FFXIV Macros can improve your gameplay and experience better. FF14 Macros can automate many things in this game and it will be much easier for you to deal with things in the game. When it comes to quality-of-life improvements Macros are the things to look out for and not only that, but also some limited in-combat benefits as well. If you are looking for more information no user Macros then read on, in this FFXIV Macro guide we would love to provide you just that.
While the uses of Macros in this guide are just an introduction there are many more complex things you can set up as a user by using Macros.
FFXIV Macros Commands & Guide
This post will cover how to setup Macros and maintain them and their most common usages. You will also find FFXIV Playerbase information on Reddit or Discord and you can see them as well as they are quite a useful information on the same.
Making Macros and Saving them
First, let us see how you create the Macros, access them and yes, how would you save them. There are some common lines that can be added too to see timing, affect the icon and deal with potential error messages in the game for Macros.
The Macros User Window
You can select System>User Macros to create and see your Macros. There are two tabs in there – individual and a shared tab. If you want to find out about the shared tab then let us tell you that it is meant for all the characters (alts) that you create. Whereas the individual tab is meant for the character that you are playing currently. There is no need to rewrite new Macros when you add a new character in your kitty. Up to 100 Macros are there in each tab.
You can drag a Macro from the user window to your hotbar. It is then activated just like other hotbar buttons in the hotbar. There is one more way to execute the Macro, you simply right click it from the user window and execute it right away.
You can find a button labelled ‘Text commands’ at the bottom right corner. What it does is it opens a long list of commands. These commands can be used to write your Macros. We will be covering the common ones in this post, however, if you want to go deeper you can do so at your leisure. There are many filler commands as they are various emote actions.
In the user Macro window, to the right you will find the selected Macro displayed. It is limited to twenty in the names. To select an icon for your current icon you can click on the number of preset icons that you will find next to the name field in the selected Macro. In the next section we will cover how you can choose other icons as well.
In the body of a Macro, you have 15 lines, and it is plenty for most Macro purposes. Although it looks like limiting for crafting or transformation Macros but most of them can be done rather easily within those lines.
Setting up the Macro Icons
In the user Macros interface, there are a number of default Macro icons that you can use and view easily. If you want to select a Macro then please go to the User Macro Window, you can click on the grey box to the side of the name of the Macro to select from a many a pages of default icons. There are mostly generic ones, but there are some game related ones as well.
Please type the following lines in the Macro if you do not find one according to your taste and if you want something specific which you already have in the game:
/macroicon “icon name” [category]
or
/micon “icon name” [category]
These lines display the recast timer and mana cost and is especially great for combat Macros. It is just like the regular skill for a specific use of the icon. You can use icons even for pet commands, waymarks, emotes, items, and lots more.
If the icon doesn’t show up even if you have the name of the icon correct then please try to include the type of the icon after the quotations, e.g.:
/micon stay pet
/micon greeting emote
/micon a waymark
The [action] category is assumed by default and skills for gathering, combat, and crafting jobs do not need a category tag after the skill name.
/micon medica
/micon innovation
/micon unearth
Please note that you will require quotations for icons, those which have more than one word. Quotations are not required for Names that are hyphenated.
/micon “cure II”
/micon “battle bear” mount
/micon “attacker stance” companion
/micon “wind-up leviathan” minion
/micon hi-cordial item
Not all items in a category seem to work unfortunately. While cordials display as a Macro icon, we couldn’t get to potions or ethers.
There are also many categories which we thought would allow you to use icons but sadly they do not (or perhaps we just don’t know yet the proper tag for those categories). Please do not try Traits, system menu icons, and squadron commands as they wouldn’t be fitting into use as macro icons.
The Macro errors
If a macro performs an action that was unsuccessful, like use a skill without any resources, shield your target with no target set, or trying to resurrect a living party member, while doing so, you will receive an error message in chat area. These can be problematic, and if many of such unsuccessful events trigger off, then it can flood the chat window awfully. You can use any one of the following lines to prevent this:
/macroerror off
or
/merror off
You can put this line anywhere in the macro – whether in the start, end, or in between. But we most often, put it at the end, or sometimes in the start.
The use of the Wait commands
Wait commands can only wait in a whole second intervals. So, you cannot really wait for 2.5 seconds, as it will round up to 3.
