Building a better Alphinaud

[TaleraRistain]

I think the most competent surviving leader would be Gaius, and I could easily picture a scenario in which he takes the throne.

I can't. After the Werlyt questline, I think he's got a very good reason to want to be done with all that nonsense. He still cares about his homeland, but I can't remotely see him wanting to be in charge. Especially because he's come to see that he did some pretty wrong actions thinking they were the right things. Plus he knows Maxima is there and working on helping to rebuild. He can stay doing his own things with his new companions, and his daughter, and be his own person for once in his life now.

One more point I just recalled, he's also part of Werlyt's provisional government and he was protecting that area from Blasphemies in Endwalker. So his focus seems to be on his new home now, and since he has Allie to look after, it makes sense he wouldn't want to put a target on the back of his only remaining child by trying to be in control of somewhere like Garlemald. Even if the truth about Varis came out, he would still have enemies in that sort of position. He probably has some even where he is with Werlyt.

[MikkoAkure]

I can't. After the Werlyt questline, I think he's got a very good reason to want to be done with all that nonsense. He still cares about his homeland, but I can't remotely see him wanting to be in charge. Especially because he's come to see that he did some pretty wrong actions thinking they were the right things. Plus he knows Maxima is there and working on helping to rebuild. He can stay doing his own things with his new companions, and his daughter, and be his own person for once in his life now.

We're going way off tangent, but besides being accused of regicide, he's also a deserter. He can talk his way out of the accusations around murdering Varis since the lead witness and actual perpetrator is a traitor, but he 100% deserted his legion to pursue a personal vendetta against the Ascians and then started feeding information to the Eorzean Alliance. You'd need to rewrite elements of the story going back years to make Gaius a valid candidate for the throne.

While they could have introduced a Larsa-equivalent, it was a bit late in the game to do that and we'd just be repeating the same story as FFXII all over again. Just because it worked for one game doesn't mean it will work for another or needs to happen again. Regardless, Garlemald is neutered and can't really do anything large scale anymore. The writers left the fates of the remaining legions vague if they want to use them again for something, but we also might be stepping into territory the game has already been before if they have yet another rogue legion like the IVth or the VIIth. Legati and princes vying for the throne ended up destabilizing and destroying the country so it's probably best that they do away with the throne anyway.

[TaleraRistain]

We're going way off tangent, but besides being accused of regicide, he's also a deserter. He can talk his way out of the accusations around murdering Varis since the lead witness and actual perpetrator is a traitor, but he 100% deserted his legion to pursue a personal vendetta against the Ascians and then started feeding information to the Eorzean Alliance. You'd need to rewrite elements of the story going back years to make Gaius a valid candidate for the throne.

While they could have introduced a Larsa-equivalent, it was a bit late in the game to do that and we'd just be repeating the same story as FFXII all over again. Just because it worked for one game doesn't mean it will work for another or needs to happen again. Regardless, Garlemald is neutered and can't really do anything large scale anymore. The writers left the fates of the remaining legions vague if they want to use them again for something, but we also might be stepping into territory the game has already been before if they have yet another rogue legion like the IVth or the VIIth. Legati and princes vying for the throne ended up destabilizing and destroying the country so it's probably best that they do away with the throne anyway.

To be fair, though, Maxima's also a deserter and a traitor to some. I imagine he will have some issues as well, but he has a history of always working for the people so that will help him.

To the second point, I imagine a lot of Garleans are at least giving the side eye to a single leader idea the way the Ala Mhigans did to the idea of having another king. Been there, done that, let's try something else shall we.

[Rulakir]

There's this wonderful idea of having the writers not kill off the entire royal family

I'm not even particularly a fan of Garlemald and I'm ticked off they seemingly wiped out the entire line of Solus in EW.

[CrownySuccubus]

I could get behind any other post-totalitarian country restoring their throne except for Garlemald. To me, restoring that country as an Empire would negate the major themes of FFXIV to date (although, I'm sure certain parties wouldn't mind that).

Garlemald's core principle was that might makes right, and that it likewise makes absolute right. The country's government, civilian sector and military engine were all built from the idea that strength and authority are one in the same, and there would be no way you could personally convince me that Garlemald's "Galvus Chapter" was over if we just killed one dictator and put another one (even if he/she seems nice at the time) on the throne. I could buy it with Eulmore, Ala Mhigo or Ishgard based on the fact that each one of them were basically ruled by one insane or deluded dictator and, once they were removed from power, the country didn't really have to worry anymore. But Garlemald's entire ideology was built on the principle of the mightiest conquering and exploiting the weak. Throughout FFXIV's lifespan, it changed dictator twice. You could have put a panda on the throne and (in my opinion) I wouldn't buy that this was a bright new Garlean Empire. Especially if they suddenly rejected any cooperation with the Alliance out of nationalistic pride and cultural autonomy or something, as has been suggested they "should have".

[IkaraGreydancer]

I'm not even particularly a fan of Garlemald and I'm ticked off they seemingly wiped out the entire line of Solus in EW.

Well you can blame Solus himself for that.
Also Solus (Hades) and and Varis died in ShB (or maybe Varis died at the end of SB, it's been awhile) not EW iirc

[CrownySuccubus]

Well you can blame Solus himself for that.
Also Solus (Hades) and and Varis died in ShB (or maybe Varis died at the end of SB, it's been awhile) not EW iirc

He means the royal family. Which died offscreen just before the WOL can track them down in a sidequest.

[MikkoAkure]

He means the royal family. Which died offscreen just before the WOL can track them down in a sidequest.

Yeah, that was honestly kind of lame but I could also see them doing that to remove any potential ambiguity around the regime change since they're keen on ending the Garlean/Ascian/Hydaelyn/Zodiark story in favor of something new.

[IkaraGreydancer]

He means the royal family. Which died offscreen just before the WOL can track them down in a sidequest.

I guess stuff happening offscreen doesn't bother me. Gives a sense of there being a world outside of just us

[Raven2014]

I can't. After the Werlyt questline, I think he's got a very good reason to want to be done with all that nonsense.

And they pay very strong focus on that particular element. Isghard's xenophobia or Ala Mihgo suspicious toward turn-coat is NOTHING comparing to Empire's indoctrination. This was illustrated in the EW's MSQ when the woman risk taking her sick sister escaping to the wild rather than receiving help from the "barbarian". If the Eozea army was shown to have any connection or in a cahot with the supposed-regicide, that will not end well.


I don't know why people are acting as if EW is like the end all for the Empire story. If anything, FF14 is known for to pace out the story over a lonnnnggg time. We just finally put the final seal on Isghard's redevelopment. Doma is almost there but Ala Mihgo is still a WIP. I wouldn't be suprise if the conclusion to the Empire story will only be seen in 3 expansion packs away. There are still a lot of material regarding Garlmean, like Corvos where they were driven off, and Goug which was their ancestral home. The current identity of the Garlmean is an Ascian construct to serve as tool for the end of the world, my guess is the resolution to the Garlmean would be they try to trace back their original identity as a race of people.