile it, take the lore back to Guildleves. The name Guildleve is just what it sounds like, the association of the guild is giving you leave to take on what must be done - the necessities, options, and required actions have been carefully examined and allowed by the guild. Poachers, however, are operating outside of the society of the guild and killing the creatures of the wood with impunity. The elementals are probably pissed - and we don't want that; so get out there and tear those miqo'te apart.

[Ferth]

You aren't over-thinking it. You are over-expecting it. Leves were put in as filler content. Poorly thought out, repeatable filler.

[Medura]

You aren't over-thinking it. You are over-expecting it. Leves were put in as filler content. Poorly thought out, repeatable filler.

Filler??!!! Did you ever check any trailers? xD The game were gonna be ALL about guildleves!

[Yazoo]

No one dies in this game, they just KO'd.

[Akira_Tenshi]

You make a good point but you are playing a video game. Aren't almost all games guilty of things like this?

[HiirNoivl]

I kill them because if I didn't, they'd kill me. Plus the SP is good.

RE Lore: Anyone who kills anything without direct permission of the Wood is a poacher. If the Wood Wailers didn't take care of them, the Forest would go into a mad rage and kill everyone in the Twelveswood.

[Murugan]

So, recently doing leves in Gridania, I did the "Open Season" and "The Goodwill Traders" quests for the first time. Basically, they require to you kill several miqo'te on sight, because they're allegedly guilty of poaching, "one of the most severe crimes".

This strikes me as a pretty harsh penalty, especially considering most of combat in the game is some form of poaching, and even the legal killing sanctioned by leves is so commonplace as to question why an arbitrary body, the Adventurer's Guild, can say it's okay for me to kill raptors and toads, but it's not okay for Raptor and Toad Poacher too. From a lore perspective, doesn't this make PCs a) hypocrites and b) deserving of being killed on sight?

It reminds me of many of the quests I came across in my brief time playing WoW. "These guys are low level bandits of some type, so it's okay to slaughter them. This person stole something from me, so go ahead and kill her and take it back. These harpies were here first, but they're ambushing us when we get close, so shred them with this thresher." There were a few that seemed pretty weak in terms of rationale, that made my PC seem either a ruthless mercenary, or simply dumb, and the poacher leves are similar in my mind (not quite as bad as the latter two examples, just there to illustrate the point).

The stock response on games like WoW was, "Well, they attack me on sight anyway, so I'm just defending myself," which is pretty flimsy rationale for the game to give you!


The two leves are below, any others of this nature people have come across?

http://ffxiv.zam.com/en/guildleve.ht...uildleve=12530

http://ffxiv.zam.com/en/guildleve.ht...uildleve=12484


Anyway, just a random lore question, and I'm surely overthinking it. Just curious for opinions!

Maybe these poachers are Garleans or at the very least bandits. Poaching isn't necessarily killing some protected species, it is poaching when you kill game that belongs to someone else especially if you are their enemy/an outlaw.

I don't know how you could think raptors/toads are a protected species in Gridania I mean sure they are the nature oriented city-state, but it isn't like they are all rabid vegans.

These &*^%$&%$ are killing all our Raptors and selling their hides to foreigners! Not just any foreigners either but our sworn enemies who hate freedom and want to destroy all of Eorzea, and I suppose we should just roll over and let them pick the forest clean just because we have a history of legally and responsibly hunting animals on our own land? Preventing overpopulation and oh yeah funding the entire Moogle Forestry Service, what a bunch of hypocrites we all are. Well when was the last time you personally, Shin Chuck, did anything for a marmot?!

What about all the leatherworks who rely on those raptors for Gridanian JOBS!!!! I guess their families should go hungry just because you feel sorry for some no good dirty poachers.

This blame-Gridania-first crowd makes me sick!

[Zantetsuken]

Maybe these poachers are Garleans or at the very least bandits. Poaching isn't necessarily killing some protected species, it is poaching when you kill game that belongs to someone else especially if you are their enemy/an outlaw.

I don't know how you could think raptors/toads are a protected species in Gridania I mean sure they are the nature oriented city-state, but it isn't like they are all rabid vegans.

These &*^%$&%$ are killing all our Raptors and selling their hides to foreigners! Not just any foreigners either but our sworn enemies who hate freedom and want to destroy all of Eorzea, and I suppose we should just roll over and let them pick the forest clean just because we have a history of legally and responsibly hunting animals on our own land? Preventing overpopulation and oh yeah funding the entire Moogle Forestry Service, what a bunch of hypocrites we all are. Well when was the last time you personally, Shin Chuck, did anything for a marmot?!

What about all the leatherworks who rely on those raptors for Gridanian JOBS!!!! I guess their families should go hungry just because you feel sorry for some no good dirty poachers.

This blame-Gridania-first crowd makes me sick!

I'm on board with this.

[Eekiki]

Whatever they are, I want to wear tiger-print pants like they do!