Introduction: What Is a Macro?

In a game with the size, complexity, and depth of World of Warcraft, many features can be overlooked by players, including longtime veterans who have been playing for years. Even the game's familiar features often have additional layers of complexity that many players may not use or be aware of.

Thus, we come to the macro. Essentially macros are lines of script that execute in-game commands. They allow you to combine multiple actions into one user-customized button that you can use just like a spell or ability. For example, you can take a string of commands that you would ordinarily press one after the other, and combine them into one button that executes them all in sequence. These helpful tools have the ability to improve and streamline your entire play experience.

Macros have something to offer every type of player, casual gamers and power users alike, and macros suit a variety of play styles and situations, such as leading a PvE raid, battling in arena PvP, or simply role-playing in Ironforge. Macros can be one of the most useful tools in your arsenal for both PvE and PvP. They save time, consolidate multiple actions, aid communication, and overall make your time in Azeroth more convenient.

Our Macro Guide seeks to bring many of these features to light. The beginning section will serve as an introduction for players new to macros, and later sections will explain some of the higher-level scripting functions macros are capable of.
Creating a Basic Macro

The Macro Window

Now that we've established what a macro is, let's take a look at how to create one. That's the most straightforward way to illustrate some of the macro's basic attributes.

Macros have their own submenu in the Options window. Hit Escape or click the computer icon on the far right of your bottom main menu bar, and then click on the Macros button. The Create Macros window should appear. You can also type "/macro" or simply "/m" to bring up this window.

The window has two tabs, one for general macros and one for character-specific ones. You can have up to 18 general macros that can be accessed by any of your characters, whereas the 18 character-specific macros can only be used by one specific character. The character-specific macro slots are therefore best used for class- or race-specific ability macros. Macro slots can be overwritten at any time, so feel free to experiment with various macros. All macros are stored on your computer: keep this in mind if you play your account on multiple computers.

Under the slots is a window that displays the text of your current macro. A single macro can have up to 255 characters (including spaces) in its text field. A "Change Name/Icon" button is normally under this window, displayed next to the macro's icon. However, if you're creating your first macro, there isn't a "Change Name/Icon" button at the moment because there aren't any macros saved. Let's change that!


Your First Macro

First, select "New" to create a new macro. Another window will pop up with a field for the macro's name at the top. The name of the macro should be as short and descriptive as possible because its name will be displayed on the icon itself. The macro's name will be visually truncated on the icon if it's too long. Thus, abbreviations and acronyms are good candidates for a macro name. It's actually possible to display no name if you enter a blank space as the macro's name. For the purposes of this example, let's use "Greet."

Below the name field is a scrollable grid of available icons for the macro. Here are some general guidelines for picking an appropriate icon:
The question mark icon found in the upper left slot automatically assigns an icon that corresponds to the first ability or spell in the macro. We'll go into more detail on this later. In general, this is a good default icon to pick, especially if you don't feel like poring over the huge list. You may find yourself creating a macro on the fly to adapt to whatever situation you're in, and so time may be of the essence!

Pick an icon that is distinctive so that you will quickly identify and process what it does. An icon that reminds you of the macro's purpose helps for easy identification in the heat of combat. Even abstract connections can serve this purpose. For instance, if you're looking for an icon for the popular "Assist" macro, you could select an icon of a sword, a shield, or a humanoid figure - whatever helps you remember.

If you pick an icon that matches another spell in your arsenal, the resulting overlap could lead to confusion. However, the macro will display its name in its icon so that you can still distinguish between your regular Pyroblast and your trinket/Arcane Power/Pyroblast macro.
For now, pick the question mark icon. Note that the question mark icon may appear to be highlighted already. Nevertheless, you must actually click the icon to enable it as your choice. Now you should see the macro in the top left slot in the window. The currently selected macro is highlighted, and its text is displayed in the command window below. This macro does nothing at the moment: its command window is empty. Without any text, the macro is just an empty shell waiting for instructions. Let's enter some text and give this macro a purpose! Click anywhere in the "Enter Macro Commands" window.

Enter these commands on two separate lines:

/greet
/say Hello all!

After you're done typing these commands, you don't have to confirm or manually save: the macro is updated in real time. The next time you return to the Create Macros menu, the window will be as you left it, with the last selected macro and its text displayed.

