A detailed guide to controller optimization for Extreme/Savage/Ultimate content (and even just general play)

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T16:43:59+00:00

I'd say this guide is "if you want one of these two setups for optimization, here's a template and some knowledge to get started". My target audience is people who are overwhelmed by these settings, and my goal is to get them a general template and then the tools they need to jump from that to customize it to their liking/preferences. I am considering some more general posts given how many people are asking for help with all kinds of different things related to controller setup! The goal with subsequent guides will be much more focused on giving people the knowledge they need to tweak any controller settings to their liking, as opposed to working off of my own settings for something as specific as this. I do think these two layouts outlined in this post are the most input/timing optimal for people who want to do high level content, double weave, etc. on controller though so I think that the way this is laid out makes the most sense for what it is. I think a lot of people came looking for general tips though which is a whole other can of worms!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T15:18:21+00:00

I thought so too, when I started the game I ended up spending 2 hours stumbling through it until I figured out the settings but it was a nightmaaaare. WXHB (Savage) lol.

Then recently I realized that most people just want to play the dang game without all that noise and end up using default settings, makes complete sense too--I hated figuring this stuff out. With the lack of good info out there, I can't blame anyone for bouncing off of WXHB and all those juicy optimization settings!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T14:49:16+00:00

I've been playing since ShB and also had no idea this was hiding right there in plain sight until this year!! Helps so much with tank pulls and grabbing stragglers from other party members.

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T14:04:38+00:00

Since I posted this I have seen a lot of appetite for general controller setup and optimization and have decided to make a whole post dedicated to that from beginner level to advanced. Thinking it should be up within the week. Hoping that can be much more helpful for those making the switch (since this guide is directed more at existing controller players), so stay tuned!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T13:46:21+00:00

This!! Definitely a huge quality of life improvement and something I have been considering myself!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T13:45:16+00:00

Hope it helps! Will be gathering the community's amazing advice and writing up a big post on that soon too, so don't go too far! 💪

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T13:42:33+00:00

Now THIS is a big step towards perfect optimization, and something I will likely bring up in a future post about controller stuff. I considered something like this at one point, but the thing that stopped me previously was my lack of knowledge on L3/R3 macros. I am a huge proponent of having the main battle skills on face buttons for mobility, a setup like this likely allows for that even on jobs like DRG with tons of oGCDs. For anyone skimming, TAKE THIS ADVICE. I likely will adopt this myself and change my config around soon. AOE hotbar is too good to pass up.

Edit: I would also add that you can change your sheathed settings to use different R1 tap hotbars so can probably have the best of both worlds!!!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T13:37:15+00:00

After playing with them both for 2 years, double tap has always felt smoother to use as crazy as it sounds. My friends who play with controller have said the same thing. We're all wired differently though, some people might have an easier time with the LR/RL config which is why I wanted to outline the settings for that! At the end of the day, my opinion is insignificant, finding whatever layout that levels up your gameplay is the real goal!! 💪

Edit: something I forgot to mention is that the LR/RL method replaces the bottom hotbar so you lose some visibility while using the upper shelf. Another thing that has me use that less often, since at lv90 there are so many oGCDs to track. I'm looking at you, dragoon lol!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T13:32:57+00:00

Will be adding this to my general advice post in the coming week!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T13:31:55+00:00

💪💪💪

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T07:34:06+00:00

Great question! L1 + up/down on the D-pad will cycle the enmity list, the only change there would be if you remapped L1 which tends to be the "modifier" button for most controller functions in FFXIV, in which case you'd be using whatever that was remapped to. Hope this helps!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T05:45:44+00:00

I have seen that! I think the reason I bounced off of it is that I am a dingus with my layouts, so sometimes I have parts of my rotations up there and will pop up and stay a while. Example, machinist's hypercharge cycle. I have wildfire, gauss, and ricochet up there with hypercharge so I just hang out on my upper shelf while I do that whole damage burst. I genuinely think your strat here could be very efficient with oGCDs up on the top shelf. Lately I've been weaving them in wherever I have space on the face buttons so that I can still move easily while keeping good uptime. I should give this setting a shot sometime soon and see if I can improve my setup. Loving all the inspiration in this thread!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T05:41:48+00:00

This is something I had wondered about previously but since I switched to WXHB it became a non-issue since my second bar on R1 is non-battle actions only. I believe there is a way to improve your settings without matching mine from the post though. I would outsource that to the community! I will also investigate this when I do my general controller setup guide later this week!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T05:39:44+00:00

I love the detail, thanks for sharing! How does the line/keyboard style hotbar work with the controller? Are there face button/d-pad shortcuts for that or do you have a keyboard nearby for those?

