Garlean Playable Race (?)

[Vyrerus]

Lucia. She casts healing spells during The Steps of Faith.

I went and did some looking. Perhaps she did at one point in time, but now she just stays on the sideline the whole time, untargetable, issuing orders, never participating in combat. Conjurer Temple Knights spawn on top of her a lot though, and they do sometimes start out casting cure on other temple knights.

In the Grand Melee when she becomes the target of The Fury's Gaze or whatever, she uses an Aqua Vitae, and then runs off, shouts, "Fury Protect Me!" and then uses Rampart.

[Jandor]

Except a part of the lore is that literally no one has ever laid eyes upon one. Yet here comes hundreds of thousands of WoL male viera appearing out of thin air. So yeah...they don’t really care much about the lore when adding something the playerbase wants. It doesn’t make sense. But there are a looooot of things in the game that don’t make sense, even msq wise. There’s plot holes and plot armor everywhere. Again, it’s to be expected. The lore can be bent whenever.

Viera males aren't seen due to their societies rules, it's not like it's physically impossible to see them. The rules can change and/or more Viera can decide to break them.
Also, as much as I do like my Viera, as a race they're not important to the story.

Garleans can't really use magic because of their biology, it's not something that can be waved away with some excuse like "they changed their minds lol."
Garlemald is also, unlike the Viera clans, pretty important and functions as one of the stories two main factions of antagonists.

[MikkoAkure]

Is this not a case of simply moving the goalposts? It was stated with certainty that it was not possible for a Pureblood Garlean to wield aether, though an exception was found - and we've not yet delved into their homeland to see how many exceptions to the rule exist.

Or is every scrap of lore put forward now at the mercy of potentially being inaccurate because it just so happens to be present in the game's lore book?

If Garlean sorcerers were a real thing and had the ability to do more than "aqua vitae", then why does the lore double-down hard on Garleans not being able to cast magic everywhere else in the game? Why have none of the high profile Garleans we've met and battled with cast damaging spells on us? Why do in-game sources mention multiple times about how they use conscripts for their mage forces? And why do they spend so much time, money, and energy in Stormblood to create the resonant if Garleans have been able to cast magic this whole time?

Like I've said before, even disregarding the lore, they're still the enemy through the whole game and yes, there are exceptions, but the whole point of those characters is that they're exceptions. WoL isn't special until they start collecting crystals and they're not treated as special by the city-states until partway through the storyline. Why would a pureblood Garlean be running around without getting arrested? The only other pureblood Garleans who are mixing among the Eorzeans hide their 3rd eye. If we have a playable Garlean hide their 3rd eye too, then what's the point?

That leads into the fact that they're not different at all from what we already have. The only distinct feature of the Garleans is their 3rd eye. Otherwise the purebloods use elezen body models and head but with hyur ears.You can keep mentioning adding bunny ears to midlanders to make viera or how hrothgar are furry roes, but they have actual different faces/body models and distinctly different features. SE took and extremely lazy route for Garleans. A tiny handful of NPCs have their own unique faces, but even they use 100% elezen bodies that are not modified at all. If SE had more going on with them I may be singing a different tune, but that's not the case for now. It's possible existing Garleans might get more love pending a graphics overhaul, and I would welcome it because I've always had a problem with how they're portrayed, but then we get into complete conjecture territory.

[Lauront]

Is this not a case of simply moving the goalposts? It was stated with certainty that it was not possible for a Pureblood Garlean to wield aether, though an exception was found - and we've not yet delved into their homeland to see how many exceptions to the rule exist.

Or is every scrap of lore put forward now at the mercy of potentially being inaccurate because it just so happens to be present in the game's lore book?

It very much is moving the goalposts. Much like it is irrelevant whether or not a Pureblood in-game has been shown to use magic or not. The lorebook makes it clear that this eludes all but a few. So why would that matter?

All that is required is an opening that would allow for some exceptions to use magic - and that exists. It is in the lorebook. Now, being an in-universe perspective, could it be wrong? Yes, but until such time as it is shown to actually be wrong, I fail to see why it cannot serve as an opening to allow for a Pureblood which could wield magic.

It really is no more jarring than how the addition of male Viera fits with the existing lore given by the dramaturge.

I am not expecting that they will add Garlean Purebloods as a race, but I find the lore or "immersion" based reasons to be exceptionally weak, especially given how they've handled prior additions of new races to the game and, again, nothing a glamour can't hide, which is no more jarring than trying to explain why, in spite of being one of those very well hidden male bunnies, no one ever thought to ask you about that. Nevermind Au Ra wandering Ishgard without much fanfare.