Drag the icon down to an empty slot in your action bar. You should see the icon with its "Greet" name displayed. Again, this name would have been truncated if it had been too long to fit in the icon. The icon should remain a question mark, since there are no spells or abilities in the macro. That's just fine for now.

Now for the moment of truth: click the macro! You should see your character give a cheerful greeting to everyone in the area, or to the specific person you have targeted, both verbally and non-verbally. Woot!


Adding Other Commands

Next, let's try adding another command to our fledgling masterpiece. First, pick a commonly used non-aggressive ability for your character class, such as Stealth for rogues or Devotion Aura for paladins. Go back to your Macros window, and you should see your Greet macro still displayed as you left it.

Now, enter this new ability at the top of the command window so that it becomes the new first line of the macro:

/cast Stealth

"Stealth" should be replaced with whatever ability you picked, with spaces between words if the ability's name is more than one word: "Greater Heal," for example. Make sure the name is exactly as it appears in your spellbook, or it won't be recognized. If multiple ranks of the ability are available, the macro will automatically use the highest rank known by your character. When you're finished, close the macro window and look at your macro's icon in the action bar. If you selected the question mark icon, it should have automatically changed from a question mark to the appropriate icon for that ability!

Click the new macro, and watch as your character performs an action to go along with his or her greeting. Cool!

That's all for our introduction to macros. In the next update, we'll go into more depth on the types of macros you can create for spells and abilities, items, targeting, and communication.
The Many Uses of the Basic Macro

In our first section, we covered the basics of how to create a simple macro, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. In this section, we'll cover the most commonly used functions of macros: using and equipping items, casting spells and abilities, smart targeting, and improving communication. You'll have an array of shiny new macros lined up across your action bar in no time.


Using, Equipping, and Managing Items with Macros

Items are used in macros with the /use command. No more fumbling around in your bags to find that particular trinket you need to equip, or that consumable you don't have on your action bar, especially when the pressure of time is on. There are several methods and guidelines for the /use command:
Using items by name with /use itemname, such as "/use Major Combat Healing Potion." This straightforward format is subject to the same restrictions as the /cast command seen below, such as letter-perfect reproduction of the item name. At least there aren't any ranks to worry about. Shift-click for a foolproof name transfer. If you attempt this macro with a trinket that has a "use" effect, such as the PvP trinket, the macro will first automatically equip the item if it isn't already equipped. After the trinket's initial equip cooldown expires, this macro will then use the trinket if pressed again. Note that if you're in combat or otherwise unable to switch items, this macro will be unable to function.

Using items by what inventory slot you have them equipped to is possible with the /use inventory slot command. The slot is a number that corresponds with its identity in game. Trinkets are the most commonly useable equipped items, so this command is most applicable to the trinket slots: 13 and 14 (a full list of slots appears below). Thus, a macro to activate whatever trinket is in your top trinket slot would include the command /use 13. Bags have numerical values as well, as we will see in the next example.

The /use bag slot command lets you use an item in a specific bag slot. Each bag in your bottom right "bag bar" has a numerical value from 0 to 4, starting with your backpack and proceeding to the left. When you type two numbers separated by spaces, the macro assumes that you are referencing a bag slot rather than an inventory slot. The second number corresponds to a particular bag slot, starting from 1 and continuing until the last slot in that bag. Slot 1 in a given bag is always the highest and leftmost slot of that bag, and the order continues to the right until the end of each row, at which point the pattern continues on the row underneath. In a 16-slot bag, the slots are assigned as follows:

1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16

For an example of a practical use for this command, let's say you always put your water or food in the top left slot in your leftmost bag. You could create a macro with "/use 4 1" to eat or drink whatever is in that slot. This particular macro illustrates how macros can conserve valuable real estate on your action bars. Instead of occupying multiple slots with different types and ranks of water and food, you could consolidate multiple types into one macro's icon.

Finally, macros can equip particular items by name, and equip them to particular inventory slots when needed. The /equip command works akin to the /cast and /use commands. Affix an item's exact name, and the macro will grab it out of your bag and equip it to its default slot: "/equip Nightstaff of the Everliving." The related command /equipslot specifies a particular inventory slot to equip an item to: "/equipslot 12 Naaru Lightwarden's Band" will put that ring into your lower ring slot. The usefulness of this command becomes evident when you are equipping multiple items that would otherwise be placed into the same default slot, such as rings, trinkets, and one-handed weapons. For example, if you created two macros that read "/equip Garona's Signet Ring" and "/equip Ring of a Thousand Marks" respectively, and then pressed the two macros in sequence, the Ring of a Thousand Marks would simply replace Garona's Signet Ring instead of being placed in the second ring slot. The /equipslot command avoids this item "overwriting," which you may already have noticed in-game if you've ever tried to equip two rings by simply right-clicking them one after the other.

