need advice on Warrior for 51 - 60, dungeon leveling, macros, etc. with controller?

I just returned to the game after six months away and I've started leveling up my White Mage and Scholar as my main focus to 60, more or less just doing dungeons.

However, I would like to tank as well and leveled up my Paladin and Warrior to 51 to start The Dusk Vigil, etc. Due to the end-game soldiery and poetics my tanks are 120ish geared (fending not dps), but I never really did raids, primals, or hard mode dungeons with them because frankly I didn't know what I was doing. I think I would prefer to focus on the Warrior due to versatility, but I need some guidance with a focus on playing with a controller since I play on a PS4 on the Jenova server.

I expect to tank with Defiance as the end-game DPS stuff isn't an issue now, plus as a healer main I'm already a bit tired of the squishy tank situation I see in the first few dungeons when I'm on my healers, though most of those are Dark Knights leveling like I am. If I should switch to Strength and DPS gear, please convince me why.

My macros...

slot saver...
/micon "Overpower"
/ac "Overpower" <t>
/ac "Tomahawk" <t>

defense...
/micon "Foresight"
/ac "Featherfoot" <me>
/ac "Convalescence" <me>
/ac "Thrill of Battle" <me>
/ac "Awareness" <me>
/ac "Vengeance"
/ac "Foresight" <me>

offense...
/micon "Berserk"
/ac "Unchained" <me>
/ac "Bloodbath" <me>
/ac "Internal Release" <me>
/ac "Berserk" <me>

and simplistic Provoke which I don't use much
/micon "Provoke"
/ac "Provoke" <t>
/ac "Butcher's Block" <t>
/ac "Tomahawk" <t>
/e "Provoke" [<t>[ <se.5>

In general, I've just been doing
Heavy Swing -> Maim -> Storm's Path
Heavy Swing -> Maim -> Storm's Eye
Heavy Swing -> Skull Sunder -> Butcher's Block
tabbing between targets and tossing in some Overpower

I'll bang my defense macro until I go through all of the actions after I've established threat on all enemies and then bang on my offense macro as I get to the Butcher's Block sequence.

I expect to get gear from the dungeons as I'll be leveling the Warrior almost exclusively in dungeons.

I can always fall back on just healing, but I would like a little more diversity in play, so any help is appreciated.

Pulls seem to be okay, though I have to remember to do L1 + O to make sure I have enemy targeting as it keeps going back to All or Other so tabbing sometimes has me selecting chests and pages and such. Adds that come in after an initial group are the worst for me as those of course head directly to the healer. This is just Dusk Vigil that I have experience with so far.

I'm already comfortable with the R2 + L2 and L2 + R2 to give me additional slots without having to click through hotbars, but even with that there are so many cooldowns that I had to do macros, which may or may not make sense. Looking for pointers.

Again, I may never raid tank unless I get super comfortable, but I would like to be a very good dungeon tank, at least.

p.s. sorry I had to split this, forum wouldn't let me do a long post.

In my opinion get rid of all those macros

Don't use any

Never use macros for anything, except perhaps to alert the other tank in a raid that you're swapping in as tank with provoke. Beyond that, macros are a complete waste of time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slappah

In my opinion get rid of all those macros

Don't use any

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I honestly don't know how I would be able to do all of the different defensive and offensive cooldowns if I don't use some macros like the ones above. I have 16 things on my main hotbar that I can see all the time and have easy access to with R2 and L2. I have another two sets of 8 via the R2 + L2 and L2 + R2 combos. The screen is awfully crowded as it is since they still don't have the option to hide your Duty / Journal. I guess seeing some screenshots of what people do with an HDTV PS4 setup might be nice though.

In terms of warrior advice, you really don't need to use Storm's Path. Just lead in with Storm's Eye to get your buffs up, then just butchers > eye > butchers > eye till whatever you're fighting is dead. "But storm's path reduces enemies damage!" Yes, but you're not going to notice it in a leveling dungeon.

People have already spoken about macros so I won't say anything about that. But I will say that smashing out all of your defensive cooldowns in one go is always a bad idea. It'll give you great mitigation for the 20-ish seconds they're all up, but then they run out and halfway through the fight you are wishing you could pop vengeance now cause you need it.