You can put the wait commands either on their own line or at the end of another line and they must be functionally identical. However, please bear in mind that you can use a wait command to wait for not more than 60 seconds. The following commands illustrate it for you:
/ac “Delicate Synthesis”
<wait.3>
or
/ac “Delicate Synthesis” <wait.3>
The Wait commands are very common in crafting Macros as before using each skill you would have to wait for the animation to play. Some of the more niche uses for wait commands are making a macro for cooldown notification, or to avoid spamming the party chat, put a wait command in your raise macro.
You may find your crafting macro breaks because it needed an extra second in between two actions if your computer lags. So, please beware of that. This happened to us many times when we would execute a set of macro crafts, and here and there the odd ones would fail. What we decided was to add an extra second to the wait commands.
Chat Macros
Send a Pre-Written Message
There are many of you guys who are into PS4 and don’t use a plugin Keyboard. So, this one is for those and may not be helpful to all. The chatting part is rather inconvenient and to ease it off you can set up some messages. This will help you when you are in the middle of a duty. With a single press of a button, you can activate this facility.
You can have pre-set messages for your newfound party members and you can do it with the help of Macros. It will type out your message for greetings and all in the chat.
Savage Fight Strategy and Position Coordinates
In the party finder, Macros are most commonly used in the PUGs or pick-up groups. Particularly if you are learning the Savage fights. These have a lot of moving parts than usual and are more complicated in nature.
The mechanics need to be performed correctly by all the party members. If you post a Macro in the chat at the start of a fight where you mention everyone’s positions can save you a lot of time. This puts all the party members on the same plane and clear the mission’s code of conduct for everyone for doing specific moments.
More on these Macros. These Macros are created on an independent basis. So, there are no master Macros for the use of everyone. This makes a lot of sense as different strategies keep coming up for a tougher challenge. Therefore, it is required to have a look at the Macro prior to its use.
The Sound Effects
There are Macros for sound effects too. But you must use them wisely. It is wise not throw them in when not required (you can guess that already). These sound effects are useful only in certain conditions and we do not recommend overuse of them as that can be disturbing to many in your party.
The most useful of these sound effects is the alert for a warning sound effect. It is like gathering at an adverse situation when you are trying to gather your party. When you sound such an alarm then your party looks up to gather at a spot for a quick attack or similar thing.
You can fix the loudness of the sounds as well. However, be careful with it as during the game it can become too loud or too little sound for you too hear or make your team hear. You should keep the noise of combat in mind while adjusting the sound levels.
If you are looking forward to adjust you can use the echo command or ‘/e’. if you use it then you spare your party members from botheration and still be able to test them out for yourself.
Macros for System Commands
There are many great uses for Macros that help you improve your interaction with the interface in the game.
You can hide the UI elements if you like using the /hud command. Use the ‘on’, ‘off’, or ‘toggle’ subcommands:
/hud dutylist toggle
/hud scenarioguide toggle
You can adjust the settings of the system as well. For example you can mute the game with one click using Macros or set the volume at the usual level with another click.
/mastervolume O
There are options such as monitor or examine the other’s gear without using the menu. This can be done in a fashion such as by using the mouse keybind (control+M3) and hover the cursor over the players and the by that you can open the character screen:
/merror off
/check <mo>
Another application of the System command Macro is changing your gear set and HUD layouts and that too all at once. If you are a type of a player who needs different HUD layouts for different situations or roles. Say for example when you heal or if you want your gatherer’s HUDs and your crafters’ Hud to be differently setup.
/micon 3 gearset
/gearset change 3
/hudlayout 2
There are some more advanced usages of macros. There are several ‘transformation’ macros which can do a change into a magical girl style outfit while your character uses combat skills or poses. These can get as simple or as complicated as you wish, however, it will be limited by the maximum number of lines in a macro.
Combat Macros
Macros are good for combat as well but these don’t automate the combat completely. Even if these could automate the combat completely then where do you think the fun of playing the game would be? The developers have ensured that the Macros are not that effective in combat than an average player generally in most aspects.
But still there are some macros which are useful nevertheless. These can improve the use of and feeling of some certain abilities in combat. These are however, some skills only and the use of Macros in combat should be used prohibitively.
The Disadvantages of Macros in Combat
After discovering Macros please don’t think that it will be a definite improvement with little or no drawbacks. Let us elaborate by taking an example of trying a three-step melee combo in one button. This can save your hotbar space or make you combat a bit easier and can be done, but what is more important here is that it reduces your combat ability and effectiveness.
