When will Monstrosity be updated?

[Mitruya]

From August 2013:
"Content to be implemented in the future
Monster vs. Adventurer
Monster vs. Monster
Quests
Unlocking of additional monster families
Monstrosity party play content
Addition of content
New rewards　
etc..."

From April 2014:
"When it comes to new content for monstrosity the team's plan is to create large scale PvP content that is reminiscent of campaign battles. Essentially, players will be able to become monipulators and join one of two NPC groups that are fighting each other, and aim to make it so their group wins."

From June 2014:
"The text for Relinquish is in fact incorrect and being returned to an area that you access the Feretory is working as intended. However, we understand the requests to be able to return directly to the Feretory, and the team is currently looking into changing how the system works. While this hasn’t been completely finalized as of yet, the team is continuing to look into and test this feature, so please give them a bit more time."

Besides the Monster vs. Adventurer, when are we going to see further things implemented?
There used to be a Monstrosity update nearly every month, now we hardly see anything.
What happened to the rest of the families?
What happened to Mon partying and Mon v Mon?
What happened to more areas for large Mons to exp in?
What happened to the large-scale campaign-like battle system?
What happened to just fixing the "you are now returning to the Feretory" issue?
How about some more quests and content to participate in besides level grinding?
How about some fun rewards and shinies?

[Ackeron]

I asked this same question 5 months ago and never got a response. The thread is even at 5 pages and has the second most views of the Battle Content while the Original Monstrosity Feedback Thread has the most. I don't know why none of the SE reps are responding to these.

[Mitruya]

Yep, and I was one of the people who kept posting in it, too.
I just decided to start a new one with some old quotes I dug up, to see if we can get some clarity on things they had planned.

[DarkBEWD]

Seems like we all have the same idea here, I was planning on making a new thread for this myself. In any case let's just try to keep up the noise and maybe someone will hear something soon. The devs really need to understand that you can't just say you're going to make someone a nice house, build it partway, promise to finish it later, then completely drop the whole thing just because the entire neighborhood is not coming over to look at this damn house.

[Venefcus]

Monstrosity is a lot of fun and I would hate to see it just fall to the wayside and be forgotten. Please hear us and bump this up just a bit on the priorities list. Maybe include some incentive to do it (yay for rewards/shinies as the OP suggested), or allow your monsters to be even higher level and battle with players using their iLvl gear. Also, just allowing monsters to party together would breath a ton of life into this when among friends. Just my two cents.

[Draylo]

UPDATE THIS CONTENT

[Gameesh]

I think it's either one of these scenario's atm:

1) Square doesn't have the manpower / resources atm to focus on this content since other stuff gets priority. I.e. Adoulin missions, job adjustments etc

2) Square is reluctant / unwilling to expand this content since the majority of players said in on of the polls some months ago that they 'don't like' this content.
(this can be easily rectified by adding some form of party mode though...)

3) Square has abandoned the content for .. unknown reasons and just doesn't want to up-straight tell people about it.

I pray it's just scenario 1, but the more time passes, the more I get that sinking feeling it's 2 or even 3...

[Mitruya]

Well, if they had finished fleshing it out then perhaps there would be more satisfaction noted on the surveys. But as it is, we can't tell them WHY we're unsatisfied.
I still play it regardless of my survey answers. But my dissatisfaction comes from the incompleteness of it.
Every month could have been a few more mobs, a few more areas to exp in, or something.
I still think they missed a big opportunity in October for a grand monster event.
As Venefcus said, even just partying together would be a great step. How many of us lately have been bitching on the forum about boredom and no one wanting to group up with us for anything? There shouldn't be any job BS involved so plenty of casuals and friends and whoever could team up for fun and keep us subscribing.

[Mefuki]

2) Square is reluctant / unwilling to expand this content since the majority of players said in on of the polls some months ago that they 'don't like' this content.
(this can be easily rectified by adding some form of party mode though...)

Actually, as I recall, the poll showed that the majority hadn't even tried it yet (I would assume that was because there was no reason to do it. I.e no good rewards, no real PvP, etc). A much smaller minority had both done the content and didn't like it. And that goes to show how much of a home run SE had in there hands with this content: That even with Monstrosity being as incredibly limited as it was, the majority gave it a positive review.

