Dear fellow Scholars. How do you hotbar?

I've just hit 50 and am getting used to popping Cleric's Stance before every DoT I cast.

I'm also beginning to consider manually controlling my fairies- but the problem is, my hotbars are quite full on the front (1-6) to really fit anything more.

So I use hotbar 1 as standard 1-=, hotbar 2 as shift+numbers, hotbar 3 as ctrl+#.

Hotbar 1 has my 'solo' spells like DoT, Energy Drain, Ruin and Aetherflow (on 0).

Hotbar 2 is my 'heals' bar where I have bound CS as my #1, right next to Physick and Adlo so I can easily manoeuvre between the stances.

Hotbar 3 is my 'situational' pops with leeches, lustrate and Sacred Soil on the frontal end.

I'm going to experiment with hotbar 4 being pet bar with alt+#, but I don't know how well it'll work.

Anywho fellow Sssssholars, what does your hotbar/s look like?

Also, do you manually use Embrace?

/micon "embrace"
/pac "embrace" <mo>

A good enough macro to control both fairies?

Another quick question: do you have to have fairies on Obey to manually pop embrace? Do they do anything on their own( like SMN summons) while on Obey?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thistledown

Another quick question: do you have to have fairies on Obey to manually pop embrace? Do they do anything on their own( like SMN summons) while on Obey?

---

Fairies automatically Embrace regardless of stance, but they can be directed to Embrace at any time while on Obey in addition to auto-healing targets missing HP.

I'll just dump you my keybinds as a picture:

Here.

My heals are bound to my mouse for ease (and shift+mouse). Other things follow a theme pretty much. DPS-abilities are keybound to 1-7 (with 7 being the last key I can reach out to without straining myself), with support-type of abilities of sorts that I use frequently being bound to the shift-set, ie. shift1-shift5. Cleric Stance is bound to § (whatever it is called). There's also a control-set, with a ctrl1-ctrl5 layout up there. Then there are letters as you can see, and also finally some fairy-commands being bound to the alt-set and some buffs of theirs bound to shift+letters, with my only healing macro (TT-Embrace) being bound to shift+Q.

I manually spam Embraces and don't use any healing macros (except that TT-Embrace). Just keeping a 100% uptime on it, whether directly targeted or TT. The other macros you see me have (Swiftcast, Virus and E4E) are just cast-announcers in /p.

Basically, as long as you know where your keybinds are, can muscle-memorize them easily, can reach them well without straining yourself and get a good flow with them - great. Eg. you'll want to be able to execute everything on the fly as needed, dexterously.

Hmm. I don't think my hotbar setup is anything unusual, but I'll note a few things I do:

* Macro embrace with physick and adlo. I tried running without this for a bit but ended up preferring it.
* Bind placing the fairy to a mouse button (middle mouse). Just helps me position her quick when stuff's going down.
* I might have other macros depending on the fight... like embrace spam on the focus target for Lev Ex.
* I have virus macro'd to target the tank's target, so I don't have to switch. Sometimes I also have chime macros for E4E and virus... some groups strongly prefer it, some hate it. *shrug*

Other than that, pretty much the usual 1-2-3, then ctrl+ and alt+ and shift+ for the other bars.

I wouldn't recommend macroing Physick with Embrace together (or any other fairy abilities for that matter)
For the following reasons:
- Physick and Embrace have different recast timers. This will make your healing inconsistent - One time it'll heal for 700 potency worth another time for 400 potency worth.
- You'll have a hard time microing embrace to a secondary target.
- If the Physick is enough to top off the tank, the Embrace will be pure overhealing while another target is missing maybe 200-300 HP (see previous point)

The only macro that could be justified would be rouse with Whispering Dawn. As that seems to be the most commonly used combination. I still prefer to have it seperated for cases when I want to use Rouse, but not Whispering Dawn. Rouse with WD will generate a lot of initial enmity when a new mob appears and will make the job harder for the tank to grab with a 140 potency party-wide HoT right off the bat (Turn 4, for example or Turn 8 dreadnaughts)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lyrica_Ashtine

I wouldn't recommend macroing Physick with Embrace together (or any other fairy abilities for that matter)
For the following reasons:
- Physick and Embrace have different recast timers. This will make your healing inconsistent - One time it'll heal for 700 potency worth another time for 400 potency worth.
- You'll have a hard time microing embrace to a secondary target.
- If the Physick is enough to top off the tank, the Embrace will be pure overhealing while another target is missing maybe 200-300 HP (see previous point)

---

Personally I feel this overstates the disadvantages while omitting the advantages... but to each their own. I tried both, and for me macroing them together has been most effective.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Risvertasashi

Snip

---

Do elaborate the advantages. The disadvantages would obviously be the loss of control of your fairy which leads to the fairy:
-Overhealing because your Physick is quicker
-Inability to heal with the fairy while doing other things yourself (off-DPSing or secondary target healing)
-Recast differences makes your healing irregular - You would expect 700 potency worth while it may only be 400 potency because of recast differences

You could counter-argue that you could put Embrace on another keybind or hotbar slot. But then why even have it macro'd together? Macroing skills together would mean you're attempting to save hotbar/keybind assignments. Having a macro with Physick+embrace and Embrace on another hotbar slot/keybind is senseless as it just destroys the whole purpose of macroing them together in the first place.

