I’ve got a new way to play FFXIV that’s a welcome break from my usual!
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as others have said, you can do all content in the game on console, for example, i'm progging one of the ultimate raids and im mostly on the ps5 vertion.
Though I play on PC, I really like how it controls with a controller, from the menu design to the cross hotbar and extended cross hotbar, and even the targeting once I started to get used to it. The only reason I don't play with it more is cause I got my hands (heh) on one of the HORI FFXIV gamepads (Yoshida consulted on its design), which combines keyboard style buttons with a controller-style analog stick for movement control, and is now my preferred way of playing.
As a console player, esp in FFXIV, I agree with this assessment. It really is just a matter of preference and convenience. I play actually from my bed. Yes, learn the extended crossbars. SE clean up skills each expansion so that a player doesn’t have a boatload of skills.
I legit have used a controller on PC XIV since the beginning; my hands have a horrible tendency to ache when stretched for long periods and drift especially when rapidly pressing buttons when I need to keep multiple fingers on multiple keys (touch typing a.k.a. "chicken pecking" am i right?). It has singlehandedly let me play XIV to the point where I'm not only competent at the game, but good at it. Had I been stuck on keyboard, I'd probably die once an instance no matter what and be insanely slow. Instead, muscle memory and a sturdy thing to hold onto has made me fast enough I had to delete my Swiftcast Raise macro because I kept interrupting it.
I don't use FFLogs, but I'm willing to bet my entire glam dresser that the difference in DPS/performance between me playing on controller and an skilled player preferring k+m is about zero. The system is beautifully implemented, and the fully expanded WXHB, you arguably have access to more buttons immediately than someone using k+m before they start clicking buttons on screen – a grand total of 48 'slots' all available in under a second. And with how XIV tries to rework or enhance skills and move them around with each expansion instead of just adding more and more, you'll rarely have so many skills – even at max level – that your XHB can't hold them all. This means all those extra slots can be used for things you'd use regardless of class – Limit Break, mounts, sprint, teleport, etc.
I legitimately WISH more MMOs would implement the XHB functionality in their games; the dev team's happy to share and it makes MMOs way more accessible to so many more people.
Gameplay, crossplay and console play on FFXIV is absolute god-tier.
Today on Bellular, Michael learns how godly XIV's gamepad controls are.
To answer your questions, I'd recommend looking into the expanded crosshotbar and sliding L2>R2 and R2>L2 crosshotbar options. By utilizing a combination of these expanded gamepad controls, you can get easy access to upwards of 48 buttons without even getting into switching crosshotbar pages.
there are 2 guides you can watch regarding controller setup. Mr.Happy, and Work To Game
You can add cross hotbars with the character configuration menu under System. Default are holding R2 and L2. You can add double tap R2 and double tap L2 for two more hotbars and hold L2->R2 and hold R2->L2 for two more hotbars for a total of 48 buttons, which should be plenty (I hope! 😂)
Another tip: I added bar three (there are a total of 12 bars) above my controller hotbars and put my cooldowns on it. It basically acts like a FF14 version of Weak Auras, or some other CD timer, so I don't have to be looking down at my bars. The timers are right at eye level.
I hope that helps!
YO Bellular I hope you see this! FF14 avid controller player, played end-game extremes, all that jazz. Their is an option to toggle additional commands, not just L2 and R2 but combos like L2->R2 and R2->L2 as well as double tap L2, double tap R2, it'll solve all your problems and you won't have to switch hotbars!
Also when holding R2 or L2, L1 and R1 let you target enemies left or right respectively.
Is there a way any of you would recommend changing your bound keys on keyboard? I’ve found the console controller implementation unwieldy personally and I like having mouse control over my camera, but the keyboard controls suffer from the same design issues that WoW and other MMOs do. I’d love to hear thoughts on this to make keyboard play less strenuous in the way that @bellular recommended for WoW keybinds last year.
Plenty of ppl have been on controller since the very beginning. Personally i've always used a k+m but play how you like, what feels most comfortable.
You can have additional face buttons by holding both the R1 and R2 trigger. That is where I mapped my mudras
Definitely dig through all of the settings. You can get a TON more buttons with controller depending on how you push the shoulder buttons. L>R. R>L. Double taps
I've always found playing on PC uncomfortable for long times. It also too closely resembles being at work so I like to use consoles for my games. I play FFXIV on PS5 and it's buttery smooth and the loading times for zones are faster than any other device, PC included. IMO it's the best way to enjoy the game.
