Four expansions so far... what is your favorite capital city and why?

[Raikai]

Can include "secondary" cities like Eulmore

For myself, I'll make a top 3 best cities list:

3. Radz-at-Han. No foul to Sharlayan, but I wish this was the main hub with the Marketboard, because the vibrant ambience really makes it stand out. My only peeve was that the central zone of the city, where we do our things, was in a more open space.

2. Ul'dah I wish the Sapphire Avenue was more central to the Aetherythe because it really captures the vibes of a busy trade hub, because that's the feel I have when I get in Ul'dah. I wonder how better it would be if it was built with more recent tech without 2 zones.

1. I honestly think Kugane is the best so far hands down. It has the atmosphere of an actual city, very charming with personality and with busy streets, and there's even a neat jumping puzzle. It makes me wonder how cool Bukyo will be if we get to it one day, and more specifically, how can they make it distrinct from Kugane.

And a bottom 3 worst cities:

3. Ishgard. I'll probably be burned down to a crisp for this... Don't get me wrong, Ishgard is beautiful but it's kinda depressing to be there for a long time because of how dull the weather makes it most of the time - I get that is probably working as intended, but as a personal preference, I'd pass.

2. Crystarium. To me, it just feels like a big empty castle instead of a city. Eulmore is also a bit like that, but at least is more cozy and with more interesting bits, even if much smaller. Design wise, the Crystarium got to be the most inconvenient capital city.

1. Overall, the worst city to me is Gridania. The least interesting because it will eternally look like a questing zone settlement. That would defnitely be a city that could benefit way more from a vertical design, going atop of the trees, to show the grandeur of the forest.

I'm curious to see what they'll come up with Dawntrail's capital city. A big complaint for me, even in my favorite capital Kugane, is that we don't get to go inside many buildings. I'd love to see more of that.

[Theodric]

Ishgard. I like the architecture a lot as well as all the snow and ice. Kugane is a close second and Eulmore sits in third place. The upper area of the city, at least.

[Soge01]

Sharlyan. I really like its design and the relaxed atmosphere it gives off.

[Enkidoh]

I actually hate Kugane - it's a confusing jumble of square buildings and annoying streets which makes it a chore to get anywhere, and the snooty, arrogant npcs don't help (seriously, the Sekisigumi should have been hired to take down Meteion given how invincible they're portrayed as - even the Garleans were wary of crossing them). And unfortunately, it was unnecessarily shoehorned into SB's story just to give it a reason for even having us be there, like Vaan in FFXII it could be excised completely from the game and SB's story would barely change. Uurrrrghh. :P

Gridania is actually my favourite, and I disagree it's a chore to get anywhere (it's actually better than it was in 1.0 where those horrible long passageways and tunnels you had to always travel through back then have now been excised and the game just skips to the next area through them). It's quiet and relaxing, and I admit part of why I chose Gridania as my starting city in both 1.0 and ARR was because it also reminded me of my beloved Windy (Windurst) in FFXI, another green 'forest' city.

Ala Mhigo would be my choice, but alas because it's inaccessable as an actual city (no, the 'Ala Mhigan Quarter' in the Lochs does not count), it doesn't make my list.

[Elissar]

Crystarium
Ishgard


I feel like we have so many cool cities with open spaces but people can't leave limsa for some reason (probably MB convenience)...

[Soge01]

Crystarium
Ishgard


I feel like we have so many cool cities with open spaces but people can't leave limsa for some reason (probably MB convenience)...

It is a shame. :<

[ShiCorvus]

In no particular order...

1. Limsa Lominsa
I started as an arcanist, so Limsa is kinda like my hometown. And because it's my home I love it despite all the weirdos at the main plaza and npcs who think it's "talk like a pirate day" everyday. Oh and the music obviously, feels me with enthusiasm everytime.

2. Ishgard
Ishgard is just awesome. When i first got there I spent quite some time just walking around with my mouth hanging open taking in the architecture. Also the moment you enter it for the first time and get hit with that music theme is just perfection.

3. Kugane
What can I say, I'm a huge weeb ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4. All the rest of them
I think there is something to like about every city and I can honestly say that I wouldn't call any of them my "least favourite"
(okay maybe Rhalgr's Reach but I don't like Gyr Abania in general and it's barely a city anyway so...)

[Toutatis]

Radz-at-Han: I just like the theme, the colours and the layout. I just wish I could click on the door of a townhouse there and it would open on instanced housing

Kugane comes second and Ulda'h third ( I bought both my Primal and my Aether houses in the Goblet because of that + it's practical)

I feel like we have so many cool cities with open spaces but people can't leave limsa for some reason (probably MB convenience)...

I find myself in Limsa and Ulda’h (which one depends on which character I’m on because of the gc) way more often than Radz simply because they are the most complete and practical: in Limsa, the aetheryte is right by the market board and it’s quick to travel to other servers to buy less expensive items (Ulda’h isn’t bad as the Sapphire Avenue MB is just one click away: no need to run), all the regular vendors including a dye vendor as well as the scrips vendors are there, I do ocean fishing sometimes and Limsa is where you board, I can turn in all that dungeon gear to the gc and send my squadron to their daily mission, there’s access to in game mail, two glamour dressers, two fc chests, etc. The only thing missing is the latest gear but I don’t need that every day.

Unfortunately all the cities other than the starting cities offer incomplete services and lack practicality. For example, in the last one has the glamour dresser and the market board while the other city has the scrips and the latest tome/token gear and items vendors. Kugane and Ishgard do better than the new cities but they are still missing features I constantly use (and I dislike Ishgard as everything is too grey, including the weather)

[Elissar]

I find myself in Limsa and Ulda’h (which one depends on which character I’m on because of the gc) way more often than Radz simply because they are the most complete and practical: in Limsa, the aetheryte is right by the market board and it’s quick to travel to other servers to buy less expensive items (Ulda’h isn’t bad as the Sapphire Avenue MB is just one click away: no need to run)

Radz is famous for the commerce of dyes...and we don't have a decent MB there. I will never get it.
I feel like sometimes they attach themselves too much into the aesthetics perfectionism, moving the MB away from where we would like to have it. In Crystarium for example, the MB stands at the center of a commercial area and makes perfect sense...but takes too much to get there from the central Aetheryte.

I think they see Limsa like more than just a city but as a "bridge between worlds" where everyone go to trade, see other people and sprouts can see how badass you can be at the endgame. So far, it's working more than the idea of housing neighborhood.

Similar stuff happened with Mu Online. In theory, LostTower was the main hub of trade but people spent more time in Lorencia or Noria because...it was more convenient and pretty.

[Zeastria]

I dont really have any favorite..
Mostly because i just end up staying in Limsa..
(where there are players)

Anyway i like how Sharlayan and Ishgard look ( the buildings and layout).