[Gameesh]

Actually, as I recall, the poll showed that the majority hadn't even tried it yet (I would assume that was because there was no reason to do it. I.e no good rewards, no real PvP, etc). A much smaller minority had both done the content and didn't like it. And that goes to show how much of a home run SE had in there hands with this content: That even with Monstrosity being as incredibly limited as it was, the majority gave it a positive review.

You hit the nail on the head there.
Please give a response, Square Enix.
Even if it's just a small vague one.

[DarkBEWD]

So much for "content for every type of player" huh? Well this non-player is still hoping his non-content will go back to being non-neglected now that Adoulin is supposedly ending.

[Gameesh]

So much for "content for every type of player" huh? Well this non-player is still hoping his non-content will go back to being non-neglected now that Adoulin is supposedly ending.

Couldn't have said it better myself.
I do love all the new content they put out, and I will certainly try / like the whole Unity thing.
But Monstrosity has a special place in my heart.

[Mitruya]

I had a scowl like Grumpy Cat this morning when I read the update announcement. =^~^=
I'm not interested in any of it, unless somehow it gets rid of the job discrimination BS and revitalizes my server.

I understand a lot of work went into these things, so there may not have been time (despite Monstrosity being out since Aug '13...).
SE missed the boat with Halloween, so can I get Monstrosity updates for Christmas?

[Gameesh]

Christmas Tree subspecies for Treant or bust?

[Mitruya]

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Twinkling_Treant

[Gameesh]

Well at the very least it looks like Monipulators can get double xp in the 11/11 campaign.
Details: http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/13261/detail.html

[Mitruya]

Yeah I'm looking forward to that. I finished Gnole to 75 yesterday so I'm 1/3 on the way to Behemoth.

[Mitruya]

Please let us know if ANYTHING is happening with Monstrosity in the future.
At least the double exp applies to us this time, so I hope that means it is going forward again.

[Gameesh]

Please let us know if ANYTHING is happening with Monstrosity in the future.
At least the double exp applies to us this time, so I hope that means it is going forward again.

They're adding the final chapter of Adoulin in the November update.
Perhaps the time/resources spent on that content can shift to something else now?
I can only hope it'll be Monstrosity, amongst other things.

[Mitruya]

Let's hope so.

[DarkBEWD]

Man, I wish Monstrosity wasn't abandoned so I could ask for instincts that look like those Adoulin rings.

[Mefuki]

You know, if SE wants to keep adding all these monster costumes and trusts: Do you know what in-game content could be used to unlock said things? Hmm...

Also, because Karbuncle had a great Idea that got buried and I was reminded of it today with all the SoA ring talk: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/42701-Any-Monstrosity-additions-changes-coming-in-the-next-few-months?p=517421#post517421

[Mitruya]

I would love a costume or personal pet/Trust or some fun item from Monstrosity.

[DarkBEWD]

You know, I had a small bit of hope that I could use the Wanted system as a nice, indirect way of adding content Monipulators could do.
Then I saw the 3-18 person requirement, these devs are doing a good job making sure my dreams stay crushed each update.

[Mitruya]

; ; I had the same hope. Gogo Mon party!
It gets old grinding the same areas over and over ... even with the expansion of areas they already did, some camps are just better than others.
I would really like some new content and more areas. And of course the obligatory please add more families. I'm still holding out for Khimaira.

[Gameesh]

If we aren't getting anything next month (now that dev resources can shift from Adoulin to Monstrosity) then I think I'll pretty much give up on new content.
I'm going to enjoy this double xp campaign to it's fullest though. It's great monipulators aren't forgotten THIS time.

[Mitruya]

Well, I can confirm that you can earn Unity accolades from RoEs while in Monstrosity.
And yay for double exp!

[Draylo]

I hate to offend Matsui w/his latest post, NOBODY cares about monster rearing. Literally nobody I talk to cares at all about it, they only think the monsters look cute, that is all. Why focus on that when you have a lot more people interested in Monstrosity?

[DarkBEWD]

You post what I think. Also, what happened to the surveys? When do I get to do the one where I put "who cares" next to Monster Rearing?

