Ten Reasons Why: Gridania
For today’s “Ten Reasons Why” I want to look at Gridania, and give you Ten Reasons Why: Gridania is the Best City to Live.
I mentioned previously that Ishgard had overtaken Ul’dah as my second-favourite city, and that if there was housing there I would seriously consider buying some in Ishgard. As it is, I seriously want to consider buying some in Ul’dah as well, but for me the place I most want to live – including the new zone, which is very nice too – is Gridania. Why? Well, here’s Ten Reasons Why.
10. Where I Started
Starting off with the simplest first and it’s simply where I started out.
When I started the game I chose Bard. I did that because, after reviewing the options, I decided if I was going to “start again” after my WoW experiences then I’d go with one of two WoW classes: Warrior or Hunter. My Warrior was my main in WoW, and I loved playing as her. My second main was a Priest, whom I also loved, and yet in terms of classes I just had the most fun playing it would be my Warrior or my Hunter. Now Bard is different to Hunter for a few reasons, the most significant being that WoW Hunters get a pet and FFXIV Hunters don’t. That’s ok though because I have a bit of a thing for the TV show Arrow – I seriously love “Speedy”, if I could “be” one character from that show it would be her – and the idea of jumping around and firing arrows at people therefore became appealing. So, I chose Bard to start out with and that meant that the opening package had me showing up in Gridania on the transport… so it feels like my character really started her life in Gridania.
Because that’s where I started out it’s also where I quested the most, thus it’s the city that I know the layout of the best, it’s the city where I’ve spoken to the most NPC sellers so I know where the vast majority of them are, and it’s in the zone that I also know the best, The Shroud. As such, I obviously find it the zone I’m most comfortable in, therefore I’m somewhat biased toward it being the best zone. If I’d started out in another zone maybe I’d feel the same about that one. As it is I don’t have that option – I’ve also started characters in the other two cities, but that’s never the same as doing it the FIRST time – and thus I consider it the best city partly because it’s simply where I feel the most comfortable.
9. The Classes
Second on the list is a slightly best, and more divisive, reason, being that it has the best classes.
Everyone will have their own favourites, of course. I’m not going to deny people that. Nor am I going to tell you that you’re wrong for liking one class over another. I will say, however, that for me the best classes in the game are all situated in Gridania: Bard, White Mage, Dragoon and Leatherworker. Of the four I just mentioned (and yes, I’m aware there’s also woodworking and botany) I started out as a bard and, despite playing with other classes, still prefer the Bard class over everything else I’ve tried so far. Naturally, therefore, the home of the Bard class makes sense to be my favourite city. Yet when I was wanting to start a healer I looked at the various options, I chose White Mage and then found, to my amusement, that the starting zone for White Mage was, in fact, Gridania. That meant that all the quests for White Mage also took place in Gridania, and how damn fun are the quests for White Mage? The story that unfolds, the history of the class, and the bits of Gridania you have to explore as a result was by far the most fun I’ve had levelling a class so far.
There’s also Dragoon, which is my favourite class I haven’t levelled yet. I love their look, I love their weapons, and I love their combat style. What’s more I love the Azure Dragoon and his story (see my previous list for more on that) which only makes me want to level a Dragoon all the more. Yet again that was before I learned their starting zone was Gridania. I did, however, know that Leatherworkers started out in Gridania before I even understood what the crafting jobs were. It was the first crafting job I began – which again perhaps makes me naturally biased toward it – but as I levelled it I quickly found it’s also amongst my favourite ones for the equipment I can make and the story that you follow doing the quests. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Guild Master when I started out, but as I went on I warmed to the character as well. Thus, my favourite combat job, my favourite healing job and my favourite crafting job are all based in Gridania giving me reason to state simply that Gridania has the best classes.
8. The NPCs
Another potentially divisive one but let me explain before you judge me, as I do believe that Gridania has the best NPCs.
This is where I think Ishgard has a really great cast of characters as well, but as much as I love some of the NPCs in Ishgard, I still think Gridania is better. While levelling as a Hunter/Bard you meet the group at the Hunters Guild who are unique and interesting. You have the Guild Master, who’s quite fun in himself, along with the two very different duo you train with. Their story – one thinks you’re not good enough, the other is on your side – is a fun one and I was a little sad when I got sent to the Bard trainer and away from continuing with them. Meanwhile the story you get while levelling as a White Mage is great with both trainers, from the story with the girl whose mother healed without relying on nature to the Seedseer duo who take you up to level 50, this group were really fun the whole time. Then there’s the cast of characters you meet during levelling the other classes, from the Botanist trainer who’s about ready to give up on Botany at one stage, to the Leatherworker trainer who’s too arrogant for their own good at one stage, the various cast you encounter in the different professions are seriously a fun bunch in Gridania.
