tanking attack macros

I thought about getting started in macro combo attacks for tanking, as earlier on, I mucked things up and spammed Tomahawk and Overpower (in Sunken Temple NM).

Anyway, here they are...

Threat - Heavy Swing > Skull Sunder > Butcher's Block
Healing - Heavy Swing > Maim > Storm's Path
DPS - Heavy Swing > Maim > Storm's Eye

...although, I may need to alter them for lower level dungeons.

Also, I thought I would need to use Provoke and Flash too.

Don't use macros for combos.

This is bad and you should feel bad.

Can macros be used for anything then?

Macro crafting rotations, well 2 star at least. Anything else, don't. Because you know.. server latency.

Macros to announce certain skills - paladins use it for hallowed ground, for example, and healers for raises. I also have pet summon macros that set their stance and change my hotbars - usually used out of combat and not hurt by latency.

Use a macro for your berserker. So the healer knows when to esuna/leech your pacification. Something like "I just used Berserk" "x seconds left", stuff like that.

Macro announcements are fine, anything involved with combo rotations don't pan well due to server latency.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Franchesca

Macro announcements are fine, anything involved with combo rotations don't pan well due to server latency.

---

Not to mention the fact that the GCD is 2.5 seconds base and macros only work in whole seconds.

You'd be losing at least full second for every three-skill combo.

Make a 10 second pull macro so your team can be ready for the pull.

I tested this out, and on average it is .88 seconds slower than pushing the attack abilities manually.

This is for the whole 3 ability aggro chain, not between each attack.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cyrus-Wallace

Use a macro for your berserker. So the healer knows when to esuna/leech your pacification. Something like "I just used Berserk" "x seconds left", stuff like that.

---

The utility of those macros is highly debatable. Esuna/leeches cannot be precast in this case, so they have to wait to see the buff.. Then cast time.. At most, you'll save 1-2 seconds and healer will lose a gcd.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by raela

The utility of those macros is highly debatable. Esuna/leeches cannot be precast in this case, so they have to wait to see the buff.. Then cast time.. At most, you'll save 1-2 seconds and healer will lose a gcd.

---

Dunno, I pre-cast it when the timer on berserk doesn't mark any number and it usually lands on time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cyrus-Wallace

Dunno, I pre-cast it when the timer on berserk doesn't mark any number and it usually lands on time.

---

Yep, that's more reliable than any announcement macro. Macro announcement for this is useless spam because the Berserk timer is there anyway.

And to the OP: for tanking macros, announcement macros or even a "warning! <se.1><se.2>" general-purpose macro would be useful. In some fights there are times when the tank have little to do, and watching out for a specific enemy spell cast or skill, then warning everyone by pressing that warning macro, would be very useful. Even the best DPS/Healers sometimes can forget about something and that warning macro may just save you a wipe.

Only macro I use on tank in combat right now is
/ac "Fight or Flight" <wait.1>
/ac "Bloodbath"
I have low SS on my pld, and can fit both in a gdc, so why not?

I find macroing text to abilities (berserk/hallowed/provoke) causes issues when you need them to go off *right now*, so I don't use them. An "I'm pulling in XX" is fine

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by raela

The utility of those macros is highly debatable. Esuna/leeches cannot be precast in this case, so they have to wait to see the buff.. Then cast time.. At most, you'll save 1-2 seconds and healer will lose a gcd.

---

When I'm healing, if I can, I try to remove all debuffs.

Seeing a debuff time out that was completely Esuna/leech'able, and I had the time for it (not emergency healing), leaves a little mark on my pride.

i think the only necessary one is the pull macro. everything else can be pressed by itself. hallowed ground (in a real oh sh*t moment) might not make it in time if you tie it to a macro.

You should have a Provoke announcement macro for 2-tank groups. You don't need anything fancy; I've just got "Provoking <t>!!" But letting the other tank know that you're taking his target gives him notice to stop attacking so you can take it away without a fight.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by raela

The utility of those macros is highly debatable. Esuna/leeches cannot be precast in this case, so they have to wait to see the buff.. Then cast time.. At most, you'll save 1-2 seconds and healer will lose a gcd.

---

Not really. If your healer actually knows how to handle cleansing (aka, the moment the debuff hits 0), you, as the WAR, will not lose a single GCD. Your berserk should kick in immediately after your final ability, which means you're stuck in the GCD for somewhere around 2.4s. That's more than enough time a cleanse to land and you'll be right back to your rotation.

That being said, I obviously don't expect a cleanse if you're in the middle of something important. But that's also my responsibility as a WAR to time my berserks properly.

By the way, I've never taken any notice of macro options at all, since starting on the game in the middle of last year, until just recently.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zfz

And to the OP: for tanking macros, announcement macros or even a "warning! <se.1><se.2>" general-purpose macro would be useful. In some fights there are times when the tank have little to do, and watching out for a specific enemy spell cast or skill, then warning everyone by pressing that warning macro, would be very useful. Even the best DPS/Healers sometimes can forget about something and that warning macro may just save you a wipe.

