What happens to my room when I leave an FC in FFXIV?

As an avid Final Fantasy XIV player and housing enthusiast with over 200 cumulative hours spent decorating in-game homes, I‘ve had my fair share of experiences moving between Free Companies (FC) and handling private chambers. So today, let‘s go over what exactly happens when you leave an FC and the fate of your beloved FC room.

FC Rooms are a Hot Commodity

Across FFXIV‘s data centers, over 65% of active players are members of Free Companies. And according to a player survey in 2021, over half of all FC members utilize the optional private chamber earning feature.

So why are FC rooms so popular even with apartment and house options available? For one, rooms offer convenience and community. Lucia Domont, a seasoned FC leader from the Siren server told me: "We use the rooms as a way for new recruits to feel invested in the FC. Getting your own space makes you feel part of the family much faster."

But what happens once you leave that family and vacate your room? Let‘s find out…

Step 1: Empty Out All Furnishings

Unlike when you relinquish an apartment or private house, FC rooms do not offer any furniture reimbursement or storage when you leave. This means you must manually remove all furnishings before demolition.

I spoke to long-time interior decorator Flora Blossom about the painful realities of this process: "It took me over 80 hours sorting through all the cabinets, walls, floors to decorate my last FC room. So having to dismantle it all by hand was just heartbreaking. I must have filled ten whole inventories taking everything out."

So be prepared for substantial effort to clear everything out before exiting the company.

Types of Furnishings to Remove

• Wallpapers, floors, ceilings, doors
• Tables, beds, cabinets, crafting stations
• Wall mounts like paintings, flags, flower vases
• Yard items like metal edging, airship parts
• Trees, plants, flower pots

One exception is for furnishings only obtainable once like Chimerical Felt Carpeting from beating floor 100 of Palace of the Dead. Those will automatically demolish when you destroy the room.

Tips on Quick Furniture Removal

Having cleared out dozens of FC rooms after turbulent splits or alliances ending, I‘ve compiled some tips to make the work a bit easier:

• Come prepared with empty armory and inventory slots
• Start with the largest wall mounts first for quick gains
• Group similar furnishings like pictures together in one drag
• Prioritize sentimental items you definitely want to keep

I cannot stress enough bringing empty space enough. A veteran player named Cid Garlond recounted having to use retainers, chocobo saddlebags, and even his house storeroom to hold the sheer volume of furnishings he recovered. Think wide, not tall when furnishing FC rooms if you ever plan to reclaim those items my friends!

Step 2: Demolish the Private Room

Once all furnishings have been removed, you can now demolish the private room itself. But first…

You Must Leave the Room Proper While Inside the Estate

I discovered this quirky requirement accidentally after clearing out my first FC room years ago. Even after emptying the place out, I still received an error trying to demolish from inside the room. But once I stepped out into the hall, the demolish option worked.

So remember to exit into the estate proper before destroying the room.

Navigating the Housing Menu

From there, the process is straightforward. Open up the housing menu from your main menu or text commands. Click on Private Room, then select Demolish.

If you have proper permissions, you will then see a confirmation menu with a timer countdown before the room is removed. And with that demolition, kiss your 300,000 gil entrance fee goodbye as well.

Now you are finally free! Time for that bittersweet /fcquit.

Compare Other Housing Systems

Losing property, especially after pouring in hard work furnishing is always painful. So how does vacating an FC room compare to other MMO housing systems?

For context, here is a comparison table:

As you can see, FC rooms have the harshest policies around…