Younoob Tutorials.

[3Jane]

Apart from a visual idea as to what to expect, video guides are largely useless.

[Archadius]

Big difference between watching a video and knowing a fight. No one can get through a fight without firsthand experience, NO ONE. However, at least the video will give you some insights and quicken the learning pace. Going in totally blind means you're content with wasting other people's time for no valid reason.

I went into Garuda EX with a friend and his FC, and although they had all done the fight before... I had not. I'd never even watched a video or had an explanation of all the mechanics (ie. no firsthand experience). Guess what! First attempt wipe, second attempt win.

...and before you say "they carried you", know that I was i96 and was among the last to die on the one wipe we had.

Getting through a fight is definitely possible without firsthand experience. Some people are just quick learners.

[Kallera]

Big difference between watching a video and knowing a fight. No one can get through a fight without firsthand experience, NO ONE. However, at least the video will give you some insights and quicken the learning pace. Going in totally blind means you're content with wasting other people's time for no valid reason.

So you'll be kicked out of parties...less?

This devaluation of the player occurs regardless of how many videos you watch. I went to a t5 party that had half the party leave on the first wipe, on assumptions and complaints. No one bothers to explain anything, no one works together unless its a set party. Its first try or they start kicking/leaving.

Later on we won after two more attempts, though I will say I hope T5 isn't the new norm.

[Ryuukishi]

Yeah... This is one of those things where neither side of the dispute is right or wrong exactly, but you do have the choice between getting into a conflict over it versus just creating your own party so you know everyone will be on the same page. You're asking for a fight if you feel so strongly about it but use DF anyway.

[Codek]

I went into Garuda EX with a friend and his FC, and although they had all done the fight before... I had not. I'd never even watched a video or had an explanation of all the mechanics (ie. no firsthand experience). Guess what! First attempt wipe, second attempt win.

...and before you say "they carried you", know that I was i96 and was among the last to die on the one wipe we had.

Getting through a fight is definitely possible without firsthand experience. Some people are just quick learners.

To be fair, that fight is all a tank fight, so if you are playing healer or range DPS, then it's very easy to just follow a mark and shoot the right target to get the kill.

Worst case was that you might have AoE'd the spiny but I'm sure someone explained that to you easily enough.

If the tank never watched a video, then god speed to that group.

[Hulan]

For myself, I pretty much have two modes of operation. If I plan on completing a fight with a group of friends (which, admittedly is pretty much all hard content at this point), I will not watch the video. In that situation, I prefer to come in without expectations and have some fun trying new things out with some friends. If, on the other hand, I plan on doing it with people who I do not know already, I will watch the fight on Youtube. I personally find this to be a totally reasonable concession. Given that I am a Scholar - both literally and metaphorically - it seems pretty reasonable that I would research my enemy before running in there book blazing (quite literally I'm afraid).

The thing a lot of people miss about watching videos - and I am referring to both those who refuse to watch them, and those who watch them mindlessly - is that there are two very different things you can get out of them. The first is the types of ability the enemy has and the situations in which they will use them. The second is how to "correctly" deal with those situations. A large majority focus only on the latter, using it as the basis for all of their assumptions and dismissing entirely the value of the former. But the first part is where the real value is, allowing you to make informed decisions about your behavior throughout the fight.

Now, on the other hand, I welcome the opportunity to explain the fight to someone who hasn't done it before. After all, from my perspective I get to show off how well I know the fight, and from their perspective, they can open a dialog and ask questions, rather than mindlessly consuming what information they are given; everyone wins.

[Divine_Intervention]

On this one i'm a bit like Hulan, with a slight difference.

If I'm running something for the very first time, I'll try it without watching/reading a guide. I enjoy the "holy crap" factor of not knowing exactly what's going to happen.
If it happens that I'm incapable of dealing with it, I'll thank the party and give them the option to remove me. If they're patient enough to deal with me, happy days we'll continue. If not, I'll be out of the party, go do my research on the fight as per my role, and go back in.
I don't particularly see it as a waste of other peoples' time if I want to experience the content that's new to me in game. But, I don't mind so much if i know i need to learn a bit more to beat it.

[Tiggy]

The thing a lot of people miss about watching videos - and I am referring to both those who refuse to watch them, and those who watch them mindlessly - is that there are two very different things you can get out of them. The first is the types of ability the enemy has and the situations in which they will use them. The second is how to "correctly" deal with those situations. A large majority focus only on the latter, using it as the basis for all of their assumptions and dismissing entirely the value of the former. But the first part is where the real value is, allowing you to make informed decisions about your behavior throughout the fight.

Well said.

[scarebearz]

Snip

Join a practice party and not a "Farm"/ "kill" / "exp" party, then you should have no issues.

[Pharmacies]

So am I a terrible person for watching a video before a fight or something? Because, I obviously need your approval to determine if I've committed a sin against humanity.