The current list of inventory slots and their numerical values is as follows:


0 = ammo
1 = head
2 = neck
3 = shoulder
4 = shirt
5 = chest
6 = belt
7 = legs
8 = feet
9 = wrist
10 = gloves
11 = finger 1
12 = finger 2
13 = trinket 1
14 = trinket 2
15 = back
16 = main hand
17 = off hand
18 = ranged
19 = tabard


Macros for Spells and Abilities

As we saw in the previous introduction to macros, the command for using a spell or ability in a macro is /cast. Simply type "/cast" followed by the spell name in the text field, such as "/cast Entangling Roots(Rank 1)." However, the /cast command is subject to the following guidelines:
The spell name must be entered exactly as it appears in-game - spelling, punctuation, and all - such as "Power Word: Shield"
If you want to use a particular rank, you must include it in parentheses, such as "Shadow Bolt(Rank 3)"
If no rank is specified, the macro will automatically cast the highest rank known to your character.
You can Shift-click a spell in your spellbook while in the Create Macros window for a quick and guaranteed error-free shortcut.
The /cast command covers all player-usable abilities, including effects that are considered abilities instead of spells, such as Mortal Strike, Backstab, and Battle Shout. It also covers racial abilities, such as Shadowmeld, Will of the Forsaken, and Escape Artist. Furthermore, the /cast command can be used to control pets. Simply enter the name of the pet ability after "/cast," and the macro will recognize it as a pet ability. As with player abilities, any non-passive abilities in your pet's spellbook can be cast via a macro, including basic abilities like Attack.

The /cast command in macros can combine multiple ability and spell casts into a single macro, subject to a few restrictions. Because of the underlying game mechanics that govern the use of these spells and abilities, a straightforward listing of /cast commands will often not work. Spells with casting times can't simply be chained one after the other with /cast, and many instant-cast spells are affected by the global cooldown. The way these instant spells can be chained in macros will change in patch 2.3 (see example below), but this issue's importance warrants covering how consecutive spellcasts function before that change. The process involves the use of the /stopcasting command.
The /stopcasting command only works in conjunction with instant spells and abilities that do not trigger the global cooldown. These include trinkets and other items that have an "on use" ability. Experiment with your own arsenal of instant spells and abilities to see which ones do not trigger the global cooldown.

Using /stopcasting after a /cast command of an applicable instant ability acts as a buffer between multiple /casts, and allows a macro like the following example to function correctly:
/use Abacus of Violent Odds
/stopcasting
/use Bloodlust Brooch
/stopcasting
/cast Bestial Wrath
/stopcasting
/cast Intimidation
/petattack
This macro combines two trinket abilities, two instant Beast Mastery abilities, and the pet attack command into a potent "I win" combo. Note that as of patch 2.3, macros of this type no longer require the /stopcasting buffer between casts. The only remaining requirement is that the spells activated by the /cast commands do not trigger the global cooldown.

Beginning a macro with the /stopcasting command acts as an "emergency stop" to allow you to use an ability or spell immediately. For example, this paladin macro will interrupt a spellcast, such as a Holy Light, and activate Divine Shield:
/stopcasting
/cast Divine Shield
Without the /stopcasting command, spamming the Divine Shield button during another spell's cast time would result in the error message "Another action is in progress."


Targeting in Macros

The /target command changes or assigns your target in a macro. You may have used the /target command on its own in the game world, to try to locate a nearby player or NPC by name - such as "/target Hogger." You can also use this command and variants of it in macros, particularly in conjunction with other macro commands such as "/cast." We'll go into more depth on targeting in macros in the next part of this guide, but for now here are some basic guidelines and examples:
Using "/target" followed by a name will find the nearest player, monster, or NPC that has a name matching the one you entered as long as that entity is within a certain proximity to you. However, searching by name doesn't distinguish between players or computer-controlled entities, nor does it distinguish between the living and the dead. In addition, if there isn't an exact match for the name nearby, you may end up targeting an entity with a similar name instead.

