how do you learn mechanics?

[Yuella]

I wish I could practice mechanics in Stone Sky Sea so I don't waste everyone's time

[Elkanah]

I've done most of the raids and most of the dungeons and I still know very little about what's happening ever.

Every raid or dungeon I do is the same thing over and over again. I die die die but everyone else knows what they're doing so the boss dies anyways and I learn next to nothing.

When I go into new instances (whether on ps5 or pc), i record my entire game play. After i finish it, I go back and watch it > note the mechanic that pops up that killed me > and follow the screen of what other players are doing. Then I write it down and save it for later info on how to increase my dps window for the next time it comes up. If the same mechanic comes up multiple times, I'll record the % of each attack, and count in between for how long it takes before it circles back around again (as a kind of anticipation based on dps numbers)

[Wilford111]

There are some mechanics I don't understand even after several times going through. But after I play it enough times, I'll eventually notice something I didn't before and will figure it out after that. Not sure how helpful that is, but don't give up!

[Seera1024]

I wish I could practice mechanics in Stone Sky Sea so I don't waste everyone's time

Or a way to queue into an extreme at a specific phase to work on that. There's a mechanic in EX2 that trips me up and I'd love to just practice that part.

[Kandraxx]

Problem with this game is that there are next to no actual mechanics or fight gimmicks like in WoW. There is no intelligence required, it’s a series of obscure gestures and fast wind-up telegraphs you have to know (i.e.die to) before you memorized the pattern and choreography. You can be the best player in the world, the first few attempts you will look like a complete noob.

It’s actually sad that they don’t know how to design real fights, but that might be because they have to limit themselves down to this because of controller players, which the majority of japanese players likely are, since the PC as a gaming platform has been stigmatized over there since forever.

[Anhra]

Another good way to learn mechanics, is by memorizing some of the names. Specific ones are often reused on multiple enemies, such as "swing" attacks always being a point-blank circle AoE with the monster at its center or Charybdis always getting you to single digit HP, to name some examples.
Also important to note, is that reused character models often share abilities as well ( like that one dullahan boss from amdapor keep HM having some skills that Odin has as well).

[Catwho]

When I'm learning a new fight, I literally take notes. I have plain text files for every extreme and savage I've done.

Look at the attack name, and then look at what happens when the attack goes off.

My static did a blind run of P4 normal together. We died on the first attack, and then discussed it as a group.

"Okay, so standing IN the lightning bolt wasn't the right thing.... maybe try standing away from it? Katarh, you try standing in the opposite corner, Illsaide, you try standing on the corner across the way.... "

By arranging ourselves differently, we eventually figured out the mechanic, and knew what to do next time so we wouldn't die to it.

Repeat this x100 and you have blind prog.

[Xtro99]

Idk, i just die until i get the hang of it.

[EnnCee]

I've done most of the raids and most of the dungeons and I still know very little about what's happening ever.

Every raid or dungeon I do is the same thing over and over again. I die die die but everyone else knows what they're doing so the boss dies anyways and I learn next to nothing.

story of my life; I study the youtube videos and read the guide pages repeatedly until I'm sick and tired of them, yet whenever I get into a dungeon, I see next to none of the effects casting; then, I die. it's humiliating, and I feel terrible for the other party members who are suffering because of me.

one thing I've noticed and wonder about is the game's field of vision. in the videos, I can see the effects going off from a much longer distance than what I see in the playing field in game. for example, in The Final Day, I saw the colliding planets quite well watching the videos, but in the arena, they seemed to be outside of my field of vision. I run the game with the camera pulled all the way back. is there anything I can do to get more range on the camera? I think it might help me, especially while I'm learning.

and no, I can't swing my camera around, I have severe motion-sickness. doing that would just put me in bed with vertigo. I know of other games that extended the camera pull-back range to help alleviate that issue, but none of them are ffxiv, and I don't want to play them...

[Canadane]

Idk, i just die until i get the hang of it.

This is how the game is designed.
Dying isn’t a bad thing, it’s how you learn!