There are many different ways to play this game of ours. No ways are really “wrong”, but there are some ways in which you end up limiting yourself. One of those ways is by “keyboard turning”. What is Keyboard Turning?

Keyboard Turning is when you use either the Arrow keys or the ASDW keys to do all of your in-game character movement. All of your turning is with <– or –> or with A or D, and all of your forward or backward movement is with ^ or v, or with W or S. While it certainly works in some situations, it can hinder your ability to move quickly out of AoE attacks or other such in-game disasters, and will severely cripple your ability to kite effectively.

Most Keyboard Turners are also what we call “Clickers”. Clickers use their mouse to click individual spells in their bars instead of using Keybinds to cast spells. While this might seem perfectly acceptable for a raider who stands and shoots, again we see later on that they’re hindered by their inability to move quickly while still maintaining spells.

The best thing you, as a player, can do for yourself is learn how to avoid Spell Clicking and Keyboard Turning. There are a few different ways of doing this, and you’ll have to find what works for you. Most people are unaware that if you click both your left and your right mouse button at the same time, you will run forward and can still control the axis. Of course, Mac users will have to find an alternative.

However, I find that clicking both buttons, while a good “oh sh*t” tactic, or even a “hands free” tactic, isn’t always the best way to move around, as it can limit your field of  view, or cause you to accidently run somewhere you didn’t want to go. I don’t know about you, but my at-home computer setup has a limited area for mouse movement, and this can really make the difference while dual-clicking. As hopefully you already know, clicking and holding the Left mouse button will change your camera angle but will not point your character in the same direction. This is very useful for finding things on your screen while maintaining your current position. For example, you are DPSing  a boss, but need to keep an eye on the healer to your left, so you can continue your rotation, but pull your camera to focus on your healer. Many people like to use the left button to find their desired travel location, then add the right button to it, so that their character immediately follows their planned route.

Clicking and holding the Right mouse button will change your character positioning, and it behaves the same as the A and D or <– and –> keys, as well as controls the Y axis (looks up and down). This is my favorite way to do things, because you can control exactly how much of the screen you can see, and can twist your character left or right while doing so. In combination with the right mouse button, you can use ASDW keys to further your movements and gain what I feel to be a bit more control over your movements.

The issue then becomes “Where do I put my keybinds?”, as it’s pretty difficult to hit the higher numbers of your keyboard while still keeping fingers on ASDW. Most people use numbers 1-0 for their spell keybinds, then use combinations of Shift+# to change active Spell bars. I find that this system does not work well for me. I like to have all of my spells displayed so I can keep an eye on them, and hitting the 0 button while turning requires me to remove my right hand from the mouse, as my left will not stretch all the way over there.

Seems I have created a delimma – but I’ve found a simple way to combat this, and actually make it faster and more efficient to use the right mouse button in combination with ASDW. I simply keybind all of my spells to standard Letter buttons. Because the buttons are so much closer together, it allows me to quickly shift from spell to spell without a moment’s hesitation, and I can do all of this while strafing, changing camera angles, or kiting. I do not need to look at my keyboard for anything, nor do I need to remove my hand from my mouse at any point.

This changes quite a few Default keybinds, however, and if you choose to do things this way, you’ll need to be aware of what keybinds you’ll be missing that you may have previously used. Below is a keyboard I’ve edited to show my keybinds.

 

 

 

 

 

All pet functions remain the same, with CTRL – # as is the default binding.

All orange spells are performed by holding Shift, then the desired key.

All green spells are the individual keys, no holding necessary. The red keys are, obviously, the standard directional keys.

Space Bar, by default, is Jump.

By holding the right mouse button and holding down A on the keyboard, you will strafe left, and holding the D with the right mouse button will strafe right. Generally, you shouldn’t be using the “backward” S key, as walking backward is slower than changing directions entirely and running forward. For turning quickly from front to back, the best way is either by clicking and holding both mouse buttons, as stated previously, or by holding the right mouse button, jumping, and pivoting your mouse left or right before landing. The pivot tactic is the tactic I use for Kiting, as I will pivot backward in midair, fire my shot with my keybinds, and pivot back in the direction I was running, all before my feet hit the ground again.

Remember, these tactics might not be the best way for you to play. Do what makes you feel comfortable, so long as you try to break out of your limitations. I was once both a mouse-clicker AND a keyboard-turner, and I can assure you that keybinds and mouse movement are far superior, and will change the skill level of your gaming experience tremendously. Take the time and effort to train yourself, and you will see results.