Common WAR macros

[Manji]

I've made a secondary character who is currently a WAR. This is my sort of chill-out character, meant as a breather from my more serious main. Ironically I now use her far more than my main since it's a smoother experience... Anyway, to my question...

I've seen a lot of WARs do a macro that announces how long it is till they can next use Provoke.

(a) Is this seen as a must-do thing, or is it "merely" a good idea?
(b) Is there a macro command for "time to next <skill use>" or are they just guessing?
(c) If it's the former, what is this command?

There's another thing where they often have a macro for when they Provoke.

(a) Is this worth doing?
(b) There is no (b)...

One thing I don't recall seeing is a macro for when they use a WS.

(a) Isn't this done, or have I just not noticed it?
(b) If you do do this, will it just overlap with the "<name> readies <ws>" message?
(c) If yes, then what /wait should I put on so it pops up as I strike with the WS?

And finally, another common macro is the "pulling" macro.

(a) What are the best macros for when you are pulling? That is, just a "/p <t> Found it! <call5>" type thing or is the a preferred way of doing it?

(b) Is there a bit of macro code to display the challenge level of the mob?


Well that's it. I know a lot of it might seem to in-depth, but it's just that I want to do the best job I can as a WAR and they're the job that I've seen most use "chat macros". Also, there isn't a lot else for me to put into my macro slots, so they feel empty after playing RDM. ;)

[Celeal]

For provoke usually I just have:

/ja Provoke <t>

Just keep it simple. The following will report the timer:

/recast Provoke

However, I usually check the timer from the menu manually.

For pulling, I would just:

/ra <t>
/p { Range Attack } <t> <call11>

If party members need to know the mob's difficulty, they can /check by themselves when mob arrives the camp. If there is a level gap in party, sometimes what /check VT to me could be low IT to others in the same party. I prefer macro to be clear and simple.

For WS, I would use:

/ws "weapon skill you are using" <t>
/p { Weapons Skill you used } <t>

[Jei]

Next provoke used to be the norm since the day we didn't have /recast. The trend still carries over but it's not neccesary.

It's a good idea to have a provoke macro. I usually use
/ja Provoke <stnpc>
Provoking <lastst>

<stnpc> is so that I provoke the links too.

time to next skill use, I think the only job that needs to do this is thf for their SATA. Even so, it usually is done manually. @30 = 30 seconds etc.

macro to announce WS. Only neccesary if you skillchain with others.

Pulling. I usually have 2 macro

- see it macro. oh noez, it's a <t> yadayada. That's just so I can use it in LS too for fun or w/e.

- pull macro.
/range <stnpc>
/p pulling <lastst>
something like that. I like <lastst> because I can push the macro without targetting anything while im still on auto run.

You can use /check. But it can only note to yourself.

[hongman]

For my WAR my main macros are:

Provoke:

/ja "Provoke" <t>
/p "Provoking <t>
/wait 15
/p 15s Till next Provoke
/p Provoke Ready!

The interval lets others know that if hate is bounced, dont expect me to be voke it coz I cant. Iv won many an arguement in parties where they say VOKE VOKE VOKE and I tell them to check their logs...Also gives yourself a quick update on when u can next use it.

Pulling:

/ra <t>
/p Fishing <t>

WS - If I am starting SC:

/p Using [Weapon Skill] in 3s
/wait 3
/ws [WS] <t>

I use the menu if I am closing the SC or if there is no SC being used. Sometimes for some odd reason Ill take out the wait 3 and use the macro.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

I have /echo lines in my Provoke macro to tell me when my next voke is ready. The entire party really doesn't need to know when I'm 15 seconds away from my next Provoke. If I'm the main tank, they don't need to know that's now ready for use either, since I'll be using it shortly anyway.

If anyone in the party (including the macro user) relies on these lines of party chat, it makes me wonder if the macro user is using enough macros. If you use any other macros during those 30 seconds between vokes, it will cancel the remainder of the voke macro. So you really shouldn't become too reliant on those /p or /echo messages anyway.

