Could I get some advice on what Class, City-State, and Grand Company I should choose?

[Terin]

Well, I actually suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which makes RPG's sometimes difficult to enjoy. I LOVE FFXIV, but I tend to get caught-up on trivial things.

Long story short, I'm creating a Xaela with the intention of becoming a Dark Knight, but even though the Au Ra are kind of questionable as far as the canon goes, I still want to choose whatever is going to "fit" the Xaela the best.

Part of me thinks I should start him in Limsa Lominsa. Lady Yugiri clearly arrives by boat, as well, and the Admiral seems much more welcoming of her. The Maelstrom colors also mesh surprisingly well with Xaela's dark scales, not to mention much of their armor incorporates scales. Not to mention, the Marauder and Warrior AF set looks practically hand crafted for the Xaela. As well, Limsa Lominsa is home to much more "rugged" people, as well as tradeskills.

On the other hand, Ul'dah has been hugely important, at least up through 2.55. As well, considering Heavensward SEEMS to draw a lot of inspiration from Final Fantasy IV, it seeks kind of fitting to go from Paladin to Dark Knight, especially after what happens at the end of the old story. Of course, Paladin AF armor does look a bit strange on the Xaela, especially given their supposedly tribal roots. The black horns definitely clash with the whole "knight in shining armor" thing. Although, it does make the ending in 2.55 feel much more personal, and maybe a good catalyst for becoming a Dark Knight?

In terms of story, I've never particularly liked Thancred, but it's hard to deny his importance to the pre-Heavensward story. It kind of gives the entire game a feeling of constant betrayal, which certainly works for the Dark Knight origin. At the same time, Ul'dah is also a city of corrupt politics, whereas Limsa Lominsa is more focused on freedom.

I mean, we know very little about the Xaela, other than some bits and pieces from their Surname lore, and that their culture was supposedly make on the Mongolians (Mongels?). Thing is, I know virtually nothing about Mongolian culture, so that really doesnt help much.

Ultimately, I know that most of you are happy to roleplay your own origins, but I'm more focused on making the character feel like he "fits" together. I want his starting choice to feel organic to what the Xaela are -- even if it doesn't necessarily make the most sense for gameplay, or even for a Dark Knight origin.

Any and all responses are greatly appreciated! I'd love to get you guys' input, and even better if you wouldn't mind explaining your own thoughts on why you might pick certain origins for the Xaela.

[Lethallin]

Probably best to throw this into the Lore forum. It's a lot slower there, but you'll get a lot better and more thought out answers.

[Serilda]

My starting city was Ul'dah (and my house is there) yet I'm firmly in the Maelstrom ranks and can't imagine ever leaving. I don't personally like the politics of either of the other city-states at all now I've played through the story but back at the start I liked Ul'dah most and made a point of never once changing my home point from the Ul'dah aetheryte until Heavensward arrived.

Why not tie your chosen state into the story idea you've had, and have your new character becoming more and more disillusioned with the state of Ul'dah's politics over the course of the story before switching to the Maelstrom, who represent freedom and treated Yugiri's party well? The red/black livery and bold attitude of the Maelstrom will certainly suit the character you describe.

[sarehptar]

I think as a starting city for a Xaela, Limsa Lominsa makes the best sense. Lore and plot-wise, Ul'dah (not counting the good folks there) is pretty staunchly xenophobic--the monetarists don't want more refugees clogging up their city, hence the Domans having to go to Mor Dhona instead of Ul'dah, and many of the people who try to find new homes in Ul'dah end up in camps outside the gates or in the dirty back allies. It's not a "open" place to outsiders. For example, they don't even allow beast tribes into their city at all, so there's a pretty clear bias against the "less civilized," you might say. Meanwhile, Limsa Lominsa is essentially still a pirate community, built on rogues and outlaws and those who have long been unwelcome elsewhere. Even some beast tribes are permitted to freely enter Limsa Lominsa, and although the admiral also wasn't able to take in the Doman refugees, there is a lot less of an "outsiders are unwelcome" feel to Limsa. Makes the most sense to me.