Ehm... you've already decided which method you like best, not much point in arguing. Like I said, to each their own.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Risvertasashi

Ehm... you've already decided which method you like best, not much point in arguing. Like I said, to each their own.

---

Perhaps, I'm still interested in any advantages macroing them together has. If it has any at all. Laziness is no valid reason, mind you.

Well, since you mentioned this earlier... one thing that I like is that I can, actually, split heal with them macros. Taking advantange of that different cooldown: while I'm casting physic/adlo, target another person and push the button again when embrace is almost off CD and it will go on them.

Same when DPSing. While you're casting Bio II or miasma, or waiting on the GCD from bio or aero, push the button and your fairy will heal the person, but you can safely stay in cleric.

But honestly, I haven't found a need to split heal very often, at least not manually. If it's damage that isn't at risk of killing the DPS and won't be repeating again soon, Eos/Selene auto healing is sufficient. If it's not, then most often I want to bring my full healing power to bear--that means both an adlo and embrace, perhaps preceded by or following a lustrate. Yeah, the cooldowns are different, but you can push the button when embrace comes off CD too.

Levi EX and ramuh EX solotank are the exceptions to this so I do, as mentioned, use a slightly different setup for those. But most of the time, I've found it more of an advantage to focus healing, and get the fairy precasting, than to split heal. And when I do need to split heal, I still can.

I guess I should mention that I do have unmacro'd embrace on my main healing hotbar. But, at least to me, most of the time it just doesn't seem necessary. I can respect that not everyone sees it that way, however.

/walloftext

Edit: Nvm, the macroing is making me crazy. I think I have it working now. Maybe.
Edit again: I definitely don't. If anyone knows how to make Embrace for target and target's target work in the same macro, I'd love to hear about it. The fairy will default to casting on herself if a party member is selected.

It's hard to say what needs changed without knowing what you're using. Full disclosure, I haven't messed with macroing much, but as I understand it "target's target" isn't going to work if you're targeting a party member. If you're targeted on the enemy, <tt> should be the tank.

I think to single macro it you want:
/pac "Embrace" <t>
/pac "Embrace" <tt>

This should cast Embrace on your target (i.e. a player in your party if you're selecting them), or if you're targeted on the enemy Embrace on their target (i.e. the person with the highest hate, hopefully the tank).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by point09micron

It's hard to say what needs changed without knowing what you're using. Full disclosure, I haven't messed with macroing much, but as I understand it "target's target" isn't going to work if you're targeting a party member. If you're targeted on the enemy, <tt> should be the tank.

I think to single macro it you want:
/pac "Embrace" <t>
/pac "Embrace" <tt>

This should cast Embrace on your target (i.e. a player in your party if you're selecting them), or if you're targeted on the enemy Embrace on their target (i.e. the person with the highest hate, hopefully the tank).

---

This doesn't work properly. The fairy will default to healing herself if the macro's first target is invalid, regardless of which order you chose.

Hence my frustration in my earlier post :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cynfael

This doesn't work properly. The fairy will default to healing herself if the macro's first target is invalid, regardless of which order you chose.

Hence my frustration in my earlier post :P

---

Since your original post didn't include the macro you were using, the problem you're having wasn't clear.

Have you tested and verified that they each work separately as intended? If <t> isn't a player it should default to her, just like if you try to Cure/Physick a monster it will heal you instead. <tt> should only work if you're targeted on an engaged mob, or on a player that's targetting another player. I guess it would also default to either her or you if not. Not in game right now so I can't play around with it.

Attack/Aether bar with a few emergency heals when the unexpected happens and a heals/pet hotbar.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by point09micron

Since your original post didn't include the macro you were using, the problem you're having wasn't clear.

Have you tested and verified that they each work separately as intended? If <t> isn't a player it should default to her, just like if you try to Cure/Physick a monster it will heal you instead. <tt> should only work if you're targeted on an engaged mob, or on a player that's targetting another player. I guess it would also default to either her or you if not. Not in game right now so I can't play around with it.

---

I looked up similar complaints and found that some tweaking done in one if the early 2.x patches broke this macro.

And no, I'm not crazy;using <t> and <tt> by themselves works perfectly, as you'd expect; trying to list them as consecutive actions in the same macro causes the fairy to default to casting on herself as soon as a command fails. It's like she's casting before confirming the secondary target option.