If I need to voke every 30 seconds, I'm usually hovering in the job abilities menu with Provoke selected. When I see I'm 5 seconds away from being able to voke again, I start counting down from 5 while exiting out of the menus, so I can hit my voke macro when I hit 0.

[Ziero]

I used to have 'wait' lines in my 'voke macros, but after I realized using any other macro before the 'wait' lines went through would negate them, I took them out. Now I just use /ja "Provoke" and such with all my JA recasts on a different macro so I'll always know what's ready and what's not.

For WS, your basic /ws "Weapon Skill" <t> macro is fine imo. It's kinda hard to miss those big flashy attacks unless you're just not looking. Though you can put /p Using "Weapon SKill" or whatever, it's not needed.

For pulling, which as a War you can, should and WILL do (if you're any good anyway), a simple /ra <t> with a /p Rnaged Attack <t> yada thing is fine. Again, no reason to go overboard with this stuff, just get the basic info out there. And don't worry about the /check of the mob, if the puller is at a different lvl then others it could easily check differently to them. And for most mages, every mob will have high def and eva.

Also, and sorta surprised no one else mentioned it, you need a TP macro. This will help with setting up SC and such and is something far too few people use effectively. Basically, the best tp macros are the simplest ones. Something like

/p Current TP = <tp> is more then enough to get your message across. I personally use a simple, yet noticable TP macro that clearly shows my TP without being too obnoxious. And though I can't speak for the opinions of others, as far as I'm concerned, don't use *any* <calls> in your TP macros. If your SC parter isn't paying attention, then get a new SC partner. <calls> are one of the many reasons I don't play with sound on anymore.

I have /echo lines in my Provoke macro to tell me when my next voke is ready. The entire party really doesn't need to know when I'm 15 seconds away from my next Provoke. If I'm the main tank, they don't need to know that's now ready for use either, since I'll be using it shortly anyway.

If anyone in the party (including the macro user) relies on these lines of party chat, it makes me wonder if the macro user is using enough macros. If you use any other macros during those 30 seconds between vokes, it will cancel the remainder of the voke macro. So you really shouldn't become too reliant on those /p or /echo messages anyway.

If I need to voke every 30 seconds, I'm usually hovering in the job abilities menu with Provoke selected. When I see I'm 5 seconds away from being able to voke again, I start counting down from 5 while exiting out of the menus, so I can hit my voke macro when I hit 0.

That's exactly why I stopped using them. As a War/mnk tank, I'd do nothing but spam my Boost Macro until it fired off twice, then spam my Voke Macro till it fired then go back to boost. If I had /p lines in any of them, rest assured they would be filling up the chat right along with my spamming. A good tank should be doing something else during the 30 seconds between vokes, and if it involved a macro, that 15 second timer of yours would never appear.

[hongman]

I dunno, whilst I hate endless macro spamming crap I would rather let the party know. I guess its just preferences, and I dont think mine is OTT.

The SC thing is useful for mages as well if they are MBing. When I play my RDM main I prolly look at the log 90% of the fight so big flashy WSs can be missed easily.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

As far as pulling macros, I suggest having both a Pulling macro and a Range attack macro.

The pulling macro should announce in /p chat that you are about to pull a mob. This is especially useful if the party happens to send out a secondary puller in a crowded zone (e.g. Jungles, Caedarva Mire, etc). I also suggest adding one of the easier chimes, such as <scall14>. Using "scall" instead of "call" means the game client will make the chime, but not vibrate the controller.

The separate Ranged attack macro can be a silent one. I use the Pulling macro initially, and if I get that annoying "you are too far away" error message, I pursue the mob and use my silent Ranged attack macro. It's rather annoying to see (and hear) "Get ready! I'm pulling a Robber Crab! <call>" 6 times in a row.

