1. FFXIV Reset Timers
    Last daily reset was 16 hours, 7 minutes ago / Next daily reset is in 7 hours, 52 minutes
    Last weekly reset was 2 days, 9 hours, 7 minutes ago / Next weekly reset is in 4 days, 0 hours, 52 minutes
+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 31
  1. #1

    Semi-Advanced Macro Tips for DoW/DoM

    Hi, I'm Sapphidia from Balmung and I've spent a lot of time fiddling with macros over the past couple of months. A lot of the macro guides I see in class guides do provide the bare bones macros that can help play a DoW/DoM class more easily, but over the weeks I've experimented and found quite a few cool little tips and tricks that I havent seen any guides mention. I wasnt sure about starting a new thread here (this is a copy of a reddit post I made earlier), but figured it might be a good start for pulling together various macro optimisation talk.

    Disclaimer : A lot of people don't like using too many macros, and feel they can make you a lazy player or less able to react to situations needing more precise skill use. These macro tips and suggested macros are not intended to necessarily be optimal, but to provide an option for players with certain playstyles to save a few keybinds here and there and make what macros they -do- use respond better. I highly recommended that even if you heavily macro lots of skills... always try to have the skill available to use outside of the macro, even if it's on a much less accessible keybind.


    A lot of macros work fine in testing, but under combat conditions they don't work optimally due to people pressing them too much when they're supposed to be pressed once, or cooldowns not meshing as they expect, or lag affecting them. These tips help make macros respond better under stressful or laggy conditions, fine tune macros to work with different styles of keypressing, and add some RP flair.

    1 - MACRO ICONS

    Okay, this one is fairly well known, but figured I should open with it as I see a lot of people posting how to do this or being amazed when they see this in a macro. The command "macroicon" displays a certain skill's icon and cooldown. It wont display the mouseover tooltip though, sadly.

    /macroicon "Provoke"
    /ac "Provoke" <t>
    /ac "Shield Lob" <t>

    This is a macro that Paladins might use to grab hate on a target that they've lost aggro on (they'd have Shield Lob separately on a different key for most Pulls of course). This macro lets you hammer the Provoke key at a mob you don't have aggro on, and as soon as the Provoke goes off it will start spamming Shield Lobs at it to get you a nice lead on the threat list. The macroicon obviously ensures you know the cooldown of Provoke and its range (which is longer than Shield Lob, so has some additional use in certain rare situations for pulling very distant mobs that Shield Lob can't reach).

    2 - /WAIT COMMANDS FOR OFF-GCD WEAVING

    A lot of Paladins and Bards will macro certain off-gcd abilities to one of their spammable keys. Off-GCD abilities have about a 0.5-1 second long animation which will delay any other skill you try to immediately use. For this reason, it's always best to try and fire off GCDs in the "gap" between two regular 2.5 second cooldown skills so you don't have any delays.

    Example - A standard macro a lot of paladins use to keep FoF and Bloodbath up (as both have a 90 sec cd) is Fight or Flight -> Bloodbath -> Fast Blade.

    Nothing too wrong here, but if you run at a target and spam this key, your Fast Blade will be delayed by the length of TWO off-GCD attacks, and at the start of combat you really need that threat in early! Ideally you want at least the Bloodbath to be popped AFTER the fast blade, between that and the next attack, as you can weave it in the 2.5 second global cooldown without delaying skills. If you do THIS:

    /macroicon "Fast Blade"
    /ac "Fight or Flight" <me>
    /ac "Fast Blade" <t>
    /wait
    /ac "Bloodbath" <me>

    Your first keypress is FoF, your Fast Blade will go off quickly afterwards, and when you release the key the Bloodbath will fire off AFTER the fast blade but wont delay the Savage Blade you'll press afterwards. It's a small difference, but it means in practise you wont have situations where you have to hammer your FB key three times. It also means you can press the key just once as you run at a target to pop both buffs as you shield lob.

