Retainers

Retainers are NPCs hired by the players at aRetainer Vocate. They store items and gil for players and are the only way to sell items on the

Market Board. Free Trial players do not have access to Retainers.

With Patch 2.2, players can now assign their retainers classes (and later upgrade them to jobs) and give them gear. This allows the retainers to be deployed on Retainer Ventures which yield experience for the retainer and items. Retainers' maximum level is capped by the player's level in the assigned class or job.

Unlocking and hiring Retainers

Retainers are unlocked after completing the level 17 Main Story Quest The Scions of the Seventh Dawn.
To Unlock Retainer Ventures you must complete the quest An Ill-conceived Venture in your starting city.

Players can hire Retainers by talking to aRetainer Vocate near the Market Board of the main cities. By default, you can only hire two Retainers, but you can add up to 7 additional retainers (for a total of 9) with an additional subscription fee on the Mog Station. The FFXIV Companion App also gives you an extra retainer (past that 9 for a total of 10) and double Chocobo Saddlebag space, if upgraded to premium (which is also an extra subscription fee).

You may re-customize your retainer at any time via the use of a   Retainer Fantasia. Consult the Retainer Vocate after using one.

Using Retainers

See also: Retainer Ventures

To interact with your retainer, use the   Summoning Bell found in Inn rooms, the markets of the major cities, residential areas, endgame city hubs, and a few other locations. Pick the retainer in question from the menu if you have more than one. You'll then be given a menu of options:

• Entrust or withdraw items from your retainer: Opens the retainer inventory alongside yours to manage items. Retainers have 7 tabs of 25 slots each for a total of 175 items. You cannot give them items to equip with this option.

• Entrust or withdraw gil from your retainer: Opens up an exchange menu for Gil. There is not much of a reason to store your gil with a retainer other than going over the  999,999,999 Gil cap, but any gil earned from selling items on the market by the retainer will be deposited here.

• Sell items from your inventory on the market: Opens up your inventory to select items you want the retainer to sell. Each retainer has 20 slots for selling items.

• Sell items from your retainer's inventory on the market: Opens up the retainer inventory to select items you want the retainer to sell. Each retainer has 20 slots for selling items.

• View sale history: Accesses a list of recent sales made by the retainer.

• Assign class: Only available if the retainer has no current class. The four options below will appear instead if the retainer does. A level 1 primary weapon or tool of the class must be in the players armory or inventory to assign the class.

• Assign Venture: Assign the retainer a venture if they aren't on one or have a report waiting.

• View Report: Only available after the retainer has finished their venture. Shows the result of the venture, transfers the item rewards to your inventory and grants the retainer the experience earned. After the result window is closed, they can be assigned a new venture.

• View Retainer attributes and gear: Displays a screen similar to the character screen for the player with the attributes and equipped gear. This screen is also used to equip and unequip gear on the retainer, but this cannot be done while the retainer is on a venture.

• Reset retainer class (retainer class level): removes the class from the retainer so a new one can be assigned. Experience gained in the old class is lost permanently. Cannot be done while the retainer is on a venture.

• Assign retainer job: Adds a soul stone to the retainers equipment allowing them to equip job specific gear. Assignment of jobs requires a copy of   Modern Vocation purchased from aRetainer Vocate for  40 Ventures.

• Quit: Ends the interaction with your retainer.

You can access your retainers at any time, even in the middle of a venture. However, they will stop selling on the market until the interaction is complete.

Retainers & Housing

Retainers can be displayed outdoors on privately owned properties through use of a   Expansion of Duties Permit.

Retainers cannot be displayed indoors.

Historical

During Legacy, Retainers were required to be deployed into a bazaar area in each city, much like they currently can be on housing estates. Sellers had to assign a Retainer to a vacant stall, and buyers were forced to visit each retainer in turn to check items for sale. If no stalls were available, the retainer could not sell items. There was no Market Board or search interface at the time. Players initially only had a single retainer, but a second was added late in Legacy after many changes to the market ward system.

The market ward system itself was an evolution of the Bazaar feature, which was one way items could be sold in Final Fantasy XI. Players could list items for sale directly out of their inventory while away-from-keyboard, and other players could walk up and buy them for the listed price. The original system in XIV offloaded this onto the retainer NPCs and confined them to a fixed area. That said, the primary way most players sold items in XI was the Auction House, which Legacy didn't have an equivalent of. Even the modern FF XIV Market Board doesn't allow for "looking to buy" listings.