One more thing about ranged attack macros: if you happen to have stat boosting ammo items for any of your jobs, I suggest making the first line of your ranged attack macro unequip your ammo slot: /equip ammo. This helps avoid losing stuff like Bomb Core, Morion Tathlum, Bibiki Seashell, etc. I once threw my Happy Egg by mistake. I was no longer Happy after that happened.

If you need ammo to pull with, then you would simply put the ammo you normally pull with as the first line instead: /equip ammo "Acid Bolt".

Even if the ammo item is for a completely different job, I suggest taking these precautions for your WAR macros. You never know when you might accidentally change macro palettes when you're playing BLM, hit your WAR ranged attack macro, and toss that Morion Tathlum.

Edit: one more thing, regarding WS macros. I've started putting in /wait 2 followed by an /echo to tell me my TP return. This lets me check back in my chat log to gauge what happened on multi hit weapon skills.

/p I <3 Rampage!
/ws Rampage <t>
/wait 2
/echo TP return <tp>

[IfritnoItazura]

I find /wait macros for WS to be of minimal use; you already have the TP, just dish out the WS already.

There's really no reason for any sort of party chat for provoke macro, either. If the big noise and bright orange-red graphic doesn't clue your party members in on provoke used, then what good is the party chat?

As for "15 second to next provoke" type of junk, why bother? If you're tanking on WAR, you should be pressing the Boost macro in between provokes, so any provoke macro with /wait 15 will never finish executing anyway. If you're just tossing out an emergency provoke, no one is counting on your next provoke.

My pulling macro on any job is

/equip r.acc stuff
/equip r.acc stuff
/party <Fishing> -> <<t>> <call-something not too annoying>
/ra <t>

People in PUG's have a tendency to wander off between pulls, so the <call-something> is ther to remind them to get back to the keyboard.

[Murphie]

I find /wait macros for WS to be of minimal use; you already have the TP, just dish out the WS already.

There's really no reason for any sort of party chat for provoke macro, either. If the big noise and bright orange-red graphic doesn't clue your party members in on provoke used, then what good is the party chat?

As for "15 second to next provoke" type of junk, why bother? If you're tanking on WAR, you should be pressing the Boost macro in between provokes, so any provoke macro with /wait 15 will never finish executing anyway. If you're just tossing out an emergency provoke, no one is counting on your next provoke.

My pulling macro on any job is

/equip r.acc stuff
/equip r.acc stuff
/party <Fishing> -> <<t>> <call-something not too annoying>
/ra <t>

People in PUG's have a tendency to wander off between pulls, so the <call-something> is ther to remind them to get back to the keyboard.Exactly why I don't announce my provokes. The only /p macro I have is for pulling.

[Ziero]

As far as pulling macros, I suggest having both a Pulling macro and a Range attack macro.
The pulling macro should announce in /p chat that you are about to pull a mob. This is especially useful if the party happens to send out a secondary puller in a crowded zone (e.g. Jungles, Caedarva Mire, etc). I also suggest adding one of the easier chimes, such as <scall14>. Using "scall" instead of "call" means the game client will make the chime, but not vibrate the controller.
The separate Ranged attack macro can be a silent one. I use the Pulling macro initially, and if I get that annoying "you are too far away" error message, I pursue the mob and use my silent Ranged attack macro. It's rather annoying to see (and hear) "Get ready! I'm pulling a Robber Crab! <call>" 6 times in a row.
One more thing about ranged attack macros: if you happen to have stat boosting ammo items for any of your jobs, I suggest making the first line of your ranged attack macro unequip your ammo slot: /equip ammo. This helps avoid losing stuff like Bomb Core, Morion Tathlum, Bibiki Seashell, etc. I once threw my Happy Egg by mistake. I was no longer Happy after that happened.
If you need ammo to pull with, then you would simply put the ammo you normally pull with as the first line instead: /equip ammo "Acid Bolt".
Even if the ammo item is for a completely different job, I suggest taking these precautions for your WAR macros. You never know when you might accidentally change macro palettes when you're playing BLM, hit your WAR ranged attack macro, and toss that Morion Tathlum.
Edit: one more thing, regarding WS macros. I've started putting in /wait 2 followed by an /echo to tell me my TP return. This lets me check back in my chat log to gauge what happened on multi hit weapon skills.
/p I <3 Rampage!
/ws Rampage <t>
/wait 2
/echo TP return <tp>

