Final Fantasy XI · job

Bard macros

Layers songs on the party for haste, attack and regeneration. Instrument swapping mid-song is the job's signature macro problem.

14 macros

FF
Assist and Engage
General
```
/assist <p0>
/wait 1
/attack <t>
```
Picks up whatever your party leader is fighting and attacks it. Keeps the whole party on one target without anyone calling it out loud.
FF
Call It Out to the Party
General
```
/p Pulling now, hold your hate
/ja "Provoke" <t>
```
Announces an action to the party. FFXI has no combat log overlay by default, so telling people what you just did is how coordination actually happens.
FF
Check a Recast Before You Commit
General
```
/recast "Provoke"
/ja "Provoke" <t>
```
A macro fires whether or not the ability is ready. /recast prints the remaining timer to your log, which is how you check without wasting the attempt.
FF
Check Then Pull
General
```
/check <t>
/echo Check the con before pulling
```
Checks a target to gauge its level before you commit. FFXI punishes pulling something too strong far more harshly than most games, so this habit is worth macroing.
FF
Follow a Party Member
General
```
/follow <t>
```
Follows your target automatically. Long overland travel in FFXI is slow, and following someone who knows the route is a time-honoured tradition.
Lullaby on a Chosen Target
Bard
```
/equip range "Horn"
/wait 1
/ma "Foe Lullaby II" <stnpc>
```
Puts an enemy to sleep using a sub-target prompt, so you keep your current target while choosing what to put down. Bard crowd control at its most useful.
FF
Print a Note to Yourself
General
```
/echo Part 1 done - press part 2
/ja "Sneak Attack" <me>
```
/echo writes to your own log only. Useful as a reminder inside a long macro chain, telling you which half of a two-macro sequence you just fired.
Song with Instrument Swap
Bard
```
/equip range "Gjallarhorn"
/wait 1
/ma "Valor Minuet V" <me>
/wait 8
/equip range "Shield Torch"
```
Equips the right instrument, sings, then swaps back to a defensive setup. Instrument swapping mid-song is the signature Bard macro problem and this is the standard solution.
FF
Sub-Target Healing
General
```
/ma "Cure III" <stpc>
```
<stpc> opens a player selector rather than casting immediately, so you keep your enemy target while choosing who to heal. This is the FFXI answer to a mouseover macro and it is genuinely better.
FF
Swap Gear Mid-Macro
General
```
/equip head "Uk'uxkaj Cap"
/wait 1
/ws "Savage Blade" <t>
```
Equips a piece before an action so its bonus applies. Gear swapping inside macros is a foundational FFXI technique — the right head piece on a weapon skill is a real damage increase.
FF
Swap Macro Books
General
```
/macro book 3
/macro set 1
```
Changes which book and which Ctrl or Alt set is active. Players who subjob frequently keep one book per job combination and swap with a single macro.
FF
The Target Tags
General
```
/ma "Cure IV" <stpc>
/ma "Cure IV" <t>
/ma "Cure IV" <me>
```
The whole system in one macro. <t> is your current target, <me> is you, <bt> is your battle target, <stpc> prompts you to pick a player and <stnpc> to pick an enemy. Getting these right is most of writing a good macro.

Other FFXI jobs

Every job shares the same macro syntax, so a good idea usually ports across.