Please stop tying regions to classes! (i.e. guild marks and grand companies)

[Llewelyn]

My main class is archer. My starting city is Limsa Lominsa. My secondary class is carpenter, to support archer.

Guilds for both are in Gridania... so I end up almost exclusively doing leves in Gridania, and since that's often what I have time for... I rarely see my homeland.

I don't like the forest. It's cramped. But I feel forced to spend my time there if I want to earn guild marks. Why? Because the only places you can get guild marks are the regions that correspond with the guilds. It's pretty damn arbitrary. (Not to mention that you don't get to pick which guild to get marks for, and if you do it on another class, you don't get the marks. That's another problem entirely)

Now grand companies are out. Once again.. I'd rather join Limsa. But it looks like the weapons for archer are linked with Ul'Dah. I like Ul'Dah better than Gridania, but still... why?

Making matters worse, there are caravan escorts and company leves, and they're ONLY in the regions that the grand companies reside in. I'm sure that the Grand Companies... being, you know... grand and all... have interests in regions beyond their native lands.

If I join Ul'Dah for a Grand Company to get at archer gear, I can't do grand company stuff in Limsa lands. Which forces me yet again to do content in regions I'd rather spend less time in.

In fact, the vast majority of my gametime is in the Black Shroud, followed by Thanalan, when my favorite two regions are Coerthas and La Noscea. And the guild marks being tied to region are almost exclusively to blame for this.

This needs to stop. I understand there are needs to incentivise people from not all picking the same region. There are MUCH better ways to do it. The different regions should be equally appealing on their own merits, not handicapped by artificial restrictions like this.

I don't see why the Limsa grand company only has caravans in Limsa. By the very nature of caravans, I'd expect to see caravans leaving Limsa and heading to other cities. Why aren't they there?

And why aren't company leves in other regions, either? It's great that there are all these new NPCs. But it's not great that they all tell me that since i'm not part of their grand company, I can't take part.

Grand Companies have been out for a little while now, and I still haven't joined one. I still don't have my own chocobo, and I'm not enjoying the content, which I'm sure is good, because I'm waiting (praying) to see more items added to each of the companies, so I won't feel obligated to pick based on class. And I would love to see these stupid region-locked events (despite identical events in other regions) go the way of the dodo bird.

Anyhow, that's a fair bit of ranting. I hope the devs take it to heart, because I do love this game. It's gorgeous. It has good gameplay. But I feel like I'm being forced to play a way I don't want to play, and the devs have said repeately that their goal is to make FFXIV the game that fits whoever's playing it like a glove, regardless of what their interest is.

Yoshi-P and company have done a fantastic job over the past year, with the exception of this one aspect. Please, please... stop artificially restricting where we enjoy content.

[Estellios]

You can make far better weapons with materia than the ones you can get in the grand companies. Pick the company you like, the devs have said it a million times. They will balance out any rewards and add tradeable/sellable gear. Join Limsa and get a chocobo because the personal one seriously changes how you play the game.

You don't always have to do leves in one area either. You will literally be swimming in marks for crafting and you will eventually run out of stuff to buy on your archer, too. You will have more fun and get gil and more variety of rewards if you spread out.

[Neptune]

I totally agree.. the original intent of getting you out of Ul'Dah was good.. but for me it backfired, since Thaumaturge and Gladiator are there. So in addition to all the crappy levequests I did there leveling up Conjurer, I now have to see more of that forasaken landscape just to get my guildmarks. God, please make it stop.

[Jinko]

Boo hoo !!

I doubt SE really care, they did this so that people would stop gathering in Ul'dah and sometimes visit the other cities.

Takes 2 mins or less to get an airship to a different city, stop your whining.

As others have said after a while you end up with way too many guildmarks so its not something you have to do indefinitely, Yoshi-P also said choose the company you prefered the best as gear was not going to be resrticted to one company.

Aim for Ifrits weapon not a company one, and as someone else already stated crafted + materia are generally the best weapons in the game.

[Blarp]

Boo hoo !!

I doubt SE really care, they did this so that people would stop gathering in Ul'dah and sometimes visit the other cities.

Takes 2 mins or less to get an airship to a different city, stop your whining.

As others have said after a while you end up with way too many guildmarks so its not something you have to do indefinitely, Yoshi-P also said choose the company you prefered the best as gear was not going to be resrticted to one company.

Aim for Ifrits weapon not a company one, and as someone else already stated crafted + materia are generally the best weapons in the game.

Everybody is still in Ul'dah though.

[Wynn]

You can easily get the Ul'dah bow without joining The Immortal Flames.

[Nuru]

So... move all guilds to all cities? Might as well start in Uldah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Darium]

So... move all guilds to all cities? Might as well start in Uldah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No No No No.

That is the worst suggestion I have ever heard.

I understand your point of view but the last thing we need is to start having people flock back to that piece of s&*t place.

[Nuru]

No No No No.

That is the worst suggestion I have ever heard.

I understand your point of view but the last thing we need is to start having people flock back to that piece of s&*t place.

Thanks, that was the joke. :P The reason why everything was spread out in the first place was to disperse people away from just a single city. The OP doesn't like that.

[Darium]

Thanks, that was the joke. :P The reason why everything was spread out in the first place was to disperse people away from just a single city. The OP doesn't like that.

In that case, I apologize for not getting the joke. It's early in the morning here and I have not fully woken up yet.