Again good points. For me, I never got around to actually making a 'pull' macro, but I do have a basic /ra macro that swaps in, and out, some acc gear. I find that while I'm aiming for the shot I have enough time to type 'Incoming <t>' or something similar and start running before the mob starts beating on me. Though having two macros certainly would be easier.

And as for the TP return /echo, I never thought of that but I think I'll try it. I'm always curious about how many of my multihits land so this will definately help out.

[Murphie]

I never knew about the TP Return function, Lyonheart. Neat!

[IfritnoItazura]

Can that return TP line be counted on? I've seen where WS and regular melee swings proc'ed so close together, that the melee animations never even showed.

(e.g. I was farming on RDM/NIN a few nights ago, did a WS, and the critter died and my character immediately put the swords away. However, the log said I got two more swings in after the WS--swings I never saw.)

[LyonheartLakshmi]

I haven't played around enough with the timing of checking TP return yet. So I don't know if it needs /wait 2, or /wait 1, or if /wait is even needed at all. I suppose it's possible that you'll get in some regular melee swings immediately after the WS, it's probably a bigger problem for lower delay weapons. So each player can judge for themselves whether or not it would work for them.

Personally, I just wanted an alternative to eyeballing the TP meter immediately after WSs. If melee attacks enter the picture too fast for my macro to catch, then it's likely to fool my eyes as well. Even if this method doesn't work 100% of the time, it at least provides something for my logs.

[Lmnop]

I believe Spider-Dan used the /echo <tp> thing w/out waits. I've never tried myself though. I'd assume that you could do /ws line and /echo <tp> line right under it w/out a wait as long as you don't say anything else in the macro. Since it's still a chat command, having 2 in the same macro w/out waits will never function correctly.

Also, I don't like <stnpc> for anything that needs done pronto such as Provoke. Let's say you're war/nin and you just finished casting Utsusemi. You hit provoke, and you hit Enter to confirm, but you're still winding down from your casting. The result? "Cannot perform action" bla bla or whatever error message it gives you. This means that your BLM is getting smacked and you have to hit your macro again, and hit enter again.

That's one of the only times I'd stay away from <st> type macros. Also, it's somehow extremely easy to forget that Job Abilities can be activated through the menu with a quick key press (such as Alt J on keyboard). Whenever there are links or whatever, I simply use Provoke through the menu, providing a ready-made <stnpc> effect. Also, I pretty much never use my Warcry Macro. I have one, but I always end up using the menu for it.

Related issue: I'd very very very strongly suggest staying away from <bt> for Provoke. This is another one of those link issues. Provoke requires deft control from the user. You're asking for trouble if you let "automatic" commands handle it for you. I'm not sure how much I trust <lastst> I think I'd hate it for 'voke too. <t> all the way.

I still don't use WS macros, which is why I haven't ever messed with putting the /echo <tp> thing. If you do, keep it simple. A /p <tp> macro is more important than a WS macro, IMO. If you use /thf or have enough gear to warrant equip swaps, then you're going to want WS macros that do that.

Btw, I hate /wait for pretty much everything. I generally believe that if you want to put a /wait command in, you'd be better off using 2 macros.

[Murphie]

I don't macro much of anything as a melee or tank, I have to admit (save gear swaps). Most anything I need to do can be done via the menus.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Since I (almost) always use Bersker and Aggressor together, I have one macro to handle both. It's really a convenience thing. I have a Warcry macro. But the more gear swap macros I need, the more I'm inclined to chuck it, along with my Defender macro.