As far as a job, going from Paladin to Dark Knight does have a classic feel to it, but to me, Warrior suits Xaela much better than Paladin. The WAR armor definitely looks better on Xaela and the WAR story--all about conquering your inner rage--dovetails really nicely with the DRK storyline of your inner darkness. Being based on Mongolians and having a strong tribal background, I can't really see a Xaela suddenly deciding to fall in with the Sultansworn and follow the regimented and stiff lifestyle of a Paladin. (Just thematically, paladins are based on very Western tradition, whereas Warriors seem to have a more primeval warring nation basis.)

The 2.55 plotline is a little more engaging/emotional if you did start in Ul'dah, and the events that happen with Raubahn are definitely more emotional if you are with the Immortal Flames; however, Thancred to me didn't play that massive of a role in later patches, as far as I recall, while Y'shtola's role is emphasized more in HW content, so having her as your starting scion could be nice. I think it's good to remember that you'll get to experience the 2.55 story line the same regardless of where your character starts and their GC, so the only thing you might miss out on is a tiny bit of extra emotional connection to the sultana and Raubahn if your hometown was Ul'dah. Since you are going to experience the same betrayal and plot events, I think transitioning into DRK after 2.55 will make sense regardless of where you start.

And as far as style goes, the Maelstrom outfits win by far. I'm not even with the Maelstrom myself and I think their clothes are definitely the best. The Immortal Flames colors are really all over the place--they range from olive green to dark blue to purple. If you are like me and concerned about matching colors and looks with your character, the Immortal Flames' lack of consistent theme color might really frustrate you. (Only thing I dislike about the Flames. XD)

I don't know if that helps, but yeah, my vote is Limsa and Maelstrom (even though I'm from Gridania but joined the Flames lol).

[Terin]

Well, to be fair, both Grand Companies have excellent armor designs (although wish I could see their Heavy armor designs on a male Au Ra).

In any case, there's really good reasons for both areas. It's difficult deciding which truly fits better. I dunno, anyone else to weigh in? And is Y'shtola really important in Heavensward?

[Ashkendor]

is pretty staunchly xenophobic--the monetarists don't want more refugees clogging up their city, hence the Domans having to go to Mor Dhona instead of Ul'dah, and many of the people who try to find new homes in Ul'dah end up in camps outside the gates or in the dirty back allies.

I should think an adventurer would be a more kindly looked upon than a refugee, though.

Well, to be fair, both Grand Companies have excellent armor designs (although wish I could see their Heavy armor designs on a male Au Ra).

I'm no Xaela, but the build is the same either way. Is that the set you mean? I was never very partial to the gauntlets and boots myself. When I glamoured this set I think I used heavy darksteel gauntlets and much slimmer sollerets cause these are enormous.

In any case, there's really good reasons for both areas. It's difficult deciding which truly fits better. I dunno, anyone else to weigh in? And is Y'shtola really important in Heavensward?

It's difficult to tell you whether or not she's important without giving you spoilers, lol.

[Amiaze]

snip

Without going too much into the story and spoiling anything, Limsa Lominsa would be the best fit for a Xaela lore-wise. Ul'dah would be second-best, and Gridania would not fit at all. Limsa is a cove for all sorts of people, many of them illegal, some of them hiding away from others. Your Xaela could easily have just happened to stumble upon the perfect place in which to disappear into the crowd. And of course, it's a sea-faring nation, so it's far easier to get into.

Ul'dah's story largely deals with immigration, actually. Depending on how much background you put into your character, there's some interesting head-canon that you could make with this. S/he could see some of the issues and, being an immigrant herself, strive to make an important difference (ironically, it's strongly hinted that you do this intentionally anyway, if you start in Ul'dah), or maybe feel like too much of an outsider and decide to do more adventuring. The Au Ra that was in Little Ladies' Day (I forget her name) had an immigration story, if I remember correctly...unless I'm confusing her with the Miqo'te.

Gridania is the least-accepting of new people. While it doesn't exactly shun them, learning of its relation to other nations and how it came to be doesn't paint a pretty picture of it. It's mostly people that have fallen out with Ishgard and both shun and are shunned by them, and then they continue to give a cold shoulder to those around them. Heck, I still question how you can even be allowed to get a hunting log in there, since they all but drag poachers to the guillotine.