    3 - PUT PARTY ANNOUNCEMENTS AFTER A WAIT

    Sometimes it's great to have an announcement in your macro. You can tell people you're resurrecting a certain dead player, announce when you've used a certain long cooldown skill, or when your silence is back off cooldown. However, this can really annoy people in the event you spam the skill a bit too much in combat. Simple solution - the Wait command. Take this macro for the seldom-use Cover skill for paladins that needs people to be within 6 yalms of the Paladin to work:

    /macroicon "Cover"
    /ac "Cover" <t>
    /ac "Cover" <tt>
    /wait
    /p Casting COVER - stay close to Sapphidia!

    Every time you hit the key, all Timers are reset, so with the /p announcement after the Wait, it will only announce to the party AFTER you've stopped smashing the key.

    4 - MORE ROBUST TWO-SKILL MACROS

    A lot of classes use macros that pop two cooldowns at the same time, usually by using a wait command, or by pressing a key twice. If you setup a macro with both options in it though, you get a much more robust macro that lets you hammer the key frantically in a panic, but also will pop both skills with one press. Take Summoners using a macro that pops Spur and Rouse.

    /macroicon "Rouse"
    /ac "Spur" <me>
    /ac "Rouse" <me>
    /wait
    /ac "Spur" <me>
    /ac "Rouse" <me>

    This macro looks a bit weird, but it guarantees that whether you press it once or twice, or use another skill or macro too early, both those skills will go off. Having them twice also means the macro isnt as likely to fail if you press the macro a hair too early before one of the two is fully off cooldown, it will just try them in a different order.

    This style of "double entry" macro doesnt do anything different, but under combat situations is far less likely to "break" and only make one of the two skills go off. On a similar vein, if you're a healer who always uses Swiftcast on Raises, you can happily macro Swiftcast into Raise without losing its robustness.

    /macroicon "Raise"
    /ac "Swiftcast" <me>
    /ac "Raise" <t>
    /wait
    /ac "Raise" <t>

    Again, this kind of macro means that you can just hammer the button multiple times without it breaking, OR just press it once and have it do both skills with a single press, and if Swiftcast is on cooldown it will behave exactly like the regular Raise skill.

    5 - ROBUST BARD MULTI-SKILL WEAVING MACRO

    This sort of macro combines the fiddling we've done in 2 and 4 to make a Heavy Shot macro that just feels a little more responsive than the traditional one. Most bards macro Bloodletter and Misery's End onto their Heavy Shots, so the macro says Miserys -> Bloodletter -> Heavy Shot. This macro suffers from the problem where you can end up delaying your Global Cooldown abilities if you don't weave things between them, and if both off-GCD skills are available at the same time you're pushing back your Heavy Shots. However, a lot of bards spam their heavy shot key so you can't easily put in /waits. However, try this:

    /macroicon "Heavy Shot"
    /ac "Heavy Shot" <t>
    /ac "Misery's End" <t>
    /ac "Bloodletter" <t>
    /wait
    /ac "Misery's End" <t>
    /ac "Bloodletter" <t>

    If you press this macro ONCE, it will fire a Heavy Shot, then fire one of the off-GCDs AFTER the Heavy but before the 2.5 second global is up, resulting in a slightly smoother weaving of skills. However, because the off GCDs are also next to the Heavy Shot, you can happily spam this button with exactly the same effect as the original simpler bard macro.

    Some players like to spam the button, some players like to press it once rhythmically. This macro works nicely for both, and feels especially good for players like me who like to spam a button until they see a skill fire off, then wait a couple of seconds. It's a subtle difference, but it feels nicer.

