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 keys to the left and making it easier to reach further to the right. I use the three letter keys 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 (~).

My keybinds follow the rough logic of grouping offensive and defensive skills with each other, with letter keys and binds without modifiers given to actions I tend to use more often. Additionally, I have most of the skills I use during burst windows, including Bloodspiller, grouped together on the same modifier to avoid having to switch off multiple times per GCD.

I employ both common options for handling combos; my single-target combo is on adjacent keys with the same (lack of) modifier, and my AoE combo and AoE gauge spender 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 Shadow Wall are both on 2. Reprisal and Dark Missionary, which are most commonly used for raid damage, are on 3. And The Blackest Night and Oblation can both be applied 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 for lack of space, but I do have it on a hidden hotbar with binds that are less convenient but still not dificult to hit. The reason I chose Limit Break for this is because the long animation lock means I don't need to quickly shift back to hitting any other key on my main hotbars after pressing it.

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 my HP/Mana bars are moved up for easier tracking. The hotbar to the left is unbound and lets me track various cooldowns plus my GCD roll without looking down at my main hotbars. My target progress bar is separated from the rest of the target info and set to maximum size in the direct center of my screen. My 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.