[Lego3400]

The Au Ra that was in Little Ladies' Day (I forget her name) had an immigration story, if I remember correctly...unless I'm confusing her with the Miqo'te.

She's not actully a citizen probably. She mentions her father is a Far Eastern trader to came to Ul'dah to trade and she came with only to be recruited into the songbirds.

Gridania is the least-accepting of new people. While it doesn't exactly shun them, learning of its relation to other nations and how it came to be doesn't paint a pretty picture of it. It's mostly people that have fallen out with Ishgard and both shun and are shunned by them, and then they continue to give a cold shoulder to those around them. Heck, I still question how you can even be allowed to get a hunting log in there, since they all but drag poachers to the guillotine.

NPCs around Quarrymill comment that it's right in the middle of two Elemental Approved Hunting areas. Which is where alot of 25-30 hunting logs are. They say stuff there is safe to kill as long as you don't over hunt.

[Terin]

Well, I don't imagine a Xaela starting in Gridiania either way. That seems more like someplace the Raen would start, if anything.

I'll admit, I still wish they'd have just added a new starter area, just to have a truly Lore friendly option, but it sounds like there's more support for Limsa Lominsa than Ul'dah. At this point, I'm sure I'm opening myself up to spoilers, but I suppose I'm just curious if Ul'dah remains as central to the story as it has been, or if that's a little more in the background? For that matter, is Limsa Lominsa any more in-the-loop, or are they still kind of irrelevant to everyone else?

[Enkidoh]

The thing is though, narrative wise your character actually is not from that nation or even Eorzea period - canonically they're a 'foreigner' from somewhere else in Hydaelyn who has made the journey to Eorzea to take up work as an adventurer inspired by the tales of the original Warriors of Light at the Battle of Carteneau (unless your character was originally created in version 1.0 in which case your character is a veteran of that conflict and has just returned to their duties, if not one of the original Warriors of Light).

Having said that though, there is nothing stopping you saying your character from being from anywhere, even native born, so a DRK narrative wise even at the start of the game despite DRK being locked behind access to Ishgard, you idea could still work, you just have to be creative.!

One idea is, maybe your Xaela is hunting a fallen Ishgardian knight that is on the run and is believed hiding out in one of the other city states so he has gone 'undercover' as a regular new adventurer in order to not draw attention to themselves, or something. This particular idea would work for even Gridania as your character has no connection to that city, it's just where they've 'taken up the trail' so to speak (n fact, given Gridania's connection to the elezen this could work even better, despite the lack of au ra in the city). Such a backstory could be taken in many directions and is not 'tied down' to any one city or nation.

As for importance in the plot, all three cities serve equal importance at various times and have their own points in the storyline where they are given more focus. It does seem Ul'dah takes more of a slightly central role in the storyline however (for instance, whenever the Alliance leaders meet, their meetings are usually held in Ul'dah's Fragant Chamber exclusively). But again, don't let that restrict where you have your character begin their journey, you just need to be imaginative and creative! And all three nations freely share information between each other - the only rivalry between them is more concerned with developing areas such as Carteneau and the legendary Seal Rock (all PvP areas) to exploit the Allagan relics hidden within - and more than that, each city works together with the others as a unified front. Paraphrasing what Kan-E-Senna said during the ending scene for the initial 2.0 story, "We stand together. If one nation falls, so shall we all." Ishgard's connection to the Alliance also deepens as Heavensward proceeds but as you seem to have not gotten far in the expansion story, I won't spoil anything more.

Either way, your character story idea is very interesting, and I hope this has been helpful and not just me flapping my gums!

Ul'dah's story largely deals with immigration, actually. Depending on how much background you put into your character, there's some interesting head-canon that you could make with this. S/he could see some of the issues and, being an immigrant herself, strive to make an important difference (ironically, it's strongly hinted that you do this intentionally anyway, if you start in Ul'dah), or maybe feel like too much of an outsider and decide to do more adventuring. The Au Ra that was in Little Ladies' Day (I forget her name) had an immigration story, if I remember correctly...unless I'm confusing her with the Miqo'te.

