(MNK) Nex Cross Interview: A MNK Reborn.

Hello guys.

Etro’s Soul here. Today I have the transcript for Nex Cross’s interview to share with you all. I Hope you all enjoy, it was great working with him. I can’t wait to do more!

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- Transcript: O
- Audio: X
- Live: X
- Community Questions: O
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Nex Cross has agreed to answering additional questions from the PVP Community has via this Thread.
However this does not mean that every single question will be answered. Also keep in mind everyones posts are limited. Thank you.

~Enjoy~

Etro: I believe most of the time, there is a story to how we pick our in-game names. Can you tell us yours?

Nex : No story really, might as well be randomly generated.

Etro: You’re currently known as one of the top PVP players on Aether. Have you ever played PVP at high level in any other games?

Nex : Other than being diamond rank in League of Legends (seasons ago when I actually played), no.

Etro: Was FFXIV your first MMO?

Nex : I played World of Warcraft from launch until around the end of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

Etro: Do you have a favourite MMO? 

Nex : At the moment I’m enjoying FFXIV more than any MMO I’ve played before.

Etro: How long have you been playing FFXIV?

Nex : I bought the game at launch but quit soon after hitting level 50, and then picked it back up some weeks before Heavensward dropped.

Etro: How and when did you get into PVP?

Nex : I thought the rank 50 monk fists looked cool, so I queued up for seal rock when it first came out.

Etro: If “The Fold” was level 60, what would you prefer “The Fold” or “The Feast”?

Nex : I think at the moment I would prefer Feast over Fold, but only when it comes to solo queue. In a solo queue feast match it’s much easier to pull out a win, even when your team is incompetent or playing poorly. When it comes to The Fold, I feel like solo queue would be a lot more stressful when it comes to relying on your team.

As for the 4v4 team queue, Fold would be my preference simply because I enjoy more traditional arena modes more.

Etro: If you could list in order your favourite modes, what would they be? (The Fold, The Feast, Secure, Slaughter, Seal Rock) and why?

Nex :
Feast (atm): I’ll have to play it more and see if it stays as fresh as seal rock did, when it was in its prime.

Seal Rock: Fun game mode.

The Fold: Not a fan of 50 sync, but still pretty fun.

Secure

Slaughter

Etro: What is your current Solo Queue Rank along with your rating in The Feast?

Nex : At the moment I’m rank 1, with a rating of 1862. (28, April. 2016)

Etro: How important is your ranking to you?

Nex : Most of the time I don’t pay attention to my rank / rating. Before caring about your rank I think it’s more important to focus on improving as a player.

Etro: Have you done any Light Party in Feast, what rank are you?

Nex : Since season 1 started, I haven’t.

Etro: Do you have a team yet?

Nex : I don’t have a dedicated team of 4 at the moment.

Etro: Are you interested in playing teams?

Nex : A bit, yeah.

Etro: I have always heard people say “Nex Cross is only good because he always has 3 pocket healers with him”. Do you have anything to say in response to this?

Nex : F*** Nex Cross

Etro: What does it take to be able to place consistently high and perform well?

Nex : The most important thing is having consistency and the right mindset—I always try to learn something from the matches I play, win or lose as long as you learn from your mistakes and improve, each match will have a positive outcome.

Etro: What is your method for Melee DPS in Seal Rock. I see you hold the record for “highest kills” in a single match. Do you think that this something only a MNK could achieve?

Nex : I played my first 1000 or so matches of seal rock completely solo queue, and it all mainly boils down to experience. Overall Knowing your limits and class’s capabilities goes a long way if you want to succeed in Frontlines.

As for my highest kill match only being achievable by monk, I’m not really sure. I’d have to play the other jobs myself to find out.

Etro: What could you say for all the Melee players to try and achieve similar results?

Nex : If you’re trying to get a high amounts of kills, I suggest surrounding yourself with capable players (in my case, usually 1-3) who are willing to work as a unit. It’s hard to go in depth into how you can achieve 40+ kills, but the best and most concise advice I can give is to always press enemy nodes and attack the first place team.

With the recent changes to adrenaline affecting seal rock, getting 40+ kills isn’t too hard. If I got back into it, assuming 72s are running, I could probably get 50-60 pretty easily.

Etro: Are you interested in learning other roles in PVP.

Nex : Not really, no.

Etro: What is the main reason you have chosen MNK as a main for PVP?

Nex : I started my character out as a monk and never felt the need to change to any other role. When I started PvPing after seal rock was released, I thought it had potential so I kept playing it. (also it’s fun)

Etro: Do you think MNK is the strongest of all three Melee DPS?

Nex : At the moment it’s hard to tell, monk is most likely strongest in solo queue but I would have to try out ninja and dragoon to be sure.

Etro: If everyone were at equal skill level, do you feel any of the roles have a more significant control over another for obtaining a victory?

Nex : Melee simply because of LB.

Etro: Is there anything you feel you are doing different, compared to other Melee DPS?

