Final Fantasy 14 has come a very long way since its original incarnation back in 2010, and that can also be said in terms of the progress made since A Realm Reborn. The MMORPG has gotten better with the jobs getting more fleshed out, players being able to fly in starting areas, and the cutscenes getting more and more dynamic. However, there are still corners of the game where cobwebs still sit and a thick layer of dust can be found. One such corner is the Adventure Squadrons within the Grand Companies.
The Adventure Squadrons are a Heavensward relic and play like an early version of Final Fantasy 14's Trust System. Since Trust Systems were introduced, fans have wondered if squadrons will get very much-needed updates. However, since Heavensward, the Grand Company squadrons have seen no updates and there has been no sign of them getting updated anytime soon. At this point, fans are wondering if Grand Company squadrons are forgotten by Square Enix.
How Adventurer Squadrons Have Aged
The level cap for all of the squadron content is 60, and after all the updates to jobs, the recruits actually have become time capsules of what jobs used to have before the updates changed them. For example, arcanist recruits can cast Shadow Flare which is an ability that was gotten rid of since Shadowbringers. Additionally, the recruits only can be in classes that were released up to Heavensward, so no Dancers, Gunbreakers, Samurai, Red Mages, Sages, or Reapers.
The AIs of the recruits are not as intelligent and those in the Trust Systems, often not obeying boss mechanics. Many players have turned to help on social media outlets due to getting stuck in dungeons because of the recruits not being intelligent enough to be of any help. This hurdle is especially difficult for players that like to stick to only one class and cannot change between tank, healer, and DPS.
The recruits themselves are limited in terms of race, only including races up to Heavensward. So there are no Viera or Hrothgar NPCs that can join the player's squad. Also, the player can only reach the rank of Second Commander after completing certain ranks and missions. There are other ranks that can be seen ahead such as High Commander, Grand Marshal, and Champion, but those ranks have been under a "to be announced" for years.
Why Squadrons Should Be Updated, Not Forgotten
Squadrons are satisfying to particular players, ones that love the idea of having recruits that they can dress up, train, and take into dungeons. On Reddit, some players have mentioned feeling particularly attached to their squadron and that it gave greater meaning to being part of a Grand Company. These players have noticed that as the main story of Final Fantasy 14 has moved on since Heavensward, narratives that involve the Grand Companies have slowly faded out.
With the Trust System having smart AIs tailored for certain dungeon mechanics, a lot of the work that would go into a squadron update has already been done. Some players have mentioned hoping that squadrons can be combined with Trust Systems so that they can mix their recruits with story-relevant NPCs. Another idea from fans is for squadrons to get their own airship that can be built and ranked up just like the recruits.
Fans love the idea of what squadrons could be, a customizable party that they can use to do single-player content while rising up the ranks of their Grand Company. Some even dream big enough to imagine the NPCs having banter in dungeons just like the Trust System does, having their own personalities a little as retainers do. Other great ideas from fans include using squadrons for Palace of the Dead or for adding Blue Mage as a squadron class, where each member can be customized depending on the players' spellbook.
With Endwalker out, there is still no sign of squadrons getting attention. Some players still hold onto hope that squadrons will get updated while others believe Square Enix plans to forget the squadrons entirely and move forward with just the Trust System. Perhaps with Endwalker finishing up the story of Hydaelyn and Zodiark, Square Enix will update a lot of old content in the future.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