Yes and no. Most of the resentment towards refugees in Ul'dah simply is because of their financial position and not where they have come from. 'Money talks' in Ul'dah, so you're basically judged by the size of your pocketbook - despite the Sultana's attempts to better her subjects' lives, she is constantly hamstrung by the plutocratic Syndicate. Refugees are not forbidden from being in the ity, as long as they have money (which, sadly, most do not). Although this then means a lot end up turning to crime to survive, only resulting in Ul'dah showing more contempt towards them, some refugees actually do manage to rise up above their station by earning enough money to effectively 'buy' their way into Ul'dah society - the best example of this is Raubahn himself. Originally a lowly Ala Mhigan refugee, like a lot of Ala Mhigans he joined the gladiatorial games in the Colosseum (which in 'an act of charity' had allowed refugees to join free of charge), which he made such a name for himself and earned so much prestige and fame, he eventually gained ownership of the Colosseum itself (and a resulting seat on the Syndicate) after winning a high-stakes match where if he had failed he would have lost everything. Of course his example is not common (a lot of Ala Mhigans actually show contempt for Raubahn thinking he 'sold out' to Ul'dah), but the point is, despite how it may appear, national origin does not necessary prevent a refugee from improving their life in Ul'dah, it's their financial standing that is the roadblock sadly. Ala Mhigians are treated fairly neutrally, Ul'dahans only showing spite if they're seen to be 'leeching' off everyone and the Ala Mhigans in turn generally only show true venom in the face of such contempt. Their dogged national pride is really all they have left of themselves as a nation, and thus it's something they're fiercely protective of.

Gridania is the least-accepting of new people. While it doesn't exactly shun them, learning of its relation to other nations and how it came to be doesn't paint a pretty picture of it. It's mostly people that have fallen out with Ishgard and both shun and are shunned by them, and then they continue to give a cold shoulder to those around them. Heck, I still question how you can even be allowed to get a hunting log in there, since they all but drag poachers to the guillotine.

Not exactly - Gridania's apparent xenophobia is simply caused by the difficult terms they're forced to abide by just to exist. The forest is the domain of the metaphysical elementals, beings of pure aether, whose nature is so beyond Spoken understanding as to appear downright alien at times. More than that, the elementals not only function as it's spirit and voice, it also acts as it's hand, directly influencing the very trees themselves - from a certain point of view, the Black Shroud is more than just a collection of tall trees and cute animals, it is effectively a gigantic living, breathing entity with a will and purpose of it's own. As a general rule though, it means "what is best for the forest", which, as can be expected, means revering nature and being respectful to the forest and all life which resides within it. Of course outsiders don't usually share this sort of understanding (particularly Ul'dahns), who often have the attitude of "We see, we take"). Thus because so much damage was wrought to the forest over the years by outsiders, particularly the Calamity, this has caused the elementals to become increasingly erratic and dangerous, thus causing Gridania's government the Seedseer Council to have to walk on eggshells in order just to keep their tenuous stability and often enforce somewhat heavy handed rules and restrictions on even their own citizens, to say nothing of refugees and outsiders.

To an outsider however, this just comes across of stonewalling and xenophobia, not understanding Gridania has no actual choice - the elementals are nature personified, and sadly, nature is downright cruel at times. There is no way around it - generally if an outsider is understanding of the situation and accepts the elementals are the true rulers of the forest and are mindful of everything they do while there does not upset the balance of nature, they will be allowed to settle there, however sometimes even then if an elemental had decided otherwise, no amount of acceptance or understanding can change their minds. You're refused entry into the Twelveswood, and if you try to violate that, it will evoke the elementals' ire, or 'greenwrath', of which... death can actually be the least horrendous outcome. Of course a lot of people not forestborn regard even the elementals' existence as a fairy tale designed as simply an excuse for xenophobia, but as Khrimm found out the hard way before the Calamity (during the 1.0 Gridania story), the elementals do exist, the forest is their's, have a very short temper, and do not tolerate transgressions. Sadly though, these are ideas not easily accepted by those from other lands who wish to live in the Black Shroud.