Nex : Other than playing my class optimally in a solo queue environment (which most melee I see don’t), most DPS in general don’t know when to swap targets, who to focus, when to play defensively, ect.

Etro: How do you feel about the current state of the map and mechanics of Feast. (Such as medals, pick up buffs, timer, adrenaline…)

Nex : So far I think SE is doing a decent job at trying to balance the mode out. Medals and attack / defense buffs bring a casual aspect to a mode that is more on the competitive side. This makes it more open to those that might be trying PvP out for the first time. The main imbalanced thing I’m seeing at the moment is the Melee’s ability to limit break 2-3 times a match.

Etro: Does your play style change a depending on what composition or players you have on your team? And how?

Nex : To be honest in solo queue there are certain strategies that I stick to when up against certain comps but they’re more like guidelines. Without comms it’s hard to execute any sort of plan that can guarantee a win.

Etro: What would you say Monk has over NIN and DRG.

Nex : One Ilm Punch

Etro: Is there anything you would like to have from another Melee DPS Class?

Nex : Impulse rush

Dragonfire dive

Rabbit medium

Etro: For new MNK players coming from PVE to PVP, what skills/habits/mindsets should they take with them? What should they leave behind and what do they need to learn?

Nex : Don’t be afraid to use more than one OGCD between abilities, burst is a lot more important than consistent damage most of the time.

Never try to burst without 3 stacks

One ilm punch is OP.

Stop using arm of the destroyer. (You know who you are)

If your burst is down, back off to charge chakra up.

DoTs are situational but still useful. (Including fracture)

Etro: Is there any particular reason you prefer MNK over other roles for PVP?

Nex : It's fun.

Etro: Before the recent changes to Aetherflow stack removal. How did you feel about *the Monk vs Scholar or Summoner match up?

Nex : Being able to punch their stacks off was kind of lame TBH. Even though there were ways to counter OIP taking them off, it was still anti-fun.

Etro: If you where to list the top 5 things you always seek to do in a match, what would they be?

Nex : Pressure the healer.

Control adrenaline box.

Never LoS your healer.

Melee LB

Melee LB

Etro: What are the most common mistakes you see in feast by other MNK players?

Nex : Bursting without their stacks.

Using Tornado Kick when a kill isn’t guaranteed (stop doing this).

Keeping b4b on for too long (shoutouts to Holic Demize).

Not using fists of earth.

You aren’t using OIP enough.

Etro: When your team is in the lead, what do you do to try and hold it?

Nex : Other than spreading coins across the team efficiently, it’s important to play aggressive even if your team has 1-4 stacks each. Control over the adrenaline box and offensive boxes on the right / left side make it much easier to close out a match.

Etro: When your team is out of sync and not performing well, how do you deal with this situation?

Nex : Assuming the enemy team is doing much better than yours, there isn’t much you can do but play defensively and hope the enemy team makes a mistake (they usually do).

Etro: What do you do when your healer dies, what type of things do you look for in that moment?

Nex : If there is no pressure on the enemy team when my healer dies (which is rare), I’ll usually just run back to base if I can’t finish a kill. Also if the adrenaline box is up and my healer dies I’ll drop all pressure and try to get it to half HP before backing off.

Etro: Which class do you think is currently the strongest and why?

Nex : At the moment monk is probably the strongest because of their low CD burst and overall survivability.

Etro: Do you feel that there are any classes that are underpowered and why?

Nex : The only class I see as underpowered at the moment is Ninja, but I’d have to play it myself to figure out its strengths.

Etro: Can you name any other notable Monks you’ve encountered on Aether in The Feast?

Nex : Straigus Reyist

Fer Li

Jiraiya Sama (not really you suck go back to warrior)

Etro: I would love to know, are there any players in particular that give you a hard time?

Nex : ”Straigus Reyist”

“Jiraiya Sama” is the gatekeeper

“Tea Cross”

Etro: What trouble do they give you?

Nex : Both Straigus and Jiraiya know how to play the map well.

Stop it Tea.

Etro: Who else would you like to see interviewed?

Nex : Last Boss

Etro: And why?

Nex : Cute lalafell

Etro: Are there any changes to The Feast that you would like to see in the future?

Nex : I think they could lower the charge rate on Adrenaline.

Etro: If you could give one tip to all new PVP players, what would you say?

Nex : Try to improve, but have fun doing it.

Etro: If there was one thing you would love Square Enix to do in FF14 as a whole, what would it be?

Nex : Make Howling Fist more consistent

AoE tornado kick

Remove blind from the game

Ty~

Etro: Could you please give me one Feast tip for MNK, so I can add you to the Community Quotes List? :D

Nex : Always play smart and aggressive. (also use fists of earth)

Etro: Thank you so much Nex Cross, you’re an awesome guy. I’m sure many MNK mains will benefit from your advice. I hope you receive much love and respect from the community for all future endeavours.

Where can we find more of you? Do you have any thing else you would like to share with us?

