Be sure to leave comments with feedback and help support the series by hitting that LIKE button and SUBSCRIBING :) Thanks for watching! If you missed Ep1: Movement you can check that out here: ruclips.net/video/iK-n98-SKrM/видео.html
Hey Cdew, i've actually never used alt/ctrl/shift as modifiers. I do use shift now, but only for my mounting keybinds. I actually use a razor naga and have 12 of my keybinds across all my toons bound to that, with several serving the same purpose across all my toons. (i.e. 4,5,6 are always defensives for all my toons.) Would you recommend this as a possible alternative to the keyboard+modifiers or am I setting myself up to fail?
@bigbo bam why not use both? Hansol has a good video on his keybinds and how and why he uses a 12 button mouse Edit: Sodapoppin has one of his aswell with explenation of how and why he uses on his 12button mouse you can watch both their videos to further broaden your horizon on thsi topic
Your content creation has gone up a notch this year so far. The arena play-throughs, this series are both excellent. I'm not really a PvPer but they are must watch.
In regards to universal keybindings... It's super helpful to not only use the same bindings for all your characters but as Cdew was eluding to, it's really important to try and bind similar abilities to similar things. On all my characters I use the same binding for my interrupt ability, my big AoE abilities (consecrate, starfall, blizzard, flamestrike, rain of fire, carve, multishot, etc.), my huge offensives/defensives... The same bindings get used for similar abilities and I think that's definitely one of the best tips given in this video. Well done man.
I would also say Winterspring gives me the most feelings from all the classic zones. It was just such a big contrast when you finished questing through the dark and evil Felwood. I remember finally going through that tunnel. And when you got to the end of it, you had that beautiful bright view and I felt like being freed.
When is spring is a classic. Definitely brings back the feels. One that always hits me is Dun Morogh. Takes me back to the very beginning. The music really gets the nostalgia going.
Cdew, I don't know who you are or what you've accomplished in WoW, but these videos right here are golden. I'm going to sub, and hope that you continue this series.
Proper interrupt techniques would be a great one to do! For when you're playing defensive and when you're trying to be more aggressive what spells/types of abilities you try to kick. Love these vids
Haven’t watched the whole video yet so I’m not sure if he covers this but here is something that really helped me out once I got used to it. If your mouse has buttons that can be re-bound to a key on your keyboard, put those to good use. So let’s say for instance your mouse has 3 side buttons that you can press with your thumb, and they can be bound to any key. I would figure out which modifier button is the least comfortable for you to use easily, mine was always alt, and then rebind it to one of those mouse buttons so that you can make use of that modifier more comfortably and consistently. Doing this can also make it easier to use multiple modifier keys at once which can add another extra group of keybinds for you to use, like ctrl+alt 1-5, and ctrl+shift 1-5, . And don’t forget that once you rebind those other 2 mouse buttons to another key, like “[“ and “]”, you can then use modifiers with those buttons as well, which can turn those 2 buttons into 4, 6, or even 8 different spells, all depending on what works best for you. I would start slow though, maybe just putting 2 regular binds, and 2 modifier binds, then expand from there as you get more comfortable and practiced. I also wouldn’t suggest putting one of your “oh shit!” defensive cooldowns on a bind with more than 1 modifier unless you very very comfortable using that bind, because having to press multiple keys in a clutch moment where you’re depending on that cooldown just adds more chances for a missclick to happen.
A little late, but, if you haev a reprogrammble mouse, bind your mouse side buttons (mouse 4/5) to alt, ctrl, or shift, depending on preference, this allows much easier and faster modifier usage. i personally use ctrl on the side of my mouse since that one is the most awkward key for me to press on the keyboard
I usually don't comment on videos, but I like this series so much that I will gladly make an exception. Here is some feedback, I hope you find it useful. It's really great that you focus a lot on the reasons behind your actions. Many educational videos often give a short description of what they do for their own reasons, but you explain everything in a way that it can be applied by anyone, anytime, regardless of their experience. I know that rebinding keys can be hard for veterans (I've played WoW for years) and I'll admit that I used to backpedal sometimes back when I was using WASD for moving. However, as hard as it is the first day of applying new knowledge and techniques, after a night of sleep, my brain somehow adapted to it. Now I have no problem with the new way of moving (and I used to have the very problems he mentioned in the previous episode). Another excellent part of your videos is that you give us real-life scenarios that are very likely to happen, such as trinket-link. I don't play shaman, yet the idea behind the principle applies to every class. For example, I've had moments as warrior in which it was really useful to trinket a stun to be able to reflect a chaos bolt, which then killed the warlock (he didn't see that coming). Thankfully I had keybinds for both abilities that enabled me to do that. Every class has its own unique ways of using this principle and this is crucial to understand IMO, especially for beginners. The content of the videos are outstanding and I really appreciate that you take the time and effort to explain everything in such detail. I particularly think that the name "Cdews & Cdonts" is absolutely perfect for this. One little thing that I really recommend is a short but really cool intro/trailer that you can show at the start of every episode. Something similar to Swifty's "Legends of the Arena" could be really cool. My inner VFX artist is curious what you can come up with. I have a few suggestions for a next episode: how to move around in arenas, in particular when you're being chased down by melee enemies. Also, offensive vs. defensive: what's the difference in playstyles, when should you use which and how to detect which style the opponents are playing in. I can't wait to see what's next! PS: As sweet as it is to teach us how to become masters of the arena, you realize you're helping your competition to reach Blizzcon instead of yourself, right? ;) jk, I still want you to be Blizzcon champion one day!
@method cdew I know you're probably comfortable with what you're using and are unlikely to change, but what i use for my modifiers is my mouse buttons. So one of my mouse buttons (the side ones) is set to Alt and the other is set to Ctrl. Nowadays that's all I need. So obviously what I do to modify is just hold a mouse button down + keybind. works pretty well
To add onto the QWE movement keys, you can bind mounts to Shift+QWE and it wont interfere with your game play if you need something to bind it to. I have tried to bind spells to modifiers and QWE but like CDEW said it makes it really easy to mess something up when moving. so i unbound them and use Shift+W for my mount. I don't have the other ones bound to anything. Oh i do have alt +W for auto run but that wont really help, nor is it necessary.
