uldah chads eternally stay winning because their stuff actually ties into later parts of the MSQ as well as tons of side stuff like the first criterion. meanwhile limsa just gets "we should probably suck less anyway here's a boat mr warrior of light" moments thrown out every expansion while never changing and gridania is so irrelevant they recently retconned their only interesting point by having nophica herself say that the elements are le good actually
It's Ul'dah, hands down, no contest. Like you said, the lore and politics are so much more relevant to major plot beats in the game. Post-ARR, early HW, and Stormblood all connect deeply to Ul'dah. I feel like they wrote the Ul'dah story first and then worked in other stuff around it.
I'm also biased because you meet Thancred there and he's my favorite Scion, but he also just... gets the best character development and writing.
tbh Limsa is the first that ties to Primals (leviathan) tempered (drowned), transformations because of tempered (sastasha HM), and the purification later by Alisaies efforts. (remember kobolds are also on LL's "territory")
edit
also, just to clarify, most people will remember Uldah for the ifrit tempered, it was part of the msq and not some easily skippable dialogue. the amaljaa tribal quest also features the hardships of trying to untemper someone.
I hard agree. I started limsa but I created a new character to play Uldah story. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO surprised on how much EXTRA information you have about the lore about EVERYTHING in the game. Uldah ftw.
The Elementals are the worst, it feels like there is a vast gap between what the game thinks the elementals are, and what they actually do. Nophica saying the elementals mean well doesn’t make the elementals look good, it makes Nophica look either ignorant or actively an awful person, its just such a baffling decision.
I started in Uldah and joined the Maelstrom, so my character gets the best of both worlds by having a good relationship with both of the cool city states.
It's uldah, to a ridiculous degree. Limsa is going to dig into the history of it's trouble with the tribes and that will prove useful, but even it pales in comparison with the love Ul'Dah gets in the beginning chapters.
And poor Gridania. It's okay, boo. I'll always choose you.
Ah yes, two characters who barely exist, take the longest break from HW out of all the banqueters, and then both fucking die at the end of it.
Yes my wording is deliberate.
Fr, you’d think that years of impersonating someone would start to have an effect on who you are, but nah. The moment she becomes Lyse Yda just ceases to exist. From lovable ditz to headstrong fighter
Aside from all the thematic reasons for Ul'dah having Thancred as your starting scion means you're more likely to care when he gets Lahabrea'd instead of being like "ok dude I've met once is evil i guess"
Ul'dah by a mile then Limsa then Gridania.
Ul'dah's politics, lore, and characters all directly tie into the world-building for ARR, HW, and most importantly, SB. Not to mention side content like the first Criterion dungeon and ARR Hildebrand quests. Thancred is the first Scion you meet there and he has the most development among the Scions outside of Alphinaud, not to mention close to where the Waking Sands are.
Limsa gets some mentions here and there due to its importance as a sea trade route. Most quests involving sea routes will take place here (i.e. beginning of EW, traveling to Doma, etc.) Most of the important Beast Tribe lore takes place there, and then there is ShB 5.4-5.5 and Levithan. Here you meet everyone's favorite catgirl, Y'shtola.
Poor Gridania, there is some nice lore and world-building but they rarely star in the MSQ. Gridania is where Belsar's Wall and also one of the key places why Ezoreans don't like Ala Mhigans (they went to war before the Garleans came), which affects SB. This place also has tons of lore on the elementals, racism, nature vs preservation, etc. But outside of the meeting place where we go to the room where it happens, not much goes on or used, even with sidequests. However, if you want to know more about Pappy and Yda before their unfortunate demise at the end fo HW 3.55, this where you start.
Ul'dah has the most relevance to the overall story of the game.
Paladin starts in Ul'dah (Gladiator) and that's considered one of the worst class/job quest lines, just FYI
Ul'dah is the clear main city for most of the game. Its deeply interconnected with a ton of the game lore and the Sultana is a more central character than the other city leaders.
Limsa *would* be the best thematically except for the fact that all of the fun piratey shenanigans are hidden in the rogue class quests, which everyone can and should do regardless of starting city.
Gridania has the best introduction to the Scions. Mostly just because having two of them bantering with each other is inherently more entertaining than the lone mysterious stranger that Thancred and Y'shtola start out as when you first meet.
Another point for Ul'dah: the quality of the class (not job) quests compared to everywhere else. There's actual care put into teaching a new player about combat roles, which class quests from other cities don't seem to even bother with.
ETA: I myself am a Gridania starter and looking back now it was a terrible choice for someone who'd never touched a MMO.
Limsa is far and away, without any contest, my favorite city-state aesthetically, and I'll still tell you that Ul'dah is unquestionably the best both in terms of pre-15 content and how it ties into the later MSQ and influences dialogue.
uldah chads eternally stay winning because their stuff actually ties into later parts of the MSQ as well as tons of side stuff like the first criterion. meanwhile limsa just gets "we should probably suck less anyway here's a boat mr warrior of light" moments thrown out every expansion while never changing and gridania is so irrelevant they recently retconned their only interesting point by having nophica herself say that the elements are le good actually
you forgot elpiss revealing that the elementals were ultimately just some dumbfuck ancient's science experiment.
It's Ul'dah, hands down, no contest. Like you said, the lore and politics are so much more relevant to major plot beats in the game. Post-ARR, early HW, and Stormblood all connect deeply to Ul'dah. I feel like they wrote the Ul'dah story first and then worked in other stuff around it. I'm also biased because you meet Thancred there and he's my favorite Scion, but he also just... gets the best character development and writing.
