The third-party program ACT (Active Combat Tracker) is a real-time combat log generator, created past people who raid in MMOs (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) to track their DPS (damage per second)—it is an essential tool for players who want to accept their raiding progress in MMOs to the next level. In this commodity, I'll be going over using the ACT Tool and Last Fantasy XIV'south live uploader tool. In this commodity, I'll talk nearly what Human activity is, why yous should intendance, and how to set it up.

#Advertizing: For more information on my static group, the schedule is listed here, and I stream on Twitch every Fri and Dominicus. You can also check me out on Final Fantasy Fourteen's Lodestone here. If you're interested in my battle logs, just look me upward on FFLogs: Miss Moonie on Hyperion. 😉

Some Helpful Links To Go Started That Will Be Covered Throughout This Guide:

  • Act
  • FF Logs Uploader
  • XIV Assay
  • My stream >:) hehehe POG

DISCLAIMER: Do not EVER under any circumstances use this as a tool to harass others! ACT is a tool simply for improving your skills and bettering yourself in raid content to exist the all-time y'all can exist!

final fantasy xiv tips

What is ACT?

Deed (Active Gainsay Tracker) helps calculate uptime, damage, and the skill level you're currently playing at on your class in comparing to others. Human action is an essential learning tool for raiders who are looking to improve their skills, and is not meant for attacking others in-game! Deed is only available on PC—for raid players who want to track their progress on panel, you'll have to request assistance from a PC user who is in the same political party as y'all. 😊

Human activity is an astonishing tool to self-improve, but it tin disheartening when you realize the people y'all're silently competing confronting aren't putting much effort. Information technology's exhilarating when at that place'due south someone running the same job as you and pulling slightly better numbers—but being able to see another party fellow member not giving information technology their all in higher-tier raids tin make you jaded. But call back to take a break, and always apply ACT for further self-comeback—never harass a political party member!—in fact, it'south all-time if you avoid bringing the topic up at all. I'll talk about this more throughout this article because information technology'south a very serious rule.

Tools similar ACT are technically against the rules, but Foursquare Enix has fabricated an exception to this rule and so long as y'all exercise not use information technology as a means to harass other players in the game. Foursquare Enix will and has banned players in the past. ACT produces information that can exist processed with the Final Fantasy Log uploader (explained more beneath). This tool volition upload your Human action data to the FFlogs website, which can provide a number of dissimilar insights and analysis both for your ain play and for the execution of your unabridged group.

Some basic terms to look for in Final Fantasy logs:

Parse %: Parse % rates DPS and Healing. Possibly the quickest fashion to pair yourself up confronting other members in your party; merely await and come across what number you get. There are vii parse colors: gray, green, blueish, royal, pinkish, orange, and gold. Parsing gilt means parsing a perfect 100.

Casts: Active % and CPM (Casts Per Minute)

Damage Taken: Damage received from enemies. If yous find yourself dying to a mechanic over and over, you can encounter how much damage it's doing, and adjust with cooldowns (specially useful for tanks!) Also useful for figuring out when to pop DPS mitigation such as Machinist'southward "Tactician" skill, etc.

For more data on FF Logs help and ranks analysis, you can check out their guide on the site hither.

You can even use FFlogs to come across what abilities hurt the most (or who took the most impairment! 😉), who had a debuff (debuffs will sometimes subtract damage and increment damage taken!), deaths, how long the fight lasted, the boss % you reached earlier the wipe, who used potions/foods; yous tin besides compare log uploads. In that location's a lot of information to be gleaned from these logs, so make the most of it.

Deed Full general Rules Earlier Getting Started

When it comes to DPS meters (parsers) in Final Fantasy XIV, Yoshi-P stated that they will never exist added into the game. The Terminal Fantasy Xiv squad does not actively hunt down people using them, and the team as well stated that they'll never be installing spyware to check what's on your computer, because, you know, that'south illegal (non that that stopped ArenaNet from doing it).

