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I think external sources have mentioned that a very small number of Garleans have a limited ability to cast spells. But that said, I would suspect a good chunk of magitech stuff is functionally Artificial Magic Via Device with the ceruleum and magical effects being caused by a control mechanism to make up for natural Garlean aetheric manipulation limits. They're still clearly capable of interacting with it, since it's how everything lives, they're just not able to manipulate it consciously?
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Mar 31, 2023 11:04
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It's also worth noting that just like with the Romans, the Garleans make heavy use of auxiliary units from conquered territories, so there are plenty of actual magic users within the Garleans forces.
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Mar 31, 2023 11:42
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I figured that things like the shadow clone and tiger summon are because most magical effects can be replicated via magitech and the major limiting factor is not what the magitech can do, it is the fact that it requires ceruleum to power it.
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Mar 31, 2023 12:18
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I kinda assumed that maybe Hydrus had some sort of spirit bound in a charm or whatever as a personal trophy like Zenos' collection of fancy swords.
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Mar 31, 2023 12:41
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Mainwaring posted:It's also worth noting that just like with the Romans, the Garleans make heavy use of auxiliary units from conquered territories, so there are plenty of actual magic users within the Garleans forces. By this point in the game, I assume the player has
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Mar 31, 2023 13:01
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It doesn't help that Garlemald proper is kind of nebulous in size (looking at a map, Ilsabard is covered in fog), so it's hard to get a gauge of exactly how many full-blooded Garleans there are.
AncientSpark fucked around with this message at 13:21 on Mar 31, 2023 |
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Mar 31, 2023 13:19
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Sanguinia posted:What's really funny is that virtually every single instance of LESS sanitized Imperialism is so cartoonish that one might think its ham-fisted writing, only for a quick bite of a history book to reveal that its based on a very specific thing that actually happened in real life AND WAS WORSE. Which makes it... interesting that FFXIV's writers got the go-ahead to be this explicit about it. Progress, I suppose.
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Mar 31, 2023 13:43
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Lord_Magmar posted:
Oh my. Where's all the garlean powerlifting gyms so I can go scout for the alliance 
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Mar 31, 2023 17:10
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Lord_Magmar posted:Funnily enough I went and checked. Summoner prior to Endwalker got an ability named Enkindle at level 50. It no longer does so, however it still gets variants on Enkindle later. So yeah it is probably meant to be Regula performing the Garlean Magitek copied version of Summoner abilities. SMN still gets Enkindle at 50, but the rework changed it into a trait.
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Apr 1, 2023 08:03
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Chapter 41: The Power of the Punch The final chapter of the Monk story requires a bit more time to pass in-universe. I feel like Monk has implied a greater passage of time between its story arcs and individual quests than many other Jobs. On the other hand, that might be a perception on my part because this was the only Job I've played from 1-70 in a nearly unbroken string. Regardless, at some point in the interminable wait for the Alliance army to finish its preparations to attack Ala Mhigo City, Kheris gets another message from Professor Erik. He's noticed that Widargelt is troubled by something, but the man won't open up to anyone. It's no mystery that whatever concerns him must be related to the war, but Wid has brushed off everyone's efforts to ask him about his worries. Erik hopes that since Kheris is closer to him than anyone, he might unburden himself if she lends him an ear. It's worth noting that, unlike previous quests, Erik is not trying to obfuscate that he cares about the Monks with this request. Seeing his emotional defenses drop a bit is rather sweet.  Before you head to Revenant's Toll, you can ask Erik to regale you with a new history lesson: a more in-depth explanation of the reign of King Theodoric. The purge of the Fist of Rhalgr and the firm establishment of the narrative that his rule was divinely ordained by Nymeia was only the first step in the King of Ruin's reign of terror. His next mission was a culling of the Royal House. Those closest in line to the succession with significant power bases went first to make his position on the throne unchallengeable. Soon, he went after more distant relations, proving none within the king's family were safe. Few among Ala Mhigo's nobility cared much about this. If most of the Royal Family were gone, it meant the way was clear for their bloodlines to ascend to the throne. Of course, this fact was not lost on Theodoric, who soon expanded his kill list to include all the other highborn households with so much as a drop of royal blood. The wealthy merchant class proceeded to do nothing because they were not nobles. When the king came for them, as the poem goes, there was no one left to help. As the ranks of the great and good thinned, those who knew they were likely to be next begged the Queen for help. She tried to curb her husband's bloodlust, but it was to no avail. Seeing no other options, the strongest surviving nobility and business interests met with the Queen to plot her husband's assassination. One among this conspiracy elected to betray the others to earn the king's favor. Theodoric killed them all, including his wife. Then the traitor was killed as well. This event consumed the last of the king's sanity, and soon the executions became random, fueled by Theodoric's paranoia as much as anything else. Beggars on the street were as likely to be put to death for being threats to the throne as the surviving lords and generals. The breaking point came when Theodoric's madness led him to turn on the Royal Guard, whom Kheris knows as the Corpse Brigade. They had been the only power in the nation that stayed loyal, carrying out every crime their liege commanded. When that trust was broken, he had no one. Lyse's father and Conrad successfully whipped the populace into a full-blown rebellion nearly simultaneous to this betrayal. When they stormed the castle to take the king's head, the Corpse Brigade stood aside and did nothing. Of course, as we know from our Echo vision and previous dialogue, this uprising did not end happily.   