Tips for targeting on the PS4?

Heya,

I've gotten back to Eorzea after a very long time. I switched from a gaming PC to my Playstation 4. So far I prefer this way of playing, but I'm kind of getting wrecked when it comes to grouping. I'm used to tab-targeting and not using the directional pad for much. Last night I was running Sastasha and pressed... some direction and I ended up targeting the tank, then an enemy, then the add, then the second add, then some random enemy far off in the distance before cycling back to the target I original intended... Typically I can switch between targets quickly if I cancel (O) and immediately select the closest target (X) but I'm not sure if this is the most efficient/best way to handle it?

I'd like to form good habits now so that when I'm doing 8-man raids I know a little bit of what I'm doing. I'm usually straight DPS but I absolutely love tanking and I've been thinking of making a tank as an alt at some point. Thanks in advance!

~Azeyma keep you warm

Up and down on the d-pad cycles through the party.
Left and right cycles through everything visible.
In one of the configuration windows you can set filters on these or change the behavior, so you can (for example) set left-right to only go through hostile targets while your weapon is drawn.

EDIT: My bad, it's holding L2/ R2 and using L1/ R1 to cycle. Tired, sorry. orz

Ah, got it. I stupidly hid the help-pop up windows because I remembered the gist of it while playing with a keyboard & mouse. I didn't think that new hardware meant new controls until it was too late and I was past that portion of the tutorial. I'll have the explore the windows in the settings menu a little more thoroughly!

Thanks.

up/down soft-cycles through your party list
L1 + up/down soft-cycles through your enemy list
left/right soft-cycles through your current filter

Your current filter is configurable. By default, it starts out including everything, enemies, players, objects, NPCs, minions, etc. Under the "Filters" tab of Character Settings, however, there are options to configure it to be more specific. There are a couple ways of doing that. One (at the top of that tab) is to set a list of target types that you'll cycle between when your weapon is drawn and another for what you'll cycle between when your weapon is sheathed. The other (below it) lets you set up to four targeting filters that you can switch between at will by using L1 + a face button (circle, triangle, square, or X). One thing to keep in mind when setting this up, you only want to enable one of the two patterns, either the sheathed/drawn weapon version or the four selectable filters version. If you try to set both up, they'll interfere with each other and become confusing.

Personally, I prefer the later method, as it gives me more control. I use L1+circle to switch to "Enemies" targeting mode, L1+square to switch to "Friends" targeting mode, L1+triangle to switch to "All" targeting mode, and L1+X to switch to a customized filter for specifically targeting marked enemies only. (The name of your currently selected filter is shown above your HP/MP/TP bar, so it's useful to use the named filter patterns for all but one of your filters. If you have different filters each named "Custom" you won't have that visibility to which is currently active.)

As for soft targets versus hard targets, that's actually quite useful, but it might take getting used to. When you cycle through to a new target, it will be a soft target unless you press X (confirm) to make it your hard target. You can use a skill and it will apply to your soft target if you have one, but then your target will change right back to your current hard target. (This is very handy if you want to toss a quick Goad to the tank in the middle of your damage combo, as your target goes right back to the mob you were fighting, or if you want to DoT an enemy or two while keeping the tank as your primary healing target, etc.) When you want to really switch targets, so the new one is your main (hard) target, just remember to press the confirmation X, whereas if you just want to send a single skill to that target and go back to where you were, don't confirm it with X.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Khalakhaz

Typically I can switch between targets quickly if I cancel (O) and immediately select the closest target (X) but I'm not sure if this is the most efficient/best way to handle it?

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That's also useful, particularly for melee since it tends to do a better job of selecting a close-by target. It just gives you less choice for selecting something else when you need to, so it's worth also getting used to the cycling target filters. (The party list up/down and enemy list L1 + up/down are especially useful when there's one specific target you need to hit.)

If you really can't get used to the gamepad controls, I do believe it's possible to use keyboard and mouse on a PS4 and use the same controls/UI set up as a PC.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Niwashi

As for soft targets versus hard targets, that's actually quite useful, but it might take getting used to.

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I just read a brief synopsis on Reddit about hard/soft targeting and it's the missing piece I was searching for. I don't usually suck in groups (I'm someone who tries to know my roll and stick to it.) During the Sastasha run that initially provoked this post, it actually happened because I used Goad on the Tank as a soft target, but I didn't know there was a concept of a Soft target so I ended up using Goad on the Tank as a Soft target, then made him a Hard target, then freaked out and started selecting all of my part members, then pressing "O" to start over again, only to auto-Target the furthest enemy away, then accidentally pressed Up and "invalid targeting" until the brief fight was over.