I think I have enough room if I move some stuff around to have an "oh sh*t" kind of defense and a regular one that I want to weave in. I'll try and do a run where depending on the incoming damage and the healer mana I'll skip using the cooldowns and then pick and choose some. Not using Storm's Path, just having it on an alt bar will free up a space too.

Macros are misused.

Never never never put multiple GCD skills on a macro & never put snap skills (Provoke) on a macro.

Macros with GCD skills have no action queue and can only be activated once your GCD has fully rotated and stopped.

The only useful macro is a toggle/hotbar swapping macro.

Toggle/Hotbar slot macro;

Preferred hotkey #1
/micon Defiance
/mlock
/ac Defiance
/hotbar ac "Defiance" "1" "12"
/hotbar ac "Inner Beast" "2" "11"
/hotbar ac "Steel Cyclone" "1" "11"


Preferred hotkey #2
/micon Deliverance
/mlock
/ac Deliverance
/hotbar action "Deliverance" "1" "12"
/hotbar action "Fell Cleave" "2" "11"
/hotbar action "Decimate" "1" "11"

What this set of toggles does is when you activate a stance (oGCD) via this macro it sets the corresponding stance abilities on your hotbars.

I would not use any of the macros you've listed they are incredibly inefficient and will make tanking harder rather than easier for you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kasplat

If I should switch to Strength and DPS gear, please convince me why.

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Because you play FFXIV. If you don't want to play aggressively and if you just want to be a brick-wall tank, don't play a tank in FFXIV, it's the wrong game for that.

Listen to me do not use any of those macros all them are useless. Especially the defense ones. You wanna pop em as the fight progress not all at the same time Wtf.

Okay, I'm getting the message loud and clear on the macros. So, I'm curious where you put your actions and how you weave them in to group pulls and bosses? If I was playing WoW with a mouse and keyboard like the old days (for me) I would have all my stuff on screen and it would be easy, but I feel space limited.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kasplat

Okay, I'm getting the message loud and clear on the macros. So, I'm curious where you put your actions and how you weave them in to group pulls and bosses? If I was playing WoW with a mouse and keyboard like the old days (for me) I would have all my stuff on screen and it would be easy, but I feel space limited.

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Then hook up a mouse and keyboard

If that isn't possible, find space. You have PLENTY of room on a controller, so figure out how to best set up your binds and get used to them.
There are TONS of console players who use a controller and raid at a high level

You have a 2.5 second GCD, plenty of time to switch between hotbars and back

This, so much. On controller at base you have 3 dedicated hit bars per job. With the HW actions, that makes enough actions to entirely fill 2 hot bars. Your main action bar should have the majority of your offensive actions,such as your gcd combos, Berserk, and Overpower. Your other hot bar should have all your defensive actions plus your stances for a quick easy stance swap.

Images of how the toggles work;

Deliverance
http://i.imgur.com/QQSU92I.jpg

Defiance
http://i.imgur.com/vuwLTcQ.jpg

(I use a mouse and can trigger the toggle macros with my thumb peripheral.)



If you feel overwhelmed and want to use controller a minimalist setup that at least functions; do something similar to this with a 2nd Set - be sure to be consistent with your layout.
Advice on 2nd Set; RT side put cooldowns Berserk/Bloodbath/Vengeance/Foresight and whatever other skills you feel you won't need as immediately. Keep your LT side the same on the 2nd Set but swap Brutal with Provoke. Controller cross-bar will never be as efficient as a keyboard layout unless you have excellent memory & hand coordination - but macroing everything onto one button is an even worse solution.

http://i.imgur.com/asKuXuE.jpg


Image Album Link: http://imgur.com/a/HecaF (Larger Sizes)

If you are going to use a skill in a macro, just repeat the line anywhere from 4-10 times. Put the /macroicon on the last line. Repeating creates a pseudo queue dependent on your framerate ~.1~.25 seconds per line, but pride yourself in getting as many skills off of macros as you can comfortably! Good luck on your war and those sexy triple fell cleaves.