[Manji]

Thanks for your replies and discussion on this topic.

Macroing does seem to be quite a personal thing. I know one player who is very experienced and who I would definitely trust to watch my back, that never uses macros and does everything through the menus (using a control pad).

Conversely, with my RDM I actually laid out certain spells in a particular order along the F keys and got into a habit of moving through the different F+ALT/F+CTRL combinations almost like playing a piano or something; without any real conscious thought (of course, differing on each enemy type).

With my WAR, the other day, I was asked to pull for the first time (she was only level 12 or 13) and while I knew the ins and outs of the practical side of it, since I didn't display any warnings or anything, I felt sort of like I was mugging my own party with a lizard or goblin... That was the impetus to ask these questions really, as well as the fact that, as I said, I feel kind of macro-naked after playing as RDM for some time.

Anyway, I'll have fun trying out all your suggestions next time I play.

[Aaramis]

For most jobs I make a macro I generally entitle "Wait", with various /recast macros in it.

So for WAR, I'd probably have :
/recast "Provoke"
/recast "Berserk"
and so on. Feel free to toss in subjob stuff that might be of interest too, such as :
/recast "Utsusemi: Ichi"

You"ll be able to spam this as often as you want, without annoying fellow teammates since it'll display all JA recast timers as /echoes.

I prefer this macro since, as mentioned above, if you use a /wait macro such as :
/ja "Provoke" <stnpc>
/p Provoke --> <lastst>
/wait 15
/echo Provoke in 15 seconds
/wait 15
/echo Provoke Ready!
you have to keep in mind that the wait and echo stuff will be interrupted if you use another macro in between (for example, you Provoke, and then immediately use your Utsusemi: Ichi macro, and you won't get any messages telling you when your Provoke is ready, since that macro will effectively be cancelled by the Utsu one).

Hope that helps?

As for others - yeah, a ranged attack macro just to notify the group you're targeting something is nice, and a TP macro to inform other melee of your TP status is pretty much all you need IMO.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

I tried going with a Recast macro, with about 5 job abilities / spells in it. I ended up ditching it simply because it filled up my chat log with mostly recast times I don't need.

One /recast trick I did learn from someone else was to put it as the first line in your Utsusemi macro:
/recast "Utsusemi: Ichi"
/ma "Utsusemi: Ichi" <me>

That way, if you hit the macro before the spell is ready, you'll at least see how long you have to wait before you can use it.

A word or warning though: /recast can be flaky sometimes. It's not always accurate about how much longer you need to wait. So if you need to know exactly when something becomes available, you might want to leave your cursor hovering over the particular ability or spell in menu.

[Celeal]

/recast macro could be slower, due to lag. Usually I use the JA or Spell when the /recast macro display 0:02.

[Armando]

My own observations:

/echo <tp> after WS generally requires a /wait 2 for it to report the TP I have after using the WS. /wait 1 works but lag can sometimes cause it to report what you had before the WS was used. WS have charging times of less than 1 second, and can be safely assumed to be 0.5 second, but the point is that they have charging times; I don't think you can get it to work without at least a /wait 1 even without lag involved.

I used to have a macro that had one /recast command for most of my JAs or spells, but I find that having /recast followed by the /ja or /ma itself to be much more beneficial. I use <stpc>/<stnpc> for most stuff, but it varies a lot according to the nature of the ability/spell and how you usually use it; some people may prefer <me> and <t>.

I always recommend having at least one macro along the lines of
/equip (insert slot with a visible piece of gear here)
/ja "Provoke" <t>
/equip (same slot) "(Piece of gear you took off)"
You may or may not have to throw in a /wait 1 in there somewhere to get it to work right, depending on lag. When it works, you'll use Provoke but skip the animation altogether due to blinking out for the gear swap. You'll be glad to have it if you ever have to Provoke something that'll definetely rip you to shreds off of someone and head for the zone. This macro allows you to Provoke (actually, any JA that isn't Jump or WS) while running without stopping even for a single instant, thus allowing you to keep all of your original distance from the mob. Unless you do unnecessary stops or turns (or the mob has enhanced speed) it shouldn't catch up to you.