Throughout this long national nightmare, the Empire had been watching, waiting, and probing the defenses at the border. When the palace fell, they knew their time had come. The rest, as they say, is history. With this knowledge, Kheris returns to Mor Dhona and finds that all is well with the dojo. The Punch Kittens have continued their training, and the Sect of Shadow's survivors have seamlessly integrated into Wid's ranks. So why is the big guy so troubled? Because Gundobald sent him an official request from the Resistance. They wish for the last surviving Monk of the Fist of Rhalgr to join their ranks.   The source of his grief is that he's unsure how to help his nation. He knows he doesn't want to return to the war and continue to act as an instrument of destruction. That makes sense. The whole finale of the last set of quests was about how Wid wished to find a use for his power beyond killing. At the same time, he can't live with sitting on the sidelines during the struggle for freedom. So, what's a Kung Fu Master to do? Despite explaining the problem to Kheris, he doesn't want to bother her for counsel on a solution, so he leaves for Little Ala Mhigo to give Gundobald the bad news. As soon as he's gone, those eavesdropping scamps O'Chakha and D'zentsa come out of hiding and beg the Warrior of Light to go after him and help anyway.  What a pointless yet adorable dialogue choice.  Gundo is disappointed but quick to reassure Wid that there are many ways to serve when one's nation is in need. Violence doesn't need to be the answer. The words appear to reassure the Monk. Since he's in the neighborhood, he feels compelled to visit the sacred stone of Rhalgr.  His rumination on what an act of faith it was for penniless refugees to drag a rock along with them and protect it from the godless Imperials leads him to inspiration. Until now, his revival of the Fist has been focused on its martial traditions. If the Empire's expulsion is truly nigh, perhaps the time has come to re-establish the order as a church. He will send a message to every Ala Mhigan that it is safe to worship again. Naturally, the girls want to go with him, and even Erik volunteers to put his formidable mind at our disposal. Seeing Mr. Opiate of the Masses volunteer to help with a mission to establish a church is pretty surprising, but it serves as another indication of how much he values his relationship with Wid, the surrogate son who filled the hole left by one who died hating him. Don't worry, though. He's the same acerbic jerk as always.  Our party sets out for Lyse's home village, Ala Gannha. It's a place with special significance for Wid, as it's where he fled and was sheltered on the day of the massacre at Rhalgr's Reach. Along the way, we stop at a temple Kheris had passed many times during her adventures known as Schism.  Wid remembers how he trained there to unlock his first few Light Chakras. He felt the flow of aether from the ancient battleground the Monks built the temple upon and faced the desert's worst beasts side-by-side with other initiates. He stopped here because, while he considers his path of rebuilding the Fist clear, he cannot rebuild it exactly as it was. The old way was for followers of Rhalgr to seek strength above all else. Mightiness was likened unto godliness by those who worshiped the God of Destruction. However, that pursuit led them into the realm of politics, to become a weapon of state violence, and eventually to oblivion when they became a threat to another power. Chasing strength made Wid betray Kheris and turned the Sect of Shadow into a bauble to amuse a madman. A new Fist needs a new creed. Sadly, the ancient stones offer no answers. When we arrive at Ala Gannha, memories of the battle at the temple flood Widargelt's mind. Above all, he remembers a fellow neophyte named Adri.  His thoughts are interrupted by an argument between two locals. One is trying to dissuade the other from his plan to join the Resistance, a debate that's probably become a lot more common since Kheris last came through town.   Hearing the nay-sayer rant about how Rhalgr didn't save the temple and the other espouse that his faith still gives him strength gives Wid the idea he's been waiting for. He knows all too well that those who have lost everything desire strength, and the Fist can give it to them as it did in the days of old. However, that strength will not be in pursuit of vengeance, authority, or even enlightenment. They will follow the example Kheris set in awakening the 14th Chakra and seek to defend what remains of their families and homes. The whole team works together to arrange a demonstration, hoping to show the locals that the Fist survives and has something to offer them. Only a few appear, but they are suitably impressed by Kheris' prowess.  Wid gives a big speech, explaining that he is reviving the Fist to bring new hope to the people. Some are skeptical, thinking this is just another Resistance faction looking for cannon fodder, but Wid clarifies that he expects no oaths and no service. He will never ask anyone who learns from him to spill a drop of blood on his behalf. This power is for them to wield as they see fit because the mere act of gaining strength is enough to honor Rhalgr.  I like that little touchback on the Fist's origins from our first trip to the Reach. According to their origin myth, Rhalgr saved those who came to Gyr Abania so they could hone themselves for future challenges. In an ironic turn, Widargelt's new path is reconnecting with the foundations of his religion. ~*~*~ The first phase of training the locals goes well, and soon more are showing up for the lessons. However, many still question if they can trust this self-proclaimed Fist of Rhalgr. To assuage the doubters, Wid suggests an exhibition match between his top students and the elite members of the Pugilist Guild. A good showing against an organization with a renowned reputation will showcase the value of a new generation of Monks. Kheris delivers the invite, and the old gang is all for it.   Well, mostly. We spread the word and prep Schism to host our little tournament. However, our audience is only starting to file in when a mysterious squad of thugs launches an ambush! Kheris recognizes their uniforms as the colors of the Corpse Brigade, and they easily overpower Wid and the girls. Kheris manages to defend herself, a fact that perplexes the baddies. Their leader, on the other hand, is merely impressed. That's fortunate because if he weren't busy flattering her, he probably would have noticed the look of horror on the Warrior of Light's face when she saw him.  The man in the mask claims that Ilberd was one of his body doubles who usurped the mantle for his own ambitions. He is the true Griffin, and his identity is none other than the son of the King of Ruin. His name is Theobald, and he proclaims himself the rightful ruler of Ala Mhigo. Theobald explains that when he heard the Fist of Rhalgr was attempting to revive itself, he could no longer stay in hiding. The Fist is nothing but a cult that his father rightly burned to the ground, and he will not permit its existence. He summoned the Corpse Brigade because they have long practiced martial arts specifically designed to counter and slay Monks of the Fist. They are a warning that he can wipe us out at will. Widargelt stands defiant despite his disadvantage. The people of Ala Mhigo will never accept the rule of another tyrant, and he intends to fight for their freedom regardless of the odds. Theobald feigns injury at the insult.  