Yo man, thanks a lot for making this, it doesn't just help the newcomers out there :P I'm a 2800 xp, 2600 cr player and even though i knew all of that, it made me go ahead and actually get rid of some old, historically grown keybinds. Partly because at the time i was watching this i just boosted a brand new druid from 0 to 110 with the preorder boost and was messing around with keybind setups since yesterday xP So TL;DR: Your vid gave me a nudge to go over all of my chars keybindings and i'll hold you personally responsible for all the rating i'll lose over the next few days/weeks because i'm casting the wrong spells! Also generally very good work on this series, very thorough.
This is EXACTLY what i've been looking for! Learning PvP and some of my bindings are awkward, and felt like I was running out of keybind options. Thanks for getting into the nitty-gritty and even showing a keyboard cam, and reminding us that different stuff works for differently-sized hands. I'm gonna play around with binding the control key as well as Shift+R, Shift+F, etc. Thanks, Cdewd
I use 1-5 for base spells F1-F4 for secondary spells (movement, healing,other stuff to keep me alive) and normally click anything else because I don't use them a lot unless its a boss or up for longer than 15 seconds, works for me the only reason I haven't changed it is because I'm used to it. The thing with the F1-F3 keys I use raid frames and just click those I'm quicker that way and I don't heal a lot. Its cool to see what other people use and I like how you didn't push it on people to do it one way everyone has a way that works and what does for one person doesn't for another. Over all great video good info.
This has opened my mind to what i need to change on my binds. I have just began to link my characters together ( def, atk, speed keybinds universal) but they dont feel like they are right. I really like how you talked about what binds "make sense" to have next to each other like trinket link. I just boosted my shaman which completes all the healers to 110. I will be redoing all my keybinds and moving them around. thank you for this series.... really no bullshit it is more than helpful even to people that already do these things.
I am new to your channel. The first video I watched was the start to this series. I enjoy how you present the information to the viewers, esp. your tone. It's a helpful way to impart your experience and knowledge. Thumbs up!
I just now watched your first two videos on key binding. I have been playing since the beginning of BC and I never figured out how to use them AND move properly. Now, I will try how you suggest and use the key binds. Thank you very much for your ideas.
Played Wow in 2008 and now back in 2022 in Dragonflight and want to do more PVP content - great video and great advices! Was watching time to time your videos mate eventho I havent played WoW - you are one of the best PVP players in the world and super nice guy - thanks for all hard work, videos and tips!
Great video. You said you've only heard of people using f1/2/3 or mouse scroll for friendly targeting. I'm using a mmorpg mouse (razer naga) and I'm using the thumb buttons for both friendly and enemy targeting, as well as macros for interrupting and purging arena targets. I think it makes sense since the thumb buttons are in rows of three. Just thought I'd share my technique for people that are looking for more alternatives for targeting keybinds.
Man, I am so gonna show this video to my girlfriend. She's, truth be told, a pretty good player and doesn't have much problems with it in HC/Mythic raiding but she's definitely struggling in PvP. She wants to get used to Keybindings but doesn't know where to start. I think especially the "keybinds that make sense" part can be really helpful, even for people who've already been using keybinds for years. Great stuff!
I love how these start off at the very basics! Can't wait for more video's in this series, I feel this can help so many people and myself. Keep up the great work
These videos are mint. I havn't played wow in 7 years but I'm enjoying looking back at thing's i never knew at the time! It's a strangely relevant nostalgia
I play rdruid and hpal, both around 2100 and this helped me realize that making ccs and wall all the same keybinds makes it a lot easier when switching between them. Thanks!
I suggest to use for example razer naga (or similar) + keyboard steelseries merc, for me is the best combination if you don't want to use a huge number of combinations with "shift+" or "control+".
I don't know about you guys, maybe your keyboard doesn't allow it but I usually press CTRL with the the palm of my hand (like, the side of the palm, under the little finger).
Hmm I didn't know it automatically targets pet with second click when bonded through default ui. Been a 2400+ player since bc. Learn something new everyday.
It’s so fucking annoying sometimes in M+ when I have dk’s locks and hunters on my team with pets. I’d accidentally click party member f2-5 twice and heal their goddamn pet.
Tbh I just have never bound it through default ui, always used targeting macros for arena enemy’s and party lol. With separates binds for pets. I like to consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the game in general, and most pvp advice videos are aimed at like 1500 players I feel like which makes sense that’s the majority of players. However my man Cdew always has some little interesting tidbit here or there I pick up from his videos like this. Most of his content is really enjoyable/ educational regardless of rating, which I definitely appreciate.
I love this series, keep it up! :) I was wondering if you would consider doing a video about where your eyes are looking in Arena. As a healer, I find myself tunnel visioning my party health frames more than anything else. I think your advice on this may help a lot of people.
I do this still.... its hard for me to break the habit. I got it origionally from raiding and tunneling on my frames. im always worried that if i look away for too long someone is going to die. I began to turn on the HP bars over friendly names to help not tunnel on the frames as much. it also helps you to be aware of where your team mates are at on the map.
This is awesome, and despite you mention basic aspects, it's good to see other person's opinion about this basic aspects, in order to progress firmly and keep up. Very explanatory, thanks a lot for the guide
My favorite zone from vanilla is actually westfall. Coming out of elwynn forrest it was the first zone past the starting point. I loved the vibe of the place, back when our view distance was like 5yards due to shitty computers you couldnt really see that far, which made the zone look so much bigger and in turn more mysterious. And I started to realize how frickin' big and varied this game was going to be. So it felt incredibly expansive, it felt mysterious, it felt more dangerous and overall just felt like I was at the beginning of a very long and contentfilled adventure with my friends ^^,
What I'd recommend, is to rotate the keyboard a bit, so that the left site is a bit higher. Feels super weird in the beginning, but it really makes it easy to reach modifiers. I feel like it is more ergonomic, because your pinky is your shortest finger and that way you can reach down to shift and ctrl easier. You might have seen that keyboard postioning at CS Pros to a extreme degree.