I believe /recast is the same as the menu clocks, which can be 1 or 2 seconds behind the real timer due to lag. This is more evident the longer the recast on the ability is. So, yeah, I usually do it anyways if it says :01 or :02 left.

[Murphie]

Thanks for that macro again, Armando. I remember you posting it some time ago, but I couldn't find the post any more. Very handy to have on-hand.

Or maybe Icemage posted it. Regardless, I couldn't find it.

[Lmnop]

yeah, that trick allowed me to pre-charge SATA with a monster trying to chomp me while heading back to camp.

for Recast: I pretty consistently hit 0 when /recast says 2. If your macros are simple enough, you don't need /recast for JAs (since it'll automatically display in purple{default} the time remaining if it's not ready yet.) Of course there are some JAs that you want to know are ready before you use them. A perfect example is Meditate. When I leveled SAM, and when I play with war/sam, I have something that looks like:

/recast Meditate
/ja Meditate <me><st>

The dual sub target tags do work, making you the default target of the macro (via <me>) but requiring a confirmation. This macro layout simply allows you to see the /recast remaining first. Really and truely, any time you use a <st> -typed macro, a /recast is wonderful before the command itself. IF you do use provoke <stnpc> like I previously discouraged, this helps a lot as you can sit on the same macro, waiting for confirmation for the 6 seconds you're waiting for 'voke to be up (if you're good at counting in your head).

I've done so many rediculous macros in my day that I feel simple is wonderful. If you do use a macro with multiple /recasts on it, I'd suggest keeping it small (yellow, different). Like 2-3 key abilities (for me, it's provoke and whatever relevant ability I have -- typically Boost or Utsusemi and now I'll start adding Third Eye).

EDIT: Code tags don't work anymore.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

/recast Meditate
/ja Meditate <me><st>

The dual sub target tags do work, making you the default target of the macro (via <me>) but requiring a confirmation.
oooh, nice to know. Thanks!

[SharMarali]

I don't personally like using /p chat in macros. Once upon a time, it was normal for everybody to announce everything they were doing in /p all the time. Now it's just irritating.

Yes, if you're doing a skillchain, you need a macro that tells your partner how much TP you have, and it's a good idea to have one that actually tells them when you're using your WS too, with a quiet, unintrusive <call> from the higher numbers where it's kind of a low buzzing sound. That way, in case they took their eyes off the screen for a second, they'll still realize it's their turn.

In certain endgame battle situations where key people are using job abilities according to a specific plan, it's important to let everyone know you're doing it. Examples would be shadowbind or chainspell stun.

Outside of these reasons though, I don't see any particular need to spam PT chat with a lot of nonsense about what I'm doing all the time.

There was a time when the game was still relatively new to most players and it was really almost necessary to have /p chat in most of your macros to cover your OWN tail if somebody died. During the months immediately following the NA release of FFXI, I found myself in many PTs where someone would die and then start blaming the tank, the healer, the 2nd provoker, or anyone else they could think of to blame for their death. The tank could quickly point to the log and show that their "Next Provoke - 15 Seconds" text had flashed up AFTER the idiot was already being beaten within an inch of his life. The healer could point to the fact that he had been TRYING to cast a cure when the monster did the final damaging TP move that killed the player. Then the person who died because they didn't understand how "hate" worked would get upset, throw a temper tantrum, and quit the PT like the little baby they were. Nowadays, this doesn't happen nearly as much anymore because people have a greater understanding of the game mechanics, not to mention a greater understanding of how easy it is to get back exp after you die. I don't find it necessary to have it emblazoned in the log in /p showing that I was doing my job. I know I was doing my job, and if some other player doesn't know it and can't figure it out, maybe they should turn some filters back off until they learn a little more about the game.