Keyboard, mouse and binds

Hi there,

I think alot of druids cope with the same question : How does one play?
With that I mean keyboard only or mouse and keyboard.
I did see an other post but I'd like to expand the discussion a bit, so that's why I started a new topic.

I've been used to play with my keyboard alone, but that brings some extra problems with bad camera positioning etc. So I've been looking around and I've been watching many vids of feral druid and druids in general.
I've seen the macro's & binds page of the Chrille's blog but that doesn't really say how your basic play is, mouse as well, I guess you use keyboard only cause of the numpad binds but I'm not sure.

Binds is one thing but the basic is imo the way you play: keyboard only or keyboard and mouse combined. That's what I want to find out, cause I'd like to use my mouse but I just can't think of a decent system that allows me to use all keys and binds I use now.

My basic layout is like this:

Numpad
/ = catform
* = bear form
- = travel form

Cast form:

wasd to move
1-9 : Hots, heals and decursing
numpad 1/9 : spells and abilities

Cat/bear form:

wasd to move
Numpad 1-9: spells and abilities
q = stealth
e = faerie fire

That's about it, as you can see I do not use shift or control, I know I should to expand my binds but I haven't set that up yet. But this is the basic way I play.

So how do we (druids) play? Dying to find out.

In my opinion a mouse is a must for faster turning and better camera angles... As you said, I would think that binding shift-1-9 etc would help alleviate some of your reliance on the numpad keys, making it easier to roll with mouse/keyboard rather than just keyboard.

Put camera auto-follow to never and use mouse
You need some shift buttons except if your work is a trickster

And tbh, it's not nubish to click with mouse too. Ofc spamming keys can't be done by mouse.

Prelude wrote:

In my opinion a mouse is a must for faster turning and better camera angles... As you said, I would think that binding shift-1-9 etc would help alleviate some of your reliance on the numpad keys, making it easier to roll with mouse/keyboard rather than just keyboard.

Yeah but tell me how I can use the dozens of binds when you use a mouse.
Mouse + wasd to move leaves little space for all the binds/macros.

That's my concern then, cause it doesn't feel right to use a mouse :p

well u can keybind alot of things in this game

on my druid i have keybinded a zillion things i thinks...

but why stop at shift+1?

u can do alt+1 or ctrl+1

another thing i like aswell is the G15/G11 keyboard by logitech... ALOT of extra buttons just left to ur wasd more or less

Ianfleming wrote:

Yeah but tell me how I can use the dozens of binds when you use a mouse.
Mouse + wasd to move leaves little space for all the binds/macros.

That's my concern then, cause it doesn't feel right to use a mouse :p

My forms are bound to Z, X and C, I bind 1-9 with shift and control and anything I use often go on keys like F G T and V or shift variants of those. I also move with WASD like you in most situations

I started trying to move without wasd after 2 years of playing with it, and I can't seem to master it >.< I don't really know what to bind, either...Trying to get better at feral PvP, I've got the basics down, but...This is slowing me down, the keybinds and such, up until now I've just clicked =|

Prelude wrote:

Yeah but tell me how I can use the dozens of binds when you use a mouse.
Mouse + wasd to move leaves little space for all the binds/macros.

Well, I don't really have a great setup. But I do have a tip that I could share that may help save a few keys here and there. You can set up a macro so that casts a different spell depending on the target. So I have
- no target: rejuv on me
- enemy target: moonfire
- friendly target: rejuv on target

That saves a few keys for me and keep the UI trim. Though my priest benefits more. If anyone has trouble writing one, I can help out (took me a while to get it to work with bongos!).

I play using mouse and keyboard. All my abilities are bound to keys and i use my mouse for moving camera and some character movement when my left hand is busy. I use WASD to move. My favorite thing to use is macros. They can save a TON of space. For example, a macro that casts pounce when im stealthed, and mangle when im not. Or Prowl when in cat form and frenzied regeneration when in bear form. That way I only need one key for two or three different abilities. I dont use these for healing spells though because i like to pop out of forms instantly for quick heals. all my healing spells are shift+key. Oh and another interesting thing is that i use mouse buttons for abilities, like shifting. It frees up your left hand a little bit. And dont forget keys like "c" "x" and "z" arent all that important from the default settings. I mean do you really need a whole key to draw your weapon? especially one that is in such a vital position. why not turn it into something more useful during combat. Oh and Chrille DOES use his mouse and keyboard. The numpad keybindings are for things that are not really combat related, such as mounting and assigning a focus target. How do you think he does that weird camera shake sometimes?