Then there’s everyone else, from the elderly butler who gives you a dungeon to complete, to the various other quest givers around the place, to the event-giver, they all have their own little personalities but yet all have one thing in common: their love of nature and the natural world. Maybe this is why I like them all so much. It isn’t that I’m a huge nature lover – I’d much prefer to live in a huge city than out in the middle of the woods – but the theme of this city is the one I like in comparison to the other two. The pirate thing got old to me really fast in Limsa, where it was funny at first and then it got really annoying trying to work out what they were saying when they all talk in pirate slang, and in Ul’dah the worst thing about it – in my opinion – is how goddamn racist they all are, with so many just claiming that the refugees are what’s wrong with everything. Gridania, meanwhile, feels more welcoming, and everyone has a nice attitude… so what isn’t to love about the NPCs?
7. The Market
There’s a big market in all three cities, but once again for me it’s Gridania that wins here.
I can explain why I like this one the most by explaining the problems with the other two. Ul’dah, I believe, didn’t used to have an aetheryte anywhere near the market, so it was quite a hike to get there. They’ve added one now, which lessens that problem, but the market is still quite a way from all the other major areas I visit (like the Adventurer’s Guild) so to get from one to the other you’ve got no choice but to take the aetherytes around. You may think that’s not a problem, but for me it became annoying while levelling tradecrafts to keep having to run to go to so many different places. The market there is, however, nice and compact. All the venders are laid out in a way that it’s easy to find them all, so that’s a plus. That’s a negative in Limsa. The market seems so stretched out, with a huge area in between, and it feels like you’ve got to travel unnecessarily far to find the mender. One plus for Limsa is how close the market is to the main aetheryte. The flipside of that is… how close the market is to the main aetheryte. It’s normally bar far the busiest area of the map, and I honestly found it annoying to go to see my retainers in the market without porting half way down to go to the retainer bell down there. Simply the fact that you’ve got an aetheryte half way down though proves my point about how stretched out their market is.
Then we have Gridania. It’s not far from the main aetheryte, making its location convenient while not having the extra overflow of people coming into the city, while also nice and compact so that to run from one end to the other takes no time at all. Everything I need at this market I can find easily, and the vender that sells extra stuff I need (like Clear Prisms) isn’t too far away either. This market has a really nice feel to it as well. The building it’s in feels like you’re going into a proper little market area as well, which I think adds to the “feel” of the market. Add to that that the main marketboard and the retainer bell is right in the middle of the market and I just find everything about the look, feel and location of the Gridania market much nicer than either of the other two.
6. The Seedseers
When it comes to cities, the rulers of that city play an important part in my opinion of them. That’s why, again, I think Gridania is the best because honestly I think the Elder Seedseer is the best one of the rulers.
It’s hard to really compare the rulers of each city. I really, really enjoyed the story of Nanamo in A Realm Reborn and I loved that she lived and we got to save her in Heavensward. That would normally have me give the nod toward Ul’dah in this category, if I didn’t just really like the Elder Seedseer. This could come from a bias of her being my first city leader, and thus the one who made me her representative to go to the other cities. That said, however, even having done the story from the other sides I still think she’s superior. Her love of nature again gives her a major plus for me over the other two, with Nanamo in as a close second. However, while she’s the leader of Ul’dah in name, it’s as much the Syndicate who run the city, and most of your interactions with Ul’dah leadership go through Raubahn rather than Nanamo, whereas your interactions with Gridania are almost always with Kan-E-Senna. I have to say in this category I’m just not a fan of anything about the Admiral in Limsa, so I’ve almost completely discounted her from my comparisons. I’m not a fan of how she looks, how she sounds or how she speaks. Whereas with Kan-E-Senna I like all those things! I love her look – the Padjal look in general I really like and wish they were a playable race – and her attitude is my favourite of the three.
The storylines that involve her are the second most fun. The tip of the hat there goes to Nanamo. Still, Kan-E-Senna coming with you to meet the moogles was a lot of fun, it felt like she was a great ambassador for peace from all of Eorzea, and of the city leaders I can’t help but feel like she’s the best one for that role. Her entire character is about peace, be it with other Eorzean nations or with the elementals. I feel like it’s impossible not to like her above the others. I still consider my character to be her representative, and I feel as though she’s a major reason why I love Gridania as much as I do, and if I’m going to live in anyone’s domain I feel like being a resident of hers just feels right.
