Trying to get better as a RDM

[Ceallach]

Double weaving can be done with a low ping.

In general, yes. Specifically pairing Fleche and Contre Sixte is bad, as Rongway pointed out.

I actually wasn't aware of using auto-attacks and Embolden like that, so I'm glad I followed this thread. Thanks!

[Rongway]

Also, why do you not want to start a melee combo with your mana bar even? I don't get that one. O.o

If your mana is uneven, then using the Verfinisher that matches the lower color will guarantee a proc.

White higher when you start: finish with Verflare, guarantee Verfire Ready
Black higher when you start: finish with Verholy, guarantee Verstone Ready

If they're equal, or you use the one that's already higher, it's only a 20% chance to proc Ready.

Also does anyone know how to set up a separate hotbar so I can track my oGCDs (if it's even possible to do so on a controller setup)? I think that is one of my biggest issue because I cant tell when their timers have refreshed so I can cast them again immediately so I can minimize clipping.

You can use one of the normal hotbars. Just place it somewhere conspicuous, maybe increase the size if you want, and slot any abilities that you want to track cooldowns or procs for.

/hudlayout will open up the hud organizer. You can enable or disable bars there (not sure of the controller buttons to do things) or in /characterconfig

[Rongway]

Some suggestions in regards to the layout of your abilities on your crossbars.

It looks like you have Veraero-Jolt-Verthunder on right hand buttons, but then you have Verstone and Verfire on D-pad buttons, and they're even on directions that are inconsistent with the other buttons. You can reduce the amount of thinking you have to do by being more consistent.

For example, if you do this,

      [        ]                    [        ]
[        ]  [        ]        [ Vaero  ]  [ Vthndr ]
      [        ]                    [ Impact ]

on one of your bars,
then on other bars, do this:

      [        ]                    [        ]
[        ]  [        ]        [ Vstone ]  [ Vfire  ]
      [        ]                    [  Jolt  ]

and

      [        ]                    [        ]
[        ]  [        ]        [ Vholy  ]  [ Vflare ]
      [        ]                    [ Accel. ]

So that all the white spells are on the same button, and all the black spells are on the same button. Then you control the tier of the spell with your shoulder/trigger buttons.


If that doesn't work, give something like this a shot:

      [        ]                    [        ]
[        ]  [        ]        [ Vaero  ]  [ Vstone ]
      [        ]                    [ Vholy  ]

on one of your bars,
then on other bars, do this:

      [        ]                    [        ]
[        ]  [        ]        [ Vthndr ]  [ Vfire   ]
      [        ]                    [ Vflare ]

and

      [        ]                    [        ]
[        ]  [        ]        [ Impact ]  [  Jolt  ]
      [        ]                    [ Accel. ]

In this layout, shoulders/triggers select the color of the spell, and then all the spells of the same tier are on the same button.


Consistency of either sort will reduce the cognitive load of selecting the appropriate spell by a lot, leaving you in a better position to succeed. Once you've decided how to organize the spells so that you can cast them all without thinking about them, you can add on the other buttons. If you have Verholy and Vflare on the same bar, then you might put your melee combo on the dpad for that bar. Maybe you'll find that Corps-a-corps and Displacement go well above and below Verholy and Verflare, while Acceleration goes better somewhere else (maybe with the Verstone and Verfire buttons). However you do it, it's all about arranging the buttons to make sense of themselves, so that you don't have to try to make sense of them when you're in the middle of a fight.

[Virlym]

Here's an example of what I currently use (buff/debuff bar is sitting on top of my hp). During a fight you are on #1 90% of the time, swap to 2 for melee, and only touch 3 for sprint.

[Limonia]

I didn't watch the whole video, but it looked like as if you switch your hotbars by holding R1 and then the direction for the specific hotbar (like R1 + O to get to hotbar 2). Personally I think that's really slow and inefficient.
You also neither use expanded hold controls nor the W crossbar, like soooo many other people.
You can use both the expanded hold controls AND the W crossbar OR only one of them.
Personally, I have set it up so that I use the W crossbar only to DISPLAY my second hotbar, which I access with the expanded hold controls.

The W cross hotbar:
After you activate it, you can access it by double tapping R2 (right side) or L2 (left side).
I find it rather clunky, so I don't use it like that anymore but many people like it.
Here is how you display it:


Here how you set it up:

You can choose which hotbar it accesses, I have cross hotbar 2 left and right because I use it to display my cross hotbar number 2.

On the image you also see how to set up expanded hold controls.
If you hold R2 and then press L2, you can access one half of a hotbar and the other way around.
That's what I use to access my cross hotbar number 2.

For me, the W crossbar is only so I can track what's on crossbar 2, that's why they're the same. But you can also choose to use them for another crossbar. I don't know any class that would have need of yet another hotbar though.

Here's what it looks like for RDM (I changed the position of the W crossbar to under my default crossbar, but where you put it is up to you; the default position is also nice):



The last thing is this:

When set up like this, when you press R1 once, you switch to hotbar 3 (choose whichever you want). If you press it again, you're back to hotbar 1. I use this for things like potions, limit break, summons or just things that didn't fit on hotbars 1 and 2.