Oh my god! Widargelt is also a descendant of the Royal House?! This is so shocking! …Or rather, it would be if Erik hadn't revealed that a secret member of the royal line had been hidden away in the care of the Fist of Rhalgr during that history lesson dialogue. There's a point where foreshadowing becomes spoilers, and this questline crossed it, spiked the football, and did an endzone dance. To be fair, it's optional information that you can miss, but that detailed history of Theodoric's reign is pretty relevant context to this plot, so it still seems like a dumb decision. Anyway, he gives a speech explaining how Baby Wid was sent away just before his parents were executed in a very Moses/Kal El of Krypton sort of episode and then issues an ultimatum:  The Griffin leaves Wid to digest the news. Moments later, Master Hamon and the pugilists show up. Better late than never, I suppose. Overwhelmed by the knowledge of his heritage and the wounds from the battle, Wid has no choice but to tell the visiting fighters that the match is canceled. Hamon can tell that this isn't something Wid is doing lightly, presumably because Kheris helps by making the best "I'm Sowwy," face in the history of Eorzea.  The old man accepts our apology on the condition that we consider it a temporary postponement. He expresses his heartfelt belief that he'll have the pleasure of matching blows with the Monks of Ala Mhigo soon enough. If only Wid were so confident. Being soundly beaten by the Corpse Brigade would have been bad enough. After all, he's here to offer the strength to protect, and he couldn't even defend himself. But learning that he carries the blood of the Mad King is a crippling blow to his self-identity. He is kin to the man who killed all his friends, and that fact leads Widargelt to one conclusion: he has no right to call himself a Monk and no right to revive his order. Wid withdraws into himself over the next few days, and word that the Monks were crushed in a fight spreads rapidly. Soon the village loses all interest in their lessons. D'zentsa and O'tchakha are beside themselves, watching their master's dream go into a death spiral. The whole situation makes them feel like they've failed as disciples because they have no way of helping Wid through this turmoil. When Kheris speaks to him, it's no better. He just uses her as a sounding board for his woes and takes no interest in finding a way out of his depression. Thankfully, we have someone around to pick up the slack when our idiot muscle brains can't punch our way out of a problem.  More seriously, this is a heartwarming conversation. For the first time, Erik goes into detail about what happened to his son. We know that Widergelt knew the boy and might have this information already, but he still knows that Erik speaking of it openly is a deeply meaningful act. The professor explains that he raised his son to become a scientist, but when the dream of being part of the liberation of Ala Mhigo took root, there was no getting it out again. His efforts to dissuade the boy only led to a rift between them and eventually the belief that his father was a coward. Despite that, his son's comrades saw fit to tell Erik that he died a hero, sacrificing his life to save an entire unit of Resistance soldiers. For a long time, Erik couldn't accept that knowledge. He grew bitter over his son's choice to be a soldier and blamed himself for not bringing him back onto the scholar's path. But eventually, he understood that his son would have never been happy if he'd been forced into the mold of a scientist. He lived and died as the man he chose to be.   Here we see the culmination of Erik's evolution from the first questline. He was always a man of deep convictions, but thanks to his relationship with Wid and Kheris, he has rediscovered that he is also a man of great empathy. What better recognition of the needs of those he cares about than for a pacifist to give a warrior permission to fight? Of course, the mere will to take on the Griffin isn't enough. Erik did a lot of research on this "Theobald," character, but the Resistance's intel is sketchy at best. They can't confirm his identity as either a member of the Royal House or the real leader of the Masks. He simply appeared from nowhere one day and started gathering followers. Until now, they'd mostly ignored him because the Griffin's mantle and anyone trying to revive the monarchy are poisoned wells unlikely to produce much of a threat. Still, there's no denying that the Corpse Brigade will not be easily dealt with. The techniques of both the Shadow and Light Sects are useless against them. Thankfully, Erik has a theory. He believes Kheris could hold her own against them because her Monk style is not a pure expression of the Fist's tradition. She began as a Pugilist, and the differences that background causes in her fighting style might be the key to victory. ~*~*~ Wid (and the girls) are more than willing to study Kheris' techniques, but there's one other point of concern. When he saw the Griffin wield his spear during the ambush, something about it was familiar. He's been meditating on that impression for days now, and it finally came to him: it was the same spear style his childhood friend Adri used when they trained at Rhalgr's Reach. Learning that his best friend survived the massacre is almost as shocking as learning about his real family. Wid can't understand why the man would try to claim the name of a dead prince and why he is so set on preventing the Fist of Rhalgr from returning. Most of all, he does not wish to fight a man he once considered a brother. But the mission he's undertaken is too important to give up.  His mind set, Wid leads us to yet another temple ruin, Gyr Kehim, the ancient training ground where the Fist first honed their techniques. There, Kheris guides the others through a good, old-fashioned Training Montage.   Since we're training, it's an excellent time to talk about how Monk gameplay evolved throughout my journey to 70. Or rather, how it didn't evolve. The groundwork that Pugilist laid in the 1-30 range has had very little added to it in subsequent levels. The only addition to the basic combo string was Dragon Kick at level 50, which mainly served to close the loop on the existing buttons. Leveling gave me access to potency boosts and utility, like AOE attacks and movement buttons, but almost all the basics of the Job were very frontloaded. This starkly contrasts most other DPS jobs, which steadily added complexity to a simple starting point throughout the leveling process. In some ways, this is a good thing. It means you see the top of the mountain early and have a long time to climb. Monk feels a lot harder than any other Job I've taken on. The way the combo system works, with its short-duration buffs, multiple positional attacks, and how the form system doesn't lock out 'wrong' buttons constantly makes me feel like I'm playing sub-optimally no matter how hard I try. Objectively, it's not more complex than Dragoon, but it feels that way. The sense that you're playing a more challenging character and that mistakes are easy to make can put a lot of pressure on you. I've felt that way more than once when playing Black Mage, and the feeling is even more intense on Monk because if I hit the wrong button, it's too late. On BLM, I can cancel the cast to prevent the mistake (bad for my numbers, but good for my ego), or I can take the duration of the cast bar to come to terms with my screwup and plan my next move. On Monk, nothing can be done once I hit the button because the bad result is instant. It can be easy to slip into panic mode or self-flagellation over the error. More time to master