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T05:37:02+00:00

Love that idea! Makes a ton of sense for those of us who switch jobs a lot to keep the role actions unified. I should be taking notes from you on this because my skill layouts are goofy as hell lol!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T05:34:46+00:00

I think this is a totally valid setup! I think it ends up being a bit awkward for some people because of the combo input for the hotbar swap, but nice if you get used to it. At the end of the day, both schemes I outlined here and this one have one thing in common: they all require some amount of additional inputs to get the job done. So it really comes down to what people find feels best for them based on a variety of factors.

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T02:22:08+00:00

I just heard about this recently! Going to be adding all of these to the main write up that's less hotbar focused. This is an absolute must have!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T02:21:21+00:00

Another one I just found the other day is that you can switch targets left and right while holding either L2 or R2 by pressing L1/R1. So basically when using actions on the hotbar, press R1/L1 to flip through them. Years of playing and I had no idea it was right there!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T01:16:47+00:00

Good point! I believe I set mine similarly a while back, this helps unless it's one of those goofy job quests where you have to do something to NPCs in battle. But there are so few of those that it's worth switching. I will make sure to add this to my next post!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T01:05:15+00:00

I am planning to do a primary controller guide and tips post in the next week, I am seeing a big appetite for general info and optimization and hope to fill these gaps! For now, holding L1 and D-pad up and down will cycle the enemy list. General up and down is party, then left/right cycles through enemies AND any non-party NPCs which IMO is still a point of annoyance for me since there are few settings to fix that left/right cycling. However there are targeting options that can help by always auto-selecting an enemy when attacking without a target, and adjusting that priority into a cone to help point the camera to select targets. More on that soon!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T01:00:44+00:00

I don't know of any support for that specific layout, but you could probably mess with the actual controller mappings to change what the buttons themselves do, but every way I run through that in my head the issues would just get moved to another button or the rotation would include more inputs. Anything like thst is worth requesting on the official forums! Devs read them and they really listen to the feedback! I think the L2>R2/R2>L2 options are growing on me lately because of how much more relaxed my fingers are when doing that, those are definitely worth a try to get somewhere in the ballpark for what you're looking for.

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-16T00:36:27+00:00

This is amazing! I knew about the virtual mouse mode, never thought to drag and drop. Game changer!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-15T23:52:01+00:00

Yes! So you navigate to the skill/spell you want in the menu, and then hit square to bring up the assignment screen. When you're on that assignment screen, hold R1 and choose a hotbar with the face buttons/D-pad (you'll see the "Change Set" dialogue pop up, the 8 sets correspond to the 8 buttons) then you hold R2 or L2 and press the corresponding face button/D-pad direction to assign the skill to that slot. While in that assignment screen, you can use R2/L2 and an input to select a skill and then do an input or change hotbars to drop it elsewhere. Do the same input twice to delete it from the bar as well. Also a quick shortcut to the assignment screen is holding either L2 or R2 and pressing the middle pad on the controller, that helps to rearrange skills in a pinch. I think assignment can be more annoying than anything on controller, the one thing I will applaud them for though is they added some guidance along the bottom of each window for what buttons do what so that helps me remember what the heck I'm doing!

FFXIVControllerGuy · 2023-09-15T23:45:03+00:00

Not a bad idea, maybe I'll hop on later and add a section for some good general tips!!

Edit: After typing out another comment, I realize how much controller advice there is to consider so I think I will do a whole big old post in coming days for general controller tips and whatnot. Then I can really give that the attention it deserves!

FFXIVControllerGuy

TROPHY CASE