how to make good keybinds in world of warcraft

Storyline

The video does not present a narrative storyline. Instead, it’s a practical guide on improving World of Warcraft (WoW) performance by setting up more effective keybindings.

Gameplay / Gameplay-Systems Highlights (Core Ideas)

• Custom keybinds are generally recommended if your goal is better in-game performance or faster reaction time.
• Keybind changes should depend on:
  • Your goals (faster execution, better reactivity, smoother combat rotations)
  • Personal preference (whether you already do well with default binds)
• The video categorizes keybinds into three types:
  • Action bar keybinds (spells/items on the action bar)
  • Movement keybinds (character/camera movement)
  • UI keybinds (bags, character pane, etc.)

Default Keybinds: Pros and Cons

Pros

• A familiar layout and muscle memory benefits.
• Mnemonics for some UI keys (examples mentioned):
  • C = character pane
  • B = bags
  • M = map

Cons

• Main limitation: by default, only one action bar is naturally tied to keyboard keys.
  • Extra action bars exist, but typically require manual clicking unless you bind them.
• Default setups can be slower for situational/reactive abilities, since dedicated keys often improve response time.
• A major issue for many players: keyboard turning vs movement keys
  • Using A/D for turning can reduce or remove other uses of those keys (like strafing).
  • Mouse turning is framed as faster/more precise for camera adjustment, while keyboard turning is framed as more convenient for passive tasks (the video humorously references “watching Instagram reels”).
• A common first improvement:
  • Move strafing to A/D (e.g., from Q/E down to A/D)
  • This keeps strafing available for positioning needs such as:
    • Kiting at full speed
    • Stepping out of AoE while casters maintain max range

Two Keybind Philosophies

1) Mnemonics (Comfort/Rememberability)

• Emphasizes keybinds that are easy to remember, not necessarily minimizing hand travel.
• Uses associations like:
  • 1–4 = early/priority abilities in rotation
  • R = range pull
  • X = execute
  • C = crowd control
  • B = buffs
  • H = heal
• Trade-offs:
  • Pros: easier to learn consistently
  • Cons: can feel cluttered and may require awkward hand movement for some actions

2) Speed-Based Keybinds (Minimize Travel)

• Goal: reduce how far the hand moves by clustering important combat/movement keys.
• Approach described:
  • Keep combat + movement on the left side of the keyboard
  • Put most other functions on the right side
• Example setup highlights:
  • Keep default main bar keys 1–4
  • Place additional combat abilities near movement keys such as: Q, E, R, F, Z, X, C, V
• Example assignments mentioned:
  • 1 = most common ability (often a builder)
  • 2 = second most common ability
  • 3 = spender / longer cooldown
  • 4 = execute or missing rotation component
  • Q/E = instant-cast AoEs or instant ranged abilities
  • R = initiator/pull (charge or ranged pull)
  • F = taunt or threat reduction
  • V = stuns / CC
  • C = situational AoE (cast/channel/longer cooldown)
  • X = interrupt
  • Z = offensive big buffs
• Drawbacks highlighted:
  • The mapping can feel arbitrary
  • Misinputs can waste resources or disrupt rotations because important keys are physically close together

Practical Technique: “Flex Buttons”

• Problem addressed: some classes/specs don’t use the same abilities in the same way.
• Example:
  • Q is normally for instant-cast AoEs, but if you play a class/spec that lacks that ability (e.g., certain rogue setups), Q becomes a flex key.
• Flex key concept:
  • Let Q (or another key spot) serve different abilities depending on what you’re playing (e.g., put Stealth on Q when applicable).
• Trade-off:
  • Pros: keeps key abilities in optimal physical positions
  • Cons: reduces strict consistency

Managing “Not Enough Keys”: Modifier Keys

• The video’s main expansion method: use modifier keys (Shift, Control, Alt).
• Benefit:
  • Holding a modifier turns keys into a “fresh slate,” effectively multiplying available binds (e.g., “shift E,” “control E,” “alt E,” and even combinations like “shift control E”).
• The creator uses modifiers to mirror multiple bars:
  • One bar is an exact mirror of the main bar but with the Shift modifier
  • Other bars support situational categories, such as:
    • Healing / potions / self-healing (with tilde key variations)
    • Long-term buffs (using minus/equal style keys)
    • Cleanses, racials, trinkets, slows (placed on another bar, described using number keys like 5/6/7/8/9/0)
• Note:
  • The video mentions healers may use click casting on player portraits (treated as outside the core scope).

Hardware Assistance Mentioned

• The creator primarily uses standard keyboard positioning, but also uses an MMO mouse for extra binds:
  • Logitech G600 is explicitly mentioned (noted as discontinued).
• Concept:
  • Mouse macro buttons can act like copies of convenient keyboard keys, but in better physical locations.
  • Additional binds are assigned via scroll wheel and mouse buttons (including variants like shift + middle mouse).

How to Start Changing Your Keybinds

Two options are presented:

• Slow and steady

  • Don’t overhaul everything at once.
  • Start with 1–2 small changes.
  • Example from the creator:
    • They initially only changed strafe binds to A/D
    • Later expanded to additional movement-related key changes

• Brute force

  • Completely switch to a drastically different keybinding system.
  • Warning:
    • Can be frustrating if you’re not already a keybind “aficionado,” because you must retrain muscle memory from scratch.

Sources / Gamers Featured

• No specific gamers/streamers are credited as sources in the subtitles.
• The video creator references their own setup and experience, and names the hardware:
  • Logitech G600 (MMO mouse; discontinued)