ACT Rules FF XIV

If you lot'd like to read more about Last Fantasy'southward Rules & Regulations, check out the full post in the Support Center.

Notes from Yoshi-P During the February 6, 2022 LiveLetter:

Yoshi-P: "We've been turning a bullheaded eye to ACT as long as the elitists don't harass, only nude mods is beyond what we tin stand up."

TLDR: Don't harass people with it!

The team volition never add an official parser, and they stated that just having Human action installed will not get you banned. Mods that add textures and add/remove clothing is frowned upwardly by Square Enix and can result in a banned account, just using Deed responsibly will non. What'due south the fun in using appearance mods that may result in a ban? In that location isn't. It'due south non allowed. Don't do information technology. We're merely focusing on how to read Deed in this article!

If you haven't done so, information technology's worth checking out the LiveLetter translation on the Concluding Fantasy Fourteen Discord channel to read Yoshi-P's stance on 3rd-political party tools. Look in the "translations and liveletters" channel!

How to Install + Setup ACT

That about sums up what Human action is. If you're interested in trying it out on your own, keep reading! First, you have to observe and download the Human activity installer. I've got it right here, then become ahead and download that to your PC (under "Main Programme Downloads" and "Advanced Gainsay Tracker – Setup").  Run the "Advanced Combat Tracker" file. Deed will install, and then you lot'll need to download the Last Fantasy XIV plugin.

ACT install stuff

Click "Options" at the height, and click "Show Startup Wizard". ACT will walk you lot through setting up the plugin. Be certain to download/enable the "FF 14 Parsing Plugin" as you come across it in the Human action installer (mentioned beneath). This plugin contains the Final Fantasy Xiv extractor for ACT (at that place are other plugins which allow ACT to parse the information for other games). It captures the network packets sent/received past the game and additional information from retention and writes that information to a log file. ACT and then reads that file and parses it with help from the plugin.

act auto version check

You lot should also enable the "Auto Version Check" to keep everything updated and running smoothly. Every time you launch Human activity (granted you lot're connected to the ACT), it will notice if you are using the latest software version, and prompt you lot to update when possible.

act test game connection

As an extra precaution before you begin parsing in-game, any changes yous brand should exist get-go tested. I would be sure to utilise the "Test Game Connection" tool located in Plugins > FFXIV Settings > FFXIV Game Data.

ACT should ever run as Administrator and excepted from Windows Firewall to make sure it works properly. This is considering ACT uses memory reading and packet inspection to collect accurate data, which Windows doesn't allow past default. Once that'due south completed, you'll probably want ACT to to be setup every bit an overlay in Concluding Fantasy XIV and so you can meet the numbers as y'all get in and out of raid instances. To do that, find your ACT binder. On a Windows PC, an easy way to practice this is to press the Windows central on your keyboard, search for ACT > Correct Click > Properties. If you still can't discover the program, wait in your C:\ drive for the "Active Combat Tracker" folder and right-click the ACT program here. Select the "Compatibility" tab, then select "Run equally Administrator".

When ACT first launches, information technology will take you through a setup wizard.

ACT Installer Final Fantasy XIV
Last Fantasy Xiv Parsing Plugin Act

When prompted "Will Deed be used for Last Fantasy XIV?" Choose "Aye" and click "Next", then close to take the default settings. At this pointFFXIV_ACT_Plugin.dll should exist enabled inPlugins >Plugin Listing.

ACT plugin enabled

Next, enable the overlay.

ACT download and enable

In the Go Plugins window (to the right), select the [FFXIV+others]Overlay Plugin pick and click onDownload and Enable. This volition add together the latest OverlayPlugin to Deed (the OverlayPlugin automobile-updater may besides run during this step).

The OverlayPlugin should now be setup. Click on theX to close theBecome Plugins window. Restart ACT, and go back to the Plugins menu and "OverlayPlugin.dll" tab. Click "New" virtually the bottom of the window, and type in a name like "Overlay" so select the drop-down arrow under the "Preset" dialog box, and select Kagerou. You tin select whatsoever of these, but I really similar Kagerou's overlays. Click "Ok" to close the menu. You can click and drag this overlay where you desire on your screen. Keep in mind that this overlay will be on meridian of your Final Fantasy XIV game client while you lot're raiding, then make sure it is placed somewhere not in the mode of annihilation important…like your wellness bar.

