Prot Warrior Key Bindings

[Drooze]

Being a WotLK baby, I am quite new at the game. However, I have decided that I am going to undergo the job of tanking in the Cataclysm content.

I was a protection warrior all the way up to level 80. In doing so, I used my left hand for: W,A,S,D, 1-5, etc. and my right hand for: the number pad. I did not use the mouse at all! Just to make it clear I did not tank in ICC or any other PvE as soon as I hit level 80, but I do want to go into Cataclysm PvE as a tank.

Bottom line, should I enter the PvE content of Cataclysm by sticking with my number pad and not using my mouse at all, or should I force myself to become comfortable with using key extensions such as: shift+1.

What has brought up this debate the most is the fact of selecting a target. At the moment, in random heroics I use TAB to select my targets, for example if they need to be taunted. I am worried that going into the 10, 25 man raids my method of not using my mouse at all is going to be to slow, and not as efficient.

Please share your opinion, I am really puzzled whether to play with my mouse and use key extensions or stick with my number pad.

[Sebadoh]

You're going to need your mouse to turn quickly - keyboard turning does not cut it in most raiding situations.

So yes, you're going to need to re-adjust to a different setup. You could always try a mouse with several buttons on the sides though, giving you more buttons to play with.

[Pyorrhea]

Hi Drooze,

Firstly if it is more comfortable for you to keyboard turn then I guess it might still work for you, however that is frowned upon when tanking. WotLK did not have allot of movement within HC's so it was doable, however with Cata HC Dungeons it is quite a scale up.

The mouse gives you a movement hand and a selecting hand, also the ability to make use of Mouse over macros.

Macro's would make your life allot easier, there is a great post here about setting macro's : http://www.tankspot.com/showthread.p...ighlight=macro

There was another one with layouts and which keys to bind, but I am not able to find it now. If someone else can supply the link it would be great.

** Managed to find it : http://www.tankspot.com/showthread.p...ybinds-and-You

Mouse Over Macro's:
--------------------------------

General idea with mouse over macro's are that you don't have to TAB to target in the situation where the DPS/Healer might have a mob on them or are about to die and could be saved with one of your abilities.

Bare bones Macro :
--------------------------
#showtooltip
/cast [mod:shift,target=mouseover, exist, 'TARGET MODIFIER'][mod:shift] ABILITY1; [target=mouseover, exist, 'TARGET MODIFIER'] ABILITY2

Target Modifier : This defines the role of the macro created, to be used on assist, target targets target, harm etc.

targetassist/targettarget/harm/assist, these are some of the modifiers that can be used.

[MOD:Shift:CTRL: ALT]

Key modifiers let you assigned key bindings to additional keys with key combinations :

ie, Pressing 1 could be used for Taunt and Pressing SHIFT + 1 for AoE taunt(Challenging Shout)

***The above aforementioned is only an example

Now incorporate the above into a Taunt Macro, which will do the following :

You will have a single target taunt which will work by simply hovering you mouse pointer over the target or targets target, when holding down shift you will have an AoE taunt.

#showtooltip
/cast [mod:shift,target=mouseover, exist, targetassist/targettarget][mod:shift] Challenging Shout; [target=mouseover, exist, targetassist/targettarget] Taunt

The above can be applied to most, if not all, Abilities. Depending on what you might use them for e.g, intervene, heroic throw etc.

Play around with it and find out what works for you.

[t2teddy]

Now incorporate the above into a Taunt Macro, which will do the following :
You will have a single target taunt which will work by simply hovering you mouse pointer over the target or targets target, when holding down shift you will have an AoE taunt.

#showtooltip
/cast [mod:shift,target=mouseover, exist, targetassist/targettarget][mod:shift] Challenging Shout; [target=mouseover, exist, targetassist/targettarget] Taunt

The above can be applied to most, if not all, Abilities. Depending on what you might use them for e.g, intervene, heroic throw etc.
Play around with it and find out what works for you.

Sadly, I have never tried using macros, so I'm completely ignorant of what any of that means. However it looks like if I were to want to change the ability that's being macroed, that I'd have to replace 'Challenging Shout? And maybe 'Taunt'? with something else. Is that right?

[Drooze]

Thanks for the advice. I will sure give those macros a try.