Greetings.

In this thread, that I direct to the community reps, I'm not going to talk of a new book, but about the “usefulness” of Monks in the Cutter's Cry instanced dungeon, and how parties tend to (understandably) ignore this Class for that place.
Thanks if you could forward my concerns to the dev team.

My point is linked to other stuff like the speed runs, so if other adventurers would like to read this long post, keep in mind that if you miss one line you will most likely misinterpret it as often happens here.

I remember I read a rep response sometime ago on a similar matter, where they said that Garuda will be a Boss more suited for close-range combat classes. ...Oooook, I found Rukkirii's post.

However, she doesn't mention adjustments to already existing contents, but only to upcoming ones.

What I would like to know is if the Cutter's Cry instanced raid has any adjustments planned to have Monks requested.

I only have Pugilist as a level 50 Class, I'm not really into playing Disciples of Magic or “tank” Classes, except rarely and for Solo adventures. I always enjoyed Pugilist, and Monk was a further improvement for Party Play.

I've no plans to bring the other Classes to level 50. If one day I'll decide to level them up until 50, it'll be exclusively for the joy I'm sure I'll have in witnessing the beautiful storyline quests.

Recently, I heard this rumor that Monks couldn't be of use in Cutter's Cry or that “Clearing Cutter's Cry with a Monk is impossible.”...

Uh-oh. The I Word. That “impossibile” put me on fire and since then I was determined to clear the dungeon with my Job. That's why in the last week I tried this experiment of reactivating the /shout filters (and put a Seeking Party search message, of no use) and setting up a tent in Ul'dah, asking the adventurers what they thought on doing Cutter's Cry with a Monk.

Most of the times I answered to these /shouts, when I said I was a Monk, this is a round-up of the answers received:

“I'm sorry.” (<= So many times I got this. )

“We need mages for CC.”

“Melee are useless with Princess & Chimera.”


I lost count of the refusals I received, haha. And I also discovered that Melee is not an Island...!
In 2 rare occasions, however, the “shouter” was kind enough to invite me.

The first time I got an invite from an unknown adventurer, we arrived at the Myrmidon Princess. I don't know who designed that battle, but as a close-range combat Class the camera angle was painful.
We stayed in that tiny nook and also for this reason I couldn't see soon enough the Myrmidon Guard, that popped inside the Princess.
After a couple of attempts with her, some of the party members was upset () and left. It was only my 2nd group battle with the first Boss (the first one a few days earlier with some adventurers I know, but we still couldn't get past the Myrmidon Princess, most likely due to my Job and inexperience... and before this one I also had another group with half of the adventurers known, but we didn't arrive at the Boss because the Warrior committed suicide with the Myrmidon Drones soon after realizing there was a MNK in party. ), but I can't really blame them for that, it wasn't a fun battle and surely they just felt like losing their time.

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And there's another matter, too. It's not like Monks are 100% useless in that dungeon (I'm absolutely sure it's doable with some practice, like an adventurer confirmed me he did), it's just that there're Jobs far superior for that place, and so the adventurers want the Jobs that can make the fastest speed run.

And once again, I cannot blame them for telling me “I'm sorry. Monk, no thanks.” if who designed the dungeon decided to leave close-range combat classes behind, and, with this pointless “speed run” endgame content, nobody is interested in some atypical run, that may be with a Monk or a Dragoon in party.
I don't know if hardcores really enjoy these mechanics, but I can't see any challenge in just rushing through it every single time with the same Classes and the same “strategy”.

Take the Dzemael Darkhold, for instance. It's actually a very nice dungeon and one of the last times I went there I noticed some tiny details, like this nice waterfall:



But we all now how it works: “Rush through and avoid the monsters.”...

...And recently I did more runs in The Aurum Vale, too, and I discovered the routine every time:

1. A positive note that we don't have to just “Run, Sleep & Rush” like in the Darkhold, but that we actually fight the monsters, yet still rushing.

2. For this “haste” reason, the mages just kill everything (the monsters needed to activate the magitek device) so fast with Flare and Co. that I can hardly ever do anything...! If there's a non-sleeping Nether Nix I grab her, at least she goes down slower. My toad!
Yeah, Monks may be useful in the Vale... but only with the Miser's Mistress. The way until there is just an AoE feast (is that the term?).
In fact, I started to get refusals for that place, too, because the only jobs requested for the speed run seem to be, in order: BLM, WAR, WHM, BRD.

Video I found yesterday confirming my thoughts. 4 Flare... Really, what is this? Is this really the direction of the New FFXIV Battle System?

You know, just in my last lore journal entry I defined The Aurum Vale and Cutter's Cry “Pure Adventure”, for the limited times I had visited them. Yeah, the dungeons smell of Adventure.
Then I learned how these “speed runs” work and I transformed like this:



I had this party in the Vale a few days ago: on the second run I wasn't already feeling this “Adventure” anymore, just because it was happening what I said in point #2, the mages killing everything so fast.
I've no idea how can adventurers do this routine every single time... I couldn't have gone past the 2 consecutive runs I did... and those alone strained me a lot!

Anyway, that's another matter and there's already a Topic on the speed runs, sorry for the digression.
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My main Classes in Eorzea are Disciples of the Hand & Land. That's what I chose, while only one for combat (Pugilist). I have others leveled up above 30, but after they introduced Monk I somehow lost interested in them.
And I remember that post of Yoshida where he said that he rectified that old statement where you could just be a crafter or a gatherer and do all the contents, but that to enjoy the endgame challenging stuff you needed a battle Class.