the basics can only be good in that scenario. On the other hand, the lack of evolution can make the class feel stagnant, and it's come at some narrative cost. The fact that I got the Chakra Gauge at Level 15, long before I was a Monk, is more than a little silly. So is the fact that it was useless until Level 34, when I unlocked the ability to generate Chakra charges passively. Speaking of uselessness, the Job's main cooldown, Perfect Balance, which grants you three opportunities to hit any combo button in any order without penalty, was one I almost never pushed. Sure, it had some use in the first round of the combo, letting you skip straight to the strikes that power up future cycles, but beyond that, why would I need it unless I made a mistake? Level after level, it felt like the game was giving me nothing beyond further incentive to master those six basic buttons. Then came the 60+ range, and suddenly Monk decided to get back on track. Not only did I finally get a proper power-increasing combat cooldown in the form of Riddle of Fire and a fun defensive in Riddle of Earth, but I got a whole new mechanic: Beast Chakra. My once-useless Perfect Balance ability began tracking which attacks I use while under its benefit. By doing certain Form combinations within that window, I unlock the Beast Chakra charges, allowing me to perform one of three super attacks. The super attacks themselves activate another type of charge called Nadi. If I collect two different Nadi, my next set of Beast Chakra will unleash my strongest move, Tornado Kick. If this sounds complex, I thought so too. I had a lot of angst about it, considering I was already struggling with the regular combo. After playing with it a while, however, it turned out to be surprisingly intuitive and not too dissimilar from the Ninja Mudras or the Samurai Sen Gauge. Beast Chakra made Monk significantly more fun for me because it shook up the macro-level dynamics of the Job. Before it was added, Monk felt very demanding on the second-by-second scale, but on the minute-by-minute scale, it almost felt tedious. Now I have something else to think about besides whether or not I screwed up my rotation, and I don't need to feel like every mistake is crippling my performance because there's a significant damage reward waiting for me over time that at least somewhat counterbalances my combo execution. I consider the mechanic a victory for the designers. So, where were we?   Oh right. Kheris trains the gang for three days, much to their chagrin. The pithy comments about how fighting her might be easier than being coached by her flow freely. On the evening of the last day, a man named Hewerald appears, bearing a request for a meeting from Professor Erik. Kheris consents, leaving her students to practice. Naturally, the whole thing is a trap.   …   Look at that face. "Can't they come up with something better than ambushing me in the woods? Come on."As it turns out, this ambush is somewhat more serious than what Kheris has gotten used to. The fight against Hew and his genuinely absurd number of Corpse Brigade reinforcements ranks among the toughest Job Duties I've ever faced and the few quests I had to attempt more than once to beat. Every enemy in this little arena hits hard, and there is little room to keep your distance from the melee fighters. Even if you specifically target those enemies, most are archers. You won't be able to fully halt the damage and let your Echo heal you unless you kill every enemy aside from the boss. The problem with that plan is that the boss summons three waves of these adds. Monk is not super-well equipped to handle this level of sustained damage. Hew also has an insanely hard-hitting special attack that knocks the player back and increases damage received. I tried several times to find a way to avoid this damage, and I couldn't figure the mechanic out. Ultimately, my only way to survive was to quaff potions, carefully manage my defensive cooldowns, and use the burst damage from my Beast Chakra exclusively to thin out the enemy numbers rather than to kill the boss. When I finally managed to win, Hew attempted to use the professor as a hostage. Erik was not impressed by this display of cowardice, but fortunately, he didn't have to put up with the indignity for long because the rest of Team Monk appeared to bail us out. Hew was pretty stunned to see his fellows from the Brigade beaten by Monks, underscoring that Kheris' training in the ways of Pugilism is already tipping the scales back in the hero's favor.  Now, if we can just fit in some naptime, we'll be golden! With the Griffin's advantage over us counteracted, Wid feels the time is right to end this madness. He writes a formal letter of challenge, requesting single combat with 'Prince Theobald.' Our adversary is quick to mock the tradition but is more than willing to show up and put down the Fist of Rhalgr once and for all. Both sides gather at Schism once again, and a crowd of villagers finds their way to the battleground. Perhaps they only came because they wanted to see a spectacle, some delicious bloodsport. Perhaps, despite everything, they still want to believe. When 'Prince Theobald' appears, Widargelt quickly exposes him as Adri. He asks his fellow initiate to give up this insane desire to be crowned king and join him in reviving the Fist. The man has just as much right to that legacy as Wid does. Adri scoffs at the offer. He learned all too well on the day of the massacre what the Fist is worth.   Adri has embraced the concept of absolutism not out of a desire for revenge but because he has not had a sense of control in his life since the day he lost his home. He mentions that he was one of Ilberd's body doubles, another faceless member of the Masks drifting through a life of misery. He hated his old masters for failing to stop the Mad King. They had been hailed as great warriors and promised him strength. Those promises were lies, and he suffered for them. In Adri's mind, the battle at Rhalgr's Reach proved that birthright is destiny. Even a psychopath like Theodoric could overcome anything by the sheer merit of his blood. One would think that how the King of Ruin's reign ended would put a dent in that perception, but Erik pointed out to us that, in the end, Theodoric took his own life. He was never brought to justice by the people he harmed, and once he was gone, the Garleans rolled in and punished everyone who had opposed him. It's not hard to imagine how this data is being warped in Adri's head. Beyond the consistency of his ideals is the more immediate fact that Adri came to hate Widargelt when he learned that he also had royal blood. He sees his former best friend as one who abandoned his destiny for the sake of an organization of pathetic weaklings that don't deserve to be remembered. For that crime, Wid must die, and 'Theobald' will fill the void upon the throne. Wid rejects his friend's words.    ...  Before the fight, Wid instructed the rest of us to be prepared because he knew his friend had abandoned all notions of honor. These words prove even more prophetic than he expected because Adri not only calls in the Corpse Brigade but also summons a heavy Magitek walker and an arsenal of other salvaged Garlean weaponry.  