    6 - CHEATING A 2.5 SECOND WAIT TIME

    As you may know, macros round up all wait times to the nearest second. If you do Savage Blade -> Wait 2.5 -> Rage of Halone, the 2.5 will actually be a 3 second wait, so this type of macro that pops two skills at once is often very suboptimal as it will be slower than manual pressing. However, if you really MUST save yourself a keybind, you can artificially lower the difference between 2.5 and 3. Here's a Warrior macro for their two major threat combo moves:

    /macroicon "Skull Sunder"
    /ac "Skull Sunder" <t>
    /wait
    /ac "Mercy Stroke" <t>
    /ac "Butcher's Block" <t>
    /wait
    /ac "Butcher's Block" <t>
    /wait
    /ac "Butcher's Block" <t>

    This macro looks strange, but it works like this (note that "wait" is exactly the same as "wait 1") - first press of the macro hits Skull Sunder. It waits 1 second. It then tries to fire off Mercy Stroke if available (an off-gcd skill). If not it tries to Butchers, but cant because the 2.5 second GCD is up. It then tries a second later, and still can't Butchers. It then tries a second later, and it -can- Butchers, 3 seconds after the savage blade hit.

    However... if you Spam the button a bit, as most people do in combat, often you'll find yourself hitting the macro one or two times AFTER the first skill fires off. It's natural for people in combat to hit the button a bit extra. When you do this, the timers are reset. What this means is... if you press this macro a second time 0.5 seconds after the Skull Sunder goes off, the Checking to see if it can fire Butchers will succeed on the SECOND check, not the THIRD, which could be up to half a second sooner than just waiting for the original press to get there. End result -> spamming this macro a tiny bit past the time it first goes off will often mean the Butchers will fire off a lot sooner.

    This one really needs to be used to see the difference between just Sunder -> Wait 3 -> Butchers. It still isnt optimal, it's still going to be a delay, but if you're someone who MUST use a macro to save a keybind for this kind of melee combo (especially if you're on a TP-heavy class), this triple-check macro can make it feel more responsive.

    7 - ADDING SOME ROLEPLAY FLAIR TO YOUR MACROS

    This one is one to use with caution, but can have some amazing results. If you don't already know, if you put "motion" after an emote, it will do the emote without announcing in the SAY channel that your character has done it. Now, a lot of Emote Animations are superceded by combat move animations, but the FACIAL EXPRESSIONS are not. You can make your character be a lot more emotive in combat without annoying people, by doing things like this:

    /macroicon "Provoke"
    /ac "Provoke" <t>
    /ac "Shield Lob" <t>
    /wait
    /annoyed motion

    One for paladins (and warriors) -> Taunt a target with provoke and your character will remain angry-looking for a few seconds.

    /macroicon "Fast Blade"
    /ac "Fight or Flight" <me>
    /ac "Fast Blade" <t>
    /wait
    /scared motion
    /ac "Bloodbath" <me>

    That one above ensures your character will look rather out of their depth when fighting, a constant scared look when tanking something a LOT larger than themselves. You can do similar things with /ouch on tanking cooldowns, or /smirk and /taunt on big DPS hits. Just be sure to ALWAYS use the MOTION afterwards!

    Some emotes DO supercede some instant animations. If you're a scholar, for instance, you can Swiftcast Summon a Fairy using a Kiss with the following macro:

    /macroicon "Summon"
    /ac "Swiftcast" <me>
    /ac "Summon" <me>
    /wait
    /ac "Summon" <me>
    /blowkiss motion

    Use these with caution of course, but it's possible to make your character behave a lot more dynamically with cunning use of these kind of things, it doesnt interfere with combat in any way and if you use Motion it wont annoy anyone with chat spam.

    Hopefully some of these will prove useful! As said, I'm not recommending you definitely use all of the macros in the examples, and in almost all cases, a player with a LOT of keybinds and every skill individually bound will perform better than one heavily reliant on macros when playing at their best. But we're only human! I hope some of these will let people fiddle their own macros that best fit the way they personally setup keybindings.

