Getting to the Next Level - (Keybind)

[grumbachr 4]

I'm ready to try and get my Ret Pally to the next level. I made vast improvements with my DPS from the first time I found the site. I'm now geared okay, reforged and gem'd well, but I'm afraid I'm still a clicker. On my own I've tried setting up a few different keybinding and they just are not working for me. I went as far as buying a new keyboard (Razer Anansi) to get some extra modifier keys.

I'm still reverting back to the clicker ways.

If you're a skilled ret pally what keybinds are you using?

[Zagam 1,982]

I, too, raided as a clicker for quite some time (Warlock) and introduced myself slowly into keybinds. I still click 25% of my stuff, but I'm growing out of it (late start).

I suggest using Q, E, F, R, C, X, and Z for your main abilities unless you prefer your number keys. Typically you'll want to bind your most common abiltiies to Q or E since they are the most ergonomical positions. 2, 3, and 4 are quite easily reachable depending on hand size, and 1 and 5 are good for cooldowns. Once you get those buttons down, you can double your binds with shift and alt modifiers. Shift-Q, Shift-E, etc open up just about all the abilities you could possibly need. I don't qualify as a superb Retadin, but when I do Pally, I play a little Ret. This is how I'd set up, and any other Retadin could chime in...

E = Crusader Strike

Shift-E = Hammer of Righteous

F = Judgment

Shift-F = Inquisition

Q = Templar's Verdict

Shift-Q = Divine Storm

3 = Exorcism

This would use 4 buttons and cover 7 of your core abilities, 8 if you put another ability to Shift-3. If you need to use R to reply to people (I do), then skip this bind, but you can still apply a good bind to Shift-R. I like this to be my cooldown button, so Shift-R for you could be Avenging Wrath. I'd put your longer cooldowns on longer reach keys such as 1 and 5. This makes it so you don't "fatfinger" or accidentally press them. For you, I'd put 1 as your potion and 5 as your Guardian of Ancient Kings.

For some encounters with interrupts being important, it's great to have this bound to a key you can VERY quickly get to it. For me, that button would be C. So, C might be Rubuke while applying Shift-C might be your Hammer/Fist of Justice. This way you have one button for both your stun and interrupt.

The rest of your abilities can be placed in various places and you can always use Alt as a modifier to open up a whole new set of keystrokes.

Don't get discouraged when people put you down as a clicker. I've excelled in PvE as a clicker as I've never really HAD to move to keybinds. In fact, I pushed several really high rankings clicking my way through abilities, but I can tell you something that every keybinder will tell you, and it's absolutely true...the game is a billion times better when you're not staring at your action bar. Slowly introduce one button at a time and practice on dummies until your motions are muscle memory. Best of luck!

[Tarazet 144]

I never go higher than 1-6 for number keys, so that I can keep my right hand on the mouse. These are always standard-rotation abilities like Exorcism, Judgment, Crusader Strike so that it's always easy to use them on every GCD.

Then I use Q, E, R, T, F, G, Z, X, C, and V for ancillary. These might be your Inquisition buff, trinkets, interrupts, and shorter-cooldown abilities like Execution Sentence.

For the upper bar I use F1-12, which are easier to feel with the left hand, since they're usually in groups of 4. I use this for longer cooldowns like Guardian of Ancient Kings and Avenging Wrath, potions, as well as defensive/utility abilities.

I use my Naga Hex buttons for things that merit an immediate response. When I'm playing Feral, we have to twitch-react to CC procs with Thrash, so I use it for that. For a Paladin, you might bind it to bubble.

[keefbeef 1]

Actually, if you're just starting to teach yourself to use keybinds, I'd suggest you try shifting your movement keys from WASD to ESDF. Opens up some more room on the left side of the movement keys for more binds and it would naturally place your left index finger on the F key on which most keyboards also place some sort of nub or bump to allow touch typists to distinguish it by feel. It can help you get your finger there more quickly and confidently as well as the last thing you want to do is go from being a mouse clicker to a constantly-looking-down-at-your-keyboard keybinder.

Edited June 10, 2013 by keefbeef

[Nemo 27]

Something that worked for me when learning my keybinds was to place all my most used abilities on an invisible (mouse-over) action bar.

In the beginning it's crazy irritating, but it forces your body to get used to knowing, rather than looking at your keybinds.

[areanu 16]

There's an excellent guide on that matter on Method's site. Cannot open it from work, but i'll update my post with a link when I get home.

[grumbachr 4]

Thanks for all the great advice, it's very much appreciated. I'll try to work on a few and see how they go.

I know all this is bound to help.

Thanks again.

[Nemo 27]

Just do it mate :)

It's a transition and like all transitions it's one that you'll have to adapt to.

Get in some playtime and have some fun with it!

[Lothrandir 12]

There's an excellent guide on that matter on Method's site. Cannot open it from work, but i'll update my post with a link when I get home.

Thanks for mentioning this :) quite interesting. Link is here for the lazily inclined:

http://www.methodwow.com/board/showthread.php?10501-Keybinding-Guide-World-of-Warcraft

Rgds

[EgoReaper 9]

If you're new to keybinds, deviating from the default keybinds can be a bit hard, I suggest using 1-5 and then modifying it with the shift key if you're just getting into it. I have a blizzard mouse to cover my bottom left action bar but one of my friends uses the F1-F6 keys for those bars.

1 - CS

2 - Judgment

3 - Exorcism

4 - TV

5 - HotR

S1 - Hammer of Wrath

S2 - CD Macro (Avenging wrath, potion, and herbalism CD for me)

S3 - ES

S4 - Inquisition

S5 - I use Fist of Justice, but Guardian would be good here as well if you don't have a special mouse.

[Vladamyr 169]

Here are the paly keybinds I use if it helps anyone.

S- means Shift

C- means Control

MB# means Mouse Button... 1=left, 2=right, 3=middle..etc...

1st table is for Healbot, 2nd for keyboard binds & 3rd for mouse binds.

[Jsen 0]

You can see my keybinds below. The numberpad binds you see there are ported to my mouse, which is the Naga and has 12 buttons on the side. If you don't have this mouse or one capable, remap to something else or get used to punching the numpad.