5. Grand Company
If you’re going to take up residence in a city then you’re going to have to like the Grand Company there, aren’t you? Well, the Order of the Twin Adder I feel is the best of the Grand Companies as well. Let me explain why.
This one, again, comes down to a competition for me between Ul’dah and Gridania. Limsa’s Grand Company I just never really liked. Perhaps it’s again to do with all the pirate speak and me hating to figure out what they’re saying half the time. Ul’dah’s I think runs a close second with this one – possibly closer than any other category – as I do love the location, the look and the colour of Ul’dah’s grand company. In the colour category especially Ul’dah wins this one. I’m not a great fan of yellow. That said, while I do like the location in Ul’dah, I also find the location of the Grand Company in Gridania is once again just so well placed! It’s nice and close to the main aetheryte without being right on top of it, and the location of the market in comparison is far more convenient there than Ul’dah. It’s only a short run over the bridge, and then you can sprint from one end, past the Leatherworker’s guild, and to the market in one go in Gridania, so you don’t even really need to take the aetherytes. This is extremely handy when you want to hand in items for XP, as it’s only a short run to the market to get the items and make them, then a short run back again to hand them in.
The top reason for liking this Grand Company above Ul’dah’s, and the reason it’s my favourite, is that I just like their story the most. The story you get while levelling woodworking is particularly fun as to how it relates to the Order of the Twin Adder. Their love of nature, and their contribution to the story as I went along in the various classes, have given me a soft-spot for the characters involved here. Plus, while running around the housing estate and seeing them on patrol it made me smile to see them there. That may be true of the other cities as well, but I didn’t notice them as much as I noticed the Order of the Twin Adder on patrol.
4. Free Company
This one may seem obvious, but doesn’t it make sense to consider your home city as the city in which your Free Company was formed? Well, for me that’s Gridania.
I think this is probably because Gridania was the city I started in as for the reason that this was the city that we founded our Free Company in. We may have had other reasons, but when my friend created the Free Company originally it was based in Gridania. When we moved servers we formed our new one in Gridania because the first one was in Gridania. And why do I like it being in Gridania? Well, if you look at some of the reasons I like the Grand Company, the same things apply. The location of the vendors for the XP buffs is super convenient, as is the location for those rare times when I’ve needed to drop something off at the Free Company storage.
There aren’t a huge amount more reasons for this, other than the simple fact that our Free Company was established in Gridania. It’s kind of self-fulfilling at that point. I liked Gridania, so we had our Free Company in Gridania, and since we have our Free Company in Gridania it gives me an additional reason to like Gridania. That could possibly change in the future, but right now it’s one of my top reasons why I believe it’s the best place to make my home.
3. Getting Around
While all the city states have their own conveniences when it comes to getting around, I feel as though Gridania has the better layout of the cities when it comes to the convenience of finding things. That’s why I’ve made it the third best reason for my wanting to live in Gridania.
The top reason I like the layout of the city is that there are so many instances where you can have one aetheryte that is convenient for two different things. For example, if you want to go to the market then there’s an aetheryte right outside it. That’s not a specific market aetheryte however, that’s the aetheryte for the Leatherworker’s Guild. Convenient, isn’t it? Well the same is true for going to Lotus Stand to further the story and chat with Kan-E-Senna along with heading over to the Conjurors Guild to further your quests as a White Mage. One aetheryte that serves two purposes. Even the main aetheryte is so well located so as to give you easy access to the Adventurer’s Guild, Grand Company and the Woodworkers Guild. There isn’t another city, I don’t think, which has the same level of convenience. If you want to go to level Blacksmithing or Armorsmithing in Limsa then you’ve got a heck of a hike over there from the closest aetheryte, for example. I remember doing that and wondering why they couldn’t put it a whole bunch closer, and every time I made that run thinking how much more I loved Gridania. That’s a lot of runs to level both to 50, as I’m sure you can imagine. So that’s a whole lot of love that Gridania got out of me each time I did.
Even in my trips to the housing area I’ve found the layout of the Gridania area to be one of my favourites. I’ve been to the Ul’dah one quite a few times as well to look at where different plots are, to see different people’s houses and long for one of my own, and I tended to get lost there. That happens less in The Mist, but I spend a lot more time in The Mist due to my friend’s house being there. In the Lavender Beds however the paths just seem to lead around logically. It was easy for me to find my way around, it was an enjoyable run around the place, and I even found going to where the vendors are extra convenient. While I think that much of Gridania (and the Lavender Beds) looks similar due to the natural look and feel of the place I also find that it’s simple to navigate the whole city area, and therefore give it as easily one of the top reasons to choose this as the home of The Girl in the Pink Dress.