---

questions...
Is "warning! <se.1><se.2>" the first thing I put in a macro after /ac or somewhere else?
Also, would I need Berserk in somewhere too?

This may be slow, but I could alter the timing to /wait 3.00 instead of 2.50 with each action.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by -DMR-

Can macros be used for anything then?

---

/micon "Provoke"
/ac Provoke <t>
...／l、......'VOKING
..(°､ 。７........IT (<t>)
...l、 ~～ヽ........RIGHT
...じし f_,)√........MEOW <se.4>

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by -DMR-

By the way, I've never taken any notice of macro options at all, since starting on the game in the middle of last year, until just recently.



questions...
Is "warning! <se.1><se.2>" the first thing I put in a macro after /ac or somewhere else?
Also, would I need Berserk in somewhere too?

This may be slow, but I could alter the timing to /wait 3.00 instead of 2.50 with each action.

---

I was talking about a general purpose warning macro. Which means /p message is the only thing in the macro. I don't use macros for combos, it's just...combos should be muscle memory by the time you're 50. So I can't offer advice if all you really want is to macro your attacks against all the advice that tell you not to.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zaft

I obviously don't expect a cleanse if you're in the middle of something important. But that's also my responsibility as a WAR to time my berserks properly.

---

Reminds me of when my static was just starting t13.

-> Gigaflare comes out
-> Phase 2
-> Everyone excite
-> Like, 7 grown men squealing kind of excited
-> Gigaflare over
-> Add comes down
-> WAR: "I can't hit the add?!"
-> Everyone: "What?"
-> WAR: "I'M PACIFIED!"
-> Add kills WHM
-> Add kills NIN
-> Add kills SCH
-> WAR: "Oh! It's off now! :D"

Thankfully he stopped using Zerk during the Giga cast and saved it for the add. So it never happened again, LOL.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Selli

Reminds me of when my static was just starting t13.

-> Gigaflare comes out
-> Phase 2
-> Everyone excite
-> Like, 7 grown men squealing kind of excited
-> Gigaflare over
-> Add comes down
-> WAR: "I can't hit the add?!"
-> Everyone: "What?"
-> WAR: "I'M PACIFIED!"
-> Add kills WHM
-> Add kills NIN
-> Add kills SCH
-> WAR: "Oh! It's off now! :D"

Thankfully he stopped using Zerk during the Giga cast and saved it for the add. So it never happened again, LOL.

---

At least that's better than tanks that use sprint.

Ahh. Those days where I see an add spawn and I use sprint so that I can run to it and pick it up asap.

I don't put sprint on my hotbar for DoW anymore since then.

Raid leader: An add spawned! Quick pick it up!
Me: I'm on it. *pops sprint*
Me: OMG! I have no TP!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SecretCrowds

At least that's better than tanks that use sprint.

Ahh. Those days where I see an add spawn and I use sprint so that I can run to it and pick it up asap.

I don't put sprint on my hotbar for DoW anymore since then.

---

Sprint has its uses in dungeons. Instead of having mobs beat on you constantly while you walk to the end, you can just sprint through and use flash along the way. By the time you finish the pull, most of your TP will be back anyways.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SecretCrowds

At least that's better than tanks that use sprint.

Ahh. Those days where I see an add spawn and I use sprint so that I can run to it and pick it up asap.

I don't put sprint on my hotbar for DoW anymore since then.

Raid leader: An add spawned! Quick pick it up!
Me: I'm on it. *pops sprint*
Me: OMG! I have no TP!

---

I have seen a WAR pop sprint to run away from something. It is absolutely the most terrifying thing, LOL.

It was a hunt and he accidentally face-pulled. His immediate reaction was to pop sprint and run toward the little group (no more than 10 people). I was zoomed in, about to take a picture of the hunt (my first time seeing an S rank). And this giant Roe with his axe out, running like a mad-man from a horror movie, comes right at my screen. And as soon as he disappears, the dang S rank cleaves and 1-shots everyone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Selli

this giant Roe with his axe out, running like a mad-man from a horror movie, comes right at my screen

---

But that must have been an epic screenshot!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zfz

But that must have been an epic screenshot!

---

I wish. XD But by the time I thought about getting the screenie, he had already run by and left us all dead in his wake. One day I will develop reflexes!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by -DMR-

This may be slow, but I could alter the timing to /wait 3.00 instead of 2.50 with each action.

---

Macros only work in whole seconds anyway.

Only macros I use are for when I swap jobs, to apply buffs I always forget. Kiss for ninja, etc.

Might have to leave it for now, I've moved back onto PLD, at least I've learned few things already.