Maybe not Vanilla, as I started playing during WotLK, but Stranglethorn Vale was amazing. A lot of pvp, for the first time for me, and this jungle, just beautiful. And terrible "Green hills of stranglethorn" with all these pages. Man, that was fantastic.
Hey man, fantastic advice; I and I am sure others really appreciate the insight. Some things may seem obvious but as a newer player with the goal of hitting 2k, pvp is overwhelming and you help narrow it down piece by piece. Keep up the fantastic work!
I just tweaked my keybinds after this video! Now im using... Main Action Bar: 12345zxcvrft Bottem Left Bar: Shift + 12345zxcvrft Bottom Right Bar: Mouse scroll up, Mouse middle, Mouse Down, Mouse Button 5, Mouse Button 4, Then Shift+ all previous mouse buttons, then ~ button (for stop casting), and last F4 for mount. What do you guys think?
Thx for the video, it’s very useful I’ve been playing since TBC and I learned something new today. My favorite zone I think it’s behind where you record your video, I don’t remember the name but it’s a zone full of demons.
For me it has to be the shimmering flats. The first few thousand gold I ever made was from materials I spent weeks digging from around the edge and down in the insect burrows. Sadly I cant actually go there any more but still, that is probably my earliest proper zone memory that really stuck with me.
This is awesome. So many videos tell you to use this and that keybind but completely dismiss the 'How to', the simple, practical aspect of it. I was somehow still using my mouse and clicking like a mad man, til i reach that point in pvp where i clearly had to force myself and keybind everything. Took me a few weeks tbh to get used to it but the final result was a huge improvement, clearly i was playing much faster, i was more efficient with my team etc etc... . Anyway, this is so useful and applicable. Thank you !
I diddnt start till late wrath but when I think back to silvermoon forest and leveling my first character as a blood elf it makes my chest tight. Just remembering getting killed by a level 6 dragonhawk as I diddnt know that mobs don't scale with your level. Also going into the burning steps really gives me some feels since I think that is when wow starts getting a little darker, if you can even say wow is dark, and I started paying attention to the story behind the black dragonflight and deathwing.
Hey Dew, I don't play WoW and never have but I watch your vids/streams anyway because ya'll are awesome. Keep up the great work, you're speaking to more people than just the WoW community.
Thank you so much for creating this series of videos. I was always envious of people that had spider leg dexterity in their hands and could use ctrl. I ended up mapping ctrl into my mouse. (There is a button close to my thumb right below two side buttons that I also use for alternate strafing buttons on my mouse) Thanks for the tip on using Q& E as opposed to A&D that is a pro tip if I ever heard one for so many reasons. Impressed by the cat tree in the back. ;) -Subscribed
Winterspring definitely brings back great memories of questing with my friend, both of us level 58 (toward the end of Vanilla). Felwood also makes me nostalgic...farming Timbermaw rep with the same Priest friend 😊 Thanks for the informative video on adjusting to keybinds!
I just got back into WoW three months ago after 11 years off. Had a rough time getting used to keybinds. I have the same issues with CTRL. The abilities I have bound to CTRL 1-4 are my least used, because it's just too awkward getting the pinky down there. Thumb for ALT is my favorite. It's definitely the most comfortable. But don't forget your tilde, folks. I use the tilde and ALT+tilde. Though, sometimes it bugs out and stops working until I rebind it. I've also alt+tabbed out accidentally quite often using the ALT+tilde ability. Back in the day, my rogue's kick was on 7. SEVEN. I have absolutely no idea how I made that work, because I can't currently get my hand comfortably beyond the 5 now. I don't even like the 5. Have to stray too far from the moving keys.
real talk for ctrl modifier you might want to try using the palm of your hand at the end of your pinky finger you can even use shift+ctrl modifiers this way super comfy for me anyways.
hey man been playing for years, but always just below getting over that wall...I have key binds for long time...but. I like how you go thru everything...Ive learned alot in these two...looking for more !!
You helped me so much with this video! I thought you were insane with what you said in the movement video (use q,w,e) and I got used to it. Then I had so much available space and together with my new mouse (corsair scimitar) I have a keybind for everything important and the system I figured out will even transfer to every other char I play (similar abilities on same key). I know can instantly interrupt abilities, use mouseover makros to heal with my shaman (another great video you made) while having my focus target. Thank you very much :)
nice guide, liked it a lot! I use keybindings since years and think I tryed using almost every combo and modifier + mouses with many buttons .... but still can make use of what you're saying :) it's like you said... one develops very strange combinations and bad habits over the years so always room for improvement ;) Regards from Germany and thanks!
totally agree ,for newcomers it could be a huuuuuge help , i mean the universal binding.. i play since bc, and back then i was clicking too, wasnt even knew what the spells are cuz i didnt spoke english , but after years ive slowly built up my binds, and now days it has it worth .. just started to play a warlock since days ago, never really played, but my universal binds prevents me to do mistakes... cuz if i want to do some kind of actions ,my brain wants to press a special button, for example i wanna slow someone, i dont even know what my slowing curse's name are, but my brain presses C for it cuz my earthbind is on C, my harmstring is on C, or if i need fast movement,but it has a cooldown, i know that i press shift +5 cuz my spirnt is on it, my tigers lust on it,my dash on it, so ofc that burning thing on my lock is on it :'D etc etc .. so go on guys ,big wisdom what Cboi speaks :D
I've learned all this too over 10 years of playing. 1-5 Are basic damage/healing. Shift 1-5 Are cds, no matter what class. T is trinket. Cause trinket starts with T, idk. R is blink, on feral it's leap, but on healers it's dispell, so a little variety there. Good video though
Ty Cdew. Been following you to get my mini wow PvP fix I missed from vanilla... With classic 3 days away I got a new comp and needed some brushing up. This was perfect. I saw a sneak peek of your next vid and I can't wait! That's next lvl there. I was a glad rogue s1-3 and no one ever used any double spells to keys. That's brilliant and I have seen it yet but it makes sense. I just never thought to do it. Kicking down the spacial limits of your keyboard is beautiful... Thinking beyond the box. Plz keep up the work. Beautiful Why don't you use an orbweaver though? Is it comfort? I used asd for my comp. Have a rare keyboard that has the alt and shift/Ctrl keys in beautiful space allowing more keys on pinky. Ty sir
rly, rly great video, ty. Now u answer almost on all my questions, but 1: how u focusing? 1 macro for focus target? 3 macros for focusing each arena 1,2,3 and 1 more for focus target?
