[suggestion] Add more personalization and other details about Path Companions

[Naylia]

Voted up....more customization of Path Companions would be great. I mean are they really gonna wear the exact same gear forever? That's no fun.

Also let me choose a battle style for them - defensive, aggressive, etc...

[Malakhim]

I'm bumpin' me a thread!

In line with Abriael's original post and others who have posted in this thread, I too feel that path companions are they are right now are a missed opportunity for some actual RPG elements in FFXIV. Not to sound antagonizing, but didn't ANYONE over at SE Japan even HEAR about Bioware?

While I don't necessarily agree that we need to outright change the level of gear customization that path companions use(although it couldn't hurt), I feel that there should definitely be a higher level of connection between the player and their chosen path companion, and this could be achieved through the various means introduced in the OP like allowing us to "romance" our path companions, maybe going on background story quests relating to the chosen companion(and this could be different for each companion), as well as allowing us to call on them for some regular adventuring.

[Nakiamiie]

I really like your idea of romance in a MMORPG, definitely something I'd like to see too.

[Malakhim]

I really like your idea of romance in a MMORPG, definitely something I'd like to see too.

Get to liking that original post!

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

That post is full of great idea's. Hopefully the dev's will actually look at this one, instead of some of the other, less interesting ideas.

[Abriael]

I'm bumpin' me a thread!

In line with Abriael's original post and others who have posted in this thread, I too feel that path companions are they are right now are a missed opportunity for some actual RPG elements in FFXIV. Not to sound antagonizing, but didn't ANYONE over at SE Japan even HEAR about Bioware?

Eheh, to be fair, I'm pretty much of the idea that Bioware "learned" at least a bit from the romance storylines that were present in Japanese games (including Squaresoft and Enix ones, and Final Fantasy in particular) quite a lot before western developers even started to look at it as a potential attraction point for their games. To bring an example Final Fantasy IV is one of the most romantic games ever released, and it came a few years before Bioware was founded

Unfortunately it seems that lately (from Final Fantasy XII on), Square Enix has moved away from romance in their games, and I very much think that Final Fantasy XIV would be the perfect chance to go back to their roots and rediscover a little more feelings and ivolvement in their questlines. It would please the older fans and probably create an unique selling point to bring in new ones.

[Winterclaw]

How about making path companions like heroes were in GW?

Abriael. Actually FF10 was the last game to feature a romance in the main story. After the merge, SE said they wanted to get away from that for awhile. On some level, I can see where they are coming from (absence makes the heart grow fonder). On another level they need to make up for that, which they haven't.

Frankly I'd love to see FF15 as a harem comedy (either with no canon ending or having the canon ending as the hero chooses all the babes).

[Randis]

Regarding the romance, my catgirl path companion is that kind of girl who bangs on the first date and she never fails to remind me every time we meet.

[Abriael]

Abriael. Actually FF10 was the last game to feature a romance in the main story.

i didn't count FF11, simply because as a MMO it wasn't really expected to have romance (even if it'd be possible, and it's pretty evident that I'd love to see it in XIV).

Personally I find the idea of moving away from romance one of the most silly Square ever had. It's always been one of the strongest points of their games backstories and the fans did react quite negatively to it.

With Final Fantasy XII and XIII the biggest (reasonable) complaint I heard around was the lack of character progression an depth, and romance is a primary factor to that.
Maybe they wanted to be more similar to the majority of western games, and that's pretty funny to see that quite a few western developers made the opposite move that was met with success.

[Krausus]

Yes yes very much yes!!!