With that said, I'd like to see enhanced customisation options allow for the possibility of creating a Pureblood. And much as with my request for them to add male Viera, I am not convinced that the lore will matter as an excuse to prevent it.

Lucia using spells was either an oversight, or her using some magitech device to mimic heal, since her origins as garlean was kept in the dark and making her not using magic would spoil it.

Imagine how worthless garleans spies would be if they didnt have any way to disguiss their complete lack of magic.

It could be an oversight. It could be magitek. Or she could be one of those rarities the lorebook touches upon.

With no real understanding of how their limitation works, beyond it having a genetic cause (according to Aulus), it is left open to the devs to write that as they please. Current lore is certainly no hindrance.

Viera males aren't seen due to their societies rules, it's not like it's physically impossible to see them. The rules can change and/or more Viera can decide to break them.
Also, as much as I do like my Viera, as a race they're not important to the story.

Garleans can't really use magic because of their biology, it's not something that can be waved away with some excuse like "they changed their minds lol."
Garlemald is also, unlike the Viera clans, pretty important and functions as one of the stories two main factions of antagonists.

The lore book says they by and large cannot do that. Not that every single one of them can't.

If Garlean sorcerers were a real thing and had the ability to do more than "aqua vitae", then why does the lore double-down hard on Garleans not being able to cast magic everywhere else in the game? Why have none of the high profile Garleans we've met and battled with cast damaging spells on us? Why do in-game sources mention multiple times about how they use conscripts for their mage forces? And why do they spend so much time, money, and energy in Stormblood to create the resonant if Garleans have been able to cast magic this whole time?

What does it even matter why we've yet to encounter one? They can invent any number of reasons for that. We already know from the lorebook that it is but a rare few who can wield magic. If it's some tiny fraction of their population, there is your reason.

As for why the in-game sources mention their use of conscripts for mage forces, simple - they lack the numbers amongst their own to form any grouped forces out of them. It's of little consequence to whether the WoL could be one, anyhow, and this to me is irrelevant to the point that they already have a source of lore they could exploit to allow for this without a retcon.

Like I've said before, even disregarding the lore, they're still the enemy through the whole game and yes, there are exceptions, but the whole point of those characters is that they're exceptions. WoL isn't special until they start collecting crystals and they're not treated as special by the city-states until partway through the storyline. Why would a pureblood Garlean be running around without getting arrested? The only other pureblood Garleans who are mixing among the Eorzeans hide their 3rd eye. If we have a playable Garlean hide their 3rd eye too, then what's the point?

Because the eye can be hidden. Not sure what's so hard to grasp about this one. Your own comments allude to them essentially looking like Hyur for the most part. Is it really any more jarring than any number of other things people have on their characters, that you can just imagine are not there for the purposes of immersion?

That singular passage is leaving room for its author to be wrong, and that is pretty much it. Name one notable pureblooded Garlean that is capable of using magic. I won't wait, because you cannot. They have yet to show even a single one that wasn't possessed by an Ascian or treated to a special procedure.

That same book also says,

"The Empire has banned religion, seeing it as a barbarian practice that all too often results in the summoning of primals. Many of the inhabitants of Garlemald proper are atheists, a fact attributable to their biological and spiritual inability to harbor and wield aether-based magicks. As theologians believe that religion can only truly develop alongside magic, it is little wonder that the Garleans are disinclined to keep any faith."

Something that is integral to the WoL is that we all believe in a patron deity from The Twelve. As a Garlean pureblood it wouldn't make any sense for us to believe in one of The Twelve. That would have to be removed from character creation, specifically for Garleans. Then Garlean players would feel left out.

Also note that the WoL's age is rather young, mid 20s to late 30s. This means that a pureblooded Garlean WoL would have been born after the introduction of Magitek to their society, and would have even less of a reason to leave Garlemald, to learn arcane arts, and to come be a hero in Eorzea.

As for the Echo, we've been shown half-blooded Garleans can have it through Arenvald. Never a pureblood, though. I'd posit that since the Echo is tied to a being's aetheric waveform, yes, it would be entirely possible for Garleans to have the Echo, but in my opinion it would lay dormant until they learned how to manipulate aether. If their body even could. Of course, even that wouldn't be enough to know they had the Echo. They'd have to encounter an event that let them know they had it. Considering the Echo lies dormant even in individuals who can readily manipulate aether, who's to say that a pureblooded Garlean would ever meet the right condition short of artificial means to precipitate the activation of their Echo? Further still, if Garleans could have the Echo, then why would it be a surprise to them to learn about such a thing from their warring with Eorzea?

To let us play Garleans would be to make the lore bend over backwards to accommodate the possibility. It would break too much while giving so little while also injecting dissonance into nearly every sidequest and cutscene. No thanks.

