PLD Advice - Skill bloating?

[Seraphor]

Re-emphasize like so many others, dont use macros to deal with space problems. Use more space. Macros are generally terrible for a variety of reasons already mentioned.

The only macros I can support are for ease of targeting party members (shirk, intervention, etc) or for party notification. Ie: my provoke is a macro with a line in party chat so the tank is aware I'm taking the boss (handy for stuff like seiryu with multiple quick voke>shirk combos).

Macros should never be used for bread and butter actions to just 'save space' . That is not their purpose and they are TERRIBLE at doing that.

Attempting to deal with both expanded xhotbars and the wxhb can be far more cumbersome than a macro.

While the vast majority of GCD offensive actions shouldn't be macro'd, especially for DPS, there are various combinations that can work well.
See my flash/circle or shield swipe/lob above.

EDIT: added due to new page:

The simplest and most effective macro’s I’ve got for PLD are:

Flash/Circle of Scorn
/micon “Circle of Scorn”
/ac “Flash”
/ac “Circle of Scorn”

This one works well because it’s a GCD and an oGCD, giving you control over which one you use at any given time.
Hit it one and you’ll use Flash.
Hit it twice in quick succession and you’ll Flash and Circle, applying your AoE DoT on pull.
Otherwise, when Circle is off cooldown, you can weave it between your GCD combo, which will only apply Circle being an oGCD.

Shield Swipe/Shield Lob
/micon “Shield Swipe”
/ac “Shield Lob”
/ac “Shield Swipe”

Again, we’ve got a GCD and an oGCD, so you can weave Swipe on cooldown, but otherwise you use Lob.


These are all skills that are niche enough to not effect your proficiency too much, they’re not your core DPS or defensive skills, and in general aren’t used much outside of the pull and any minute delay they might cause won’t effect you outside of dungeons, which aren’t high level stuff anyway.