One of this games larger unmentioned flaws: Sound Design

[Riardon]

I can agree with the skill sounds. They need some rework or refinement on some skills and on some jobs. Monk's sound effects are not too convincing yes I can agree with that. With the rest I have no problem although the game could use some more variety on monster sounds. I wish the dev team will make future dungeon bosses have their own voice overs like the brilliant The Vault. One fine dungeon we never saw again something like that despite the very positive feedback on that dungeon.

[Felis]

Ability Sounds

This is were my biggest issue with the sound design is. Every single attack i have seen so far have been disappointing. As a monk i dont feel like im punching a dragon to the death. I feel like i am dancing behind it. My strikes have no weight behind them it sounds like, because animation wise, i am killing it with fortythousand fiery fists of fury. That just doesnt translate well when all i can hear is "slap, slap, slap poof". I believe that many newcomers also notice this consciously or unconsciously and move on. Without good sound in combat it just feels really boring.

MNK ability sounds during 1.x:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRprJiMoxCQ

[DarkSlayerGrimm]

ability/weapon sound every weapon no matter how much time/effort you spent acquiring wont sound any different, like a lvl 1 sword compared to a anima/relic/lore weapon there is no weight or any sense of power in your attacks. I know a reworking of this wont ever come to light but even in swtor almost every lightsaber/blaster has a unique weapon sound when fired,thats probaly one of my gripes is that ffxiv is a sub based mmo and yet there are F2Ps that have far better features compared to a MMO that has been Sub based for how long?

[Atoli]

I don't agree with the OP.
Maybe you just have the wrong expectations?
After all, all monks do IS dancing their opponent to death with weak punches. If you want something that SOUNDS mighty, play a class that actually DOES land heavy hits.
For example, my BLM explosions are spot-on

I also deeply hate fully voiceacted games, so I'm glad FFXIV does not have that.

[Eorzean_username]

I strongly agree. FFXIV is a great world, and the music is really good and sets a great atmosphere most of the time.

But the rest of the sound design, especially the lack of effective ambient sound and enemy vocalizations, makes the world feel somewhat detached, muffled, and dull compared to the richer ambience and speech of other similar worlds.

I don't think this is a make/break sort of thing, but it is one of my few significant complaints about time spent in Eorzea.

[Annah]

the sound...some great and some downright awful.

The character girl sounds when fighting....I cringe everytime.

Sounds like a naughty video

[Knahli]

I'd be happy with just disabling the Mickey Mouse voice, honestly. It's the only one that really frustrates me.

[Voltyblast]

Personally my only issue with the game's sound is the lack of voice acting in almost anything, even big parts of the MSQ, which is somewhat one of the reasons why I didn't even bother to follow it (that, and the fact that I personally thought it was boring and badly written - but again, that's just personal opinion so don't start pitchforking me).

But beside that, I do actually like the sound of the moves...but I won't lie that they do feel a bit weird most of the time. My biggest gripe is with monk: when I use skills like Demolish and similar, with a round of final fists, they feel like they're hitting something fleshy and unrealistic and it's the same sound for every type of enemy. Even walls!

I think the sound of the skills are "okay" but maybe the best word for describing it is "unremarkable"

[ChiiSoSeriouz]

I think you may need your ears checked. The game sounds great on my Harman Kardon speakers.

[Enur]

Precisely the word i was looking for. Unremarkable. I main monk and that might be my problem. I have however, noticed that when i attack coblyns, the sound is more metallic as opposed to the weak "thub" every other enemy makes.

Wow's monk has other more diverse hit sounds. Bones breaking and the likes. It would feel a lot better if snap punch actually sounded like bones snapping. Steel peak could mayhaps break rips. For a blunt damage dealer monks should do more internal damage. A crisp "crack" would be nice