Great video Cdew! Not a lot of new stuff for me but I did learn some new things about the reasoning behind it. Maybe an idea for next videos is correct usage of defensive and offensive CD's and why certain comps are better then others? Keep it up !
favorite vanilla zone? Barrens.. Hands down lol. I You just spent so much time there, met most of my old arenamates in that zone for group quests/dungeons. The memories. When /1 was lfg lol
OMG I played my fair share of alts. I just recently took up demon hunter, and once I laid out my keybindings to closely resemble my universal keybindings, they don't make sense. Thanks for suggesting to go redo them when this happens.
Wow has millions of players. I'll never understand why 80% of them don't participate in the best part of the game. You are a legend in the pvp community, thanks for taking the time to make great videos for us
I always hated using CTRL as a modifier, then i remapped my keyboard and swapped CTRL with CAPS LOCK - being able to use the CAPS LOCK key as a modifier is even easier than SHIFT. Try it out sometime dew :)
Interesting. Depending on the variables of your keyboard, hand size, dexterity, and quickness the keys can be very different. For me alt is as natural as f, but Ctrl feels odd. Great insight.
I was watching this, because sometimes I second guess my keybinds after like 10 years, and I thought it was funny that I do the "universal keybinds" too. 1-5 is rotational, there is a set racial button, a set CC button, a set interrupt button, a set trinket... etc... Just made me chuckle a bit. The only thing I do differently, and from what I can tell most people don't, is I bind all my DoTs/HoTs or short CDs (tigers fury) to shift 1-5, and direct dmg.healing to just 1-5. Musta been something I picked up when afflock had a 9 button DoT rotation.
First time i went to Eastern Plaguelands as a level 55 paladin and found the hermit aka Tirion Fordring after which i help him find all his stuff is probably the most emotional memory i have of vanilla wow.
What do you think of every movement on your mouse? I have strafes, and all on my mouse. My keys are strictly abilities and or macros. Play rsham and rdruid 2kxp in 3s. And my base line abilities are asdfg, i actually use 123 as my team targets 123 1 always being me and 2 the person below me in the raid frame and 3 the person below them. Works for me. Just curious your opinion. And i do agree with most of your guide, interupt 123 is r, shift r, alt r. And cc for me whether its hex or clone is E, so i use e, shift e, and alt e for clone 123.
damn i learned so much from you. Ur guides are always very informativ and very well explained. Keep up the good work my dude! PS: Winterspring rocks! i love this zone so much :) farming frostmaul ekkos for all the expensiv meele consums and make good gold as a healer in classic wow :P
I am be understanding this wrong. Target arena enemy 1 is set to A, so that means if he sets an interrupt to Shift A, it will go to target arena enemy 1?
Hey cdew awesome vid man keep it up general nostalgia feels of just going through the dark portal for the first time gets me 😀 an idea for a video maybe how to cc effectively when on offensive classes and another maybe how to be efficient when playing defensive as a healer which I know I struggle with but anyway keep it up man
Ive gotten pretty quick just clicking my abilities, the only keybinds i use are on my mouse which is Spellsteal Polymorph Timewarp Ice block ans Blink.
Hey Cdew, aswesome video bro! My favourite zone in wow is Un'Goro Crater, it's unique and badass at the same time. I would love to see a video on the addons you use.
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Be sure to leave comments with feedback and help support the series by hitting that LIKE button and SUBSCRIBING :)
Thanks for watching!
If you missed Ep1: Movement you can check that out here: ruclips.net/video/iK-n98-SKrM/видео.html
ive never seen such helpfull videos ;D keep up the great work
Hey Cdew, i've actually never used alt/ctrl/shift as modifiers. I do use shift now, but only for my mounting keybinds. I actually use a razor naga and have 12 of my keybinds across all my toons bound to that, with several serving the same purpose across all my toons. (i.e. 4,5,6 are always defensives for all my toons.) Would you recommend this as a possible alternative to the keyboard+modifiers or am I setting myself up to fail?
This video is sponsored by mtn dew
@bigbo bam why not use both?
Hansol has a good video on his keybinds and how and why he uses a 12 button mouse
Edit: Sodapoppin has one of his aswell with explenation of how and why he uses on his 12button mouse
you can watch both their videos to further broaden your horizon on thsi topic
Tbh, i just don't really want that many keybinds. I might start adding some little by little, but not much else.
For anyone revisiting this video and struggle with modifiers, a lot of mice allow you to map shift/ctrl to mouse button 4 and 5
I dont use ctrl with my pinky but with the part of the hand just below the pinky
Your content creation has gone up a notch this year so far. The arena play-throughs, this series are both excellent. I'm not really a PvPer but they are must watch.
We're trying! Thanks for your comment and supporting :)
Method Cdew no worries bro, try to qualify for the MDI. You can’t lose at Blizzcon there Kappa
I second this... not been subed that long to you, but i love the content.
Joe May
Agreed!
In regards to universal keybindings... It's super helpful to not only use the same bindings for all your characters but as Cdew was eluding to, it's really important to try and bind similar abilities to similar things. On all my characters I use the same binding for my interrupt ability, my big AoE abilities (consecrate, starfall, blizzard, flamestrike, rain of fire, carve, multishot, etc.), my huge offensives/defensives... The same bindings get used for similar abilities and I think that's definitely one of the best tips given in this video. Well done man.
I have my interrupt bound to alt+F4 but my WoW keeps closing...
laughed out loud, good one
What's wrong? Sounds to me like the interrupt is working. Interrupts your WoW gaming.