We're badly outnumbered, but we're joined on the front lines by our pals from the Pugilist Guild, courtesy of Professor Erik. Hamon and Co are happy to lend their assistance, and the final battle begins! The Level 70 Duty Quest is a heck of a spectacle. The size of the battle, the variety of enemies, and the number of characters on the screen create a sense of grandeur that isn't far from what the design team accomplished during the Naadam. Everyone in the fight is spouting fun one-liners, and if you keep your eyes open, you'll see a few vignettes that give almost every character a chance to shine in the chaos.  The enemies hit hard again, but the difficulty feels fairer than the last quest. You have plenty of allies to back you up and draw enemy attention, so you can pick your battles and take a breather if needed. Widargelt also periodically throws out healing to the whole group, a symbolic effort to keep his allies in the fight that directly opposes Adri's obsession with personal power. This gameplay-as-storytelling is underscored when the last of the Griffin's support falls, and he immediately mocks the Corpse Brigade as useless relics no different than the Fist. He proclaims that he will win alone, no matter the cost, the same mistake that led the King of Ruin to his downfall. The parallelism is complete when Adri's mech reaches roughly 33% health and, upon realizing he has no chance, initiates self-destruct. All the Punchfolks fall upon the hulk to try and disable it before it explodes. In the end, Widargelt, unleashing the full potential of his Chakras, rips his friend free of the hull and leaves the machine lifeless and harmless.  Adri is left beaten, helpless… and without even a moment's hesitation, Widargelt declares that he hopes they can fight again as friends. He turns and addresses the crowd, telling them that, despite the power he just showed them, he considers himself a weakling. He cannot restore the Fist of Rhalgr on his own. He needs the help of all who seek strength, lowborn or high, walking in the shadow or the light. So long as he lives, he will offer a hand to any who wish to destroy their weakness. The first hand, he offers to Adri.  With our enemy handed off to the local healers and our struggle over, the path is clear for the Fist's rebirth. That means it is time for Kheris to return to the war. She takes a moment to bid fond farewells to all her friends.   …  Some are more fond than others. Last to speak to her is Widargelt, a brother she was fortunate enough to find on the battlefield. He thanks her for not giving up on him. She had many occasions to do so. For a time, he had been ready to abandon himself! He will forever be in her debt for that solidarity and trust, and he intends to repay her by passing on the things she taught him. Fighting techniques, yes, but also inner strength, grace under pressure, and how even the mightiest warriors can build as well as destroy. The final flourish on this ending is the Level 70 Monk Skill, Brotherhood, a party-wide buff that rewards the Monk with a nearly endless flow of Chakra charges from her teammates. Stormblood hasn't been big on synching up the new Job abilities with the story since they stopped making them quest rewards, but this was a return to form on that metric. Plus, I got the Opening Cinematic armor!  Monk 60-70 was an outstanding story underserved by its prose. There was a lot of compelling stuff going on here. Thematic links and parallels to the previous Monk plotlines and Ala Mhigo's history! The culmination of character arcs! A team-up with the Pugilist characters! But many things I described in this chapter and loved about the narrative were stuck between the lines. That's not even mentioning how rushed the actual text ended up being. I think that has to be laid at the feet of how Job Quests work in Stormblood. By reducing the number of quests in each Job series from six to five, the writers lost some of the breathing room and cooking time this story desperately needed. Not every Job I've done was hurt by this change, but Monk absolutely was. Erik's evolution was nice, but it also felt sudden because he barely features in the 50-60 line. I could make sense of Widargelt's plight and Adri's motivations, but it could have been much clearer if they'd had more page space to explore their thoughts and history. The troubles with conveying the narrative almost made me resent the presence of the Pugilist crew because their screen time would have been better served if it had been devoted to the plot. Heck, even giving that time to the Punch Kittens so their presence felt less perfunctory would have been nice! Of the Monk storylines, I feel that Stormblood's had the best plot outline but the weakest execution—quite a shame for the grand finale of an overall enjoyable three-part epic. Beyond the story's quality in a vacuum, it had some special significance for Kheris. Her struggles with the questions Zenos has raised about her nature have been difficult for her, and Monk is a story that shows the Warrior of Light's best qualities. There have been many times when she's been forced to accept compromises and sacrifices to achieve the greater good. Not in Monk. Yes, a few mercenaries who tried to murder her didn't make it when she defended herself. This is an MMORPG; you expect to take down a few baddies even in the most positive storyline. But when it comes to the principal characters, the ones in the spotlight, her influence alone made the difference between tragedy and triumph. No victims of racism fell off a cliff, and no estranged brothers left their corpses on a beach for the crabs to devour. She saved the Pugilists and their guild from the despair brought on by their crisis of self-worth. She saved Erik from his bitterness and Widargelt from his bloodthirst. She saved D'zensta and O'tchakha from the abuse they mistook for love through her instinct to protect the innocent. Because she did all of those things, the people she helped went on to save a misguided villain from his twisted ideals.  And yet, a kernel of doubt continues to linger. As before, she can't shake the feeling that good deeds are insufficient to prove she is a good person. She can't trust that her intentions are noble so long as she years for the time between the seconds. If only there were some way she could be sure of what was going on in the deepest parts of her heart... ~*~*~ A brief trip back to the Reach allows Kheris to check in on Alisaie and pick up Alphinaud and Lyse. Alis warns her brother to hurry up and rescue Krile, or she'll bully him mercilessly for his tardiness. Amusingly, he chides back that she'd best stay in bed because Urianger is on his way, and he'll have a conniption if he sees her trying to push herself. Nice to see him match wits with her a bit, even if she did need nearly die to level the playing field. We beeline for Castrum Abania, where Pipin assures us that the full might of the Alliance has passed through the mountains and established a new base camp in sight of the city walls. Heavy reinforcements from every allied nation have joined the spearhead force, commanded personally by Aymeric, Kan-E, and Merlwyb. The full might of Eorzea is gathered. They're just waiting for us. The Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn step over the last threshold and enter The Lochs.  The redstone fortress of Porta Praetoria was surrendered to the Alliance invaders without much trouble. The XIIth Legion chose to fall back behind the walls of Ala Mhigo itself rather than contest it despite its value as a staging ground. Seeing those walls, it's not hard to understand why they made that call.  