  2. #2
    You wouldn't know that though because you've demonstrably never picked up a book nor educated yourself on the matter. Let me guess, overweight housewife?
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    22,966
    BG Level
    10
    FFXIV Character
    Allyra Arianos
    FFXIV Server
    Sargatanas
    WoW Realm
    Windrunner

    Quote Originally Posted by Sapphidia View Post

    1 - MACRO ICONS

    Okay, this one is fairly well known, but figured I should open with it as I see a lot of people posting how to do this or being amazed when they see this in a macro. The command "macroicon" displays a certain skill's icon and cooldown. It wont display the mouseover tooltip though, sadly.

    /macroicon "Provoke"
    /ac "Provoke" <t>
    /ac "Shield Lob" <t>

    That's a good example of a paladin macro that lets you hammer the Provoke key to spam Shield Lobs at a target after you've provoked it, and the macroicon obviously ensures you know the cooldown/range.
    If anyone uses this for pulling and/or when you are at the top of the hate list, I will cut you.

    Otherwise, great guide!

  3. #3
    Physicist
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    4,493
    BG Level
    7
    FFXIV Character
    Raineer Severus
    FFXIV Server
    Hyperion
    FFXI Server
    Siren
    WoW Realm
    Area 52

    Quote Originally Posted by Sapphidia View Post
    /macroicon "Provoke"
    /ac "Provoke" <t>
    /ac "Shield Lob" <t>
    Just because you listed this one, I figured I would edit to be a bit more effective. If you modify it to be like:
    Code:
    /macroicon "Provoke"
    /ac "Provoke" <t>
    /ac "Rage of Halone"
    /ac "Shield Lob" <t>
    Then you're guaranteed to be also firing off your highest threat-per-GCD ability based on the mob's range from you.

    Good guide though. I made a post in the pld forum that I'm too lazy to copy with other macro ideas. If you DF grind a lot (esp pre-50), macroing a few boss fight explanations that you're sick of typing out is a good idea.

    Another DF-helper are a COUPLE macros designed as warnings using <se.2> (don't want to overdo it), like for Repel on demon wall (DF groups forget when it's coming after gnats pop and chaos ensues), and catastrophe at the end of AK - because blind and running chickens with heads cut off or something.

    Keybinds are good to cover as well. I use all the 1-9 of my numpad to make my mob-marking macros, since I never used these keys anywhere else.

  4. #4
    WASTE OF CURRENCY
    I CAN'T I CAN'T I CAN'T

    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Posts
    9,066
    BG Level
    8
    FFXIV Character
    Izzy Izumi
    FFXIV Server
    Sargatanas
    FFXI Server
    Phoenix
    WoW Realm
    Arthas

    If you use that macro, and pull with Provoke, I will immediately kick you from whatever group I'm in. I promise.

  5. #5
    Physicist
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    4,493
    BG Level
    7
    FFXIV Character
    Raineer Severus
    FFXIV Server
    Hyperion
    FFXI Server
    Siren
    WoW Realm
    Area 52

    Quote Originally Posted by Izzy View Post
    If you use that macro, and pull with Provoke, I will immediately kick you from whatever group I'm in. I promise.
    Now we're off-topic, but address to any non-tanks reading the thread. If we're in AK and you see a succubus pull, if you pull it with ranged that means I don't have to pull with voke and hate is screwed. If you blast the shit out of it, I can voke every bit of that hate off you.

    TLDR - ranged people please pull succubus for the tanks and use big attacks.

  6. #6
    Relic Shield
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    1,755
    BG Level
    6
    FFXIV Character
    Tanaya Makers
    FFXIV Server
    Gilgamesh
    FFXI Server
    Fenrir

    Quote Originally Posted by Raineer View Post
    Just because you listed this one, I figured I would edit to be a bit more effective. If you modify it to be like:
    Code:
    /macroicon "Provoke"
    /ac "Provoke" <t>
    /ac "Rage of Halone"
    /ac "Shield Lob" <t>
    I used to have this, but I found it to be unreliable. Sometimes I would Shield Lob instead of RoH because I'm one step too far or the game just lags.

