I’ve covered a couple of uses for the /focus command in the past in such articles as Hibernating via Focus Target and Healing via Focus Target. However, there is so much more that can be done with this highly versatile command, and I wanted to demonstrate just one more fun and interesting adaptation I discovered over the weekend: debuffing your focus’s target.
The basic idea behind this technique is to set up one or more macros that cast debuff spells on your current focus’s target. In my case, I created a macro that would ordinarily cast Insect Swarm on my focus’s target and Faerie Fire if I hold down CTRL. If a focus target cannot be found (as it cannot when I am soloing), the target defaults to my own target instead. My macro looks like this:
#showtooltip
/cast [modifier:ctrl, exists, target=focustarget, nodead] [modifier:ctrl] Faerie Fire;[exists, target=focustarget, nodead] [] Insect Swarm
When in a 5-man group, I set my focus to my group’s tank and am able to debuff his current target’s hit chance by 2% (decreasing damage taken and needing to be healed) while also decreasing its armor by 610. This means the mob dies quicker and does less damage on the way out. It’s also a great use of the time in between stacking up 3 x Lifebloom when it’s not necessary to get your stack rolling as quickly as possible. This technique is also a great compliment to mouseover-based healing since those who use mouseover aren’t generally as comfortable clicking to select targets, and it’s more convenient than having to set a separate assist key.
In addition to the macro described above, you will want to set up a focus target window so that you can monitor what your tank is actually targeting. (But be careful not to cast Insect Swarm on a target that’s crowd controlled or needs to be!) Most of the better unitframes addons such as Pitbull and Ag Unitframes include the ability to display these frames. For my UI, I set up a panel beneath the place where my Focus Target frame appears when I do have a focus set. That way I can tell at a glance whether I’ve remembered to focus my tank and if both of my debuffs are currently running on the target. You can see a preview of this setup at left, using Andrige’s lovely Heart of the Wild UI as a backdrop.
So far, I’ve employed this technique in both normal and Heroic Magister’s Terrace. I’ve been told that it seems to make fights easier (though admittedly it doesn’t get much easier than grouping with a Paladin tank on AOE pulls). If nothing else, I feel more proactive than simply pressing my heal buttons, and it’s nice to see my name actually show up on the damage meters, even if it’s only for the paltry amount from Insect Swarm. 
Just remember not to use Faerie Fire if your tank happens to be a Druid, as I know most like using the Feral version for extra threat.
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April 8th, 2008 at 12:08 am
I use a similar macro for sheeping. My macro goes something like this:
/clearfocus [modifier:shift] - In case I need to switch my sheep target midfight.
/clearfocus [target=focus,dead][target=focus,noexists] - Hit the button again after the fight to clear my focus.
/focus [target=focus,noexists] - Sets my current target as the focus if I have no other focus set.
/cast [target=focus] Polymorph - Obvious.
Anyway. You may want to think about adding those other lines just to make it an excellent all in one button. No need to remember to set a focus nor do you need to do much to clear it.
April 8th, 2008 at 2:14 am
I really need to learn more about this focus thing. Being a rogue, I don’t really have a CC that I can use mid-fight after sap expires. And usually by that time, the sap target is the next on the list to take out.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:07 am
This is a great post that really goes to show what separates the good druids from the great druids. Admittedly … I don’t do this and have never really thought about it. I may have to start running Faerie Fire!
@ Dyera: I would suggest setting up a Blind Focus macro for when your Sap breaks or breaks early and your tank isn’t quite ready to pick it up yet.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
@Dyera: I’d recommend Doomilias’ Art of Rogue CC post from his blog. It covers a nice use of /focus for using Blind on your Sap target.
April 8th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I am a bad, bad druid. I have never gotten the hang of focus and could probably be a much better healer if I could
April 9th, 2008 at 2:12 am
@Valenna: That is an excellent idea. I used it in magisters terrace with a PuG, and it worked pretty well. Thanks!
April 9th, 2008 at 10:51 am
@Crythia: That would make an excellent Hibernate macro. The idea behind this one is that I don’t have to choose my own target for debuffing as it can be the one that’s being tanked at the time. That way I don’t have to think too much (dangerous for someone with sawdust and termites for brains) or get distracted from my primary role as healer. =)
@Dyera: It’s hard to imagine that /focus didn’t exist a year ago. I can’t imagine not having it now!
@Pookies: Awww thanks! I figure anything we can do to give our groups a leg up and decrease the chances of things going poorly is a plus in the column for us as healers.
@Bellwether: It doesn’t take much practice. Give it a try!
April 10th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Phae: I c&p’ed the macro you gave, to try and give it a whirl, but it’s not working. Particularly, the retargeting directive, for when you don’t have a focustarget. The focustarget debuffing works fine though.
The proper macro is:
#showtooltip
/cast [mod:ctrl,target=focustarget, target=target] Faerie Fire;[target=focustarget, target=target]Insect Swarm;
April 10th, 2008 at 10:42 am
@Mynd: Thank you very much for the correction. I swear that the above macro had been working for me when I first wrote the article but then it no longer worked a day later. >.< I’ve edited it to match the one you’ve suggested. Thanks!! =)
April 16th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Nice, innovative way to use the focus mechanism. A lot of people know how to use the focus for one purpose (sheep/shackle/hibernate/etc), but there are endless possibilities.
For example, on my mage I set up almost all of my spells to have an option to shoot my focus by holding down the Alt key. In 2v2 arena, I’d immediately focus one person and target the other - so that I could easily counterspell or sheep either player.
As for a visual, I don’t use a unit frames mod, so I found a separate mod specifically for the focus mechanism - “Focus Frame.” It creates an extra targeting portrait (just like the regular target) for your focus. You can drag it around the screen to place it where you want. This also shows buffs/debuffs and target-of-target, just like the regular targeting portrait.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
@Walkere: I have done something similar for chain-Cycloning in Arena, but at the time it didn’t occur to me to make the same key Cyclone my target vs. my focus’s target based on whether I used a modifier key. That’s a really great idea for 2v2! And thanks for the tip on Focus Frame. I’m sure you’re not the only one who prefers the standard UI unitframes. =)
May 6th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Hey there. I’ve tried the macro - copied as is from here and it doesn’t work when I have no focus target. I see from comments that someone had a similar problem and changed it … but that macro doesn’t work either. Any ideas?
I’m clueless when it comes to macro’s, so I have no idea how to correct it either.
Chaen
May 6th, 2008 at 8:54 am
@Chaendryn: I’m having similar difficulties with this macro. It always work when I build it when first coming into the game but the next time I log in, it doesn’t, making it a PITA to debug. I’m going to try this variation today (the servers are down, at the moment, so I can’t test it, yet):
/cast [nomodifier,harm,target=focustarget] [nomodifier,harm,target=target] Insect Swarm; [modifier:ctrl,harm,target=focustarget] [modifier:ctrl,harm,target=target] Faerie Fire
May 6th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Hmm .. perhaps it was a patch 2.4 thing? Had my other half tinker with it as well - he’s the programming genius in the houshold *grins* This is the result and have tested it and it worked with focus set (his target) and no focus set (my directly targetting something). But will test it again when I’m in a group to see whether it continues to work.
#showtooltip
/cast [modifier:ctrl, exists, target=focustarget, nodead] [modifier:ctrl] Faerie Fire;[exists, target=focustarget, nodead] [] Insect Swarm
This pre-supposes that I’ve set my focus manually as someone in the group though.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Tested the macro and it still works *smiles* Thought I’d let you know.
Chaen
May 6th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
@Chaendryn: Thank you so much. And your signficant other, too! I LOVE your avatar!