Content:
Key Takeaways
Short on time? Here is the whole guide in five lines.
- One button, many skills: a macro merges several hotbar lines into one chain that keeps firing for as long as you hold your Macro key.
- Not the same as skill priority: one quickslot can already hold up to 4 skills in priority order, but a macro is a separate layer built on top of that.
- Weave basic attacks: light attacks cancel animations and restore the mana your skills burn, so keep one in your routine.
- Keep it short: put repeatable core damage into the macro, and leave mobility, defensives and big burst skills on manual keys.
- Start from a template: every class further down has a simple starter macro you can copy, test and adjust as your character grows.
How AION 2 Macros Work
Before you build anything, it helps to understand what a hotbar slot really is in AION 2, because it behaves differently from most MMORPGs you have played. In many games the bars stack: the bottom one is your first, a second one sits above it once you run out of room for new skills, and a third or fourth follow later. Open the Skills menu (K by default) here and you see five rows of quick slots, so it is natural to assume you have five stacked bars. You do not.
Looking for exact skills and stigmas per class? See the AION 2 best builds guide.
One row, several skills per slot
What you actually get is a single row of quickslots, and every slot can carry more than one skill. When you press and hold the key tied to that slot, the game walks through the skills inside it in order of priority and fires whichever one is ready at that moment. According to the quick overview of this setup, you can stack up to 4 skills in the same slot.
This is not a macro, even though it feels similar. A better mental picture is a combo panel or a skill chain: several skills share one button, and they only go off while that button is held and while each skill is actually available. If a skill is on cooldown or its condition is not met, the game simply moves on to the next one in the list.
What a macro adds on top
A macro lets you combine those chains. Imagine you have three skills on your “1” quickslot and three more on your “2” quickslot. Without a macro, holding “1” and then pressing “2” cancels the first chain, so all you are doing is switching from one chain to the other. Put both quickslots into a macro instead and they merge into a single longer chain. As long as you keep the custom macro button held (you assign it in the options), both chains run together as one.
| Feature | Quickslot chain | Macro |
|---|---|---|
| What it holds | Several skills in one slot | Several slot lines in one button |
| Trigger | The slot key, held | The Macro key, held |
| Order | Skill priority inside the slot | Slot order, then priority inside each slot |
| Pressing another key | Stops the first chain | Runs as part of the same chain |
Note: The built-in skill priority system and macros are two different tools. Priority decides the order of skills inside one slot, while a macro decides which slots run together on one held key.
Why this matters for damage
In a real fight you spend most of your time pressing the same handful of attacks again and again. Every time you tap the wrong key or react a fraction late, a skill that was ready sits unused. A well-built macro takes that repetition off your fingers, so the game keeps firing whatever is available while you focus on positioning and boss mechanics. That is the whole point: not a magic rotation, just fewer missed presses.
How to Create a Macro in AION 2
Making a macro is easy once your hotbar is organised. The key detail is that a macro is built from hotkey lines, not from individual skills. That means the skills you want to automate must first be arranged under the same hotkey, in the priority order you want them to follow.
Step by step
- Open the Skills menu.
- Click Macro in the top-right corner.
- Select Add Macro.
- Add the hotkey line or lines you want the macro to use.
- Set a delay for each step if you need one.
- Save the macro.
- Go to Settings > Key Settings > General > Macro and assign a Macro key.
- Hold that key in combat to use the macro.
If a hotkey line already contains several skills, the macro works through that line with the same priority and availability rules as usual. Nothing about the individual skills changes; the macro only decides which lines get a turn and when.
Tip: Build one clean core chain on a single button first, test it in combat, and only then add that button to a macro. If the chain is messy on its own, the macro will only repeat the mess faster.
How many lines should you add?
You can add several different hotkeys to one macro, but more is not automatically better. A macro keeps trying to advance through its steps, and the order in which things fire is not perfectly rigid. Because of that, an overly complicated setup tends to become less predictable than a simple core combat macro. If you notice skills firing in an order you did not plan, remove lines instead of adding more.
Warning: Large macros with many lines are the first thing to misbehave. Start with one or two lines and grow from there.
About delays
Each step in a macro can have its own delay. In the class templates later in this guide, Templar, Chanter, Gladiator, Spiritmaster and Ranger all use a short 10 ms delay after each macro input, which gives you a concrete number to start from. The Assassin and Sorcerer templates do not list any delay, and that is fine as a starting point.
Whatever you end up with, upgrading skills and gearing a character takes resources, and Kinah is part of that. If you would rather spend your evenings tuning macros than farming currency, you can pick up AION 2 Kinah and get back to the fun part.