  7. #7

    Quote Originally Posted by Izzy View Post
    If you use that macro, and pull with Provoke, I will immediately kick you from whatever group I'm in. I promise.
    It's not a pulling macro, it's a "get a threat lead after needing to use provoke even if the mob is at range" macro. I'd hope people able to make their own macros understand how the skill works - sticking shield lob (and rage of halone) on the same key as provoke just means you can spam your provoke key at something when you happen to lose aggro.

    Actually, there are a few times when pulling with provoke can be good. Provoke has a -much- longer range than Shield Lob, so for example in AK you can Provoke Succubi and Dullahans after the Demon Wall and pull them independantly of other groups or across the divide. It's not always a bad thing to do, it just locks down your ability to taunt for a while so you have to be careful. That's an aside though. EDIT - and raineer beat me to it, but this is in situations where you dont have a long range dps in tune with your pulls.

  8. #8

    Quote Originally Posted by Izzy View Post
    If you use that macro, and pull with Provoke, I will immediately kick you from whatever group I'm in. I promise.
    Provoke has a 25y range compared to Lob's 15, that's why some tanks use it.

  9. #9
    D. Ring
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    4,900
    BG Level
    7
    FFXIV Character
    Shanoa Varhara
    FFXIV Server
    Excalibur

    The party announcement thing after a wait is actually really nice, especially with groups that don't use any sort of voice coms. Def solves the spam in party chat when someone decides to use their interrupt macro.

  10. #10

    I don't play a tank, so could someone explain why there is all that rage over the first example? I understand that Provoke only adds minimal threat when used to pull, but I asked a tank in my FC and he said it was because of the range.

  11. #11
    You wouldn't know that though because you've demonstrably never picked up a book nor educated yourself on the matter. Let me guess, overweight housewife?
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    22,966
    BG Level
    10
    FFXIV Character
    Allyra Arianos
    FFXIV Server
    Sargatanas
    WoW Realm
    Windrunner

    Quote Originally Posted by Berabouman View Post
    I don't play a tank, so could someone explain why there is all that rage over the first example? I understand that Provoke only adds minimal threat when used to pull, but I asked a tank in my FC and he said it was because of the range.
    Provoke doesn't add minimal threat when used to pull at all. It brings you up on the hate list, but when you pull there's no hate list at all.

    It's more like taunt from WoW.

  12. #12
    Relic Shield
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    1,755
    BG Level
    6
    FFXIV Character
    Tanaya Makers
    FFXIV Server
    Gilgamesh
    FFXI Server
    Fenrir

    Quote Originally Posted by Ksandra View Post
    Provoke doesn't add minimal threat when used to pull at all. It brings you up on the hate list, but when you pull there's no hate list at all.

    It's more like taunt from WoW.
    Not exactly. To be more specific, Provoke's formula is [Enmity of Top Player + 1]. Meaning, if the top player has 9000 Enmity, and the Provoke user has 8000, Provoke would generate 1000+1 enmity.

    That said, if people are raging about a provoke macro, they really have no idea what it's meant for.

  13. #13
    CoP Dynamis
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    270
    BG Level
    4
    FFXIV Character
    Haalia Melchiott
    FFXIV Server
    Leviathan
    FFXI Server
    Leviathan

    Quote Originally Posted by Berabouman View Post
    I don't play a tank, so could someone explain why there is all that rage over the first example? I understand that Provoke only adds minimal threat when used to pull, but I asked a tank in my FC and he said it was because of the range.
    Because half the people here are illiterates, who don't understand that the macro is a "grab threat back" macro, rather than a pulling macro.

    Come to think of it, this was explained in the OP's second post, so I suppose you, too, are illiterate.

  14. #14
    You wouldn't know that though because you've demonstrably never picked up a book nor educated yourself on the matter. Let me guess, overweight housewife?
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    22,966
    BG Level
    10
    FFXIV Character
    Allyra Arianos
    FFXIV Server
    Sargatanas
    WoW Realm
    Windrunner

    Quote Originally Posted by Carth View Post
    Not exactly. To be more specific, Provoke's formula is [Enmity of Top Player + 1]. Meaning, if the top player has 9000 Enmity, and the Provoke user has 8000, Provoke would generate 1000+1 enmity.