Lyse's narration (which is still not well-performed for whatever reason, despite how good some of her other voice acting has been) reiterates that this is the moment to put her father's creed into action. It brought to mind something I once read in a journal on mythology concerning the Illiad. By the story's reckoning, the Greeks had sent forth the sum of all their strength to honor their pact and wage war on Troy: Kings, champions, wisemen, the elite of their militaries, and the best of their youth. In that context, the moment Hector breaks through their fortifications and sets fire to one of their ships is harrowing. When that happened, it wasn't the war effort that stood on the brink of disaster but Greece itself. If the ships had burned, their leaders had fallen, and their men never returned home, nothing would have remained of their city-states but hollow shells, easily consumed by neighboring powers. Their language and culture would have vanished from the saga of human history like dust in the wind. Eorzea now stands on that same precipice. Though it may not be apparent from the relative calm we've seen on the home front, if we fail, we will have shattered the bulk of the continent's military power like a wave on a stone. Nothing will remain to oppose the Empire's retaliation. This battle truly is Liberty or Death for all of us. The leadership gathers to hear Raubahn's report. Zenos has been content to keep all but a few skirmishers behind the walls from the moment the Alliance entered the region. He may be waiting for reinforcements from Islabard, or a trap may be waiting based on Fordola's invitation. No matter which one it is, the Flame General believes we have little choice but to leverage our initiative. Every moment we delay gives the Legions time to prepare for us. Since a stand-up engagement with Garlean regulars is still risky, the threat of them maneuvering us into a disadvantageous fight makes a siege untenable. Lyse also points out that a siege would likely be a greater disaster for the Ala Mhigans in the long run because the Garleans would gladly let the natives starve to improve military prospects. The plan, therefore, is simple. The Resistance will engage in a stealth strike on the outlying residential districts, securing most of the Ala Mhigan population and capturing one of two entrances to the inner city. The Alliance will then strike the main gate, form a perimeter to prevent flanking attacks and bring up all the artillery that Maelstrom and Temple Knight have in their arsenals. Once the gate is breached, there will be no way out of the city for the Imperials. We'll fight street by street until we have the palace surrounded, and then hunt Zenos down and let him choose between chains or a rope. Gee, I wonder which one he'll pick... The only question mark in this strategy is Krile. The Alliance leaders know that finding her is a crucial objective for the Scions, and despite the nature of current events, they are not about to tell us to shelve one woman's fate for the greater good. We've been designated an irregular unit in reserve, free to operate as we see fit until we can pinpoint Krile's location. When that happens, we have their leave to do whatever it takes to get her back. 
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Apr 9, 2023 08:47
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The Stormblood Monk quests are really excellent. I did do them before the monk rework though, so maybe the way skills panned out then worked better. Or it could just be I did it late with overpowered gear. It's probably the best use of bringing back ARR class stuff, which was a bit of a trend for the writing. Interacting Counter-Fight styles and the absolute swarm of goons make for good martial arts bullshit.
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Apr 9, 2023 09:04
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Yeah, as has been stated before, Monk suffers really badly in that its total overhaul mechanically means the narrative of the job quests and the actual class mechanics fall out of alignment. This is a byproduct of having to reinvent a job because it's not working for the game: Wid's comment about how Pugilist's strike a dozen times for one blow they receive isn't just fun martial arts one-liners - he's quite literally referencing how Pugilist's mechanics were about learning how to maintain your then-stacks of Greased Lightning. A few other classes have this; Machinist is very often cited as an example, since it's another class that is basically unrecognizable from its initial inception. Beast Chakra owns, it's a really solid replacement to the mechanics that got cut, and it never stops being fun playing the Sabin Minigame. And Brotherhood feels good and thematic because it has effectively not changed since its inception - it was great when Monks first got it, it's still great, it's the unbroken wheel on which current Monk leans as they slam the throttle to Eurobeat in endgame content. I do agree that cutting down to 5 quests from six hurts the pacing of the story - you can kind of feel it in all the Stormblood Job Quests, in my opinion. But, well, nothing to really do about it, unfortunately - there's a lot of jobs that need a lot of writing to keep the quality above the median for the game. Whether they succeed or fail at that is... well, largely dependent on the job and your feelings on it. Monathin fucked around with this message at 09:31 on Apr 9, 2023 |
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Apr 9, 2023 09:29
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You get Chakra at Level 15 now? That'd be as weird as Rogues using Mudras or Lancers pulling off The Dragon's Eye. What do you think of The Lochs as a zone, by the way? I recall thinking it was rather plain compared to the ominously backlit Northern Thanalan or the whole of Azys Lla. Not that it's a bad thing, mind you, but it definitely feels like the most "Yeah, this sure is a zone." of the final areas.
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Apr 9, 2023 10:19
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Blueberry Pancakes posted:You get Chakra at Level 15 now? That'd be as weird as Rogues using Mudras or Lancers pulling off The Dragon's Eye. I'll go into the Lochs as a zone next time, don't worry.
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Apr 9, 2023 10:36
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Blueberry Pancakes posted:What do you think of The Lochs as a zone, by the way? I recall thinking it was rather plain compared to the ominously backlit Northern Thanalan or the whole of Azys Lla. Not that it's a bad thing, mind you, but it definitely feels like the most "Yeah, this sure is a zone." of the final areas. I have some thoughts I'd like to share, but it'd probably be better to wait until Sanguinia's next update to do so. Edit: Vindicated in putting off writing a longer post! Onean fucked around with this message at 10:38 on Apr 9, 2023 |
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Apr 9, 2023 10:36
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Sanguinia posted:
I'm not sure if it's a character type difference- I play a femroe- or if there's a dialogue choice tied to this, but I seem to recall my character facing this ambusher and *laughing in his face.* That was great.
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Apr 9, 2023 10:55
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Lochs is one of my favourite final zones because of how good the music is.
