Does FF14 have a button bloat problem?

[Nyarlha]

You absolutely CAN condense monks into a single button (2 sets), especially if you switch Snap Punch and Demolish's positional requirement.

They have a flank rotation to buff - can easily be a 123 set. Demolished changed from Rear > Flank.

They have a rear rotation to damage, can easily be a 123 set. Snap Punch changed from Flank > Rear. Rear rotation is done twice for every flank rotation and the buff timers line up perfectly.

Flank to buff > Rear x2 > Repeat.

6 buttons condensed to 2.

Same with their AoE rotation. Can easily be a single button, especially in Endwalker when 4 Point Fury will generate the Twin Snakes Buff.

You completely glossed over that you HAVE TO alternate Dragon Kick and Bootshine every cycle because DK gives Leaden Bootshine which is one of your biggest source of damage.

[Shurrikhan]

You completely glossed over that you HAVE TO alternate Dragon Kick and Bootshine every cycle because DK gives Leaden Bootshine which is one of your biggest source of damage.

Alternative, then: simply have a Rear, Flank, and AoE option for each GCD. In Opo-opo, those would be BS, DK, and AotD (upgraded come EW), respectively. In Raptor, True, Twin, and FPF. In Coeurl, Demo, SP, and RB. Simple.

[Deceptus]

You completely glossed over that you HAVE TO alternate Dragon Kick and Bootshine every cycle because DK gives Leaden Bootshine which is one of your biggest source of damage.

First of all, you don't HAVE to. Bootshine is going to crit regardless as long as you're at the rear. Leaden just boosts it, there's also the opportunity costs of going the lower dps buffing route again vs just doing 2 rear combos.

Hell, the majority of their damage is coming from Perfect Balance/ Brotherhood / Riddle of Fire windows where you're alternating them anyway.

It's almost like things could be tweaked a bit.

[Shurrikhan]

First of all, you don't HAVE to. Bootshine is going to crit regardless as long as you're at the rear. Leaden just boosts it, there's also the opportunity costs of going the lower dps buffing route again vs just doing 2 rear combos.

No, you are obliged to make use of the mechanic.

Now, could that mechanic as easily be handled as by a simple Bootshine upgrades to Dragon Kick which, after granting Leaden Fist, then upgrades again to Leaden Fist (as a skill), reducing button count while changing absolutely nothing about how MNK plays? Sadly, yes.

It's almost like things could be tweaked a bit.

That said, if even the rare case scenarios by which to see nuance from MNK, of all jobs, has to be trimmed to make something work in terms of button-mapping, that should be a huge red flag and we should promptly go in the opposite direction (to make that available nuance real, rather than feigned or excessively shallow -- and thereby bloat).

[Andy_T93]

First of all, you don't HAVE to. Bootshine is going to crit regardless as long as you're at the rear. Leaden just boosts it, there's also the opportunity costs of going the lower dps buffing route again vs just doing 2 rear combos.

Hell, the majority of their damage is coming from Perfect Balance/ Brotherhood / Riddle of Fire windows where you're alternating them anyway.

It's almost like things could be tweaked a bit.

This is all kinds of wrong let give the monk weaponskills numbers to make it easier:

1 = Dragon Kick
2 = Twin Snakes
3 = Demolish
4 = Bootshine
5 = True Strike
6 = Snap Bunch

Your first full rotation (ignoring the various OGCDs) is 1,2,3,4,5,6 but then the rotation goes off because now it is 1,2,6,4,5,3 so your suggestion isn't feasible but the combo isn't a self contained pattern and must adjust otherwise you either let twin snakes drop off (bad idea) or you clip demolish (bad idea) or you don't proc leaden fist (terrible idea)

Anyway its not like Monks even have alot of buttons anyway they have 22 skills (then minus one cos Anatman doesn't even go on my bar)
6 Role actions (again personally this is 5 for me as I don't bother with leg sweep)
Add in sprint and Limit break
=28 buttons thats not even 2 cross hotbars