Just an idea; "Linked" Characters

[Gemina]

I definitely relate to what you're talking about. Even when I have used a fantasia on my retainers, I don't use the same name and their previous employment to me effectively ended at that point. With that in mind, using a fantasia on my own character is absolutely unthinkable as I feel like I would essentially be killing off my character.

I'm starting up a Viera alt come ShB. I was going to start her up early and start getting access to stuff and then just use a fantasia, but clearly I have a thing with getting attached to the characters I create, so I chose to wait. While the features you are suggesting would be nice, I am actually looking forward to going through the MSQ again as not all of it registered and was committed to long term memory.

The 'linking' between the two characters is going to happen through their lore. My Viera isn't going to be a WoL like my main, but will possess the Echo. Most of what she experiences via the MSQ isn't going to be what she personally does, but rather projections of the past made possible through the Echo. She doesn't understand why she's getting these projections, and just knows that she must pursue and seek out the WoL.

Even though I have to grind through the levels and the content again, what is going to help with that and making her own path is taking on new jobs and acquiring different soulstones I currently don't have with my main character. I'm a healer main now and focus on SCH and WHM, with DRK as my tank; my Viera will be ranged DPS with focus on DNC and BRD and will likely have WAR as her tank. I am very much looking forward to writing up the lore for the link between the two!

[Zumi]

It's basically what fantasias are for if you want to be a different looking character.

[Selova]

They honestly need to just make glamour, emotes and minions bind on account. It would give a lot more incentive to level at characters on other servers to play with friends.

[Roda]

I just want to link my achievements, calamity salvager, mounts, minions, and any other event glamour items to be linked between alts, because some of us have a hard time getting a chance to create an alt on our main server so we don't have the luxury of getting all the characters we want through the content we want before the devs remove it from the game. :T

Well that, and having EVERY SINGLE mog station purchase be account-wide (and have that be retroactive). Because, c'mon SE... 7 dollars for an emote most F2P games include for free??

[Terin]

Honestly, the more I play FFXIV, the more I feel like a feature like this would honestly be *SOOOO* great. For example, I'm really looking forward to the Hrothgar, but... do I want to change my Au Ra, who I am only JUST beginning to get to a point I'm happy with him? And you know, I've also always *kind of* thought about starting a female character, but I couldn't imagine trying to split my time with yet ANOTHER character...

Being able to sort of have "multiple characters-in-one" would honestly be amazing. Like, being able to have a Lalafel Black Mage (for some reason, I've always wanted one), maybe a female Miqo'te (or Viera) Bard, continue enjoying my old male Miqo'te Monk, while also rocking my Au Ra Dark Knight, and eventually probably a Hrothgar Dragoon... Honestly, that would *MAKE* the game, for me!!! Especially, not having to worry about "splitting progress", or having to "re-unlock features" and re-do the exact same content over and over again.

Heck, I'd even be fine if their actual *MSQ* progress was reset, so long as you still had access to the different features and progress was saved.

Like I said, I know there would be a lot of logistic to figure out. Maybe it becomes as simple as tying a "character" to each "Job Crystal". Not sure what that would mean for individual character-names (maybe NPC's would prefer to the CHARACTER name, whereas the rest of the game and other players would still treat you by your "main-character's name"?).

I dunno. I just feel like, if they could implement something *LIKE* this, I could see myself enjoying the game even more. Being able to enjoy the game and story from multiple characters (again, maybe the story just treats the Warriors of Light as a sort of "multiverse" thing), having all that visual variety, I think would be super, super cool

[zeylos]

So, I've generally always played MMO's where you have loads of "alts". FFXIV is obviously unique in this way, because you can play *every* Class/Job on a single character, and in fact, I would say the game generally encourages you to just do that.

Which hey, that's awesome. Absolutely no complaints there.

But what if you were able to "Link" characters, effectively letting you treat them as "alts", while still carrying progress on a single one?

Let me explain a bit what I mean...

Throughout all of ARR, I played this character, a Miqo'te Monk. I could totally use Fantasia to change him. In fact, when Heavensward first released, I did exactly that, changing to an Au Ra. But... then I felt bad.

It wasn't that "I missed being a cat-person", but I missed my *CHARACTER*. The Devs did such an amazing job animating him and giving him life, he felt like an actual character in the story itself! So much so, that I felt bad when I essentially "erased him from existence". So I used my second Fantasia (I had two at the time), and changed him back to his old self... despite having no intention of playing him.

Instead, I thought, I'll play up a NEW character, a Xaela, who I'm sure I'll get equally attached to!

However, there are countless drawbacks to that. Obviously, I lost all of the progress I made not just on the MSQ, but also all of the side-quests. In addition, when I just recently returned to the game, only my original Miqo'te Monk was in a position to purchase a house (even after buying a boost for my Au Ra character). Since the Housing system is super wonky, that means my new Au Ra literally can't even access, let alone decorate or teleport to my new house.

But, considering the story seems to be implying some "alternate realities" stuff... I wondered...

What if you could mark characters to be "Linked", they would essentially share experience and quest progress, but you still have the benefit of having all these different appearances to choose from?

Or heck, if you could "link" Characters to specific Job stones? So maybe when I become a Dark Knight, I switch to my Xaela. Or maybe when I become a Warrior, I could become a cool new Roegadyn character I haven't even started, or maybe becoming a Bard, I could play as a female character?

Again, *THIS IS JUST AN IDEA*. And one that would need a *LOT* of fleshing-out before being even remotely feasible.

But hey, I think it would be kind of cool to be able to carry all of your progress forward, being able to play multiple "characters" without having to invest in them all separately.

Maybe they could do so that once the alt is at max lvl u can link it with your main character

[Terin]

Maybe they could do so that once the alt is at max lvl u can link it with your main character

I think that's actually a great happy-medium!

Even if they have to be on the same Data Center or even World, I would just *LOVE* something like this.

[Terin]

I really, REALLY hope they'll consider this.

Not only would I be WAY more inclined to spend time playing multiple characters, but also, it would just be nice to not have to worry about "Well I started the game playing Character#1, I've already started playing Character#2, but now I have to juggle which character has done which things, which items they attained that other cannot, etc".

It would be such a godsend to be able to enjoy the game on multiple characters. Even if they have to be max-level, as another player suggested, before they can become "linked". It's obviously been YEARS since ARR was in session, but I did quite a lot with this character. I have begun playing a new Au Ra character, and it's been a CONSTANT series of bummers to have to juggle "what stuff have I done on which character, and is it worth bothering trying to complete the same content multiple times?". And you know, I really want to try a Hrothgar when they come out, but is it just going to be the same problem? I'm already really liking my Au Ra, and I don't want to "lose" him just because I want to play as the Hrothgar when they release.

[Kirajah]

I had a thought, I have an Au Ra but the issue is the game is such a slog unless/even if you buy a story skip AND a boost.

So I thought, maybe... the exp bonuses you get for maxing jobs on the main, could apply to the alt as well. However, it only applies once, so lets say if you max gladiator on the main, if you max it again on the alt, you don't get the bonus again.

As well as linking all mounts, hairs, minions, etc.

[LyraKuroneko]

I'd rather have mount/pet/title/achievement/hairstyle and emote shared between characters.