Hydaelyn Role-Players

1. First off, the City-State on your character screen > Profile in-game, does this change when you pick Grand Company or what? I'm having a real hard time choosing where to start out (though it doesn't matter much, as I'll wind up being either Paladin or Warrior by the end of things, and both require at least *something* from a zone, so I'm choosing based on story reasons and just personal preference with looks.


So, walking around the two I've really come to like Gridania and Limsa Lominsa's aesthetics the most, though I detest the pirate speak, it's a really pretty place, and in order to choose one of the three areas, I'd like to know a bit about the actual stories.


So, what I'm also asking is...


2. Could anyone give me a rundown (as spoiler free as possible) of each zones starting story? By this I mean the 1-15/20 content until you choose a grand company and everything pretty much becomes the same.


3. A rundown of each grand companies story as well. Of course, as spoiler free as possible.


4. Is it possible to change company?


5. Does the gear from them even matter much in the long run?


Thanks, all!

I'll leave the summaries to others. To your other questions:

1. It will always be on your character sheet, and it affects some dialogue in very minor ways (such as being referenced as a citizen of a city when doing a quest for it). It has no effect on your Grand Company affiliation and no functional effects on the plot or gameplay.

4. Yes, once you hit max rank in a Grand Company, you can apply for a transfer to a different one. You can change once every 30 days.

5. That depends on how you play. I use GC gear a fair amount for secondary classes. It's about on par with dungeon drops or HQ crafted gear, so it's really just an alternative way to gear up. At the high end, it's one of the easiest ways to get item level 55 gear (especially weapons).

2~ So, the three starter storylines are all fairly similar in functionality. In the opening CS, you'll get a short rundown of each city's history and current endeavors. Your first quest once you load into the game will be to register with the Adventurer's Guild of your starter city. Afterwards, you'll be taken to three places: The Market Wards, the City-State's Aetheryte, and the Guild of your starter Class. 
From there, you'll quickly get thrown into the current affairs of your respective city-state. By doing as many of the local quests as you can stomach, you'll get a perspective of some of the lore and history of the city and as you level, your Guild-assigned "Class Quests" will generally direct you to whichever zone is appropriate for your level, as well as ICly educating you about the role of your chosen class at a basic level.

If you choose Limsa Lominsa, you'll become engulfed in the never-ending struggle of politics and the daunting task of keeping beasts and men who act like beasts in line. Limsa Lominsa is a nation stretched thin across the high seas. The Sahagin beastmen attack their ships at sea while the Kobolds defend their sacred lands against the Lominsans who continue to encroach upon their territory. There's also some pirates, as you may have heard. But rest assured, not everyone in Limsa does Pirate talk. 

If you choose Gridania, you'll come to find purity, sanctity, and serenity within a forest that is never, ever at peace. Gridania was hit hardest by the Calamity and is desperately trying to recover after the 5 years. Her people are in great need and your first 15+ levels, you'll be the one to aid them. There's a little something for everyone in Grid. Hiking, Gardening, Angry Birds... 

If you choose Ul'dah, you best keep your friends close and your fannypack full of gil closer. It's a rough town, made even rougher by the Calamity. There's a great disparity between the very rich and the unlucky, and you'll be trying to bridge this gap. (And make a little extra for yourself on the side.) Your first 15 levels will be spent trying to carve out your place in the Jewel of the Desert. 

Around Lv15 the storylines start converging back together as you begin to dig deeper into the events unfolding in the three cities. You'll face some inner demons and uncover some sinister forces at work behind the scenes. But it's probably just pirates. Anyways, these events will propel you into the limelight and you'll start moving on to the next hottest thing. This is when you'll attract the attention of the Grand Companies.


3~ The Grand Companies were originally formed about 1600 years ago during the 6th Umbral Era. They symbolize the union of the previously warring city-states in an effort to combat forces behind the Umbral Events at hand. 1600 years later, this idea was resurrected with the coming of the 7th Umbral Era. The modern city-states once again cast aside their differences just as their predecessors had done. These Companies survived the Calamity and continue to exist into this storyline.

If you want to know more details about the three modern Grand Companies I'd suggest checking out this link here: The Grand Companies of Eorzea


5~ In the long run, no. The current gear available from the GCs isn't all that great. However, if you're starting out, GC gear can make a great first step towards even better gear. So it's more about getting a leg up in the "gearing up" process and being vanity than it is for functionality.

Possibly when/if they ever release the higher GC ranks and GC storylines again, there'll be better gear that will accompany them.



As for Paladin/Warrior, feel free to send me a message if you have any questions about the class, leveling up, etc. I main those two and would be happy to help you out if you need. ^^

Thank you very much for both of your posts, sounsy! I think I've got enough insight now to make my own decision on how I want to go through in this game. Also, thank you as well for your guide on Paladins in general, It answered a number of things I was confused about. I was also a bit worried starting anywhere aside from Ul'dah but that's been eased and I'll give things a liiitle more thought before moving on.

Your time is highly appreciated with that great post format to explain things to me!

4 ...
If you do change companies your old one is effectively frozen, so if you change back you don't have to start it again.
If you do change then all your other company items stop working and you start with the new company at the bottom. You can sell CG items back for a few credits.
Leveling your new company is not that bad, especialy if you also level an alt class, hit some fates and do the hunting log.

GC gear is pretty good for leveling new jobs. I never had enough credits to buy GC gear while leveling BLM, but thanks to FATE spam I did for my other jobs. Though now nobody spams FATEs anymore, so seals are a bit harder to come by than they used to be.

I've personally liked Gridania story most (felt same in 1.0) , because its the only one that has two NPCs in the main storyline and I love watching them bicker.
I still plan to level character in each city and company to see it all

I love Ul'dah because your footing is never sure. You have the monarchy who seems good and pure, but hints that it is ineffective and oblivious. The Syndicate, the baddest mob you have ever seen. And the Flame General, who seems honestly loyal, but gives me the feeling, with his command of the army, and his secretive private army, the Bloodsworn, that he may one day just show his true colors and waste both the Sultanna and the Syndicate and take over.

I just love having Erik try and be honest and honorable in this cluster.