I've recently started to attend open raids on my server as a newbie player. I've noticed that ALOT of the higher end players who bring alts to this raid use either key binds or socially built macros. My question is for everyone else, Do you keybind or macro ? If so does this not hinder your ability to be versatile ? And lastly, which if any other classes does it make sense to (if yes, is your answer) key bind / macro your abilities to ? Thank you in advance.
I personally multi-bind anything that is a spam type ability. (Binding a ton of abilities to 1 key and spam the out of that button.) Everything else I either click or have a macro to fire off a certain group of discs. Really the only challenge these days is learning which stuff has the most synergy with other things and grouping those together for better DPS. It's simply faster and easier. With so many things to mash for most every class in the game, it is the only thing that makes sense to me.
Using a keybind/multibind gives you the ability to make the same type of decision faster. I have a multibind with my 5 best heals on my cleric. I have a choice between: A: Using the multibind (casting my next best single target heal) B: Not using the multibind (manually casting something else - buff, group heal, etc) You have the same level of versatility, the multibind just reduces reaction time. I'll tentatively say every class - although it doesn't make or break a player not to use them. If there is a situation where you want to use a set of spells or combat abilities as much as you can - a multibind would be useful. If you ever use two or more discs/AAs together at the same time, a macro would be useful.
You can always macro your multi bind! ( If we're talking about a real macro here ) Burn hotkeys are always nice as well..No one wants to be clicking 100 keys on engage.
Macros lock you into certain decisions and can be difficult to interrupt (especially with /pause). But they are nice if you want to hit one key and then not look at that toon again. I have macros on all my toons for doing repetitive stuff like assisting and especially buffs (press one key that loads a spell set and casts the buffs, then a second key that loads a different spell set and casts the buffs). Multi-binds are the best for combat, since you can change actions on the fly according to different situations. And they usually seem to have faster responses. I have had inconsistent results with regards to the order of actions in a multibind (usually, it fires spells first, then hotbar actions, from left to right, etc.), so you should experiment and be prepared for things to work differently under combat
Right clicking the hotbutton that you had the macro on will stop a macro. The key to effective macros is having enough time between each cast with /pause. Oftentimes shorter /pauses that work with single mobs/combat dummies in guild hall, need to be a few milliseconds longer in raid/multi-mob/multi-player situations.
Right-clicking usually interrupts a macro, but the same lag that causes those other timing issues you mention can get in the way of even stopping the macro. And those very times you mentioned (raids, fights) are when you need the quick actions most. Plus, right-clicking or anything else with the mouse is almost always slower than a keypress. Is there a key (or can one be assigned) to stop any current macros? Something similar to /stopcast?
*Keybinds *Spam key(s) w/ macro (no pauses or anything, just gets hit repeatedly) *1-= and alt-1 through alt-= for individual casting things. *I have a common AAs keyed to an alt-# combo on a couple of toons (like alt-3 on my bst for the AA slow, on my ranger for Nature's Entropy), and then I have a less-commonly used spell in that slot which will need to be manually clicked. *A few macros to put different burn abilities together, but they are mostly on separate keys, set up in the groups that they are normally clicked in. *A rare macro of other sorts. One is to cast focused para, send a selling tell to the person that they are getting it, and cast the Bst canni on myself. Another is to cast the best FD available on my SK. *Never* use multi-line spell casting macros on a non-boxed toon imo.
I think multibinds/macros can be useful for the majority of clerics, even though I personally don't use them for healing. I have my UI set up where all of my direct heals and healing abilities are on two vertical hot bars located close to each other. The global recast timer (the second or so between spells when we can't cast another spell) gives me enough time to move from hot key to hot key without any real loss of reaction time, as I know the order the heals will become available after casting and always have a sequence in mind. I can also use a different sequence on the fly (go through 3 Interventions/Renewals before using the 2 Remedies if I feel it's necessary), though this is something a multibinder can do also using a different key. In the end, it doesn't give me more flexibility and is somewhat harder for high output healers (not for me but for most it might cause them to lose reaction time if they get temporarily confused with the sequence of heals or their location on the UI). It is more comfortable for me, though, and keeps me more engaged because it requires more focus. That being said, I do think it's a good idea for all clerics to at least try using a multibind/macro to heal, especially if they are transitioning from a Light-centric method of healing to a high output method featuring multiple Remedies, Interventions, and Renewals. It's much easier to teach, as manual casting using a high output method requires using a certain UI setup and a lot of time getting used to it, while the multibind streamlines healing so a cleric doesn't have to focus on the spells or sequence of spells to cast and can just focus on the target and the situation. I do use macros for abilities, though, as it's much easier and faster to use a macro for MGB Celestial Regeneration using /alt activate commands than it would be to hit multiple hot keys on the UI. There also is no global recast timer between abilities so time is lost if you're clicking hot keys instead of a macro (assuming you're using multiple abilities in sequence). They are also essential for any spell you want to cast and communicate to a chat channel, like DI.