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Apr 9, 2023 11:25
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So at the time of Stormblood, Monk's big new abilities were the ability to begin passively earning chakra instead of being limited to only when you could spare time to use Meditation, and Tackle Mastery, which changed Shoulder Tackle (Monk's old pre-Thunderclap gapcloser oGCD - it dealt damage, too) to an elemental version based on your current Fists: Earth Tackle added a knockback, Fire Tackle hit harder, and Wind Tackle hit a bit less hard but also granted Riddle of Wind which let you do a second, follow-up tackle (so altogether it was the same potency as Fire Tackle). In 4.2, Riddle of Wind also granted Greased Lightning. Of course, the Fists of Earth, Wind, and Fire are now gone, and the Riddles were retooled, and you get passive chakra way sooner, and there's the whole new blitz system and all, but hey. Monks 61-70 were mostly just an evolutionary change back then (there was more of a shakeup from Role Actions being added, but not getting too in the weeds here.)
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Apr 9, 2023 11:46
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Sanguinia posted:Chapter 41: The Power of the Punch 
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Apr 9, 2023 12:42
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The big problem with the monk quests is that Widargelt looks so much like Hildibrand that I am absolutely unable to take him or his quests seriously.
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Apr 9, 2023 13:05
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I was a Monk main at the time of Stormblood's release, and ran through the job quests on early release weekend without the benefit of tomestone gear, let alone then patch 4.4 stuff. The ambush in the woods was really rough as you mentioned, but the capstone level 70 quest fuckin' sucked. At the time none of the friendly NPCs offered any healing at all, or if they did it was so anemic it was not noticeable. Between that and Monk's own limited healing capacity, Hewerald was a really nasty dude to have laser focused on murdering you. And, because you were tanking your own boss-tier enemy, you couldn't utilize your positionals consistently (I think True North may have existed at the time but you couldn't use it nearly as often as you can nowadays), locking you out of the primary gameplay feel of the job and a big chunk of your damage. And while all the reinforcement adds that show up halfway through the fight dispersed amongst your allies, one of them was a healer that quickly undid all the messy effort of whittling down Hewerald. And they were standing behind 12+ identically named and dressed dudes, which forced you to pick them out of the crowd to eliminate them while you were receiving heavy axe blows to the back of the head. IIRC there was also a Thaumaturge add that shot fireballs at you, but at least that made him easier to locate. Needless to say I was fairly salty by the time I finally cleared that fight.
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Apr 9, 2023 13:18
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So, Monk has always had some...weird optimizations. The more freeflow state of their primary GCDs has led to lots of strange contortions in the past to eke out .1% more damage, like the Tornado Kick rotation of the past. You don't quite have all of the pieces for the latest weirdness, but the skeleton is all there and I'd never be able to talk about it if I held off, so Basically, you want to fit your Perfect Balance charges under Riddle of Fire as much as possible. Perfect Balance has two charges and a 40s recast, which means that you'll use two Blitz moves under your first Riddle, then one under your second, then two under your third, and so on. The "even" bursts have the benefit of two Blitz moves and also being under Brotherhood, while the "odd" bursts only have Riddle to buff one Blitz. But, those odd bursts are where your double Nadi Blitz is! If only it was under your even burst, where everybody else's raid buffs are! This line of thought, plus a trait upgrade to only the solar Nadi move in EW levels leads to the Double Solar opener. You basically just do the Solar move twice in the opener, letting a Nadi drop so that your super Blitz falls naturally in the two minute window. You intentionally do the mechanics wrong to conform to the two-minute meta, which is...un-intuitive at the least. Thankfully, you only bother doing this if you know your kill time, as losing a super blitz won't make up for the realignment. MNK is cursed and will always be cursed.
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Apr 9, 2023 14:10
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Roluth posted:So, Monk has always had some...weird optimizations. The more freeflow state of their primary GCDs has led to lots of strange contortions in the past to eke out .1% more damage, like the Tornado Kick rotation of the past. You don't quite have all of the pieces for the latest weirdness, but the skeleton is all there and I'd never be able to talk about it if I held off, so Completely fair assessment, but I’ll happily take what we have now over what it was since it actually functions on a basic level in gameplay without feeling utterly miserable.
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Apr 9, 2023 14:53
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High-end MNK optimisation is a freakazoid world of using an addon to see the time between auto-attacks for optimal cooldown usage. Never go full MNK optimisation.
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Apr 9, 2023 15:13
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Thundarr posted:I was a Monk main at the time of Stormblood's release, and ran through the job quests on early release weekend without the benefit of tomestone gear, let alone then patch 4.4 stuff. The ambush in the woods was really rough as you mentioned, but the capstone level 70 quest fuckin' sucked. Sounds like my experience with "The Reason Roaille" solo duty.
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Apr 9, 2023 18:05
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Honestly, how hard is it to MNK? Just punch stuff and brag about your power level, jeez
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Apr 9, 2023 19:14
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I do like that Monk 60-70 is kind of like a Disney sports movie. They lose to the Trust Fund kids ("wait until my dad, the King hears about this!") because they're cheaters and meanies, so they have to do a training montage with their old street pals and learn a special technique, and then Kheris comes back with the fourth quarter The only weird part is I feel like the Shadow Sect disappeared from the storyline completely. At least the Punch Kittens got to be on screen sometimes.
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Apr 9, 2023 20:28
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Khizan posted:The big problem with the monk quests is that Widargelt looks so much like Hildibrand that I am absolutely unable to take him or his quests seriously. There is too much latent power in his form
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Apr 9, 2023 20:56
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All I'll say is lucky you that you get to do the lochs after two revisions to the flying points, the actual original version was nightmarish.
