Impactful Attacks

[VanilleFang]

Jumps feel pretty impactful.

[Welsper59]

Jumps feel pretty impactful.

That thump when you fall can sometimes feel uncomfortable.

For that "impact" type of feel, it heavily relies on proper sound effects and (sometimes) camera angles. A perfect example is the Rocksteady Batman Arkham games. Attacking as Batman, be it hits/blocks/cape stuns, have a connection to the feel of impact. Add to it those close-up shots of the final blow and you have a satisfying feeling of combat.

Obviously, camera work isn't exactly something to expect here (since we control it) and skill/spell animation also has a hand in it. What they can do though, is add those SFX to a proper degree. It's quite possible, as even WoW has some skills that have a decent "impact" feel to it (e.g. Rogue's old Envenom shink sound).

FFXIV often fails to emphasize its use of sound. I've said this many times in the past about the music in this game, but it also carries over to effects. To be clear, this is not a dig at the music, as I think it's mostly great. This is a comment on the use of it, or in the case of the effects, the proper sounds for some skills. Archer/Bard have a decent impact feel when the attack connects with the mob, with that sharp thud sound. NIN, however, feels disconnected with its generic short blade SFX, as though you're just slicing air.