The global cool down or GCD is 2.5 seconds and is reduced further by the substats of skill speed or the spell speed. For a Macro to perform a three spell combo you would also have to issue wait commands. That is so because if you don’t issue the wait commands it will quickly carry out the orders for three skills and the second and third might be ignored because your character is somewhat involved in the first attack only. Now the wait commands work in whole seconds (that being already discussed). Even if you put the wait commands even then you are going to be half a second slower as compared to manually carrying out the steps!
Now if you apply that calculation to every GCD and if you put Macros on them, you will see that you are going to be slower by a full 80 to 83% as compared to the manually hitting out. That is unacceptable! You need to keep your GCD rolling otherwise how will your damage output will improve. You have to make sure that to improve your damage output you must keep you GCD rolling. If you drop about 20% of your GCD skills because of not willing to setup a hotbar for then it is completely worthless.
That was setting multiple GCDs into Macros and setting even a single GCD Macro wouldn’t be that great of an idea. Why? Here is why – if you press a button for GCD before the GCD is ready then the game will queue up the skill and as and when the GCD is ready it will go off. This will roll on your GCD without any interruption. However, Macros do not queue up. If you pressed a Macro keybind before the GCD is ready nothing will happen! If you apply Macros then you have to hit the keybind as soon as the GCD is ready. This doesn’t happen in real life as you are a human and not a computer. This will see you fall behind bit by bit and is not recommended.
Combat Macros commonly in use
As you have seen above that Macros should be avoided on GCD skills. However, there are some Macros which are rather effective and convenient. The most common ones are those skills that are used for targeting other players or which have a an AOE indication that you need to place.
You can use a mouseover Macro or a Macro that targets mostly the same position in the party list that you have. Some of the Macros are in the following:
SHIRK YOUR COTANK
/merror off
/ac “Shirk” <2>
/micon “Shirk”
This Macro will shirk off the party member at party position 2(this is your cotank by default) and the micro will display the shirk icon as well while remining cooldown too.
SINGLE-TARGET ALLY (MOUSEOVER OR COTANK)
/merror off
/ac “Heart of Stone” <mo>
/ac “Heart of Stone” <2>
/micon “Heart of Stone”
If you hover upon on top of anyone the above Macro will target that. You can provide mitigation for a teammate considering their character is in range in the party list. And if you don’t hover over any player then this will go to your cotank. This Macro can be really useful in Tank swaps.
If you are playing a tank (Intervention, The Blackest Night, Heart of Stone, Cover, Nascent Flash) then this style of Macro could be of great help. It also has usage in something such as Dragoon’s Dragon Sight.
SINGLE-TARGET ALLY (TARGET OF TARGET A.K.A. HIGHEST ENMITY)
/merror off
/ac “Divine Benison” <tt>
/micon “Divine Benison”
This one is quite similar to the above Macro. The only difference is that it targets whoever has the attention of the enemy at the given moment. So, if you are healer and tanks swap around in the fights throughout then this can go on always whoever holds the boss in the current scenario of the fight.
You can also use the assist target key. And if you use it then this Macro might not be required as you can switch between the current target and the boss quite easily by using the keybind itself.
GROUND-INDICATOR PLACEMENT
/merror off
/ac “Asylum” <t>
/ac “Asylum” <tt>
/ac “Asylum” <me>
/micon “Asylum”
This Macro will try to place an AoE on your target, then the target of your target, and then on yourself. Given a situation when the boss is on the side of the arena the AoE will be placed on the amin tank and when you can’t target the boss at all then it will place the AoE on yourself. It is a useful Macro as placing the ground indicators might feel rather slow.
CHAT NOTIFICATION
/ac “Raise” <t>
<wait.1>
/p Raising <t>
/micon “Raise”
/macroerror off
This one will let your party members know the one you are raising. That will help other players from raising the same target and will save them time.
You can keep your chat Macros short and simple particularly if they have a sound effect attached and please don’t spam your chat box as this could be pretty much annoying to other players.
Crafting Macros
If you are a player who would like to ensure quick, high-quality crafts with the push of a button, or two then these Macros could find a great use for you.
Gathering Macros
Collectables are made much simple to increase your collectability rating with a one button Macro. The use in gathering is not too different in here otherwise.
Conclusion
If you are looking for automating things in FFXIV then Macros are the thing for you. You might not be wanting to automate combat fully, but the User macros can help you craft, gather, communicate with other players and navigate between various jobs. There are no dearth of tricks available with the community of members and they are sharing their experiments quite often.
If you like try out some of the Macros above and make your gaming more effective. Hope we could elaborate on the User Macros for you. Thank you for visiting this post and happy gaming!
Further Reading…
