Be sure to hop in the Discord for general help and guidance getting started.

10/29/2019 Update:

With the 5.1 update, the Free Company now has space for newcomers again. Not only that, but Ultros is now considered a preferred world and with that, comes bonuses for new players. The the rest of this thread on joining the FC.

Preferred World Bonuses: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/playguide/option_service/world_transfer_service/population_balancing/#worldtype

As of the 2.16 update, it's no longer necessary to stalk people online for invites to the Free Company. There are a few prerequisites to consider with the new method, though the benefit is that you no longer have to wait for someone to be online or feel like you're bothering them as a random stranger just asking for an invite.

Those prerequisites though...

• Your character will have to be made on the Ultros server of the Primal data center. Don't get too discouraged if you get a notification stating the server isn't currently accepting new characters. Ultros tends to vary wildly at times as a popular server. The following times is typically when character creation restrictions are eased and it's best to make a character on Ultros: 3:00 a.m./ 7:00 a.m./ 12:00 p.m./ 5:00 p.m./ 10:00 p.m. (PST).
• If you start in Limsa Lominsa, you'll only have to level to 5 first.
• Otherwise, if you start in Gridania or Uldah, you'll have to level to 15 first and follow your main story quest which gives you an airship pass to get to the Limsa Lominsa area (La Noscea).

1. Once you've done either, make your way to Lower La Noscea. You're looking for Achtkoen, who's in Lower La Noscea.
2. Next, you'll take the available quest called "Where the Heart Is". It's a short quest that only requires you to run around and talk to a few people, but when you're finished it grants you access to the housing area, known as The Mist. The quest takes you right to the entrance.
3. Once you have access to The Mist it's just a matter of finding our lot now.
4. The Giant Bomb house is in Ward 15 on Plot #2. Once you make it to the front of the gate you should find our house and there's a small plaque beside the archway entrance that looks like this.

When you interact with the plaque it will bring up the Free Company house profile which will look like this:

Now there should be a small magnifying glass button on the right-hand side of this window which will let you view The Free Company profile directly. Once you pull that up, there will be a window that looks like this:

At the bottom of this window there will be two options that read "Submit Application" and "Close", choose submit application and you're done. The next time an officer or leader is online, they'll approve it, and you'll be in the free company.

Of course, if you can make your way to the house, chances are some crazy fool of a member we already have will likely be jumping on our roof or running around in the yard nude. You can just as easily ask them instead, but like I said----this sidesteps having to engage with that madness up front. :P

Welcome, and enjoy!

@snakelinksonic: thanks, I'll follow this once I get into the game!

This is awesome. I think I'm gonna pay for a transfer soon and was just wondering if any of the EU people could comment on the lag if there is any. It would suck to transfer my character and find out that its unplayable with the lag.

@mrmuscle: I believe both EU and NA servers are in Canada, so it shouldn't matter.

Thanks bro. I went ahead and transferred. Fortune favors the bold i guess. See you in game, my char name is Batair Blade.

@mrmuscle: Actually, I'm part of the NeoGAF free company after a short tango with Giant Bomb and a small FC I made with some friends who've since moved on. But I occasionally find myself doing stuff with GB, so I will more than likely see you around. Character name is Remi'to Erra, by the way. :)

Just did my transfer online at work this morning. I hope to get over there to join tonight. Every time I tried to transfer or join even when I started Ultros was always full. Got lucky today.

Rusty Gunner Gladiator Level 17 (Leviathan) on my way over to be a duder!

So, I just bought this game last night, what server should I join?

@kahi: We're on Ultros.

I'd totally join if I was on that server. My main problem with this game was not being able to find people who weren't total assholes to do dungeons with, so this would have fixed that.

@steadyingmeat: I keep hearing people say that and maybe I've gotten extremely lucky but even the times I play with randoms I've not found a huge number of jerks.

I've had very few assholes and I run almost exclusively through DF. It mostly sucks when they're the tank or healer cause kicking them and finding a replacement is hard but anyone else is easily replaceable.

Glad to see the GB Company still around though I've really enjoyed my time back in the game. If only I didn't have to do a billion cutscenes to open Leviathan.

@demoskinos: Maybe it's because you're actually good at the game. :P

I'm not fantastic at tanking (but I try dammit), and people just aren't at all into that. When I first started playing (back when the PC version launched), there wasn't a whole lot, but it got worse over time and I eventually just kinda went " screw it " and never renewed my subscription. It's kinda silly since even in the rare occasion that I did actually fuck up bad enough for us to die, it's not as if that's a big deal at all in this game.

I've been itching to get back in so bad...>_>

@steadyingmeat: That right there is the tricky thing really there is a fine line between someone who is just lazy and awful at their job and someone who just needs a few pointers to get better. I've ran into people who clearly don't want anyone to tell them what to do or how to get better then on the other hand I've ran into people who just need a few pointers to get them on track and once you do the party goes smoothly.