[Mitruya]

Monster Rearing would be cool if they linked it with Monstrosity. When I unlock Behemoth, I want a baby Behemoth in my Mog Garden.
I know the whole point is "rearing," but honestly I wish they would stay babies and frolic around the garden. I want a baby Ruszor chasing Crabauble. It would be like the snow-beast from Jotunheim (Thor movie).
Then if people wanted certain monsters (or mini-versions) in their garden, it would encourage players to unlock the mobs in Monstrosity.

[Gameesh]

I hate to offend Matsui w/his latest post, NOBODY cares about monster rearing. Literally nobody I talk to cares at all about it, they only think the monsters look cute, that is all. Why focus on that when you have a lot more people interested in Monstrosity?

Couldn't agree more.
I actually did a (small) survey in my linkshell a few days ago about Monster rearing. The shell has about 40 members or so.

Here are the results:
1/40 never even heard of Monster Rearing
36/40 tried it, but were like 'meh whatever' afterwards so stopped caring
3/40 is still actively doing Monster Rearing

When I asked the same about Monstrosity it was more or less like this:
0/40 never even heard of Monstrosity
8/40 tried it, but were like 'meh whatever' afterwards so stopped caring
32/40 is still actively doing Monstrosity

Maybe my linkshell is in the slight minority, but it's clear that Monstrosity is:
A) A LOT of fun
B) Content you can come back to at any time and you won't fall behind at all (no gear to catch up etc)
C) Feels very different then the usual fighting
D) You can take a lot more risks
E) You can/have to come up with creative camps

That's just my 50 cents...

[Mitruya]

Once the babies grow up, Monster Rearing really loses its appeal to me. I hardly bother to feed or gather from them.

[DarkBEWD]

If they really wanted to add baby monsters they could've just made them into Monipulator subs instead. Like, being able to do a quiz or quest similar to the Bee unlock to get a baby monster, then if you hit 30 or whatever on it without having bought the adult version yet, you unlock the adult for free and I'm sure many players would rather BE the baby mob than feed one. Heck, you could be running around as a level 99 baby sheep beating up Rams and Rocs several times your size. Too bad we can't have nice things around here.

[Mitruya]

I totally support the idea of running around as a baby mon. ^_^

[Genz]

I'm also waiting for new infos about Monstrosity. I hope we'll get something this week.
Even a "still working on it, but no date" would be fine, at this point.
... or maybe a "not enough people playing, we've stopped development for now", so we don't wait in vain?

[Gameesh]

All I want is a response, bad news or not.
It's ridiculous and frustrating that the dev's have stopped saying ANYTHING about this content since.. what now? June!?

[Draylo]

Daily bump!

[Mitruya]

Any news would be great right now. I want to know whether to keep subscribing. Unless they tell me PUP will be badass someday. ;p

[DarkBEWD]

Daily bump!

Man, can you believe just earlier this year we were close to living out Blue Mage lore and finally become squid wizards? So close... and now it looks as possible as it did before Monstrosity became a thing.

[Gameesh]

Good news is I got Bugard, Chigoe, Opo-opo, Toad and Hippogryph to 90 so far thanks to the double xp campaign. Currently working on Malboro.
It's still fun unlocking (sub)species and instincts; and I'm still being positive about SE updating the content someday.
But when I have all monsters at 90 and there's still nothing, I'll be deeply disappointed...

[Demonjustin]

I have everything to 60+ that has been released thus far, I have 2 mobs at 90+, one at 86 on it's way to 90, and only one more I'm taking to 90 before I simply stop doing Monstrosity. I love the event, but there's only so long I can play solo, without reward, in the same 3 areas, without wanting to gouge my own eyes out.

[Mitruya]

Wow, you guys, how are you doing it? Especially on DD-type mons. Are you pretty much using Belligerency? When Xarc and Uleg are beastmen-controlled, there doesn't seem to be any advantage to that mode (no crystals). So I jump around from camp to camp, hunting VT-IT and trying to maximize RoEs.
I'm trudging along on Opo-opo, then next is rabbit. And I am so burned out but I should really be buckling down during this exp event.