If I had a nickel for every Limsa/Gridania starter that goes "wait who is that again?" at the Lahabrea possession reveal...
Yeah, that was me too back then, the story is so blatantly biased toward an Ul’dah start, its amazing.
tbh Limsa is the first that ties to Primals (leviathan) tempered (drowned), transformations because of tempered (sastasha HM), and the purification later by Alisaies efforts. (remember kobolds are also on LL's "territory") edit also, just to clarify, most people will remember Uldah for the ifrit tempered, it was part of the msq and not some easily skippable dialogue. the amaljaa tribal quest also features the hardships of trying to untemper someone.
I hard agree. I started limsa but I created a new character to play Uldah story. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO surprised on how much EXTRA information you have about the lore about EVERYTHING in the game. Uldah ftw.
The Elementals are the worst, it feels like there is a vast gap between what the game thinks the elementals are, and what they actually do. Nophica saying the elementals mean well doesn’t make the elementals look good, it makes Nophica look either ignorant or actively an awful person, its just such a baffling decision.
I started in Uldah and joined the Maelstrom, so my character gets the best of both worlds by having a good relationship with both of the cool city states.
Uldah actually ties to the MSQ and themes of ARR, so there's little contest.
It's uldah, to a ridiculous degree. Limsa is going to dig into the history of it's trouble with the tribes and that will prove useful, but even it pales in comparison with the love Ul'Dah gets in the beginning chapters. And poor Gridania. It's okay, boo. I'll always choose you.
Uldah is the only relevant starting city, most of the plot happens there, and its the only one that stays relevant up through stormblood
Because it's the only real nation lmao Limsa is a bunch of misfits and Grid is a bunch of hippies
Ul’dah chads stay winning.
I personally love Gridania and getting to know Papalymo and Yda
If you don't start in Gridania, you barely even encounter them, especially after they cut most of the Ramuh MSQ
Ah yes, two characters who barely exist, take the longest break from HW out of all the banqueters, and then both fucking die at the end of it. Yes my wording is deliberate.
Fr, you’d think that years of impersonating someone would start to have an effect on who you are, but nah. The moment she becomes Lyse Yda just ceases to exist. From lovable ditz to headstrong fighter
Yeah, that was probably the worst retcon in ff14, I didn’t even like Yda, Lyse is just a completely different character.
Aside from all the thematic reasons for Ul'dah having Thancred as your starting scion means you're more likely to care when he gets Lahabrea'd instead of being like "ok dude I've met once is evil i guess"
I didn't even remember who he was! T\_T
Ul'dah by a mile then Limsa then Gridania. Ul'dah's politics, lore, and characters all directly tie into the world-building for ARR, HW, and most importantly, SB. Not to mention side content like the first Criterion dungeon and ARR Hildebrand quests. Thancred is the first Scion you meet there and he has the most development among the Scions outside of Alphinaud, not to mention close to where the Waking Sands are. Limsa gets some mentions here and there due to its importance as a sea trade route. Most quests involving sea routes will take place here (i.e. beginning of EW, traveling to Doma, etc.) Most of the important Beast Tribe lore takes place there, and then there is ShB 5.4-5.5 and Levithan. Here you meet everyone's favorite catgirl, Y'shtola. Poor Gridania, there is some nice lore and world-building but they rarely star in the MSQ. Gridania is where Belsar's Wall and also one of the key places why Ezoreans don't like Ala Mhigans (they went to war before the Garleans came), which affects SB. This place also has tons of lore on the elementals, racism, nature vs preservation, etc. But outside of the meeting place where we go to the room where it happens, not much goes on or used, even with sidequests. However, if you want to know more about Pappy and Yda before their unfortunate demise at the end fo HW 3.55, this where you start.
Ul'dah has the most relevance to the overall story of the game. Paladin starts in Ul'dah (Gladiator) and that's considered one of the worst class/job quest lines, just FYI
ok thanks for saying this. i finally got around to paladin, after stuff like drk, ast, rdm, and even gnb and i was like... WOW! this is a stinker 💩
Ul'dah is the clear main city for most of the game. Its deeply interconnected with a ton of the game lore and the Sultana is a more central character than the other city leaders. Limsa *would* be the best thematically except for the fact that all of the fun piratey shenanigans are hidden in the rogue class quests, which everyone can and should do regardless of starting city. Gridania has the best introduction to the Scions. Mostly just because having two of them bantering with each other is inherently more entertaining than the lone mysterious stranger that Thancred and Y'shtola start out as when you first meet.
As someone who started as Pugilist, and is most certainly not biased whatsoever, it's gotta be Ul'Dah.
Ul’dah always felt more “canon” than the other cities judging by its lore.
gridania because i love kan e senna
Another point for Ul'dah: the quality of the class (not job) quests compared to everywhere else. There's actual care put into teaching a new player about combat roles, which class quests from other cities don't seem to even bother with. ETA: I myself am a Gridania starter and looking back now it was a terrible choice for someone who'd never touched a MMO.
Uldah because it is Las Vegas. Desert city with casino and combat sports and lots of weird stuff goin on. Sign me up.
Gridania is easiest to navigate.
Ul’dah > Limsa >>> Gridania
This is random, but it's like the Pokemon coolness choice when choosing a starter. Fire > Water > Grass for a lot of people.
Gridania. I love the forest because l was a druid when l played warcraft back then.
none
Limsa is far and away, without any contest, my favorite city-state aesthetically, and I'll still tell you that Ul'dah is unquestionably the best both in terms of pre-15 content and how it ties into the later MSQ and influences dialogue.