My easy controller setup for WAR

[karateorangutang]

Here's my setup:

Macros

Defiance:
/micon Defiance
/ac Defiance <me>
/chotbar change 1
/chotbar set "Inner Beast" 1 RD1
/chotbar set "Steel Cyclone" 1 RD3

Deliverance:
/micon Deliverance
/ac Defiance <me>
/chotbar change 1
/chotbar set "Fell Cleave" 1 RD1
/chotbar set "Decimate" 1 RD3

Vengeance + Foresight:
/micon Vengeance
/ac Vengeance <me>
/ac Foresight <me>

Internal Release + Bloodbath:
/micon "Internal Release"
/ac "Internal Release <me>
/ac Bloodbath <me>

Equilibrium + Second Wind:
/micon Equilibrium
/ac "Equilibrium" <me>
/ac "Second Wind" <me>

Raw Intuition + Awareness
/micon "Raw Intuition"
/ac "Raw Intuition" <me>
/ac Awareness <me>

Hotbars

Crossbar 1:

R2:
O: Heavy Swing
X: Skull Sunder
■: Butcher's Block
▲: Tomahawk
↑: Unchained
↓: Brutal Swing
→: Steel Cyclone/ Decimate ( due to macro hotbar swaps when changing stances)
←: Inner Beast/ Fell Cleave ( due to macro hotbar swaps when changing stances)

L2:
O: Convalescence
X: Mercy Stroke
■: Equilibrium + Second Wind Macro
▲: Provoke
↑: Berserk
↓: Internal Release + Bloodbath Macro
→: Raw Intuition + Awareness Macro
←: Vengeance + Foresight Macro

Crosshotbar 2:

R2:
↑: Defiance macro
↓: Deliverance macro

L2:
↑: Limit Break ( Someday... someday...)
▲: Sprint

R2 + L2 Quickhotbar:
O: Overpower
X: Maim
■: Storm's Path
▲: Storm's Eye
↑: Infuriate
↓: Thrill of battle
→: Fracture
←: Holmgang

This is the most condensed I could get it without sacrificing quick abilities for fast mitigation. With this setup I can still pull off 3x fell cleaves and decimates without any issue with all the proper cooldowns up. The swaps of deliverance and defiance allow the WAR job in particular to condense out 2 slots which allows for the minimal use of macro's.

snip

It's a lesser of two evils scenario with controllers is the problem. I don't have a desk setup in my living room to allow me to use a keyboard and mouse ( my wife would murder me in ways that make this game seem absolutely childish) so I have to use a controller.

My options are:
A: Using macros as intelligently as I can and keep hotbars minimal
B: Don't use macros and bloat the number of hotbars

On controller if you have multiple hotbars, the only way to track cooldowns on abilities off your hotbar is to bloat the screen with regular hotbars to see your cooldowns. Additionally the crosshotbar has to be tabbed with one button, so if you press it more than once... well time to tab back through again. Option B is arguably slower, especially in high pressure situations.

At least with A I have a natural and easy time finding the commands as I don't have to switch hotbars at all. Which, in turn, makes it faster and limits player error on my side. Until SE finds a way to condense skills or somehow make a better interface for controller players macro's are still the best option to limit player error.