[Demonjustin]

Personally, I do nothing but Belligerency after level 12(which I hit in East Sarutabaruta), Bub to 35, Xarc to 53, Uleg to whatever level I stop at. Once you have enough great Instincts to fuel your monsters you can fly through everything. Trust me, getting burned out isn't something I'm by any means impervious to, hell, in all honesty I can level once every 5~10 minutes at level 70+ on any BLM mob, the only thing that keeps me going is boredom, watching shows, playing other games, and generally having time to kill, due to that fact I normally take more like 30min a level because I do one pull then afk for like... 15 min while I wait for mobs to repop since I don't feel like moving.

As for Melee mobs... I really can't stand to level them, the only way I do those is by afk leveling while I play something like Destiny or watch a TV show/movie. All of that said, the early levels keep me entertained enough to focus, it's only when I get around Uleg that I start to lose all interest. Now that all mobs are 60+ for me, well... yeah. We really just need parties, new mobs, some new belligerency areas, and we'd be good for a few more months at the very least. How much is that to ask for? Really?

[Mitruya]

Gnole was by far the best DD-mob to level once you get Cacophony. I had no problem zooming to 75 prior to the exp campaign.
But god yes, post 60 is horrible for most anything else. Opo just doesn't have much going for it. At least when I do the rabbit I have the choice of a mage version.
I am exactly like you, when I get to a camp I stay there, auto-attack and afk, often reading a book or looking on my computer in another room. So it takes me longer to level than it should. I do love the double exp event though, for far less kills per level. If only I could keep myself focused on it, lol.
I'm still holding out for the khimaira but man, the grind that is going to be, I'm sure ...

ETA: You must have a gazillion infamy. I would like the choice of skipping some of the grind by buying more species with infamy. I'd still to have to go out and earn it, and I could concentrate on instincts and unlocking things, but it would let me skip really long paths to get the big guys I want.

[Mitruya]

We're nearing December, can we get some news please? ^_^

[Gameesh]

We're nearing December, can we get some news please? ^_^

They first have to fix their servers. Seems it's pretty severe the past few days.
After that we can probably expect some news early December.
As to when the new update is, it's usually just before christmas.

[Mitruya]

So many topics have gotten official responses lately ... how come we've been asking about Monstrosity since June (or beyond) and can't even get a "we'll ask the devs and get back to you" or "stay tuned for the next update" or even "this content is not top priority"?

[Mnejing]

An interesting interview was posted on Gamerescape, one of the questions was about Monstrosity:



GE: Are there plans to continue development of Monstrosity? Can we look forward to uncapped zones for PvP?

Mizuki Ito: This issue is not unique to Monstrosity. A great number of personnel were working on the conclusion to the Seekers of Adoulin missions, and expansions to a variety of content have been put on the back burner. Though the missions themselves have concluded in the November patch, there are still some threads left unconnected, and we will introduce further quests and Seekers of Adoulin-related battle content in the months ahead that will take a deeper look into these stories. As such, we have been unable to prioritize Monstrosity. Scheduled high priority content will be released bit by bit, and once that has been done, there is a possibility that Monstrosity may rise in the priority list.
Linkage : http://gamerescape.com/2014/11/26/11-questions-for-the-ffxi-dev-team/

[Mitruya]

Thanks for the info!

[DarkBEWD]

Finally we get some solid info! Why they couldn't just tell us on the forums that they dropped it I'll never understand, but hey, case is closed time to pack it up and go home.

[Mitruya]

Yeah ... I really had to bite my tongue to not say something rude out of frustration.
It's disappointing all around. Especially considering Monster Rearing was given higher priority - who exactly has been begging for updates on that??

[Mitruya]

Dear SE, just in case you've forgotten, we're still waiting.

[Gameesh]

I hate to say it but I've stopped doing Monstrosity for now.
Ever since it was first introduced I have been leveling monsters on a daily basis.
But now that everything is 60+ (with about 10 or so at level 90) the drive to level the rest, without any updates coming anytime soon, is just gone...
So for now I shall work on my character jobs again. Let's just hope that SE has something planned for Monstrosity in 2015.
If not, then I might consider leaving FF11 until they do.

[Mitruya]

Yeah, I'm still playing around with Elasmoth (it's below 60). I might play around with some others for more instincts.
I should really be working on CPs for my PUP but eh ... I'm just enjoying Monstrosity so much more. So I might also take a break and wait for updates.