I don't use macros at all so I don't know the (dis)advantages of using them. I tend to treat the fairy not as a pet, but an extension of my own abilities. To me, embrace is an off GCD minor heal I can use independently of my own heals, and it will actually chase people who are slightly out of range. It's almost perfect for off healing, so if a dps takes a minor hit, I'll use embrace and keep doing whatever else myself. Otherwise, I tend you use embrace and physick in tandem on whoever needs a heal most.

http://i.imgur.com/pbfreAk.png

This is my bar, 1-3 primary healing, 4 is sacred soil so I can get it out fast (I tend to use Shadow Flare more, so this I'll drop during a big aoe, then afterwards recast SF) 5 is for fairy heal, I'll switch it out with the one above depending on which I have out. 6 for Aetherflow, used on cooldown, and 7 is Lustrate, wanted it to be an easy button to press in a pinch, but not so close to my primary heals that I accidentally use it. I manually click the rest, so I grouped them by utility. I got a DPS block, I have summons next to swiftcast next to raise. The next few are kind jumbled but they are buffs, pet heal, leeches, and the couple of dps skills that didn't belong on the primary bar (I call this 'stuff I don't use often' with the exception of stoneskin). On the third bar it's AoE chunk, virus, and a selection of PVP skills. Finally, the last bar is the 'pet stuff/ things I click VERY often' bar.

Oh, I use a separate primary bar for soloing. It's the exact same as this one, but the healing chunk and dps chuck are reversed.

My hotbars change based off the pet I summon.....like so....

http://i.imgur.com/TyBciwW.png

As for that pish posh marco-ing Embrace and Psy together. Don't. You will undoubtedly spam that key when you are panic'd resulting in your fairy getting queue spammed and then you might as well have her on Sic because thats about how useful your Fairy becomes until all the embrace requests finish and she is ready to accept new commands.

Commands like that silence you should have casted....but you wiped...because Embrace + Psy is for baddies.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Traumatic

As for that pish posh marco-ing Embrace and Psy together. Don't. You will undoubtedly spam that key when you are panic'd resulting in your fairy getting queue spammed and then you might as well have her on Sic because thats about how useful your Fairy becomes until all the embrace requests finish and she is ready to accept new commands.

Commands like that silence you should have casted....but you wiped...because Embrace + Psy is for baddies.

---

Queuing commands doesn't work that way; you can't accidentally force the fairy to use her next dozen GCDs Embracing the same party member because you spammed a macro. Similarly, she'll ignore your bundled Embrace command if you already have her casting on someone else, allowing you to split heal without committing her GCD unnecessarily.

If you're practiced at it, there is no appreciable difference between split healing with an Embrace combo and using an entirely different key to do it. However, I still find an additional Embrace <tt> hotkey handy since I'm in the habit of targeting mobs while DPSing so that I can more easily keep track of DoT and debuff timers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cynfael

If you're practiced at it, there is no appreciable difference between split healing with an Embrace combo and using an entirely different key to do it.

---

Every SCH should know this unfortunately most don't that using macros to cast spells prevents them from being added to the skill queue if you hit them early. You ever double toggle c-stance? (on --> off --> on) that is because u are hitting a direct key bound to only that spell not a macro that calls a spell.

SO when I say queue spammed I mean that if you pet is performing its default behavior on obey and casting embraces and you attempt to use your macro her next action BEFORE her spell and GCD is complete. She will flat out ignore the request because her queue is full(aka spammed)I am willing to guess about 2/3 is actually your pet having already queued to heal that player or heals going elsewhere.

Lastly <mo> over <tt> anyday

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Traumatic

Snip

---

I don't care for <mo>. For some reason it feels clunky. Not opposed to experimenting more, but it didn't seem to grant any functionality beyond what I was already getting (keeping in mind that the fairy can Embrace only so often as it is due to casting time and CD, no matter how on top of micromanagement you are). Perhaps it just takes some getting used to?

EDIT: Been experimenting more with <mo>, and I think it will replace both my <tt> and combo macros when I get more accustomed to using the mouse cursor this way. Not as bad as I remember from the first time I tried it.

As for the rest, I get what you're saying now, but it never occurred to me because I keep an eye on her Obey behavior and simply keep tapping the command if I want her to be sure to Embrace a specific target when she's done with her current action. I never counted on being able to queue her next action to begin with since I prefer not to tie her GCDs up too tight in case I need to direct her next heal elsewhere.

And ty for the helpful feedback, btw.

I finally broke down and started using mouse keybinds. I have 4 keys on the side of my mouse that I bound to 9,0,-,=. This opened up the right half of my hotbars for combat actions.

In general, I use my left hand for attacks, buffs, and debuffs, and the right hand (mouse keys) for heals and faerie controls. Columns 7 and 8 are not easily accessible by either hand and must be clicked directly. :(

http://i.imgur.com/KDcSg7v.png

The second row (labelled 3) is triggered with alt-num and the top row (laballed 2) is with ctrl-num.

My attack abilities use <t><tt><f> priority, while my heal abilities use <mo><t><f><me> priority. Healing by mouseover feels really natural since I activate those abilities with my mouse hand, while my left hand targets enemies and activates attack abilities.

Not shown, I have one other bar in which the first three abilities are bound to 3 buttons on the top of my mouse, which are used for Eos' move/heel/obey commands.