Black Mage Macros Help

[ladislipper]

After not playing the game for almost a year I am having to reimput my macros again. A list of a good black mage macro set up would be great. And which is better <t>, <st>, or <bt>???

[Taskmage]

Re: Black Mage Macros Help

The setup I've been using is one targeting macro that just says /target <bt> on Ctrl-0 that I mash when the puller is coming in. All other offensive spells use <t>. That way in case the target of <bt> gets changed by a sleep spell or aspir or something, you don't accidentally nuke the sleeping link, but at the same time you get the convenience of not having to tab-select your target at the start of a fight.

The only complicated macro I use for black magic is Sleep:

/ma "Sleep II" <stnpc>
/p {Casting spell.} {Sleep}=><lastst>! {Disengage} <lastst>! <call>
/equip main "Dark Staff"
/equip hands "Engineer's Mitts"
/wait 1
/ma Sleep <lastst>

The <stnpc> on the first line lets me tab through only nearby mobs to select the target of my sleep spell. Then I let my party know not to hit the mob I'm targeting with liberal use of AT, and equip gear to help the Sleep land. I use Devotee's Mitts, which lower INT, for white magic, so it's important I put something else on my hands instead. The last two lines are in case my first sleep gets resisted. I can just hit the same macro to try again with a lower level sleep. The /wait 1 is necessary because without it, both spells would try to process at the same time and the Sleep I would always fail.

Other than that I think the only thing you need to worry about is ancient magic skillchains, but you'll need a more experienced blm to explain that to you. ^^

[Tirrock]

Re: Black Mage Macros Help

I didn't even think about putting multiple sleep spells on the same macro like that. I'll have to try to remember to change my macros to work like that.

Back to the topic... I use a simliar set-up to what Taskmage said. So long as you're careful about what you're targeting, <t> works just fine. And a simple, seperate /target <bt> macro makes things simple in crowded areas like boyahda.

Still, some people swear by <bt>, and so long as you don't use your macros when you get links...that'll be fine (except on sleep spells). And others love <stnpc> for their spells. I'd suggest that you use whichever you're most comfortable with.

[Jei]

Re: Black Mage Macros Help

my sleep 1 2 and sleepga 1 2 are all seperate.

<bt> is very bad when there are links. safer way imo is to make this macro
/target <stnpc>
so you can choose target easily without casting anything. just in case.

[Aeni]

Re: Black Mage Macros Help

I have to agree. Even in my LS, mages there are surprised that they shouldn't use <bt> So I asked them ... do you remember a time when your party had to deal with a mob and its link and you or someone in your party slept the mob? Oh, remember how frustrating it was, because the mob couldn't go to sleep?

Did you try looking at your chat log to see who <bt>'d Bio/Dia that mob?

[Alvinho]

Re: Black Mage Macros Help

If you would rather target the mob, then cast the spell/press macro, use <t>. If you would rather set up the spell/press macro, then select its target, use <stnpc>. Use <bt> so you can cast on the party's target (red name) without having to target it.

It's a matter of preference, and how you play the game.

[Rodin]

Re: Black Mage Macros Help

If you would rather target the mob, then cast the spell/press macro, use <t>. If you would rather set up the spell/press macro, then select its target, use <stnpc>. Use <bt> so you can cast on the party's target (red name) without having to target it.

It's a matter of preference, and how you play the game.

You don't want to have any <bt> spells IMO. I've done this before, and ended up nuking the wrong mob. (We had two, one was slept.) Because apparently <bt> will always target the one who had the last action done on it.

[Ozymandius]

Re: Black Mage Macros Help

You could also try not using macros to cast spells, though its not for everyone, in fact, so far as ive found, im the only high lvl blm that casts spells out fo the menu, my macros are all for EQ (a set for each element and a dif set for dark magic, enfeebling and resting) Doing it this way i never find myself targeting the wrong mob ^^, also, if i got lag or macros just messing up the way they do sometimes im good to go :D

[Jei]

Re: Black Mage Macros Help

You could also try not using macros to cast spells, though its not for everyone, in fact, so far as ive found, im the only high lvl blm that casts spells out fo the menu, my macros are all for EQ (a set for each element and a dif set for dark magic, enfeebling and resting) Doing it this way i never find myself targeting the wrong mob ^^, also, if i got lag or macros just messing up the way they do sometimes im good to go :D

I did that for a while. Have macro for each elemental staffs and choose spells from menu.
But then I got kinda lazy >.> Plus in situation where suddenly the melee uses skillchain and I was unprepared, using one macro to both equip staff and cast spell really helps. Multiple chains are also easier to burst like this.
Distortion > burst waterga > Dark > burst blizzaga something like this.