Lol
looks like you didn't set the keybind up correctly then
I would also say Winterspring gives me the most feelings from all the classic zones. It was just such a big contrast when you finished questing through the dark and evil Felwood. I remember finally going through that tunnel. And when you got to the end of it, you had that beautiful bright view and I felt like being freed.
When is spring is a classic. Definitely brings back the feels. One that always hits me is Dun Morogh. Takes me back to the very beginning. The music really gets the nostalgia going.
Cdew, I don't know who you are or what you've accomplished in WoW, but these videos right here are golden. I'm going to sub, and hope that you continue this series.
mvendi86 he's a pro player playing since vanilla :)
check at the wall above his head. ;)
He's like the #1 player. Tournament winning r1 player.
He just won Blizzcon!
Multi Rank 1 PvP...
The Founder & Head Professor of The School of Él Clapador.
Proper interrupt techniques would be a great one to do! For when you're playing defensive and when you're trying to be more aggressive what spells/types of abilities you try to kick. Love these vids
Haven’t watched the whole video yet so I’m not sure if he covers this but here is something that really helped me out once I got used to it.
If your mouse has buttons that can be re-bound to a key on your keyboard, put those to good use. So let’s say for instance your mouse has 3 side buttons that you can press with your thumb, and they can be bound to any key. I would figure out which modifier button is the least comfortable for you to use easily, mine was always alt, and then rebind it to one of those mouse buttons so that you can make use of that modifier more comfortably and consistently. Doing this can also make it easier to use multiple modifier keys at once which can add another extra group of keybinds for you to use, like ctrl+alt 1-5, and ctrl+shift 1-5, . And don’t forget that once you rebind those other 2 mouse buttons to another key, like “[“ and “]”, you can then use modifiers with those buttons as well, which can turn those 2 buttons into 4, 6, or even 8 different spells, all depending on what works best for you. I would start slow though, maybe just putting 2 regular binds, and 2 modifier binds, then expand from there as you get more comfortable and practiced.
I also wouldn’t suggest putting one of your “oh shit!” defensive cooldowns on a bind with more than 1 modifier unless you very very comfortable using that bind, because having to press multiple keys in a clutch moment where you’re depending on that cooldown just adds more chances for a missclick to happen.
Best series on the internet
A little late, but, if you haev a reprogrammble mouse, bind your mouse side buttons (mouse 4/5) to alt, ctrl, or shift, depending on preference, this allows much easier and faster modifier usage. i personally use ctrl on the side of my mouse since that one is the most awkward key for me to press on the keyboard
I usually don't comment on videos, but I like this series so much that I will gladly make an exception. Here is some feedback, I hope you find it useful.
It's really great that you focus a lot on the reasons behind your actions. Many educational videos often give a short description of what they do for their own reasons, but you explain everything in a way that it can be applied by anyone, anytime, regardless of their experience. I know that rebinding keys can be hard for veterans (I've played WoW for years) and I'll admit that I used to backpedal sometimes back when I was using WASD for moving. However, as hard as it is the first day of applying new knowledge and techniques, after a night of sleep, my brain somehow adapted to it. Now I have no problem with the new way of moving (and I used to have the very problems he mentioned in the previous episode).
Another excellent part of your videos is that you give us real-life scenarios that are very likely to happen, such as trinket-link. I don't play shaman, yet the idea behind the principle applies to every class. For example, I've had moments as warrior in which it was really useful to trinket a stun to be able to reflect a chaos bolt, which then killed the warlock (he didn't see that coming). Thankfully I had keybinds for both abilities that enabled me to do that. Every class has its own unique ways of using this principle and this is crucial to understand IMO, especially for beginners.
The content of the videos are outstanding and I really appreciate that you take the time and effort to explain everything in such detail. I particularly think that the name "Cdews & Cdonts" is absolutely perfect for this. One little thing that I really recommend is a short but really cool intro/trailer that you can show at the start of every episode. Something similar to Swifty's "Legends of the Arena" could be really cool. My inner VFX artist is curious what you can come up with.
I have a few suggestions for a next episode: how to move around in arenas, in particular when you're being chased down by melee enemies. Also, offensive vs. defensive: what's the difference in playstyles, when should you use which and how to detect which style the opponents are playing in.
I can't wait to see what's next!
PS: As sweet as it is to teach us how to become masters of the arena, you realize you're helping your competition to reach Blizzcon instead of yourself, right? ;) jk, I still want you to be Blizzcon champion one day!
@method cdew I know you're probably comfortable with what you're using and are unlikely to change, but what i use for my modifiers is my mouse buttons. So one of my mouse buttons (the side ones) is set to Alt and the other is set to Ctrl. Nowadays that's all I need. So obviously what I do to modify is just hold a mouse button down + keybind. works pretty well
To add onto the QWE movement keys, you can bind mounts to Shift+QWE and it wont interfere with your game play if you need something to bind it to. I have tried to bind spells to modifiers and QWE but like CDEW said it makes it really easy to mess something up when moving. so i unbound them and use Shift+W for my mount. I don't have the other ones bound to anything. Oh i do have alt +W for auto run but that wont really help, nor is it necessary.
tnx,good binds.will try that
Yo man, thanks a lot for making this, it doesn't just help the newcomers out there :P
I'm a 2800 xp, 2600 cr player and even though i knew all of that, it made me go ahead and actually get rid of some old, historically grown keybinds. Partly because at the time i was watching this i just boosted a brand new druid from 0 to 110 with the preorder boost and was messing around with keybind setups since yesterday xP
So TL;DR: Your vid gave me a nudge to go over all of my chars keybindings and i'll hold you personally responsible for all the rating i'll lose over the next few days/weeks because i'm casting the wrong spells!
Also generally very good work on this series, very thorough.
This is EXACTLY what i've been looking for! Learning PvP and some of my bindings are awkward, and felt like I was running out of keybind options.
Thanks for getting into the nitty-gritty and even showing a keyboard cam, and reminding us that different stuff works for differently-sized hands.
