Come to the dark side.... @.@

[Andrien]

I like this secrecy.


Garlean Empire in my view just want to wipe out what they think is unclean. They'll conquer a foreign land, convert/assimilate the people, and what they can't convert they destroy. even our home nation send spies to other grand companies.

[Majidah]

I'm expecting for the emperor to have ulterior motives, that's just me.

[Dragon]

To me it seems like the what the Garleans are doing isn't evil to them. They seem to be "Cleansing" the land of something they feel threatened by, while we on the receiving end of the stick vilify them (For good reason) because they don't seem to even care that we there we are meerly "In the way" of their goals.

Does one feel bad when they step on a ant? That seems to be the mind-set of the Garleans they don't even seem to have any malice against us, other than the fact we are probably enabeling what they are trying to stop.

That is actually a good point...

If the empire is "black", I don't see who is supposed to be "white" : Eorzea is nothing but conflicting interests.

True.

I personally find the Garlean Empire to be the "lesser of evils" just because it's a competent technocratic republic while the three city states are about as incompetent as you can get (though Ul'dah seems to be fairly competent on its own).

[Dibria]

The way I see it the Garleans are just an expansionist empire, they are setting about taking over other countries for their resources in much the way people have throughout history; the British empire, the French empire etc.

They're not evil but as they absorb those countries they are forcing their laws onto them and to Eorzea, a nation of loosely linked City States, this would seem tyrannical. The cities each have their own laws and systems, this is clear when you encounter story elements in each, Gridania's belief in balance with nature, Ul'dah's belief in capitalism and benefitting the self and Limsa Lomensa's belief in each person being free.

It is also worth noting all the Garlean magic is technical in nature, things such as the Primals would be a threat to them as an invading force so of course they will destroy it but they can also be seen to be razing anything that they cannot use themselves that may be an advantage to Eorzea. Not evil, just familiar with how to win a war.

[Gramul]

How much have you played?
Because

It seems like they're trying to overtake Eorzea to rid the world of primals because of some dangerous corrosive power they thrived from. I can't remember the exact details right now.

They're not just being expansionist.
They're purging the primal 'menace' from the world. And all those in contact with them.

[Majidah]

The empire isn't evil for the sake of being evil per se, if you think about it. They are just expansionists as every empire.
They look for a world to cleanse the world, yes, but at the same time they search for a method to control it so they don't kill themselves too. I'd say everyone in the empire is a bit brainwashed... seriously, emperor has ulterior motives.

[Atoli]

I think Ala Mhigo is a good example.
Just destroying the city and killing everyone would have been plain evil.
But instead they made it part of their Empire, brainwashed their children who may join their military when they grow up to have a great career.

I really love how the devs give us all those little pieces of information about Garlemald, their technology, political system, etc.
It makes me really feel like an Eorzean citizen who is afraid of the Empire on one hand but also strangely interested and goes crazy about every piece of information some traveler might have

[Akumu]

We might disagree with them but they are actually trying to "cleanse" the world and rid it of the evil they see. Good and Evil also isn't something simple as black and white in this case.

If you had to choose between your families lives or a group of strangers, who would you choose?

The Garleans seem intent on protecting their people, from whatever it is they see, and we are the strangers in their way.

[KylePearlsand]

I have to agree that they maybe purging the primals and all who have relations to them such as the beastmen or us (Due to the Echo it is clear that the man we used to call Zulvan is out to kill us.) Im curious on how their story will play out. Will they be a Kefka, a Sephiroth, or something worst all together. Unfortunately we still don't know much about our foes as of yet.

[neorei]

i bet you any money there is a greater evil behind the empire