Just try it out. After getting used to it, it's much much easier than manually choosing which hotbars to switch to. You can still switch hotbars like you do now if you need another set for mounts, teleport etc.

Also, I've noticed you use the default HUD. For me, it's much easier if the target and status effect bars are near my cross hotbar. I also have the job gauges near my hotbar, and above of it is the party list. I still have enough space to see mechanics and all important stuff is close to each other.

I'm bad at explaining but I hope it helps.

[SuperNoob]

I personally only use 4 hot bar for my controller. I also use w and expanded crossbar.

So hotbar 1 is my main Attack... then hotbar 2 put enchanted melee, some role skill and centre, displacement. Hotbar 3 is w crossbar double tap lt will go left.. I use this to put limit break role skill or cooldown, Potion, sprint..

Hot bar 4 is where I put mount other shortcut such sheath, sign, way mark, minion... and invigorate... for melee job.

[Virlym]

o1s Dummy video

Here's an example of o1s dummy I did on an alt just for your reference. Gear is hovered over at the beginning. ilvl 319 with mostly trash melds, no food, and no pots (just to show you it doesn't matter for o1s).

I knew I was going to finish so I tried to show you a double melee at the end, but I ended up killing it before I could finish. After the first melee, I would use the proc'd ver-spell I had setup before I started the first melee in order to get both colored mana up to 41/40, then would use manafication to hit 82/80, and would start another melee combo that would still finish in the embolden window.

[Claire_Pendragon]

Some have suggested not bringing swift cast, but thats dependent on the fight/group composition imo.
Swift cast can help with DPS depending on the fight, since there are times your dual cast just went off as you need to move for a mechanic.
And even when my Spell Speed was like 1,900, it wasnt enough to get a hard cast in, in time, and get to a safe position.
in most situations where u can get a hard cast in, even with 1,000 Spell Speed, u can make it in time. So yeah, spell speed is pretty sub par.

If you're, lets say, 70 / 80 in mana and you just finished your dual cast, your embolden just highlighted, and your NIN is about to trick attack, its better to swift cast Aero to get those 10 point of mana, and not waste another GCD to dual cast. So you can rev up your melee combo, and embolden between the 1st and 2nd WS. (though its relatively safe to activate it on the 1st WS honestly)

This has mainly been useful for me in O3S, when I have to finish my burst combo before embolden completely wears off, and the boss starts up mechanics. So Swift Cast helps me do my melee combo in time, 50% of the time.

Over all, when im at my worst, and not using swift cast effectively, using embolden 1 GCD too early or late, etc, barely effects my DPS. (It does effect it though)
RDM is pretty forgiving.

So as most people said, organize your hotbars, so you dont have as much trouble figuring out which button you need to press, and thats the biggest step.
Once you do that, all u can do is practice for 2 weeks, so that you no longer have to think about which buttons u need to press, it becomes muscle memory.
(It will feel no different than walking. You wont confuse which foots goes in front of which, and how much distance u need to step. You do it naturally.)

You should always make ur most commonly used/needed abilities on your face buttons, where you dont have to press any extra buttons.
So you have 16 buttons, before needing W/X hotbars.
Vercure is nice, and Verraise is nice, but shouldnt be used commonly, so they go onto a different double press hotbar.
Your AoEs should honestly be put on another hotbar, as you'll only use them in trash pulls usually, and you can get away with not using single targets during trash too much. (Technically its best to rev up a dual cast, using scatter, and dual cast aero/thunder IF there are 3 mobs. If 4 or more, just scatter spam/Moulinet. If 2 or less, single target)
You will use acceleration a lot, and you'll use contrasixe/fleche a lot. (contra/fleche are roughly 10% of your total dmg surprisingly, if i remember correctly, if not 10% it was a high %)
It would be hard to weave them bwteen GCDs if not on face buttons for quick access.

Your melee combo wont happen as often, so it could be safe to place it on another hotbar, but it can make weaving oGCDs in harder, if you dont place them on that hotbar too, but chances of it happening are not too high, but it does happen every fight to me. (Same with flare/holy, as you'll do them right after)
(This is a matter of personal taste of u want to do that or not)
Embolden/manification would probably have to be on both hotbars, as ull want to use it dependent on being mid AoE or mid melee combo.
that "should" be all of the available space you have on your face buttons.

You can also assign the chocobo/mount and other minor out of combat stuff to yoru keyboards num pad or something, to help make things easier. (u can do this with your CDs as well if you want.)

[AphraelAmarantha]

Thank you everyone for your replies and very insightful advice. You have all shown me that there is so much I still don't know about this game. However, I am learning and I appreciate all the advice. Thank you!

[SpiritMuse]

Others have already explained hotbar setups so I'll just add that I noticed you have sprint and auto attack on your main bar. The first thing I do when unlocking a new class/job is always to remove auto attack completely, because that can just as easily be accessed by simply pressing X on your target a second time (and on many jobs it's automatically activated anyway as soon as you start attacking). Sprint is useful to keep on your bars, but it's not a very high priority ability so I usually put it on my secondary/expanded bar. That will free up two slots so you can, for example, pull Verholy and Verflare out of your potion stash and put them in a more easily accessed place.