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Apr 10, 2023 01:12
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the thing i like most about MNK overall is that because of the pugilism questline's framing and the transition to the monk jobs, you're fundamentally just someone who's really good at eorzean mma, and unlike some jobs your role in the quests never really gets more complex or plot-relevant than that. so you meet widargelt, and you accidentally beat him to awakening all seven chakras, not quite because you are more spiritually-inclined, but mostly because you're just that good at mma. and then you meet the shadow sect, and unlock all 14 chakras because you fight for your friends, but also because you're just that good at mma. and then in stormblood you basically just stand aside for most stuff about rhalgr's fist and the politics plotline. you're just widargelt's best bud who's really, REALLY good at mma and is happy to hang out whenever. you're not an ancient master's last pupil, you're not selected by any elementals, you're not resurrecting an ancient art or pioneering a new one. you're just That Good at punching. and that's what class fantasy is really about. Valentin fucked around with this message at 01:37 on Apr 10, 2023 |
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Apr 10, 2023 01:35
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Kwyndig posted:All I'll say is lucky you that you get to do the lochs after two revisions to the flying points, the actual original version was nightmarish. Kids these days are too drat soft now that they don't have to get that one flying point.
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Apr 10, 2023 02:11
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The sidequests lead you to where that current was, so it's overblown. 
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Apr 10, 2023 03:40
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hopeandjoy posted:The sidequests lead you to where that current was, so it's overblown. I can’t remember if I did the sidequests during current hunting or if I did them afterwards and went “OHHHHHH… I SEE….” But I was at least pleased to see some attempt at guiding you there.
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Apr 10, 2023 03:56
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I genuinely liked that flying point, because I thought it was cool to have to traverse that mini-dungeon at the top of the map to get to it, almost like a callback to 1.0's Open World Dungeons. I wish there were more dungeon-y areas to explore on the overworld. It was really unique for the game and I'm genuinely sad to see it go.
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Apr 10, 2023 08:24
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On the mechanical side of things, I had no idea you unlocked chakra so early now, and that's...kinda dumb. But I can only echo that beast chakra / "punch mudra" is awesome. The previous monk burst was just activating Perfect Balance and then just bouncing back and forth between bootshine and dragon kick, which, well, some people liked, but it definitely lacked pizzazz. Beast chakra are significantly cooler. They're also very new! They were in fact JUST added in the most recent expansion after several failed attempts to get monks "right." Monks likely have the highest number of "what is this FOR" powers because of their long legacy of trying to make old Greased Lightning work, and it's a little funny that adding just one new mechanic more or less rendered all of those misbegotten attempts obsolete. At least Anatman still lets you pose all cool. We only cast mean side eyes at Freecure. Narratively, I love the monk finale. On top of what's already been written, I just love the story beat of "Oh, but I wasn't trained as a monk" and then punching this loving 80's ninja in the face. Also Hamon and the Pugilist Squad comes back! I always love that kinda poo poo. Also Erik finally isn't being a complete dipshit! Widergalt satisfyingly finishes his character arc! In its own way it's got a similar kind of fighting game / late night poorly dubbed kung fu movie storyline vibe that the HW questline has, but with much bigger narrative and emotional stakes. And, as mentioned, the entirety of the storyline centers around you being the inflection point of where these could've-gone-bad stories change for the better. Great times all around. And, now that this is when you unlock Beast Chakra, it works even better, serving narratively as a marriage between Pugilist fighting techniques and Monk mysticism! As for the non-monk narrative, well, I've said it before, but this last third of HW, where you return to Ala Mhigo, is where S-E finally found the gas pedal and they have not moved their foot from it. Entering the Lochs in of itself feels appropriately final in a way that re-entering Yanxia never did. The music does a LOT of lifting; the day theme, Songs of Salt and Sorrow, just feels extremely do-or-die, and the night theme, Old Wounds, nails exactly what its name implies. It's a very different feel from when you first enter Azys Lla; Azys Lla was a great unknown, a strange "evil technological zeal" kinda effect to it, carried on the back of losing companions along the way. Entering the Lochs feels far more "you've reached the top of the mountain, and only one fight remains." It's scrappier. Valentin posted:the thing i like most about MNK overall is that because of the pugilism questline's framing and the transition to the monk jobs, you're fundamentally just someone who's really good at eorzean mma, and unlike some jobs your role in the quests never really gets more complex or plot-relevant than that. Not to get too self indulgent, but I really enjoyed this aspect and basically made it the cornerstone of my own WoL's story for all their various job stones. All the myriad of martial classes just boils down to them starting as pugilist and being just that goddamn good at beating the poo poo out of things, and every mystic technique is just them cycling aether through their chakras extra hard. I super agree that Pugilist and Monk both really nail the class fantasy fantastically, especially now with the aforementioned note of beast chakra working as a uniting of the Pugilist's "just punch them in the loving face" and Monk's mysticism.
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Apr 10, 2023 22:38
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The one big frustration I have with Monk is with 50-60. Specifically, I'm of the firm opinion that, with the rework, you should get Masterful Blitz at level 52, but only be able to use Celestial Revolution at first, then as you progress the storyline (and unlock more shadow chakras) you get Elixir Field, Flint Strike and finally Tornado Kick at 60 when you finally open all your chakras.
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Apr 10, 2023 22:55
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GilliamYaeger posted:The one big frustration I have with Monk is with 50-60. Specifically, I'm of the firm opinion that, with the rework, you should get Masterful Blitz at level 52, but only be able to use Celestial Revolution at first, then as you progress the storyline (and unlock more shadow chakras) you get Elixir Field, Flint Strike and finally Tornado Kick at 60 when you finally open all your chakras.
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Apr 11, 2023 04:14
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letting you only use celestial revolution for eight levels is some "teaching him wrong as a joke" stuff, considering it's the monk equivalent of of summoning a rabbit
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Apr 11, 2023 11:32
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Beast Gauge unlocks have to be a bit weird because people have a tendency to forget stuff that is not a visible new button/gauge more, so it's quite a bit more awkward to get the 3 Blitz techniques separately (as they're just additions onto other buttons). By comparison, there's stuff like (for example) Ten Chi Jin separately which are their own buttons, so even though they have a similar combo-ish feel, they make more sense to be given separately. It's also why, say, all of the Summoner "additional" attacks for the summons are suddenly all unlocked at the same time at late level 80s despite them being wildly different, since they're all bound to the same button.
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Apr 11, 2023 14:32
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They could probably have the three blitz attacks unlock, and then the nadi unlock later to add extra complexity, but I do think that's really necessary.
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Apr 11, 2023 17:58
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