AION 2 Skill Weaving and Animation Cancelling
Macros become far more useful once you pair them with basic attack weaving. In AION 2, many skill animations can be cut short by slipping your left mouse button (LMB) attack in between abilities. When a cancel works, the game draws a black shadow or silhouette behind your character. That silhouette is the easiest visual cue that the cancel happened correctly, so watch for it while you practise.
Why you want light attacks in the mix
Weaving is not only about speed. Your light attacks are the ones that restore the mana your other skills consume. A class that spends mana on every skill and never lands a basic attack will eventually run dry, which is why almost every template below keeps a basic attack close to the macro. Some classes get a very specific mana return from theirs; the Cleric section shows a clear example.
Two ways to handle the basic attack
| Approach | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the macro | The basic attack is one of the macro lines, so a single held button does everything | Simple setups, Sorcerer-style |
| Separate key | You hold LMB together with the Macro key | Consistent animation cancels |
Placing the basic attack inside the macro means one held button covers both the core skill chain and the weaving. The alternative is to leave LMB alone and simply hold it at the same time as the Macro key.
Keeping LMB separate is usually the better place to begin, because it tends to produce more consistent animation cancels. That said, the result still depends on your class, your skill combos, your cooldown speed and your combat speed, so it is worth trying both approaches on your own character and sticking with the one that feels smoother.
Tip: Test weaving on a training target or an easy mob first. Watch for the black silhouette behind your character; if you rarely see it, your cancel timing or your setup needs a change.
Notice that this is the exact reason the class templates later treat the basic attack as a separate item. Most of them list it on its own line rather than inside the macro, and only one class folds it straight in.
How to Build a Good Combat Macro
The best AION 2 macros are usually the simplest ones. Instead of trying to automate a full rotation from the first pull to the last, use the macro for the skills you would otherwise tap constantly during normal combat. In practice that means your main filler attacks, damage skills that come off cooldown often, and conditional abilities that fit naturally into the same priority line.
What belongs in the macro and what does not
| Put in the macro | Keep on manual keys |
|---|---|
| Main filler attacks | Mobility skills |
| Frequently available damage skills | Defensives |
| Conditional abilities that fit one priority line | Healing tools |
| Skills you want on cooldown every time | Major damage buffs |
Utility and situational skills stay outside for a reason. Mobility, defensives, healing tools and major buffs are better controlled by hand so that they are ready exactly when you need them. A long-cooldown burst skill is a perfect example of what can go wrong: buried inside an automatic sequence, it can be spent on a weak enemy, or fired right before a boss mechanic where you needed it, or where you needed to dodge instead.
Start small, grow slowly
It is also smart to keep your first macros minimal while you learn a class. As your skill levels, specialties, cooldown speed and combat speed improve, the very same macro may start behaving differently, or even stop working as you expected. A macro you wrote at a low level is not guaranteed to feel the same later.
- Begin with the one or two skills you press most often.
- Run a few pulls and check that the macro fires in the order you planned.
- Add another skill only when you are sure you want it used on cooldown.
- Re-check the macro after every notable upgrade to your skills or stats.
Once you know which abilities you truly want used whenever they are ready, you can add them one by one instead of rebuilding your whole rotation around automation. This gradual approach also makes problems easy to spot, because you know which change caused them.
Dungeons are where all this practice pays off, since group content punishes wasted skills much more than open-field mobs do. If you want help getting through group content while your macros are still a work in progress, take a look at the AION 2 dungeon runs on offer.
Not sure which class to pick? Our Aion 2 class tier list ranks them for PvE and PvP.
AION 2 Best Macros for Every Class
Levelling in AION 2 goes by quickly, but the day will come when your damage output has to be genuinely good, and dungeons are usually where that day arrives. You can get away with dancing on the keyboard while clearing mobs in the open field. Sooner or later, though, you have to give it your best, and that is the moment macros earn their place on your bar.
Below you will find a starter template for each of the eight classes. They are intentionally simple, yet already a big step up when used together with your light attack. Treat them as a base to test and tweak, not as a final answer. If you want to check what each skill does, look it up in an AION 2 skill database. And if you would rather skip the early levels and arrive at the point where these macros matter, there is always AION 2 powerleveling.
Quick comparison of all templates
| Class | Basic attack | Lines in the macro | Delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin | Quick Slice | One chain | None listed |
| Cleric | Earth’s Retribution | One chain | None listed |
| Sorcerer | 2-Hit Chain (inside) | Two inputs | None listed |
| Templar | Vicious Strike | Two lines | 10 ms |
| Chanter | Onslaught | Two lines | 10 ms |
| Gladiator | Keen Strike | One line | 10 ms |
| Spiritmaster | Cold Shock | Two lines | 10 ms |
| Ranger | Snipe | Two lines | 10 ms |
Note: Skill names below are written exactly as the game shows them, and the macro lines are listed in the order you should set them up. Numbers such as MP costs and durations may shift with future patches, so recheck your skill tooltips now and then.