As a cleric I have a multi bind for my best single target heal spell and my best group heal spell. This way I don't have to look and see which ones are grey and which ones aren't. I do use different spell sets depending on if I'm grouping or which guild I raid with but I always make sure I have the first five spell gems as my first five single target heals. Spell gems 7 & 8 are always my group heals. I'll write up my individual mechanics below this way if anyone wants to suggest better strategy I get the benefit of posting. Group/Std Raid Multi Bind Single Target Heal. 1) Spiritual Remedy 2) Graceful Remedy 3) Mystical Intervention 4) Virtuous Intervention 5) Fervid Renewal This way any time I press the "q" key my fastest casting heal spell goes off, and I don't have to wait and look to see which spell is greyed out. However if I'm healing knights or off tanks and there is a chance we'll be mezzing I'll have to change the spell order to ensure my intervention spells aren't breaking mez (or other issues where I don't want to be damaging my targets target). 1) Spiritual Remedy 2) Graceful Remedy 3) Undying Life (ouch this one chews through my mana I'm thinking about taking it off multiband and just casting when I have a free cast). 4) Fervid Renewal 5) Fraught Renewal In this set I'll still probably be keeping the faster casting Mystical Intervention up and casting it when I deem it appropriate. But healing you really have a very short window usually now so trying to look through your spell gems and see which is grey and which is ready to cast just isn't going to work. Even if you are able to look incredibly fast there is about a 1/2 second where the spell is available to use but the spell gem still shows grey. For Group Healing I put up 7) Syllable 8) Word Unless I know I need to heal the group with a Cure counter then I pull Word up to the 7th slot and then I'll just free cast the eighth slot. (Really the Multi bind isn't needed for that but I have it so ingrained in me to press the "e" key every time I need a group heal that its hard not to keep it locked in. Long post hopefully it helps or even better I get great coaching and pick up some more new.
Multi binding allows you keep laying down heals while your fumbling for the remote, knocking back a shot, or pounding your face against the desk in frustration/boredom.
As a melee/hybrid dps'er I keybind my spells and spam stuff but manually click burns(Except for berserker, I have his main burns hotbuttoned to make room on UI)
I use both, spam keys and macros. Macros do lock you in but they are one press and done. In my experience spam keys work best with an autofire you can toggle.
Great post, but this is the one part I don't really agree with. The window between spells (or the global recast timer, when all gems are greyed out) is large enough to manually cast spells without losing time if you have general knowledge of spell sequences and recast timers. Here is an image of my character at rest: Note that my direct healing spells are arranged on the hot bars so Spiritual Remedy and Graceful Remedy are to the left while Mystical/Virtuous/Elysian Intervention are to the right and arranged top to bottom based on strength. Here, I have just cast Spiritual Remedy followed by Graceful Remedy, and am clicking on the next spell in the sequence, Mystical Intervention, before it is ready as evidenced by the multiple "You haven't recovered yet...." messages: Here, I am casting Mystical Intervention (the gem was still greyed out when the cast went through): As soon as the cast bar appears, I have moved the cursor and am clicking on the next spell in the sequence, Spiritual Remedy. My general sequence (usually don't mix Interventions and Renewals but use either set depending on the event): Spiritual Remedy -> Graceful Remedy -> Mystical Intervention or Fervid Renewal -> Spiritual Remedy -> Graceful Remedy -> Virtuous Intervention or Fraught Renewal -> Spiritual Remedy -> Graceful Remedy -> Elysian Intervention or Fervent Renewal If I need to cast something else (Undying Life, Promised Rehabilitation, DI, a Group Heal, etc.), I cast it then return to the sequence (usually starting it over with Spiritual Remedy -> Graceful Remedy because casting any non-Remedy spell after Graceful Remedy usually exhausts the recast timer on Spiritual Remedy) then cast the next spell in the sequence based on what is available. Interventions/Renewals are on the right hot bar, and the cooldown color is green and easy for me to see, so I can recognize immediately which spell I can cast without waiting for the gems to un-grey. If I decide to break the sequence and cast Mystical Intervention -> Virtuous Intervention -> Elysian Intervention -> Spiritual Remedy -> Graceful Remedy because the tank needs bigger heals, I do so knowing that after I cast Spiritual -> Graceful Remedy there will be like 3 seconds of dead casting time that I can fill with something else (Promised Rehabilitation or Syllable/Word Group Heal if the target is in my group). There might be a very slight delay (talking milliseconds) when the server might detect a key press before a click (not too familiar with the technicalities of all that), but I don't feel it's significant enough to worry about as long as the manual caster is able to click while the spell is not ready to cast consistently. If he/she has to wait until the gems un-grey to figure out what to cast or gets confused about the sequence/availability of spells, then the manual method will be significantly slower than the multibind. Otherwise, it can be just as successful. I do not recommend that clerics cast this way (far from it) but I hate absolutes like "isn't going to work" and wanted to show how it is possible to manually cast as well as a multibind if you find it more comfortable and non-headache inducing.
My biggest gripe with multibinds is that they apply to every toon on that account, not to individual characters. Specific binds that make sense for a cleric, mage, or wizard are a mana disaster when applied to a necro. For any class that casts dots or debuffs as their contribution to a group or raid, it's a waste of mana to reapply them before they begin to fade. If you're going to play any other class, be sure your key binds work as well for that class as for your main character. If they don't, you'll probably want to cast manually or use a macro.