I'm gonna play around with binding the control key as well as Shift+R, Shift+F, etc.
Thanks, Cdewd
I use 1-5 for base spells F1-F4 for secondary spells (movement, healing,other stuff to keep me alive) and normally click anything else because I don't use them a lot unless its a boss or up for longer than 15 seconds, works for me the only reason I haven't changed it is because I'm used to it. The thing with the F1-F3 keys I use raid frames and just click those I'm quicker that way and I don't heal a lot. Its cool to see what other people use and I like how you didn't push it on people to do it one way everyone has a way that works and what does for one person doesn't for another. Over all great video good info.
Dont forget to use your wheel up and down and keybind it with modifiers, easy 8keybinds, specially useful for meles
This has opened my mind to what i need to change on my binds. I have just began to link my characters together ( def, atk, speed keybinds universal) but they dont feel like they are right. I really like how you talked about what binds "make sense" to have next to each other like trinket link.
I just boosted my shaman which completes all the healers to 110. I will be redoing all my keybinds and moving them around. thank you for this series.... really no bullshit it is more than helpful even to people that already do these things.
I am new to your channel. The first video I watched was the start to this series. I enjoy how you present the information to the viewers, esp. your tone. It's a helpful way to impart your experience and knowledge. Thumbs up!
I just now watched your first two videos on key binding. I have been playing since the beginning of BC and I never figured out how to use them AND move properly. Now, I will try how you suggest and use the key binds. Thank you very much for your ideas.
Played Wow in 2008 and now back in 2022 in Dragonflight and want to do more PVP content - great video and great advices! Was watching time to time your videos mate eventho I havent played WoW - you are one of the best PVP players in the world and super nice guy - thanks for all hard work, videos and tips!
Great video. You said you've only heard of people using f1/2/3 or mouse scroll for friendly targeting. I'm using a mmorpg mouse (razer naga) and I'm using the thumb buttons for both friendly and enemy targeting, as well as macros for interrupting and purging arena targets. I think it makes sense since the thumb buttons are in rows of three. Just thought I'd share my technique for people that are looking for more alternatives for targeting keybinds.
Man, I am so gonna show this video to my girlfriend. She's, truth be told, a pretty good player and doesn't have much problems with it in HC/Mythic raiding but she's definitely struggling in PvP. She wants to get used to Keybindings but doesn't know where to start.
I think especially the "keybinds that make sense" part can be really helpful, even for people who've already been using keybinds for years. Great stuff!
Simplicity, clarity, pedagogy, humility... You are awesome Cdew, many thanks.
This was an amazing video! Even with years of keybinding experience i still learned a LOT from this! Keep it up!
I love how these start off at the very basics! Can't wait for more video's in this series, I feel this can help so many people and myself. Keep up the great work
These videos are mint. I havn't played wow in 7 years but I'm enjoying looking back at thing's i never knew at the time! It's a strangely relevant nostalgia
I play rdruid and hpal, both around 2100 and this helped me realize that making ccs and wall all the same keybinds makes it a lot easier when switching between them. Thanks!
I suggest to use for example razer naga (or similar) + keyboard steelseries merc, for me is the best combination if you don't want to use a huge number of combinations with "shift+" or "control+".
I don't know about you guys, maybe your keyboard doesn't allow it but I usually press CTRL with the the palm of my hand (like, the side of the palm, under the little finger).
its 2023 and this video has been so informational .. omg Thanks CDEW
Hmm I didn't know it automatically targets pet with second click when bonded through default ui. Been a 2400+ player since bc. Learn something new everyday.
It’s so fucking annoying sometimes in M+ when I have dk’s locks and hunters on my team with pets. I’d accidentally click party member f2-5 twice and heal their goddamn pet.
Tbh I just have never bound it through default ui, always used targeting macros for arena enemy’s and party lol. With separates binds for pets.
I like to consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the game in general, and most pvp advice videos are aimed at like 1500 players I feel like which makes sense that’s the majority of players. However my man Cdew always has some little interesting tidbit here or there I pick up from his videos like this. Most of his content is really enjoyable/ educational regardless of rating, which I definitely appreciate.
I love this series, keep it up! :) I was wondering if you would consider doing a video about where your eyes are looking in Arena. As a healer, I find myself tunnel visioning my party health frames more than anything else. I think your advice on this may help a lot of people.
I do this still.... its hard for me to break the habit. I got it origionally from raiding and tunneling on my frames. im always worried that if i look away for too long someone is going to die. I began to turn on the HP bars over friendly names to help not tunnel on the frames as much. it also helps you to be aware of where your team mates are at on the map.
Loved leveling in Tanaris and still get nostalgia to this day when i go back there.
You could use a cast sequence macro with a short reset for pet targeting perhaps. I'm not even sure what the command to target friendly pet is though.
I feel the same way about Winterspring, I love the snow, reminds me of vanilla leveling to 60, the cool cat mobs. Favorite zone
This is awesome, and despite you mention basic aspects, it's good to see other person's opinion about this basic aspects, in order to progress firmly and keep up. Very explanatory, thanks a lot for the guide
My favorite zone from vanilla is actually westfall.
Coming out of elwynn forrest it was the first zone past the starting point. I loved the vibe of the place, back when our view distance was like 5yards due to shitty computers you couldnt really see that far, which made the zone look so much bigger and in turn more mysterious. And I started to realize how frickin' big and varied this game was going to be. So it felt incredibly expansive, it felt mysterious, it felt more dangerous and overall just felt like I was at the beginning of a very long and contentfilled adventure with my friends ^^,
What I'd recommend, is to rotate the keyboard a bit, so that the left site is a bit higher. Feels super weird in the beginning, but it really makes it easy to reach modifiers. I feel like it is more ergonomic, because your pinky is your shortest finger and that way you can reach down to shift and ctrl easier. You might have seen that keyboard postioning at CS Pros to a extreme degree.
These series are insanely informative dew! Loving the effort you put in these videos!