Controller have more button and a lot easier to press than m/k.
But m/k is faster.
I run savage and extreme content on PS5. Not only is controlled viable I actually PREFER it over K&M because I like the layout and my mind stays better organized when I have "quadrants" to conveniently sort everything i to.
only thing I don't like is that on consoles, typing in chat is very cumbersome so trying to tell the tank "please turn on your cds" is hard to do cause by the time you get to "turn" he's already aggroing another mob
FFXIV: seems pretty cool , im super happy that people enjoy ut but i like fat pvp, i think NW will offer that.
so i forget the exact menu but you can expand the controller so that holding R2+L2 at the same time will activate a second Hotbar of 8 and then holding L2+R2 at the same time will trigger another Hotbar of 8. so in total, you can have 32 buttons mapped without having to shuffle from your first Hotbar (R2 and all 8 buttons, L2 and all 8 buttons, L2+R2 another 8 buttons and R2+L2 another 8 buttons) I joined the game in 2.2 and played like this on the ps4 all the way until the end of SB, Raiding savage HW and SB and even raid logged at a decent level its a perfectly fine way of playing as they designed the game with the ps4 and ps3 user-friendliness in mind. I made the jump to PC gaming for SHB and I do think its a superior gameplay experience but console is more than sufficient for every aspect of the game
Best thing about playing on console, can't click on predatory links
On a PS4, goodluck trying to keep up with Hunt trains between areas. On PS5, i well and truly keep up with the PC's
I play on both, but lean towards console when I just want to relax. I switch to PC for duty’s or any type of group content.
turn your notifications off maybe lol
You can set up the key binding on a controller so you can double tap R2 or L2 you will get a different set and so that if you hold R2 then L2 and keep them held you get one set and if you hold L2 then R2 you get another set. For a total of 48 different quick key binds add that to being able to switch between a total of 8 sets manually and on the controller you can have 128 hot keys on a controller they really have it figured out and optimized.
I honestly can't play this game with a controller. even with 4 sections of 4 actions its not nearly enough.
my keyboard is set up to utilize 12345 QERFZX` plus shift/ctrl/alt variations of each button. i'm using THREE 12 button bars JUST for combat-related stuff, plus miniaturized bars for emotes and QoL and job swaps.
controller just isn't enough when you're really trying to go all-in
I'm sure George RR Martin's 35 year old IBM PC is mostly a work context thing.
We could pine like dumb tech hipsters about how the IBM keyboard is the best ever made and Wordstar 4.0 is the quintessential word processor.
But I guarantee the main perk is that when an IBM PC is running Wordstar, it is running NOTHING else.
I'm probably the only person left on Earth who says no thanks to using a controller for something like an MMO. There are way too many actions/spells to go through. And I don't see the point of using such a big display, it's wasteful. Nothing "immersive" about it.
I don't understand why so few people use the expanded hotbar option-
LOL he's worried about button space when he's still got another 32 unused slots accessible without swapping sets
i thought gamepad on ffxiv was gonna suck until i tried it. it is amazing!
I'm a 1.0 player and I also sometimes play on my PS5, don't worry about it. Also regarding the controller I raid using it too, for more moves you can add R2+L2 together for 16 more moves. Check the options there's so much customization.
dragon's dogma online literally copied this cross hotbar system for controller controls
I usually press down on the D-pad to target party members my alliance target is set to Holding L1 then left or right on the D-pad to toggle through.. the only difficult target for me is enemies you just tab through them until you get the one you want i always focus target any boss.. I do hear that often where people that do lots of work on there PC just want to get away from there work place relax and chill out on a controller..
Controller is really comfy 🙂 playing on a PC using a controller (savage raids, ex trials and ultimates and cant complain works perfectly ) If you have targeting issues there are settings for priority targets. Make sure when weapon is drawn you have priority set to enemies.
Meanwhile I work from home on my gaming PC and have my PS5 on my deck hooked up to my middle PC monitor. I live at the desk, lol. Def prefer PC though, I find long periods on the controller give me hand/forearm cramps.
I play on ps5 with keyboard and mouse and it’s work more than fine.I use controller when I’m lazy and want to sit on couch.