2. The Language
I think I’ve already mentioned this once but it’s so important to me that it’s number two on my list, that being that I think the language of Gridania is a huge reason to want to set up home there.
Pirates are fun, aren’t they? Ha, who doesn’t love Talk Like A Pirate Day! But if it was Talk Like A Pirate Day every day I’d probably go insane. Well, that’s what Limsa does to me. Everywhere you go, everyone you speak to talks in that same pirate-y way, and it’s just NOT fun anymore after a while. I enjoyed levelling most of the jobs I levelled there but good god did I hate reading half of what they had to say to me. I just ended up skipping some of it when they gave me a box full of text that I had to say out loud just to understand. This led to my dislike of Limsa, and added to my love of Gridania. Now Ul’dah is nice here as well, except that – again as already mentioned in this article – a lot of the people you talk to here seem mildly racist in their disdain for the refugees. Aren’t we, as a character, also a refugee? Where did we come from? How did we wind up in that first city? I like to think about that sometimes, given my character is a Miqo’te, the fact that there’s so much anti-immigrant attitude in Ul’dah is damn upsetting. How can they want me to save their asses and do everything for them when they’re simultaneously whining about how much they hate foreigners?
Enter Gridania, a peaceful, lovely city where they’re welcoming to so many. In Gridania as long as you treat them – and nature – with respect then you’re welcome amongst their people. And, as a Miqo’te, I feel like the “hunter” aspect of the race fits right in at home amongst the city and the abundance of wildlife. When talking with the people there – especially in the cut scenes that have speech – I just enjoy the way they communicate more than any other city state. This comes down to the Seedseers again I admit, but why shouldn’t that be highlighted as another bonus to the city? With the language being so much more preferable in Gridania it’s easily the second-best reason to live there, in my opinion. There is, of course, just one more reason…
1. Appearance
Of course the primary reason to love Gridania for me is just how the place looks. Again I’ll admit a soft-spot for Ul’dah in this category as well, but Gridania wins out through the various look and feel of almost every part of it.
Let’s give some examples to prove why it’s the best looking city. The meeting place for Kan-E-Senna, the Lotus Stand, is absolutely gorgeous. The stones across the water, the wildlife around it, and the entire look of the area when you enter it is by a long, long way my favourite of the leader’s areas to meet. Then there’s the look of the buildings for all the different jobs. There isn’t a single one that I look at and think “ugh, I don’t like this place”. They all have that same lovely wood exterior, the look and feel of the inside of all of them is just gorgeous, and – especially when it comes to the Archers Guild – the beams and flooring and bannisters inside the buildings just make me enjoy my visits there. As I’ve already stated previously the market area is my favourite of the markets in part because of the way it looks. Everything about it looks and feels like a market should look and feel. And when it comes to the outsides, the paths, roads and surrounding areas just look wonderful. The main plaza with the Aetheryte, for example, has this great raised platform over the water, next to which there’s an NPC talking with people sitting around him. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve looked at that and smiled. I’ve even gone to sit amongst his listeners like I’m one of them, listening to the teachings of some lecturer, when I’ve been idle.
Speaking of times I’ve been idle, this again brings me back to the market area and the seating area just inside the main entrance. I’ve sat down in there a whole bunch of times when I’ve been idle as well, and there just isn’t that kind of place in any other city. It’s such a lovely touch that makes me adore the game, but more so makes me adore Gridania. Then there are the houses. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of the stone houses in Ul’dah. When I first saw them I thought “yes, I want to live here”. Yet the natural look to the Lavender Beds has won me over. A wooden house, fitting into the natural surroundings, with a stone path and a pond in my front yard, would just be ideal. I can seriously picture putting a Moogle mailbox on my pathway so I can check my mail, and a stables fitting in with the natural wood surrounding. I can’t help but think a garden here would look fantastic as well. Inside the house then wooden floors are a must for the main area. I don’t know about the other floor, but I think a wooden floor on the main floor with a wooden desk by the door for my people to stand behind would just be fantastic, possibly with a portrait of Kan-E-Senna on the wall there and a map of Eorzea to look upon. Do they do a world map with the new continents on it? If not I hope they add one soon.
Honestly, when I think about how I want to make a house look for MY home, for the official home of the Girl in the Pink Dress, I just can’t imagine living anywhere OTHER than Gridania. To me it’s where I began, it’s my favourite city to visit, the home of my Grand Company and my Free Company, and the best looking place in the game when it comes to that rustic, earthy appearance. To me, Gridania is home, and these are Ten Reasons Why it will be the home of the Girl in the Pink Dress.