Maybe not Vanilla, as I started playing during WotLK, but Stranglethorn Vale was amazing. A lot of pvp, for the first time for me, and this jungle, just beautiful. And terrible "Green hills of stranglethorn" with all these pages. Man, that was fantastic.
Hey man, fantastic advice; I and I am sure others really appreciate the insight. Some things may seem obvious but as a newer player with the goal of hitting 2k, pvp is overwhelming and you help narrow it down piece by piece. Keep up the fantastic work!
I just tweaked my keybinds after this video! Now im using...
Main Action Bar: 12345zxcvrft
Bottem Left Bar: Shift + 12345zxcvrft
Bottom Right Bar: Mouse scroll up, Mouse middle, Mouse Down, Mouse Button 5, Mouse Button 4, Then Shift+ all previous mouse buttons, then ~ button (for stop casting), and last F4 for mount.
What do you guys think?
Thx for the video, it’s very useful I’ve been playing since TBC and I learned something new today. My favorite zone I think it’s behind where you record your video, I don’t remember the name but it’s a zone full of demons.
For me it has to be the shimmering flats. The first few thousand gold I ever made was from materials I spent weeks digging from around the edge and down in the insect burrows. Sadly I cant actually go there any more but still, that is probably my earliest proper zone memory that really stuck with me.
This is awesome. So many videos tell you to use this and that keybind but completely dismiss the 'How to', the simple, practical aspect of it. I was somehow still using my mouse and clicking like a mad man, til i reach that point in pvp where i clearly had to force myself and keybind everything. Took me a few weeks tbh to get used to it but the final result was a huge improvement, clearly i was playing much faster, i was more efficient with my team etc etc... . Anyway, this is so useful and applicable. Thank you !
Hey Chuck, proud of you!! Know it was a struggle, but you finally got it!! WELL DONE LAD!
I diddnt start till late wrath but when I think back to silvermoon forest and leveling my first character as a blood elf it makes my chest tight. Just remembering getting killed by a level 6 dragonhawk as I diddnt know that mobs don't scale with your level. Also going into the burning steps really gives me some feels since I think that is when wow starts getting a little darker, if you can even say wow is dark, and I started paying attention to the story behind the black dragonflight and deathwing.
Hey Dew, I don't play WoW and never have but I watch your vids/streams anyway because ya'll are awesome. Keep up the great work, you're speaking to more people than just the WoW community.
Thank you so much for creating this series of videos. I was always envious of people that had spider leg dexterity in their hands and could use ctrl. I ended up mapping ctrl into my mouse. (There is a button close to my thumb right below two side buttons that I also use for alternate strafing buttons on my mouse) Thanks for the tip on using Q& E as opposed to A&D that is a pro tip if I ever heard one for so many reasons. Impressed by the cat tree in the back. ;) -Subscribed
Winterspring definitely brings back great memories of questing with my friend, both of us level 58 (toward the end of Vanilla). Felwood also makes me nostalgic...farming Timbermaw rep with the same Priest friend 😊
Thanks for the informative video on adjusting to keybinds!
This is probably the best keybinding guide I've seen. Great job.
I just got back into WoW three months ago after 11 years off. Had a rough time getting used to keybinds. I have the same issues with CTRL. The abilities I have bound to CTRL 1-4 are my least used, because it's just too awkward getting the pinky down there. Thumb for ALT is my favorite. It's definitely the most comfortable.
But don't forget your tilde, folks. I use the tilde and ALT+tilde. Though, sometimes it bugs out and stops working until I rebind it. I've also alt+tabbed out accidentally quite often using the ALT+tilde ability.
Back in the day, my rogue's kick was on 7. SEVEN. I have absolutely no idea how I made that work, because I can't currently get my hand comfortably beyond the 5 now. I don't even like the 5. Have to stray too far from the moving keys.
real talk for ctrl modifier you might want to try using the palm of your hand at the end of your pinky finger you can even use shift+ctrl modifiers this way super comfy for me anyways.
holy shit..... mind fucking blown.......
I love this series. I love all your videos in general though. Keep it up man!
hey man been playing for years, but always just below getting over that wall...I have key binds for long time...but. I like how you go thru everything...Ive learned alot in these two...looking for more !!
You helped me so much with this video! I thought you were insane with what you said in the movement video (use q,w,e) and I got used to it. Then I had so much available space and together with my new mouse (corsair scimitar) I have a keybind for everything important and the system I figured out will even transfer to every other char I play (similar abilities on same key). I know can instantly interrupt abilities, use mouseover makros to heal with my shaman (another great video you made) while having my focus target. Thank you very much :)
nice guide, liked it a lot! I use keybindings since years and think I tryed using almost every combo and modifier + mouses with many buttons .... but still can make use of what you're saying :) it's like you said... one develops very strange combinations and bad habits over the years so always room for improvement ;) Regards from Germany and thanks!
San Andreas throwback in the beginning, FeelsGoodMan! Also, love the video, keep this going man
totally agree ,for newcomers it could be a huuuuuge help , i mean the universal binding.. i play since bc, and back then i was clicking too, wasnt even knew what the spells are cuz i didnt spoke english , but after years ive slowly built up my binds, and now days it has it worth .. just started to play a warlock since days ago, never really played, but my universal binds prevents me to do mistakes... cuz if i want to do some kind of actions ,my brain wants to press a special button, for example i wanna slow someone, i dont even know what my slowing curse's name are, but my brain presses C for it cuz my earthbind is on C, my harmstring is on C, or if i need fast movement,but it has a cooldown, i know that i press shift +5 cuz my spirnt is on it, my tigers lust on it,my dash on it, so ofc that burning thing on my lock is on it :'D etc etc .. so go on guys ,big wisdom what Cboi speaks :D
I've learned all this too over 10 years of playing. 1-5 Are basic damage/healing. Shift 1-5 Are cds, no matter what class. T is trinket. Cause trinket starts with T, idk. R is blink, on feral it's leap, but on healers it's dispell, so a little variety there. Good video though
Ty Cdew. Been following you to get my mini wow PvP fix I missed from vanilla... With classic 3 days away I got a new comp and needed some brushing up. This was perfect. I saw a sneak peek of your next vid and I can't wait! That's next lvl there. I was a glad rogue s1-3 and no one ever used any double spells to keys. That's brilliant and I have seen it yet but it makes sense. I just never thought to do it. Kicking down the spacial limits of your keyboard is beautiful... Thinking beyond the box. Plz keep up the work. Beautiful
Why don't you use an orbweaver though? Is it comfort? I used asd for my comp. Have a rare keyboard that has the alt and shift/Ctrl keys in beautiful space allowing more keys on pinky. Ty sir
Dew you're awesome! This series is so damn useful! Thanks bro and keep em comin!
rly, rly great video, ty. Now u answer almost on all my questions, but 1: how u focusing? 1 macro for focus target? 3 macros for focusing each arena 1,2,3 and 1 more for focus target?