Quote Originally Posted by Naoki_Yoshida View Post
Disciples of the Land have the ability to gather materials, Disciples of the Hand have the ability to create items and Disciples of War/Magic have the ability to challenge enemies.

I would like adventurers to adventure in the world of FFXIV freely and for everybody to choose their main class however they like.
I have my main Classes and I've a Discipline of War, but apparently it's not enough, so that statement implies that I also need a 2nd battle Class, even if I have no interest in it?
Like I illustrated, I cannot enjoy all the contents with just one battle Class.

Last Friday I found by miracle another party of adventurers willing to take a Monk in Cutter's Cry (Setup: WAR, WAR, BLM, BLM, WHM, WHM, BRD, thatMNK), but even if I used all my might, this time seeing the Myrmidon Guard as soon as he popped, immediately starting to attack him, no way I could take him down fast enough before he healed the Princess. Even if somehow I manage to distinguish in that mess his butt rather than his head and shoot him a Blindsided Howling Fist, I can't do much in the few seconds the Guard needs to be killed, and we couldn't kill him even with the Black Mages and Warrior's AoE attacks. So we failed once again and of course the party disbanded right after.
One of the party members told me that with a setup of 4 Black Mages (EH?) he never lost to the Princess, and the Guard fell quickly with Thunder => Thundara. Yeah, well... Again, who designed the instanced raids like this? The only words I could say to who came up with such a content would be this:



Like I said, what I would like to know is if adjustments are planned for the already existing contents for close-range combat Classes, specifically Cutter's Cry and generally the instanced dungeons. I don't feel like leveling up another Class that at the moment I've no interest in bringing to 50.
I'm a Monk, I like my Discipline and my sparking-yellow AF and I want to bring down the Chimera with this Job (and her Princess slave before her). And the reason, except for the natural challenge purpose, is that:

I want to avenge the Darklight Raiders.

I really liked the small story told by Sibold and even if most of the adventurers just want the ultimate equipment and could hardly ever understand my reasons, I only crave for this and the challenge of the dungeon, and want to clear it as a Monk, my favourite and main (and only) battle Class.

Why can't I challenge the Princess or the Chimera, say, with a Dragoon in party? Better I don't mention Paladin...

The dungeon, however, requires a Full Party, and this means that I've to ask 7 adventurers to go in there with me as a Monk.

And considering most of the adventurers I know have a life beyond Eorzea, it would mean to request something that will most likely cause a huge loss of time.
If it was only me, sure, that's my time! But the problem is that it's the time of 7 others, just for a bad designed dungeon for close-range combat classes.

And of course if I ask to unknown adventurers:

“Hey, let's try this Super Challenge in Cutter's Cry with me as Monk! Many says it's impossible, but that word doesn't exist in my dictionary, so let's prove them wrong. It's going to be a Great Adventure!”

The answer, after analyzing the ones I received in the last week, would probably be:

“Huh? Adven-what...? I want theeeee speeeeeeed. Speed speed speed! Run run run!”

Yeah, they won't answer me like that, but that's the average idea I made to myself after all the /tells I sent so far during /shout for Cutter's Cry and the answers I received.
While for known adventurers... heh, it's not that easy to find 7 with such a Spirit, wishing only for an atypical challenge.

So the problem is not that it's impossible, but it is finding 7 adventurers who don't crave only for the speed run, but are actually interested in an alternative method of clearing the dungeon, that is having a close-range combat Class like Monk (or Dragoon, of course).
And like I said, I'm restive in asking it to known adventurers, considering the limited time they also spend in Eorzea.

I know a direct rep answer will not come, but I hope you'll forward my concern to Yoshida-san and to the dev team (and to the... person who decided to do this to close-range combat classes in a nice place like Cutter's Cry and invented the “AoE feast for instanced dungeons Speed Run”, Aurum Vale included...).

One week was the time I calculated to give me an idea on the situation, and I've to say I'm really glad the week ended: I blew up my tent in Ul'dah, re-activated the /shout filters, made a clear idea on this matter, and went back to my usual entertaining and relaxing routine of crafting & gathering.


That said, there's a reason why at the beginning I said that if you missed a line you wouldn't understand my real point, that is not: “I want this fixed here and now.”. I've no problems in waiting until Musketeer, for that matter. A few days ago I read a confirmation on 2.0 maps that will fill as you walk them, and being an Explorer that alone is a good reason to stay in Eorzea (among a lot of others). If I cannot clear the endgame contents with my preferred (and only) combat Class, as much as it can be a letdown, I've no problems in letting go and focus on other things.
But even if I'm no expert in MMORPG, nor one of those nice “Elites” met in the past week , I clearly feel that in the mechanics I illustrated in this post, how the instanced raids are working now, favouring only certain Classes and leaving out others, there's something not right... And therefore I wanted to express my concerns.

Hopefully I made my point clear.

I'll make it somehow. Somehow I'll manage to find a party with the patience to do this or looking for an atypical challenge, we will defeat the Princess and her Guard, and then the Chimera with me as a Monk, avenging the Darklight Raiders that over 30 summers ago got slain. And of course, after that exception I'll have to say /goodbye to Cutter's Cry until it gets fixed, I won't feel like asking again to 7 adventurers to return in that nightmare.

But please, for The Twelve's sake, in a future patch adjust this dungeon for close-range combat Classes, too, and change this pointless “AoE feast-Speed Run” mechanic in the instanced raids. Not everyone has all the battle Classes at level 50 nor has any plan to go with the tendency, and would just like to play with his or her favourite Discipline of War.

Thanks for reading.

Cloudio Onizuka, proud Monk of Eorzea