/macro Recall "team Teleporting $target - hold still$$powexec_name Recall Friend"Recall Friend drops the target on top of you with no warning, which is startling mid-fight. Announcing first is basic courtesy and this makes it automatic.
CO
Cryptic Studios / Homecoming · 2004
City of Heroes macros
City of Heroes has one of the most complete macro systems ever shipped in an MMO, and the community-run Homecoming servers keep it alive. /macro puts a command on a tray button, /bind puts it on a key, $$ chains commands together, and /popmenu builds custom right-click menus out of a text file. Almost everything the interface does is reachable from the command line.
How macros work in City of Heroes
Commands are attached to tray buttons with /macro or to keys with /bind. The $$ separator chains several commands into one press, powexec_name fires a power by name, and bind files can be saved and reloaded so a whole layout travels between characters.
Setting one up
- Type /macro NAME "command" to create a tray button labelled NAME, then drag it where you want it.
- Use /macro_image "IconName" "NAME" "command" instead if you want a proper power icon rather than text.
- Type /bind KEY "command" to attach the same thing to a keyboard key.
- Chain commands with $$ — /macro Heal "targetcustomnext friend$$powexec_name Heal Other".
- Save your layout with /bind_save_file binds.txt and restore it with /bind_load_file binds.txt.
Rules and limits
- A macro or bind is capped at 255 characters, which is what forces long chains into /popmenu files.
- Only one power activation happens per key press — chaining two powexec_name commands runs the last one, it does not queue both.
- powexec_name needs the power name spelled exactly as it appears in your power list, including spaces.
- Toggles need powexec_toggleon or powexec_toggleoff to be predictable; plain powexec_name flips them.
- Bind files are plain text with one key per line and no leading /bind, which is different from typing the command in chat.
Macros by archetype
Pick a archetype to see only the macros that apply to it.
Hero
Villain
All City of Heroes macros
36 macros, searchable and ready to copy.
36 macros
CO BL /macro Nuke "team Nuking - cover me$$powexec_name Inferno"Tells the team before you drop an area attack, because on many builds it leaves you without endurance afterwards and they need to be ready to cover you.
ST /macro AS "targetcustomnear enemy alive$$powexec_name Assassin's Strike"Targets the nearest enemy and opens with your assassination power from Hide. The whole archetype is built around landing this first strike cleanly.
CO /bind p "powexec_name Fire Shield"Attaches a command to a keyboard key rather than a tray slot. Binds cost you no tray space at all, which is why serious builds end up almost entirely bound rather than macroed.
BL /macro Run "powexec_name Combat Jumping$$powexec_name Break Free"Fires your self-defence power and starts moving away in one press. Blasters have the least health in the game, and hesitation is what kills them.
BR /macro Go "targetcustomnear enemy alive$$powexec_name Taunt"Charges the nearest enemy and starts building Fury immediately. Brutes hit hardest when Fury is high, so the opening seconds of a fight matter more than for other archetypes.
CO /macro TP "team Bringing $target to me!$$powexec_name Recall Friend"The $$ separator runs several commands from one press. Everything except power activation stacks freely, so you can target, announce and fire in a single keystroke.
WA /macro Mire "targetcustomnear defeated enemy$$powexec_name Sunless Mire"Warshades feed on defeated enemies for damage and pets. Targeting a corpse and firing in one press is the difference between using the mechanic and forgetting it exists.
MA /bind numpad7 "petcompow Battle Drones aggressive" /bind numpad8 "petcompow Protector Bots defensive"petcompow targets a specific henchman power rather than the whole squad, so your tough tier can hold the line while the fragile tier stays back.
CO /macro CC "cc_e 1 ccburn"Switches to a numbered costume slot with an animation rather than a plain pop. Purely cosmetic and completely essential to the way people play this game.
CO /bind f1 "inspexecname Respite" /bind f2 "inspexecname Luck"Uses the first matching inspiration in your tray without hunting for it. Bind the three you actually care about and you never open the tray in combat again.
MA /macro Kill "petcomall attack$$team Pets on $target"Sends the whole squad at whatever you have selected and tells the team what is being focused. Concentrating henchman damage is how a Mastermind kills anything quickly.