Dear fellow Scholars. How do you hotbar?

[Thistledown]

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?

[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?

[Cynfael]

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.

[Tranquil]

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.

[Risvertasashi]

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.

[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)

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)

[Risvertasashi]

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.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

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.

[Risvertasashi]

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

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

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.