Check a Recast Before You Commit

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.

FFXI · General26 lines

/recast "Provoke"
/ja "Provoke" <t>

Where to paste this

Open the macro menu and pick a book, then a Ctrl or Alt slot.
Name the macro — the name is what shows on the palette, so keep it short.
Write up to six lines: /ma "Cure IV" <stpc> for a spell, /ja "Provoke" <t> for an ability.
Add /wait between actions that need to resolve before the next one starts.
Switch books with /macro book, and switch the Ctrl or Alt set with /macro set.

More FFXI 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 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.
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.
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.