Keybindings and Hotbar Setup for Dark Knight — Endwalker 6.58

For controller, the listed setup is made up of two full hotbars, each sectioned off by general function. Major offensive and defensive actions are together on the first hotbar, with additional offensive cooldowns sprinkled between them. The second bar includes AoE and less-frequently used offensive cooldowns on one side, and miscellaneous defensive and utility skills on the other.

Keyboard and Mouse setups can vary wildly according to your specific hardware and preferences, or even how far you can easily stretch your hand. The example below uses a QWERTY keyboard with ESDF for movement. This is a somewhat uncommon choice, but demonstrates one of the range of possible options available.

Picking your modifiers and the range of keys you feel comfortable hitting is the most important part of deciding your setup. The default modifiers allowed by the game are CTRL, ALT, Shift, or any combination of those. Many players pick two of the three they like best for their three main hotbars, but using all three or binding mouse buttons is also common. I personally use side buttons on my mouse bound to CTRL and ALT so I don't have to hold down any modifiers with my left hand. As mentioned above, I use ESDF movement because it allows me to use all of the keys readily available to WASD movement while opening up a couple to the left and making it easier to reach further to the right. The binds I use are the three letters immediately to the left and right of my default hand position plus the numbers 1-6. Other good candidates are ZXCV, function keys, and Tilde (~).

The binds shown below are a slightly more optimized version of the setup I've grown accustomed to using. They follow the rough logic of grouping offensive and defensive skills with each other, with letters and binds without modifiers given to more frequently-used actions. Additionally, most of the skills used during burst windows are grouped together on the same modifier to avoid having to switch off multiple times per GCD. I have also chosen to put Living Shadow and Disesteem on separate keys, as using the same button for both a GCD and an oGCD can feel somewhat awkward.

There are a couple common ways to handle combos, and both are used here; the single-target combo is on adjacent keys with the same (lack of) modifier, and AoE GCDs are all on the same key with different modifiers for each step.

My defensive skills are all on number keys, with lower numbers and unmodified keypresses assigned to more frequently-used actions. I also have targeted macros or defensives with similar functions bound to the same key. Universal mitigations Rampart and Shadowed Vigil are both on 2. Reprisal and Dark Missionary, which are most commonly used for raid damage, are on 3. The Blackest Night and Oblation are on 1 and 4, with macros to apply them to my co-tank with the addition of ALT.

Miscellaneous and utility skills fill the remaining spaces. I have other semi-frequently used offensive skills on A, a trio of utility oGCDs on modifiers above my basic combo, and non-defensive tank functions on the further numbers. Sprint is slotted in to an available out-of-the way key, and I have omitted Limit Break from my main hotbars in favor of a more out-of-the-way hidden hotbar that is easy to press but difficult to accidentally hit.

I also have some specific modifications to my UI. My job gauge is moved down a bit from its default position to be more centralized, and HP/Mana bars are moved up for easier tracking. The hotbar to the left is unbound and allows for tracking various cooldowns plus my GCD roll while keeping my focus more centralized. The target progress bar is separated from the rest of the target info and set to maximum size in the direct center of my screen. Focus target information is in the same area as the rest of my important UI elements, and I have my debuffs set to maxmimum size but otherwise near their default location. Moving the target HP bar closer is another common modification which I have personally opted not to do.