Nex : I might start streaming at some point so you can follow me at https://www.twitch.tv/nexffxiv
Click here for more streams.

Also don’t watch any of my youtube videos they suck…

Thank you all for reading I hope it was entertaining in some way. This interview was conducted via Text, so there is no audio to go with it. I hope it was useful, see you all in The Feast!

Etro’s Soul

End of interview. : )

Special Thanks to: Magna Victora & Tea Pan for helping me with the preparation.

Next up… Straigus~! : D Please read...

hi, using this post to answer questions

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovelikewinter

Why don't you queue with Boss anymore?.

he doesn't like 8s or seal rock

Quote:

Originally Posted by JazzofEtro

Would you be up for a MNK 1v1, best of 3 session with... Straigus, Fer Li, and Jiraiya? >:3

Ya know... to find out who the true Kong Fu Master is. XD

yeah i'm down

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuitSlacking

I see you went back to catboy Nex :)

was this a mistake

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyani

What do you think about the balance between the three healers? Particularly in the area of ability to recover a game, but also in general.

At the moment I can only speak for solo queue, but there's a decent balance between all of the healers. WHM comes out on top mainly because of their ability to CC, and in solo queue they are often allowed to free cast. When it comes to recovering from a deficit there's the downside to being a SCH who has to summon their pet or might not have aetherflow, but for the most part a healer's play style doesn't really change depending on if they have the lead or not (at least not as much as DPS / Tank).

Quote:

Originally Posted by kisada

how are you most often using somersault? pure dps? healer debuff? emergency stacks?

All of the things you listed are correct, the main strength of somersault right now is the pressure it puts on healers, but not because of the cast time debuff (even though it is useful). At the moment because of the CD reduction buff to somersault, it's best used for the 6 second PB into One Ilm Punch to remove regens / shields from healers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JazzofEtro

Last question from me (I promise! I won't post here again... ; ; ).

Who gave birth to "Tea Cross". Was it you or Tea Pan? XD

nice meme

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blubbers

Thx for doing this interview Nex - awesome stuff!

1 Question - I've been playing ninja and it feels like 80% of the time I am the one getting focused. I've been popping featherfoot, shade shift, using recouperate/second wind, teleporting, ninjitsu binding etc... but I still seem to get focused all the time. Is it as bad on monk (I'm assuming fists of earth help), and how do you deal with it while still keeping dps up? I find it difficult to stay on my target if I'm trying to kite the entire match.

I don't have any experience playing Ninja, but in situations where you're getting chased and kiting backwards it's important to make sure you're fighting back. If they're putting pressure on you (and assuming your team is alive) if you aren't doing any damage back then your healer is just wasting their MP healing you, if I were you I would probably get dancing edge / shadow fang / mutilate up on their melee as you're kiting backwards (or just kiting away from them in general, while staying in your healer's LoS) and go aggressive as soon as their burst is down or they start backing off. It might be a bit hard to do as ninja, but they recently gave you fetter ward so it should be easier. Trusting your healer is hard to do in solo queue but in situations where you're getting focused it's the only thing you can do. (also make sure you don't have blood on while this is happening)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katac

what trouble do i give you

nothing to see here move along

Why don't you queue with Boss anymore?

Tea, while not terrible, is a bit of a downgrade, skill-wise.

Would you be up for a MNK 1v1, best of 3 session with... Straigus, Fer Li, and Jiraiya? >:3

Ya know... to find out who the true Kong Fu Master is. XD

I see you went back to catboy Nex :)

What do you think about the balance between the three healers? Particularly in the area of ability to recover a game, but also in general.

I play along with Nex all the time, he's so fast. Really seems like a cool guy. I like mnk in pvp a lot wish I had his skills.

how are you most often using somersault? pure dps? healer debuff? emergency stacks?

Last question from me (I promise! I won't post here again... ; ; ).

Who gave birth to "Tea Cross". Was it you or Tea Pan? XD

Thx for doing this interview Nex - awesome stuff!

1 Question - I've been playing ninja and it feels like 80% of them time I am the one getting focused. I've been popping featherfoot, shade shift, using recouperate/second wind, teleporting, ninjitsu binding etc... but I still seem to get focused all the time. Is it as bad on monk (I'm assuming fists of earth help), and how do you deal with it while still keeping dps up? I find it difficult to stay on my target if I'm trying to kite the entire match.

LOL great interview yo

what trouble do i give you

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katac

what trouble do i give you

Talk to your lawyer before answering that question. God bless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JazzofEtro

Etro: Is there anything you feel you are doing different, compared to other Melee DPS?

Nex : Other than playing my class optimally in a solo queue environment (which most melee I see don’t), most DPS in general don’t know when to swap targets, who to focus, when to play defensively, ect.

Could you elaborate on this a bit? What does it mean to you to play your class optimally in a solo queue environment? And at what points do you think swapping targets and focusing is important versus what you see most DPS doing? Thank you to both you and Etro for the interview! I love that PVP has this level of excitement now.