PS4 Controller Limitations....

[Marxam]

Macros are the only solution unfortunately unless you fully design a UI layout and map buttons. For me I had to remap all my buttons so that they have a pattern. For example, on all my tanks:

X > Square > Triangle = Enmity combo (regardless of tank job).
X > Circle > Triangle/Square = DPS combo

Using the example above here is what all three tanks enmity combos would look like:

WAR - Heavy Swing > Skull Sunder > Butcher's Block
PLD - Fast Blade > Savage Blade > Rage of Halone
DRK - Hard Slash > Spinning Slash > Power Slash

They all have different actions but because the follow the same route muscle memory will soon kick and I instinctively know that X, Square, Triangle is my enmity combo regardless of if I play WAR, PLD or DRK. Choices like this make a job that you play more coherent and fluid since you won't spend most of your time looking at your crossbar and more time getting those positional's and dodging mechanics. You should also aim to have max 2 sets of crossbars for dps (32 buttons) and a max of 3 sets for tank and healers (48 buttons).

I follow a very similar pattern for my DPS jobs and I use other design tricks like always making Down on the R2 cross bar be the job's aoe attack or, in my case since I main WAR, Overpower. I also map Inner Release, Fell cleave and Decimate to Triangle, Square and X respectively on the L2 cross bar. That way I can still move while activating Inner Release and immediately start spamming Fell Cleave or Decimate. If I set Fell Cleave to Up then I would not be able to Fell Cleave and move at the same time since I need to press the D-pad and move with the left analog stick at the same time. A good rule of thumb that I use is that: all weapon skills are mapped to face buttons and off-gcd are mapped to directional buttons. That way you spend most of your time on the face buttons and only have to tap the D-Pad occasionally for a buff but make it work for you. I'm sure my Fell Cleave example is proof of that.

I also have it set to "Hold" and I don't use the extended crossbars. I just tap L2 or R2 to switch between left or right cross bar and then scroll between sets via R1. It works for me and has effectively made me faster and able to handle 3 sets of cross bars. Coupled with the design choices I made via the example above I never have to think about combos since muscle memory will always start at X for any combo. Needless to say it took me a good 2 months in 2.0 to figure this out and almost the entirety of 2.0 series to perfect it. Now when a new patch comes in I just simply place the new abilities where I think it feels good, similar to how I placed Fell Cleave, and I'm set. It literally only takes me an hour each job now to figure out an optimal button layout. You have to quite literally think like a designer and figure out how the button placements work, does it make sense and is it easy to understand.

As for macros try to limit it, especially as dps, since optimal play requires you to have access to all your abilities at all times. Macros can also be finicky, since the line might be cancelled out by another action effectively messing up the macro in the first place. The only time I found macros useful is for healers since I macro an entire L2 cross bar to just Cure or Cure II <p1-p8>. Using that set up I only have to press a button to heal anyone I want in my party without having to scroll through the party list.