ACT Overlay settings

Yous can change the settings of this overlay by clicking "settings" and filtering through the settings options in the bill of fare box.

ACT click and drag

To alter the size of the Human action overlay, click the lower-right corner of the overlay and elevate to your preferred size. Personally, I leave everything else lonely except for the colors. To change the colour of your overlay, click "Style", and here you can change the color, transparency, give it a background epitome, etc.

At this indicate information technology is recommended to restart ACT before continuing on.

The Last Fantasy Logs Uploader

If you're interested in sharing your logs (example) in a alive tracker with friends or your raid teammates, you'll need to upload them to the Final Fantasy log uploader. Download the plan here, and run the installer. The application will enquire you whether to install for all users or but yourself. Click on theInstall push button after selecting your choice and Finish one time the installation is done.

Note: You lot volition need to register for an FFLogs account in lodge to upload logs.

Run the FFlogs Uploader application. Enter the account information you lot used to sign upwardly.

Final Fantasy XIV Log uploader

Once y'all are authenticated, click on theUpload a Log push. If you lot're interested in sharing logs with your friends and running a live log in real time, yous can click that instead. Click onCull to select the log to upload.

In the File Explorer, navigate to the folder where the log is saved. The default location is at%APPDATA%\Avant-garde Gainsay Tracker\FFXIVLogs. You tin copy and paste that path in the explorer bar to go directly to the default folder. In the log folder, selected the desired log to upload, and click onOpen. To ensure the latest log is on meridian, y'all can sort pastEngagement modified.

Note: to detect your log location in ACT, open Act > Plugins > FFXIV Settings > Log File Location.

Cull the desired access level for the log:Public,Private, orUnlisted. Public will be ranked and Private and Unlisted are united nations-ranked. Anyone will be able to view a Public log. Private logs can only be viewed by yous. Unlisted logs can be viewed by anyone with the link to the log.

If you want to upload simply a specific run across, toggle theSelect Specific Raids To Upload option, then click on theGo! button. Select the specific encounter you want to upload from the list and click on theGo! push. You lot may select multiple encounters by holding Ctrl or Shift on your keyboard.

Note: this view is only available if you selected specific raids to upload.

Once the uploader is finished uploading the encounters to the FFLogs website, yous tin click on View Written report to open upward the log page in your default browser and view the log results.

Using Deed During Raid Progression

To encounter your numbers while you're playing, simply launch ACT before yous enter a raid example. That'south it. That's all there is to it.

Using Human action For Dummy Parsing

If you're really serious virtually joining a static grouping, you should consider parsing on dummies outside of combat. This way you lot can show other players what your skill level is, and practice your course/rotation in a controlled environment. They tin can be crafted and they are sold on the market board. In that location are several areas that accept combat dummies, but the best solution is to visit a Costless Visitor firm (or personal housing) in the various housing districts (players have these all over their yards—just meander around until you lot find 1). Be certain to use a training dummy that is the same level as your character (training dummies are level sixty, lxxx, and then on).

If you exercise your rotation on a dummy that is below your level, you lot volition either see your skills missing (if the dummy is a higher level) or the dummy will die too speedily if the dummy is a lower level; it will also repeatedly cleanse your "dots" (damage over time)—like White Mage'southward "Dia" skill.

Using Human action 14 Analysis

A tool that goes mitt-in-manus with FFLogs is XIV Analysis. A agglomeration of really smart people fabricated this third party tool to dissect your FFLogs and show you areas where you tin meliorate on. Just paste a link to a log and information technology will spit out a summary of your performance. You lot can even take it to the Residuum Discord server where they review it for you.

Image Credits: Foursquare Enix, Final Fantasy XIV