Great video Cdew! Not a lot of new stuff for me but I did learn some new things about the reasoning behind it. Maybe an idea for next videos is correct usage of defensive and offensive CD's and why certain comps are better then others? Keep it up !
great video cdew, I would like to see one that goes over your !plates and raid target profile as well.
thats exactly what i was looking for !! ty so much dew !! the best so far !!
favorite vanilla zone? Barrens.. Hands down lol. I You just spent so much time there, met most of my old arenamates in that zone for group quests/dungeons. The memories. When /1 was lfg lol
OMG I played my fair share of alts. I just recently took up demon hunter, and once I laid out my keybindings to closely resemble my universal keybindings, they don't make sense. Thanks for suggesting to go redo them when this happens.
New to your channel Cdew, and really like your stuff! Your attitude is great, man. Thanks for sharing. :)
Wow has millions of players. I'll never understand why 80% of them don't participate in the best part of the game. You are a legend in the pvp community, thanks for taking the time to make great videos for us
Exactly what i actually recommend to my peeps. 1 bind at a time, get confortable with it, then bind one more. you got a new sub :D
"We're gonna jump the the -f...we're gonna jump right in."
Best intro :)
I always hated using CTRL as a modifier, then i remapped my keyboard and swapped CTRL with CAPS LOCK - being able to use the CAPS LOCK key as a modifier is even easier than SHIFT. Try it out sometime dew :)
dude .. you just completly blew my mind with this obvious but totaly genius solution
i actualy cant belive i never thought about that
HOW DO YOU DO DIS.... MY MIND IS BLOWN... TALK AND TAKE MY MONEY...
MAL are you being sarcastic?😂
Seriously good comment! No more Sauron hands when reaching for ctrl.
well I doubt he will change that lol he is running those settings since he played, why would you change that now xD
Interesting. Depending on the variables of your keyboard, hand size, dexterity, and quickness the keys can be very different. For me alt is as natural as f, but Ctrl feels odd. Great insight.
I was watching this, because sometimes I second guess my keybinds after like 10 years, and I thought it was funny that I do the "universal keybinds" too. 1-5 is rotational, there is a set racial button, a set CC button, a set interrupt button, a set trinket... etc... Just made me chuckle a bit. The only thing I do differently, and from what I can tell most people don't, is I bind all my DoTs/HoTs or short CDs (tigers fury) to shift 1-5, and direct dmg.healing to just 1-5. Musta been something I picked up when afflock had a 9 button DoT rotation.
Man I don't even play wow anymore but i will stick to that ringing bell to watch the entire serie. keep it up man!
I strafe with Q and E, target party 1&2 with scroll wheel up and down. Target self with S. Target arena 123 with Shift: ASD
First time i went to Eastern Plaguelands as a level 55 paladin and found the hermit aka Tirion Fordring after which i help him find all his stuff is probably the most emotional memory i have of vanilla wow.
What a great video. I was looking for someone who shows his keyboard while using spells. Never used shift for binding. Thanks !
Keep it up man, really useful stuff
I leveled in BC but my favorite zone leveling was for sure Hillsbrad Foothills. I had so much fun in that zone.
oh man the pro F1 + click bandage move :D Nice video. I loved Tanaris btw
This series is super helpful and great, keep up the good work!
Be sure to check out the others I've done!
Thanks for watching glad you like the series :)
What do you think of every movement on your mouse? I have strafes, and all on my mouse. My keys are strictly abilities and or macros. Play rsham and rdruid 2kxp in 3s. And my base line abilities are asdfg, i actually use 123 as my team targets 123 1 always being me and 2 the person below me in the raid frame and 3 the person below them. Works for me. Just curious your opinion. And i do agree with most of your guide, interupt 123 is r, shift r, alt r. And cc for me whether its hex or clone is E, so i use e, shift e, and alt e for clone 123.
damn i learned so much from you. Ur guides are always very informativ and very well explained. Keep up the good work my dude!
PS: Winterspring rocks! i love this zone so much :) farming frostmaul ekkos for all the expensiv meele consums and make good gold as a healer in classic wow :P
This series is great, keep up the great work cdew!
I am be understanding this wrong. Target arena enemy 1 is set to A, so that means if he sets an interrupt to Shift A, it will go to target arena enemy 1?
Deepholm is my absolute favorite zone! Just looks great the quest line was fun everything about that zone is awesome!
Hey cdew awesome vid man keep it up general nostalgia feels of just going through the dark portal for the first time gets me 😀 an idea for a video maybe how to cc effectively when on offensive classes and another maybe how to be efficient when playing defensive as a healer which I know I struggle with but anyway keep it up man
Ive gotten pretty quick just clicking my abilities, the only keybinds i use are on my mouse which is Spellsteal Polymorph Timewarp Ice block ans Blink.
Cdew I love you man, thanks for making these vids, well job man
Hey Cdew, aswesome video bro!
My favourite zone in wow is Un'Goro Crater, it's unique and badass at the same time.
I would love to see a video on the addons you use.
I loved stranglethorn vale for the way it looked but I hated always getting yanked there
I can't use cntrl or mouse buttons ... So I don't have enough binds what can I do?
I really miss leveling in un goro. It was a magical place with quests referencing Mario and Zelda. super neat place
what are you using as shapeshift hotkeys?