@steadyingmeat: I had only every dipped my toe into other MMOs like WOW & SWTOR before reluctantly giving FFXIV a try. I had never been anywhere close to endgame content or level cap in any other MMO besides hitting the level cap in DCUO. I play as PLD in FFXIV and I was really terrible at first. I had so many bad groups and people not wanting to deal with a new player. I have also interacted with people who took the time to give me few pointers and that made all the difference in the world. While I still have a lot to learn about the game and MMOs in general, it does get better with practice & research. I'm still pretty terrible at the game in relation to the GB guild. :)

I think my big problem with FFXIV so far is just the fact that the map is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo awful, worst map system ever.

So I take it you didn't play FF11?

(Also, what's wrong with it? Genuinely curious. I've never had a problem using it.)

Yeah, 2004-2007 so ages ago.

Maybe I'm just "doing it wrong" but I can't figure out for the life of me how to mark a location on the map to make it easy to navigate to. I can mark the location yes, but then nothing unless I am already near that location.

Seems awesome, I have started playing recently and was invited to a company almost straight away. I'm on Moogle at the moment so won't be able to join. Still, would be awesome to take part.

Hey guys, I'm considering buying this for PS4. Is it okay there? Game fun and have enough solo content to keep me interested? I can't do time consuming end-game stuff anymore.

You can't solo the dungeons but everything else in the main story and the class/job quests are solo. Most of the max level content isn't terribly time consuming either as long as you aren't in a hurry.

I know several people who play on the PS4 and haven't heard many complaints.

Trying to create a white mage. Luckily I'm in Australia to wait until the Americas are asleep.

Is this FC still active? Started playing this weekend and will join when i can, just wondering if theirs still people playing as it seems quiet here. I made a conjurer and am gonna try a healer as i never tried one in a mmo before and am tired of DPS, just looking for company and advice as i fumble through things and also so i stop getting random FC requests.

@sanity: Curious as to the answer, as I'm a new player too, and would love to join the Duder commune. Is it server specfic? Playing on Faerie (Gumpus Rex).

@gaminggumper: @sanity:

FC is definitely still active, lots of people are playing now that 3.2 is out

Thanks guys, actually found a different FC already, wasn't sure, and someone helped me out and sent me a invite, so i'll see how it works out there first.

The server we are on is the Ultros server on the Primal database.

Hello! I just came back for 3.3, last played in 3.0 finishing all the Heavensward story and doing some runs in Alexander, and wanted to know if this guild is still around and decently active! My current guild is just a few friend who don't play anymore, and I'd like to play while having guildies to chat to. Hopefully it is and someone still checks this thread who is in charge! I'd be down for guild activities and raids and all that fun!

@takayamasama: Were you able to join?

@snakelinksonic: I'm not on the server so I only have here as a contact point. I wanted to see what the guild's activity and the servers population is like before swapping over, if I decide to do that.

@takayamasama: Ah, it's still active as it usually is. Most people in the company tend to expectedly swell and wane between the major patches, but the regulars were deep into it three years ago are still here now. If you're talking mostly social-play, sure. If you mean the raiding scene, not really. Our entire server isn't really hardcore in that manner. Take that for what you will.

@snakelinksonic: Not being a hardcore server is fine with me! With 2 kids the days of hardcore raiding is pretty much past, so I'm content with the duty finder raids. I mainly am just looking for social players and people to chat with when playing, and the GB guild looks far more active then my buddies, which maybe reaches 4 people online at once XD.

I have to look into things I may needs to do before an transfer, but I'll get working on that. I'm assuming things like room at a guild house and all that gets destroyed, not moved over right?

@takayamasama: Nah, last I checked you had to leave your free company to even transfer. All of that stuff gets lost.

I'd like to join - I'm already on Ultros, char name is Otho Reve.

im switching to ultros just to join the GB FC : )

character name is Valon grey

Still nominally playing FFXIV (well pretty much just doing alex savage and that's about it), in between sessions of FFXI.

@belegorm: woah, FFXI still going strong ?!

@lukeskywaka: Actually yes; technically speaking there are more frequent endgame updates to FFXI than in FFXIV. Most of the English-speaking players moved to Asura, where I've been told at peak hours they've seen about 1900 people online with /sea all.

However personally I play on a 75 era private server xD

Just downloaded the trial, and am looking to join up with you duders! Is the FC still active?

Yup. We're still here.

What world are you playing on?

Ultros.

But Hyperion's better though :D

@snakelinksonic said:

Sweet. Just hit level 13, and am making my way up as a Gladiator.

There's a trial? What are the limitations?

@insane_shadowblade85: Uh just you get 2 weeks, I think there is some kind of level limitation, then you can upgrade.

Request sent. I'm Cluter Mcgavin in game.

Well with cross-server party finder coming out in 3.5, anyone else on Primal data center want to group up for stuff? (primal includes Ultros and Hyperion, among others) :)

Hey all,
I'm Caineghis Lionheart on the Hyperion server.

I have an FC already but would love to join a GB Linkshell if there's one going on hyperion.
Happy to help anyone out if needed too.

See you guys around!
-Hiro

Hi. Just wondering if the FC is still active. The reason I am asking is because I was on the GB Company on Neverwinter and it was cool but after a 3 month hiatus I came back and it was virtually empty.