Assassin Macro
- Macro skill chain: Insignia Explosion, Heart Gore, Savage Roar
- Basic attack: Quick Slice
Assassin works best when the macro sticks to repeatable damage skills. Insignia Explosion, Heart Gore and Savage Roar make up the main chain, while Quick Slice stays outside as the basic attack you use for weaving.
The idea is to place those three skills in a single priority column with Insignia Explosion at the very top. Then you hold Quick Slice separately for weaving and animation cancels. The result is a setup that stays easy to read, yet still covers the abilities you want to use constantly in normal combat.
Cleric Macro
- Basic attack: Earth’s Retribution
- Macro skill chain: Chain of Torment → Debilitating Mark → Condemnation → Judgment Thunder
Cleric keeps Earth’s Retribution outside the macro as its basic attack, because it restores 110 MP every time it lands. That matters a lot for a class whose main damage skills all cost MP: Chain of Torment costs 150 MP, Debilitating Mark costs 100 MP and Judgment Thunder costs 120 MP. Without that steady refund, the chain would run out of fuel fast.
The chain itself is sensible because its skills support one another rather than just filling slots. Chain of Torment applies a 10-second DoT and lowers the target’s PvE Damage Tolerance by 5%, which makes every following hit slightly more valuable. Debilitating Mark adds a second 10-second DoT and also lowers the enemy’s PvE Damage Boost by 5%.
Condemnation sits after Chain of Torment on purpose: it can only be used on a target that is already affected by Chain of Torment. It has a short 3-second cooldown, and one of its later specializations can restore 100 MP or reset the cooldown on a critical hit. Judgment Thunder then adds another repeatable AoE hit to the line and can later chain into Divine Punishment.
In short, the Cleric macro is built around three jobs: keep both debuffs running, fire Condemnation whenever its requirement is met, and use Judgment Thunder to fill the gaps while Earth’s Retribution feeds MP back into the loop.
Sorcerer Macro
- Basic attack: 2-Hit Chain
- Additional quickslot: Flame Arrow
- Macro skill chain: Winter’s Shackles → Bittercold Wind → Blaze → Firestorm
- Macro priority: Winter’s Shackles skill line first, 2-Hit Chain second
Sorcerer is the class that puts the basic attack line straight into the macro. The first input is the skill line with Winter’s Shackles, Bittercold Wind, Blaze and Firestorm, and the 2-Hit Chain goes second as a fallback input.
The main skill line covers the repeatable damage abilities, while the 2-Hit Chain fills the gaps whenever those skills are unavailable. Flame Arrow lives on its own separate quickslot and is pressed by hand instead of being added to the macro.
That makes Sorcerer one of the cleanest examples of mixing a normal skill chain and the basic attack inside one macro, so you do not need to hold LMB separately.
Templar Macro
- Basic attack: Vicious Strike
- Second skill line: Warding Strike → Pummel
- Third skill line: Doom Shield → Debilitating Smash → Judgment → Shield Smite
- Macro priority: third skill line first, second skill line second
- Delay: 10 ms after each macro input
Templar uses Vicious Strike separately as its basic attack, and the macro joins the other two skill lines. The first macro input holds Doom Shield, Debilitating Smash, Judgment and Shield Smite, while the second holds Warding Strike and Pummel. Every step waits 10 ms before the macro moves on to the next input.
The first line works well because several of its skills interact. Shield Smite can trigger Judgment for 2 seconds, and one of its later specializations can also trigger Debilitating Smash. Grouping them under one priority line lets the macro use those conditions the moment they open up.
Warning: Doom Shield is a Stigma skill, so this macro only works as described if you actually have that Stigma equipped.
Warding Strike and Pummel act as the second input, giving Templar another repeatable line to fall back on while the first is unavailable. The 10 ms delays matter here, since this macro deliberately cycles between two separate quickslots instead of relying on a single stacked line.
Chanter Macro
- Basic attack: Onslaught
- Second skill line: Spinning Strike
- Third skill line: Dark Crush → Marchutan’s Wrath → Impactful Crush → Incandescent Blow
- Macro priority: second skill line first, third skill line second
- Delay: 10 ms after each macro input
Chanter leaves Onslaught outside as the basic attack and combines its two main damage quickslots inside the macro. Spinning Strike takes the first position, while Dark Crush, Marchutan’s Wrath, Impactful Crush and Incandescent Blow are grouped into the longer line that follows.