Then feel free to do as many of us do with characters we find jarring, e.g. in chicken suits, and pretend they don't exist. Problem solved.

None of the reasons enumerated there are in any way compelling blockers to adding them nor do they rule out an exceptional Garlean taking a different view on the matter.

As I said above, while the book can be wrong, it's a "so what?" At present, there is nothing to contradict it - and if it is correct, then along with that fall any objections regarding the Echo.

Trying to mount an argument based on the fact that we've yet to see one (aside from Lucia) do so in-game is not really going to make a difference here, because rarity alone of such individuals would be a sufficient reason for that and does not refute what the lore book is saying.

[Theodric]

As an aside, I don't think that it's true that Pureblood Garleans are not visually distinct from the other playable races. Barring Raen, Xaela and Hrothgar pretty much every other playable race is already just a taller or shorter 'human' with some additional features tacked on. You could even argue that Raen and Xaela should be included in that category.

It's also been a common request for a taller, conventionally attractive option to be added to the game for those who like to play male characters. Indeed, major streamers and many fans of the game such as myself have long stated that we've felt there aren't enough options on that front. We know from the game's established lore that Pureblood Garleans are physically imposing and as we've seen from the likes of Gaius, Varis and Nero they have distinct facial features and are arguably pretty handsome.

They likely won't appeal to the same crowd that is content to play a dainty character, certainly - but tastes are broad and there's many ways in which the selection of playable races could be expanded to appeal to more individuals.

I'd be playing a Highlander since I like their physique and height, though their faces and lack of eyebrows leave much to be desired. Garlean Purebloods, designed correctly, could fill a niche between Midlander and Highlander. Similar builds to the latter, handsome faces like the former.

At any rate, this just circles back to the claims that male viera would never happen because of 'lore', or how we'd never get a darker themed job because of the 'lore'. Yet both happened due to popular request. Given the game is supposedly set to have development support for at least another decade, that's plenty of time for things to change substantially as it progresses. For all we know, there might even be a new point of entry for the MSQ's. Or we might get fresh reveals once we reach Garlemald itself in the upcoming expansion.

The development team may just decide to add something based entirely on the 'rule of cool' basis - which is basically why Hrothgar came to be due to Yoshi-P wanting to see a more bestial playable race.

[Allegor]

Garleans are literally Elezen customized models - the race doesn't even have a "base" design other than being 'taller Hyur', so it'd be miles easier to just add their forehead pearl things as a glamour option than add them as a whole new race that would bring problems from all sides, from lore to coding.

[Theodric]

Garleans are literally Elezen customized models - the race doesn't even have a "base" design other than being 'taller Hyur', so it'd be miles easier to just add their forehead pearl things as a glamour option than add them as a whole new race that would bring problems from all sides, from lore to coding.

WoW is a much older game and went to the trouble of updating dated NPC and character models on multiple occasions. If FFXIV struggles to do the same, it isn't a ringing endorsement to me. For example, here's the original High Elf model in WoW:



It was later updated to be along these lines:



There's many other examples that could be drawn upon, be it regular monsters to critters throughout the game world.

So it wouldn't be impossible for Pureblood Garleans to be given their own distinct model that later could be turned into a playable option. There's precedence for it elsewhere in much older MMO's and it doesn't seem like Garleans are lacking in popularity - I've met a lot of Garlean fans over the years that I've played this game.

[Lauront]

Garleans are literally Elezen customized models - the race doesn't even have a "base" design other than being 'taller Hyur', so it'd be miles easier to just add their forehead pearl things as a glamour option than add them as a whole new race that would bring problems from all sides, from lore to coding.

The lore part of it is not difficult to surmount at all. In terms of whether there would be more efficient ways to represent them as a race given the rather severe limitations this game seems to suffer from thanks to how it was designed? Yes, no doubt.

[Allegor]

It's not impossible, but Blood elves are visible different than Night elves, aside from actually being different races despite both being elves, while Garleans are just taller Hyurs/shorter-eared Elezen. The fact that the few allied Garleans we have can pass off as Hyurs by hiding their pearls is a pretty clear indicator that even in universe they're seen as practically the same race.

Once again, it'd be far, far easier to just add the pearl as a glamour, or even give Hyurs a graphic update, than making them a whole new race

[SannaR]

You have to separate game play and the things the game has to allow for it to game from what the lore says. The whole reason you see way more cat boies and a few running around with Nuhn as their last name is because the game allows it. Same with all of the other races and jobs that shouldn't have so many or more than one.

In your play through the msq and the job/class quests only you are the exception. The fact that some of you don't want to see that split or accept it as a split shows how much you rely on it as a crutch for your argument for wanting it.