However, it has its moments - for example, if you're under attack from a class like a rogue that does more damage from behind. Backpedaling is a very slow way to move and should not be used as a primary mode of transport in PvP. There are no substantial hand movements required to access any of those keys.Ī word on the S key and backpedaling I do think this merits a mention. The abilities have moved, though, and are clustered around the movement keys. So that is still home base for your left hand.
W and S still take care of forward and backward movement. Q and E have been sacrificed to the almighty mouse gods, and A and D are now strafing keys. What's changed? Well, we've lost two movement keys. Make sure they're easily removable, though! If you're struggling, a great way to train yourself can be to put textured stickers on your keys, so you can tell by touch whether you're in the right place. Don't do it all in one fell swoop add in new keybinds gradually, with the shortest cooldowns first, and try to do so sensibly. Put another on 2 and another on 3, and try to begin to use those and move with your mouse. Choose the one you're hitting when you're not hitting anything else - even better if it's one you can cast while moving. So if you're a clicker, how do you change over to keybinding? I would advise you to take a key like 1 that is near to your hand position for movement, and bind your main spammable ability to it. But if you can, I would certainly advise a change to keybindings. There are certainly some spells or abilities (particularly those with long cooldowns) that you could click and possibly get away with it.
I wouldn't say that keybinding is an absolute solution. Not the most efficient layout for either clicking or keybinding at least with keybinding, those lines of abilities can be clustered into easily reached groups. Additionally, if you're one of the many people who are still using the default UI, your action bars are highly likely to be arranged in long, thin lines. But that aside, it seems to me at least that it is far faster to hit a key on a keyboard than to locate and click an ability with your mouse. Of course, a very important part of ensuring the efficiency of keybinding is putting the right abilities in the right place, and we'll get to that. I've not lost track of my E key for a very, very long time.įurthermore, the movement of the mouse pointer across the screen is, it seems, certainly not faster or more accurate than the movement of your hands across a keyboard. I've been using computers for a fair while, and I often lose track of my pointer. With clicking, you need to be aware of where your mouse pointer is in relation to your action bars. Is that inherently not as good as the alternative, keybinding? Let's consider some aspects of the two casting systems. Now, let's look at the actual clicking itself for a second. Much faster! Rather like the difference between a d-pad and a thumb joystick on a console controller, mouse movement is far more intuitive, far easier to fine tune and far faster. If you don't believe me, stand your character still and spin through 180 degrees with your keyboard. OK, so now that it's completely clear what clicking is, why is it bad? First and foremost, let's look at movement. In order to do this and move at the same time, you pretty much have to move with your keyboard.
I would like to say that, with one caveat that will come up later, I wouldn't encourage clicking in PvP.įirst and foremost, what is clicking? When PvPers (and for that matter, probably PvEers) talk about clicking, they are referring to the practice of putting your abilities on your bars and clicking them with your mouse. People may be surprised to see it in the title up there hanging out right next other key PvP skills. This article is a rare occasion when I will assert that one course of action is better than another!Ĭlicking is a tricky subject. This time, we're tackling an even more heady topic, one that is arguably even more key to PvP success than macros and the use of focus targets. My last column dealt with the basics of macros and focus targets and their use in PvP. Steering you to victory is Olivia Grace, who never clicks anything but her fingers. player action in Blood Sport for fans of Battleground, world PvP and Arena play. WoW Insider covers the world of player vs.