BLM Macro set-up

[Garotte14]

Also another useful tip to give to any aspiring, serious PS3/PS4 player (or really anyone that uses a controller)

Something I've done that I find helpful is putting certain cool downs on a separate vertical/horizontal hot bar. There is a setting which hides unassigned slots so as to not take up much of the screen. You can place these vertically next to your main hotbar or horizontally above or below. Now the reason I do this is for cosmetic purposes only. These are just duplicates of my abilities that are on my other hotbars. However, by putting abilities on these additional hotbars such as Virus, Eye for an Eye, my potions, etc, I can see the timers on all of my cool downs so I know the instant they are ready for use. One of the things I noticed in the past was I wasn't using my potions as much. They are on a separate hot bar. Out of sight, out of mind. Now I can see all my cool downs at all times and as soon as one is ready, I can switch to the appropriate hot bar to use it.

This can be helpful to any class.

[lacrimosaangel]

It doesn't really effect a target if you lose line of sight. If you lose line of sight for whatever reason, the result will be the same. However to answer the question lacrimosaangel asked, it only physically moves your character and does not effect your camera angle.

I haven't quite gotten to the end of the story yet, but you can move without interrupting your casting? Dang I need that!!

Thanks for the hotbar tips, I set mine up with custom sheath/unsheath hotbars, added the expanded set with my buffs/current macros and did a DF dungeon.. My god, what a difference it made!!! SO much more efficient and made switching between abilities so much easier!!

I never use pots tbh, have little use for them with my current skillset, might tuck a few dupes on the screen under my duty list though, it's a shame we can't set individual icons to the side in a grid formation ^^; (I'm incredibly OCD with my layouts) Infact, I'd love a little slide out duty list, so the bulk of the text is hidden until the touchpad button selects it... I've minimized to 90% so it's only just readable but it's still messy...

[Garotte14]

I haven't quite gotten to the end of the story yet, but you can move without interrupting your casting? Dang I need that!!

I never use pots tbh, have little use for them with my current skillset, might tuck a few dupes on the screen under my duty list though, it's a shame we can't set individual icons to the side in a grid formation ^^; (I'm incredibly OCD with my layouts) Infact, I'd love a little slide out duty list, so the bulk of the text is hidden until the touchpad button selects it... I've minimized to 90% so it's only just readable but it's still messy...

No. Just to be clear, the face target macro doesn't allow you to move while casting. You will use your Firestarter/Thundercloud procs and Swiftcast for that. The face target macro is designed to cast on a target that is moving. Since you're still learning the game, you may have not encountered this a lot yet, but you will.

And this goes for the potions as well. They aren't really necessary in progression and early on in the game. So the fact that you haven't used them is completely normal. If/when you get into raiding though, they will become more and more important. As well as food. You probably won't use food buffs at all while leveling, but are pretty important in endgame raiding like Coil and soon to be Alexander

[lacrimosaangel]

Ahhh okay, my bad. Sorry for misunderstanding!
I've had quite a few hordes move away while playing, mainly due to tank pulls and aggros, but I've always managed to cast my spells in time before they get OOR...

Good job I saved all my food items and pots with my retainer then!

[Niwashi]

you can move without interrupting your casting? Dang I need that!!

You can rotate in place (which is what /facetarget does) without interrupting your casting.

[lacrimosaangel]

You can rotate in place (which is what /facetarget does) without interrupting your casting.

Doesn't it do that automatically when you cast anyway? I didn't think it made much difference to the damage?

[ChameleonMS]

Doesn't it do that automatically when you cast anyway? I didn't think it made much difference to the damage?

It does if you lock on your target. Many players do not auto-lock the target because there are frequently other "mechanics" that require you to point the camera in a different direction than where your character is facing. E.g. from what you have already done, the Cannons in Stone Vigil. You character faces the boss and your camera faces the cannon watching for the dragon.

[lacrimosaangel]

It does if you lock on your target. Many players do not auto-lock the target because there are frequently other "mechanics" that require you to point the camera in a different direction than where your character is facing. E.g. from what you have already done, the Cannons in Stone Vigil. You character faces the boss and your camera faces the cannon watching for the dragon.

Ah see that's what I do already. I target the enemy and then rotate the camera angle to observe surroundings, if I want to switch angle back quickly to the enemy, I just doubly click the R3, switching from 1st to 3rd person really quickly, I suppose that's what the macro would stop me needing to do?

[Garotte14]

Yes. Locking on to a target is pretty much pointless since your movement speed is slowed. If you have to move for whatever reason, you are greatly hindered. When you start casting an ability, you will automatically face the target. The macro I am describing is not so you face the target in that purpose. What I'm describing is if the target starts moving and you are already in the middle of a cast. Once you start casting fire for example, your character will turn and face the target. Now since your attacks on BLM have longer cast times, if that mob moves in a way you are no longer facing it, your cast will be interrupted, losing a GCD. This isn't a big deal if you're in a dungeon, but if you're raiding, you want to output as much dps as possible, and losing any GCDs is a no no. With that macro, if I cast a spell, and the mob starts moving before my cast finishes, I will just spam the macro, and my character will continue facing the target the entire way while it's moving.