One of the more confusing systems in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is the Grand Companies. At level twenty during your story missions you’ll be given a choice between three Grand Companies. They are The Maelstrom, The Order of the Twin Adder, and The Immortal Flames. These companies are charged with the protection of Eorzea and at level twenty they will be your ticket to your first mount.

Level Twenty Surprise

At level twenty, after you slay Ifrit, you will be given the choice to join one of the three Grand Companies. You’ll visit each city, hear from the three leaders, and then be asked to make a choice. The choice is as follows. They are all the same, almost, except the stats on the gear differ slightly with each city state’s company having stats closer to the classes that start in that city (Maelstrom for tanking, Twin Adder for magical DPS, Immortal Flames for melee DPS). However, realistically I don’t see a huge difference between them.

Anyway, the major difference is how your company Chocobo will look and the quests you’ll have to do. Be forewarned though that the quests are the same, the enemies just differ slightly. Anyway, pick the one that you align with the most, the gear differences aren’t that huge and the gear honestly isn’t going to be your endgame best gear ever, and options are specific to each class for the gear while leveling.

Chocobo Riding

Once you unlock your Grand Company the very first quest they give is to requisition a Chocobo. To do so you’ll need 2,000 company seals. The fastest and quickest way to get together all 2,000 seals is to complete your company’s hunting log, which can give you 2,000 seals within half an hour. Failing that, you’ll have to grind through FATEs until you acquire that many.

After you unlock Chocobo Riding and are given your first Chocobo you can then obtain other mounts in the game.

Chocobos can only be riden outside of major cities and will not dismount you in combat.

Company Seals

Company Seals are a unique form of currency that you obtain through doing FATEs, guild hunting log entries, Guildleves from Guildleve affiliated NPCs, and protection / delivery missions given by the company itself. Doing Guildleves from your company’s NPC gives you a small bonus.

Company seals can be turned in for the following important items:

• Attribute respecs: 10,000 Company Seals
• Chocobo Riding: 2,000 Company Seals
• Company-issue Engineering / Survival Manuals (Gathering / Crafting XP Boosts): 1,440 ~ 2,300

Company Ranks

Ranks determine what kind of gear and materials you can access, along with how many company seals you can carry at once, and what kind of missions you can take. You can speak to an officer in order to advance throughout the ranks via paying company seals.

Grand Company Levequests

In three cities (Drybone, Hawthrone Hut, and Moraby Drydocks) there are NPCs who assign groups of levequests every 5 levels. These quests are available to members of any of the three companies, however, there is a bonus for doing quests specifically with your company (hence there isn’t much of a reason to do them with the other two).

The rewards vary by level, but are a great way of power leveling up another class once it reaches 20 since it gives you company seals and the missions are rather easy.

Grand Company Delivery / Provisioning Missions

These missions are available starting at 5 a.m. in the morning. The company requests specific items and if you provide them they will give you seals and EXP. If they fill the amount that they need then they will stop requesting items.

Otherwise the system is pretty straightforward. My biggest advice is don’t stress too much on which company you align yourself to, go with the one that has the aesthetic appeal that you like (armor, chocobo barding, NPCs). The decision isn’t too critical and you can change at a later time if you so desire.