Macros Guide by Egomzez

The key to playing any job well rests in using your macro pallets and macro sets. This will probably come easiest to PC users who are accustomed to using the keyboard.

At the initial levels of gaming it may not be essential to have macro sets, but as you go it is imperative.

To go through the effort of making macros you should first learn to back up our work. As you are in the ffxi menu where you can pick the character to log in with, you can save or load your macros to the server.

Losing your macros
The most common way the most recent macros changes are lost is by being disconnected. After spending more than 5 minutes changing macros log out to the character selection menu and save your macros to the server. Platform Specific Instructions This will save a great deal of extra work. But writing and writing macros is proabably the best way to learn how to write them.

Macros that don't work
The most frustrating macros experience to be had would be crafting up a bunch of new macros and then running out to party situation only to have the macros trip you and your party up into a total wipe. It can happen and it ain't pretty. Gotta test your macros out.

Starting or organizing macro sets
Starting fresh is the neatest of approaches, but organizing a jumbled bunch of macro pallets is where most people will start.

What is what
Macro describes something large. Macros is a user-defined command that excutes a series of commands. In the game, in the second Commands drop down menu. ( the "-" key on the keyboard - for most ) In selecting the Macros button 20 macros books appear. Each book has 10 sets. Each set has 20 buttons. 10 assigned to the Ctrl key and 10 assigned to the Alt key. On xbox these two menus are accessed by the controller's left and right triggers.

Macros Books
Typically each macros books is for a specific job/sub combo. But it is also helpful to set a few books aside for special circumstances. Such as - a book for a lvl 40 job so you have something to take to NM fights or to capped areas. If you like leveling in level sync at a certain area then consider making a pallet for that so you are ready for action at the drop of a hat. Best method of book naming is to put the latest level value in the name such as whm74sch. This will help laster when you cannot remember what book was last used for what.

Macros Sets
Another reoccuring macros nightmare is when the sets get rotated without notice so that as casting is attempted the macros set is wrong so there is no macros to execute. This is followed by a frantic search to get the right set to continue play. It could be the death of a party. More recently I found that it is possibe to write macros set rotating into the code. Which is awesome for scholar where one ability can change the whole array of spells available. So I now have a mutifaceted macros that rotates my macro sets to the right one and I don't have to fumble around in the middle of some fight.