    That said, if people are raging about a provoke macro, they really have no idea what it's meant for.
    Ya that's what I meant by bringing up on the hate list. I just wasn't as specific as you. XD

    However, considering the guy's question I think there is a reason to rage. It's not that we don't know what it's for, it's that people will get the wrong idea if it's not explained.

  15. #15
    Relic Shield
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    1,755
    BG Level
    6
    FFXIV Character
    Tanaya Makers
    FFXIV Server
    Gilgamesh
    FFXI Server
    Fenrir

    Quote Originally Posted by Ksandra View Post
    Ya that's what I meant by bringing up on the hate list. I just wasn't as specific as you. XD
    I see, noted.

    I will admit there's still a massive amount of tanks that pulls with provoke, so I suppose the disclaimer is warranted.

  16. #16
    Tom Wilson will never be good.
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    13,472
    BG Level
    9
    FFXIV Character
    Zero Star
    FFXIV Server
    Hyperion
    FFXI Server
    Ifrit

    Quote Originally Posted by Berabouman View Post
    I don't play a tank, so could someone explain why there is all that rage over the first example? I understand that Provoke only adds minimal threat when used to pull, but I asked a tank in my FC and he said it was because of the range.
    Because then Provoke is down if someone pulls massive hate on something early and you are screwed chasing to get hate back. Provoke is an "OH SHIT WTF DID YOU DO, I NEED HATE BACK NOW" ability, not a, oh look I don't want to run 10 more feet to pull that mob macro. Having said that, I tend to pull Succubi with voke in shout/df because nobody else bothers and they die fast enough I never need voke or care if someone somehow pulls hate on it. It's the retard tanks who pull every set of mobs with voke, that ppl rage about, so it should be listed as a Get hate back now macro, so ppl don't think it's a pull macro..

  17. #17

    Well I talked this over with my tank (Provoke VS Shield Lob) and he maintains that Provoke is used simply for it's longer range. I don't know whether that proves he is just a bad tank or misinformed or whatever, but that's what he said. (he actually seems to tank pretty well IMHO)

    Since I don't play a tank I don't know whether 10 yards (or yalms or whatever) is a big deal or not. (to a tank that is, it's not a big deal for DPS) All I know is he goes around Provoking everything lol

    This was in a Castrum speedrun though (the example and conversation) so maybe he will Shield Lob when it's the right time to do so?

  18. #18
    Tom Wilson will never be good.
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    13,472
    BG Level
    9
    FFXIV Character
    Zero Star
    FFXIV Server
    Hyperion
    FFXI Server
    Ifrit

    I can't think of anything in CM that requires a provoke pull. . .

    He is just wasting a good ability for a few steps longer pull. Even worse since it's always large packs where provoke is best used, when one runs off to attack someone. It generally doesn't matter much since shit dies fast but he should be using lob. Sounds like the exact type of tank ppl would rage on.

    The only time I can think of where provoke is ever really viable for pulling is in AK for the Succubi, if your DD/Mages are lazy and you don't want to simply tank the whole mess of mobs.

  19. #19
    Old Odin
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    6,197
    BG Level
    8
    FFXIV Character
    Seravi Edalborez
    FFXIV Server
    Hyperion
    FFXI Server
    Titan

    There are certain pulls where voke just for the range is fine and you don't need the hate rip.

    It's when tanks do it for EVERY pull or pulling a boss that it is stupid.

  20. #20
    You wouldn't know that though because you've demonstrably never picked up a book nor educated yourself on the matter. Let me guess, overweight housewife?
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    22,966
    BG Level
    10
    FFXIV Character
    Allyra Arianos
    FFXIV Server
    Sargatanas
    WoW Realm
    Windrunner

    And honestly making a macro for one mob in AK seems rather silly. You end up loosing macro space since you should have these two abilities as separate slots for everything else.