This keeps the macro focused on repeatable offensive skills, with no utility or support abilities pulled in. The macro checks Spinning Strike first and then moves on to the bigger damage chain whenever those skills are available. Because Onslaught stays outside, you can still press it separately and weave it between those attacks.
Gladiator Macro
- Basic attack: Keen Strike
- Second skill line: Rage Burst → Overhead Slam → Rending Blow
- Macro priority: second skill line only
- Delay: 10 ms after the macro input
Gladiator is one of the simplest classes in this list, because its macro needs just one skill line. Keen Strike remains separate as the basic attack, while Rage Burst, Overhead Slam and Rending Blow share the second quickslot and handle the repeatable damage chain.
With only one quickslot inside the macro, there is nothing to cycle between, unlike Templar or Chanter. The macro keeps trying that second line over and over, and Keen Strike stays free for weaving between skills. It is a good first macro if you are new to the whole idea.
Spiritmaster Macro
- Basic attack: Cold Shock
- Second skill line: Summon: Water Spirit → Jointstrike: Corrode → Summon: Earth Spirit → Summon: Fire Spirit
- Third skill line: Jointstrike: Curse → Elemental Fusion → Dimensional Control → Combustion
- Macro priority: second skill line first, third skill line second
- Delay: 10 ms after each macro input
This macro is designed to keep a Spirit active and to use, automatically, the skills that unlock from Spirit attacks. Summon: Water Spirit gets the top priority in the second line because it deals ranged Water damage and restores 20 MP whenever its attacks land. The same line holds Jointstrike: Corrode, which applies a 20-second DoT and makes the target take 10% more damage from the Spirit. Earth and Fire Spirit follow as alternative summons.
The third line is where the class’s conditional skills come together. Dimensional Control becomes available whenever a Spirit uses its skill and restores 100 MP on hit, while Elemental Fusion only activates after you reach four elemental stacks from Spirit skill usage. With both inside the macro, those short activation windows get used automatically, so you do not need to stare at your buffs all fight.
Ranger Macro
- Basic attack: Snipe
- Second skill line: Vaizel’s Authority → Explosive Arrow
- Third skill line: Gale Arrow → Drill Dart → Tempest Shot
- Macro priority: second skill line first, third skill line second
- Delay: 10 ms after each macro input
Ranger’s macro pairs a burst-minded line with a more regular damage line. Vaizel’s Authority takes the first slot because it raises Attack for 30 seconds, and Explosive Arrow follows as a heavier hit that deals extra damage to targets affected by Slow or Root.
The third line holds the skills Ranger can cycle through more often. Gale Arrow grants a 10-second buff to Combat Speed and PvE Damage Boost, so it deserves priority within that chain. Drill Dart comes next: it has a 5-second cooldown, restores 100 MP on a Critical Hit and applies Bleed. Tempest Shot has no cooldown and serves as the filler whenever the higher-priority skills are unavailable.
Snipe stays separate as the basic attack, so the macro can concentrate on maintaining Ranger’s buffs and cycling the repeatable attacks without cramming everything onto one button.
To see how skills reach level 20, read the AION 2 skill progression guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are macros in AION 2?
A macro is a built-in feature that lets you fire abilities from several quickslots with one held button. It does not invent new skills; it simply links your existing hotbar lines so that they run together.
How do I use a macro in AION 2?
Open the Skills menu and click the macro icon in the top-right corner. Add one or more quickslot lines that already contain your skills, save the macro, and then assign a dedicated Macro key under Settings > Key Settings > General > Macro. In combat, hold that key to run it.
Should I use macros in AION 2?
Yes. Macros are an official part of the combat system, and skipping them usually means your character deals less damage than it could. A simple macro plus well-timed basic attack weaving is enough to notice the difference, and a stronger character helps even more, so some players also look into expedition runs to speed up their progress.
What are skill chains in AION 2?
A skill chain is what you get when one quickslot holds several active skills. They fire in order of priority while you hold the slot key, assuming each skill is available. A macro goes one step further by joining several of these chains.
Can I make a macro for my entire rotation in AION 2?
Technically you can put many quickslots into one macro, but the more abilities you include, the less likely they are all to fire properly, because most skills need specific combat conditions to be usable. Shorter macros that you can run on a loop work better.
Should the basic attack be inside the macro or on a separate key?
Both options work. Keeping LMB separate and holding it together with the Macro key is usually the better starting point because it tends to give more consistent animation cancels. Putting the basic attack inside the macro, as the Sorcerer template does, saves you from holding a second input. Test both on your class.
Why does my macro behave differently after I level up?
Skill levels, specialties, cooldown speed and combat speed all change how quickly skills come back and how the chain flows. Because of that, an old macro can start behaving differently or stop working as expected. Simplify it, retest, and add skills back one at a time.