I basically felt so embarrassed that I posted here to find tips for targeting.

Thanks for the great help!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zetsumei_Tsunarashi

If you really can't get used to the gamepad controls.

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I'm sure it'll just take time. I accidentally turned off the tutorial messages in the beginning of the game before going to the Adventurer's Guild, so I'm playing a littl ebit of catch up. I'm trying find a good keyboard for the ps4 though to type with. I'm currently sick/unable to speak without coughing which feels terrible to put strangers through via headsets.

Any USB keyboard will do a 10eur one works just as well as any other.

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Originally Posted by ruskie

Any USB keyboard will do a 10eur one works just as well as any other.

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I'll have to pick one up, thanks!

Hi! I know this is not about the targeting for PS4, BUT since you said you came from PC you would be a good person to ask. I am having a hard time managing targeting with my keyboard and mouse.

I played FFXI online like 10 years ago and now returning to gaming and I feel so disabled, lol. Anyways, I'm trying to figure out the best way to manage targeting with the keyboard. I've been able to do ok on my own, but when I've been in a group I try using "tab" to target and sometimes it doesn't grab the enemies and I have to run up and click them with the mouse, it really slows me down. I tried looking up some keystrokes to manage targeting and haven't found anything that flows nice.

Any tips?

(EDIT: My first post here! It says Lancer in my profile, but I'm playing Archer currently at level 15)

Yikes, OK, let me see if I remember. When I played on the PC, I was a White Mage. I had just gotten the soul before life took over and I couldn't play any longer, so I focused a lot on the tank. Whenever an add left the tank's and dps's area of death, Tab-targeting usually works with a quick tab->Fluid Aura. Because you're a Lancer though I'm not sure how well tabbing would work. You could make a macro that targets your focus' target:

/assist <focus> which would, I believe, target whatever the tank/whichever is targeting.

The controller makes targeting grouped monsters way easy by just pressing left or right on the digital pad or press L1. I have to assume a similar concept exists on the keyboard in the form of macros OR if you go into your target keybind settings.

I hope this helps and isn't one giant fumble! xD

Thank you, I'll play around with it. It sounds like the controller targeting is similar to how it was on FFXII on PS2, the battle system was similar on that one versus the older FF games. Most of the time I'm good with the targeting and I have found it easier as an archer than as lancer because I'm not tanking, but in a group I've had more trouble grabbing the right target. I'm still new though, so will take practice. Thanks again!

Ok... did a few group battles tonight as an archer, level 15 and here is where the targeting issue frustrates me. So I hit "tab" to target my first one and then once they are eliminated, I have to hit tab again to find the next one... is there a way to auto-target with the keyboard in this situation? I feel like it slows me down, not all the active enemies/targets show up on the left hand side of the screen all the time. I can make a separate thread if I need to since it's PC specific. Any tips would be great!

Built in Targeting:
Cycle Through Enemies (Nearest to Farthest) Tab
Cycle Through Enemies (Farthest to Nearest) Shift+Tab
Face Target F
Target Self F1
Target Members in Party List F2 - F8
Target Pet/Familiar F9
Target the Target of Your Current Target T
Target Focus Target F10
Target Nearest Enemy F11
Target Nearest NPC or Object F12
Set/Clear Focus Target Shift+F
Cycle Up Through Enmity List Ctrl+NUM8
Cycle Down Through Enmity List Ctrl+NUM2
Cycle Through Alliance List (Forward) Ctrl+NUM6
Cycle Through Alliance List (Backward) Ctrl+NUM4

Text commands:
　/targetenemy, /tenemy
→Targets the closest enemy within a certain radius.

　/battletarget, /bt
→Targets the closest enemy within a certain radius that is attacking you.

　/assist, /as
→Targets the target of another PC. Assists current target when none is specified.

　/nexttarget, /nt
→Toggle clockwise through on-screen enemies.

　/previoustarget, /pt
→Toggle counterclockwise through on-screen enemies.

　/targetlasttarget, /tlt
→Re-target your last target.

　/targetlastenemy, /tle
→Re-target the last enemy you targeted.

　/autotarget [subcommand]
→Enable auto-target when no target specified.
>>Subcommands:
　on Enable auto-target.
　off Disable auto-target.
Toggle between on/off when no subcommand is specified.