Final Fantasy XIV forces you to make decisions relatively early in the game, which can leave some new players a bit numb to this choice. You need to choose a large corporation to ally yourself with to advance the story, but what does that mean? As important as it sounds, people are afraid to make the “wrong” choice.
Actually it’s not a big deal. Here I tell you what your choice will affect and what you should consider when choosing between the three Dalians.
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What is the difference between the big companies?
Functionally, all three Adders, Flames and Maelstrom are identical. The difference lies in their stories, pursuits and charms, and of course in the different cities they live in. When playing in Frontline PvP mode, you also have the option of fighting for your Company and can only team up with other people on your faction (or freelancers on your faction).
Can I switch to a larger company?
If you later want to change, you can do so by talking to the human resources officer of the faction you want to join (every 15 days). Your first transfer is free, but if you want to transfer more after that, each transfer will cost 50,000 gil.
This can cost a lot of gil in the early game, so I recommend upgrading your Grand Company before doing the second switch. Also keep in mind that you will keep all your squadron progress, but you will have to unlock them by re-ranking in your new faction. PvP ratings are memorized separately for each faction, but you will only progress in your current Company.
favorable
Perhaps the most important factor in choosing your Grand Company is your easy access to their headquarters when you need to. You’ll be frequenting the place often, so if it’s a bit far away, you’ll have another 5-10 seconds and that will add up over time.
Moving from the main ether crystal to the Adder’s Nest in Gridania takes about 12 seconds.
The Hall of Fire is only about 9 seconds from Ul’dah’s main Ether if you jump off the flowerbed on the side of the building.
Honestly, Maelstrom Barracks is not in a good position. Once you reach Limsa, you still need to use ether to get you to the castle behind, then dash across a bridge. My total screen loading time took about 18 seconds.
Of course, if you’ve decided to choose one of these three cities as your ethereum home and you’re going to be spending time there anyway, that could set you off in one direction. For example, many people choose Limsa as their stopover because of the easy access to market boards and call bells. For these individuals, it makes more sense to have Maelstrom as their Big Company.
If you’re lucky enough to buy a residential piece of land that happens to be on a lavender bed, your home point might be located in Gridania and you want to take advantage of free travel from ethereum main to the wards.
It also depends on where you want to be. Maybe you really like Ul’dah’s aesthetic. The music and the environment will immerse you in it.
These are all things to consider, but it hinges on where you find yourself spending the most time in the world. There may be another small benefit to owning a large Company.
charming
One of the most notable differences between the Big Companies is the type of equipment or clothing you can buy from the vendors there. Of course, this isn’t immediately available, but as you rank up, you’ll gain access to more devices featuring their company’s signature style.
These outfits cannot be dyed, so their colors represent the officer NPCs you see throughout the game. Adders wear yellow, green and brown clothes. Flames wear more subdued blues and grays. Maelstrom uniforms come in a lot of red and black.
They all have top-rated iconic Level 50 body parts. If you really love that particular charisma, then that might be enough to land you in a big company. Remember that you must be a current member to use the charm, even if you previously purchased and then changed companies.
Even if you are not a member, you can still view the services of each Grand Company provider. You won’t be able to buy anything, but you can still try on things at the fitting room window. Check out their best offerings to see if they’re right for you.
PvP
This is one of the more intense aspects of Grand Companies that doesn’t involve anyone but those who actually invest in PvP. As a current Grand Company member, you have the option of always queuing for Frontline PvP battles. If you want, you can also select the Frontline Freelancer option in the job finder and get sorted into random companies as needed. This may slightly reduce your queuing time, but may result in a lower overall success rate, depending on your data center.
There used to be a stereotype that the maelstrom was always the winner. In my experience, this hasn’t happened in a while, at least in the Light datacenter. It is a psychological phenomenon of “like new don’t like old”. When you replace the Great Companies, the company you left behind seems to start to win.
You hardly notice when you win, but if you see another faction entering the match twice in a week, that will impress you, because our negative experiences can tend to have a larger impact on our Influence. They are likely to be close in skill.
I’d say don’t worry too much about which Grand Company PvP you’re in, but maybe spend some time instead of freelancing to find out how much you like your data center faction. You can also search data center PvP discord groups and see how active they are to get an idea of how much one company has compared to others.
In short
My suggestion is to take a look at each Grand Company HQ supplier and see if you love any of the weapons or body charms. If not, then I recommend showing your allegiance to the city you designate as your home.
I personally chose Limsa and Maelstrom because I started my FFXIV journey there and I like the vibe there. I’ve also taken advantage of a marketplace board I have on hand, so if I ever need to go to my Grand Company, I don’t mind spending the extra time on ethernet.
What made you choose your Grand Company? What do you like about them and how they perform in PvP in your data center? Closed in comments.