Instead of targeting an entity by name, you can target your target's unit ID. Here is a current partial list of unit IDs:
player = the current player
pet = the current player's pet
party# = the party member with the value's position in the group configuration (excluding the player himself), where # is 1, 2, 3 or 4
partypet# = the pet of the party member with the value's position in the group configuration, where # is 1, 2, 3 or 4
raid# = the raid member with the value's position in the raid, where # is a value from 1 through 40. The # has no relation to which group a given member is in. In addition, raid1 is always the raid leader, and the last number in a raid is always the player himself. Thus, in a 25-person raid, raid25 would be the player's ID.
raidpet# = the pet of the raid member with the value's position in the raid, where # is a value from 1 through 40
mouseover = the unit over which the mouse is currently hovering. This unit ID is of particular use in healing macros, so that you can quickly heal someone with a mouseover without deselecting your current target (usually the main tank).
If you add "target" at the end of any of these unit IDs, you will reference that entity's target: for instance, "playertarget."

The commonly used /assist macro may be among the first you ever make, usually on request from another player in a group situation. The simplest form is "/assist player name," although you can use any of the unit IDs seen above. This macro is often used to coordinate focus fire attacks and is extremely useful in both PvP and PvE.

The variable %t can be used in macros to indicate your current target. This variable is useful for social macros: it plugs your current target's name into whatever you're saying. You'll find an example of this in the next section.

The /targetlasttarget command switches your target to the player or monster you had targeted last. This can be quite useful in situations where you're quickly switching between two targets that are far apart, such as when healing another player before switching back to the main tank.

Some additional targeting commands duplicate default key bindings but can be useful in macros. These include /targetenemy, /targetfriend, /targetparty, and /targetraid. Similar to the default Tab and Ctrl-Tab key functions, these commands will cycle through the field of players or monsters encompassed by the command. To cycle in reverse (akin to Shift-Tab), just add a 1 after the command. The /targetparty command can be useful for casting buffs: for example, spamming the macro "/targetparty /cast Power Word: Fortitude" will cycle through a priest's party and cast that buff on each party member.


Group and Raid Communication Macros

Good communication is extremely important in World of Warcraft, particularly in the high-pressure context of raids, PvP, and other situations where teamwork is crucial to success. Macros can make your life easier in this regard.

Our introductory example macro was an example of using two social commands in the same macro. You may have noticed that the commands in the macro executed simultaneously. However, as we've seen, many macro commands are subject to restrictions like the global cooldown on spells and abilities; thus, multiple commands cannot be executed simultaneously. Social commands aren't subject to such restrictions, and so you can chain them into any macro to give your group a heads-up on what you're doing. In addition, standalone communication macros can give your raid or group crucial feedback and direction in combat. Here are some examples:
A raid leader can make an endless variety of announcement macros using "/rw" followed by the desired message. General raid instructions such as "/rw Attack now!!" or "/rw Hold DPS" are very commonly used, as are boss-specific macros notifying the entire raid of incoming attacks and coordinating movement. Here's an example of a boss-specific macro for the Shade of Aran's infamous Flame Wreath spell: "/rw Flame Wreath casting, DO NOT MOVE!!"

In PvP, particularly in the fast-paced battles of the arena, having good communication can contribute significantly to victory or defeat. With the /p command in a macro, you can keep your comrades appraised of important situations. You might use this command to warn others when you're crowd controlled or using an important cooldown, or to make sure your team is attacking the same target. For example, a paladin doing arenas may wish to make a macro along the lines of "/p Curse of Tongues - decurse please!"

In general group play, macros help general teamwork and save you time. For example, if you're a mage, you may benefit from macros informing your group when you're sheeping a target, when you're casting a portal to a city, and when you're open for business in the water-dispensing department. Here's an example of a macro that a warlock could use to let his group know which party member he's summoning and that other group members can help:
/cast Ritual of Summoning
/p Summoning %t, please assist.
That's all for part one of our Macro Guide. In our next update, we'll go into more details on some higher-level macro functions, including macro options, conditionals, and focus.
Special thanks to Cogwheel of Shadowsong for his invaluable assistance in creating this guide. Cogwheel's Complete Macro Guide can be found in our UI and Macros forum..

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