Keybindings and Hotbar Setup for Pictomancer — Dawntrail 7.1

Hotbars are a topic that are frequently discussed when new jobs drop with each FFXIV expansion. That said, they're also largely personal preference as to how you set up the hotbars, so long as where the skills are make sense to the user, there's not much to be said about the subject. That said, there are some general rules of thumb to follow when setting up your hotbars.

• If you play other casters, try to keep the role actions on the same bindings so that you don't have to re-learn their locations on each job. For example, place Lucid Dreaming on the same key for all caster classes.
• Make use of additional hotbars to keep track of buffs and abilities on your second or third hotbars if you use controller.
• Try to keep similar actions, such as raid buffs or mitigations, on the same key as other jobs, provided they fulfill the same purpose.
• If you need to use a skill while moving and are using a controller, make sure the skill is on a face button so you can easily reach the button while manipulating the left analogue stick.
• Your 1-2-3 combo -- both normal and Subtractive -- should be on an easy-to-reach face button.

Below are examples from three of the most common set-ups for hotbars -- controller, mouse and keyboard, and MMO mice. Please keep in mind that these are simply examples, and while they can be used as guidelines, use what makes most sense to you!

2.

Pictomancer Hotbar Setups

Controller Keyboard and Mouse MMO Mouse

Pictomancer has enough space to somewhat comfortably fit on two hotbars when it comes to controller layouts. We split our AoE and single target combos onto different hotbars, but since most of the biggest potency skills we have are also part of our single target rotation, it isn't necessary to separate the Motifs and Muses onto a different hotbar entirely. Navigate to Character → Hotbar → Custom → Expanded Hold Controls and enable the setting to allow for accessing different hotbars depending on what order you pull the triggers.

For keyboard and mouse players, the example above uses a Logitech G502 mouse with assignable buttons. 1-5 is available to press via the left hand, and 6-9 are able to be pressed using the side buttons of the mouse. Control and Shift modifiers are used from the left side of the keyboard, and other buttons are assigned to F or R -- for example, Shift + R is used for potion.

For MMO mice, the example uses Alt + [Number Key] as the bindings for the MMO mouse buttons. Muses and motifs are aligned in such a way that they go together on the hotbars -- for example, Alt + 4 is above Alt + 7, and both are tied to the corresponding muse and motif. Left Shift + [1-4] are used for abilities that are pressed regularly, but not as often as other skills, and other things, such as chat bindings for fight-specific callouts are bound to Control + [1-4].

In general, it's adviseable to keep similar buttons across jobs and roles assigned to the same buttons regardless of the control scheme you're using, in the interest of building muscle memory. For example, it is common to put Feint and Addle on the same hotbar slot across Melee and Caster jobs. In addition, keeping your party buff, such as Starry Muse and Embolden on the same button is another common tactic to help reinforce muscle memory. Occasionally, using an extra hotbar in an easy-to-see spot on your screen to track abilities that may be on a non-visible hotbar is also used to keep track of the cooldowns of abilities on those hotbars more easily. As always, make sure that the bindings you use do not interfere with your mobility during mechanics -- skills you use often while moving shouldn't interfere with your ability to use your left analogue stick or movement keys!