Are there any combat macro's that actually work?

[Liam_Harper]

Combat macros get a lot of hate in this game (understandably so, the system is terrible), that often people will just outright state "never use them" without really knowing why or how big of a loss it really is. They just parrot what they saw on the Balance and feel smart.

Macro'ing oGCD's is generally fine. Things like mouseover heals, ground target macros, shirk macros, they all work fine.
Always repeat the /action line in your macro as many times as possible. This repeats the command multiple times and increases the chance it goes through. Macro speed actually depends on framerate, so if you run at a high fps, capping it to something lower will increase this window.
These oGCD macros are generally weaved between GCD's so lack of queuing isn't an issue, but they're still macros and might have their moments they don't go off. As always try playing without them first and if you find a macro increases your performance, no reason not to.
I use mouseover heal macros myself, they very rarely fail for me and I've had no issue with them in Savage.

GCD macros don't queue which is why they aren't recommended. You have to mash them and if you try to tie an oGCD to them (Let's say... Hakaze + Shinten), you'll only get a single weave in addition to lack of queuing.
How much do you really lose though if you macro a GCD? Let's say a taboo macro like macroing Glare to hit the boss so you can target the party. Probably a few percent, 5% at most. Not the end of the world to be honest and most players lose more uptime dropping rotation on mechanics, fumbling buttons, not using pots/food/materia.
I'd really ask yourself "can I learn to play without if I really tried?", if it's worth having to mash the button more and how often does it fail or misfire? If it still works fine for you and helps you focus better on other things, it's ok. It won't hold groups back at all by itself unless you're min ilv or week one raiding. Just understand the downsides and don't overuse it, one or two buttons is plenty, more means heavy losses.

One macro to absolutely avoid is trying to string multiple different buttons together. Yes, this includes the community accepted Swiftcast + Raise, but also things like macroing Mudra or GCD combos. This is because macros with a <wait> command have a minimum wait time of 1 second. It doesn't matter if you type <wait0.00001>, it'll delay for 1 second between each action. This, combined with no queuing, does add up to sizable losses. These macros are also prone to disruption. If you're struggling with gameplay you're better off finding other ways to simplify your rotation that would result in smaller losses or consider a different job.

Yea works fine, totally, you're not sandbagging every group you're in. Surely.

I've tested it myself and the infamous One-Button-Summoner actually works, landing high purple logs in Normal and uptime of up to 98%, which is honestly better than most of the playerbase. So not sandbagging groups.

I don't recommend it personally because Summoner is very easy to play and 6-10 minutes of mashing a button fast is a pain. Downtime tends to disrupt the macro, as well as trying to weave in utility like Surecast or Addle, although it is recoverable. Really wasn't a fun playstyle and clunky. But it works and you won't hold groups back.