How to Set Up Keybinds in Warcraft's Default UI

Most World of Warcraft players will tell you that click casting is an inefficient method of accessing your characters spells and abilities. The preferred method of moving away from the old mouse are keybinds. Below I will briefly explain how to set up some basic keybinds in the default World of Warcraft UI. For all those Druids out there, check out the links at the bottom to see my preferred keybinds for the various Druid specs using the setup described below.

There are several third party programs out there for assigning and managing keybinds, but the default World of Warcraft UI does a fine job of handling them on its own. To set up your keybinds, go to the World of Warcraft Options Menu and go to Keybindings. A long scroll menu will then open up listing all the functions which can be keybound alongside their currently assigned key or keys.

To start adding bindings, scroll down to the part of the menu which governs your Action Bar buttons. You will see that they all have their numerical keys listed in Key One column of the menu. You will want to click the Key Two column where it should say "Not Bound" and assign the following keys to whichever action bar buttons you like: Q, E, F, G, X, and C. Now those keys will activate the abilities you place in the corresponding action bar slots. Now it is just a matter of putting the abilities you want in the rights slots and presto, you are using keybinds!

This method of setting up your binds is great because you can convert it use by multiple characters and specs simply by shifting around the buttons on your action bar to put your high use abilities into your bound slots.

Here are the specific keybinds I recommend for Druids:

Feral Tanking Keybinds
Feral DPS Keybinds (coming soon)
Restoration Druid Keybinds
Balance Druid Keybinds (coming soon)

Next Lil' Pet for the Blizzard Pet Store

Yesterday I shared my thoughts on Blizzard's loving embrace of micro-transactions and let's just say it wasn't pretty. Nevertheless, after blistering Celestial Mount sales yesterday (conservative estimates are claiming between $4 and $5 million) it is clear that Blizzard's new business model will be here to stay. As a result, the Pet Store will continue to grow. That means more "Lil'" versions of famous World of Warcraft denizens will inevitably find their way into the store alongside Lil' KT and Lil XT. Here are my top five picks for the next Lil' pets:

5. Lil' Marrowgar

With three comically large skull heads atop a disproportionately small winged body, a baby Marrowgar would certainly be a crowd pleaser. For extra flare, he could Bone Spike critters and even cry out "Bone Storm" in a baby voice at random intervals. Could it get annoying? Sure, but that didn't stop the Pandaran Monk...

4. Lil' Anub

This little bug would be certain to unleash a pestilence of preciousness upon all our souls. He could burrow and unleash microscopic swarms much to the delight of pet lovers everywhere.

3. Lil' Ragnaros

It will never be "TOO SOON" to get our hands on this fiery little scamp. Not only would he make a cute companion, but you could cook on him as well: delightful and delicious!

2. Lil' Sindragosa

She has been plaguing your sign in screen since Wrath of the Lich King's release, so why not drag an adorable version of her around with you! She could even do a miniature version of her roar. Chilling, yet endearing!

1. Lil' Hogger

The bane of lowbies existence since World of Warcraft's release, Hogger certainly deserves a place in the Pet Store. Would he have any cool abilities? Probably not, but come on, he's Hogger!

What Warcraft creature would you like to see turned into a Lil' pet?

Celestial Steed Mount Now Available.. For a Price

Blizzard has just announced the location of the Celestial Steed, a rather cool looking mount which was found hidden away within World of Warcraft's game files. Some had speculated the mount would be available from some reincarnation of Ulduar's Algalon the Observer. Unfortunately, however, the reality is more terrifying than the possibility of another Code Omega. The Celestial Steed will only be available through the Blizzard Store for the hefty price of $25.00.

Along with Lil' XT, this new "Pet Store" offering continues World of Warcrafts slippery slide into the world of micro-transactions. What is a micro-transaction? It is an in game item or feature which is available only at extra real world cost. For a full primer on the subject, check out any of the many games offered by Zynga or Nexon. Those games are built around the concept of micro-transactions.

Zynga and Nexon games are also, however, free to download and play. World of Warcraft at $15 per month on top of the cost of actually purchasing the game, is distinctly not. Hence my growing gripe with the Pet Store. I can understand, to a certain extent, the need to charge for services like faction changes and server transfers. The cost does serve after all as a deterrent for over use. For pets and mounts, however, there is no real need for deterrence.

Lil' XT could drop of XT. The Celestial Steed Mount could drop off Algalon. World of Warcraft's many denizens pay a monthly fee so that Blizzard can grow and maintain the virtual world in which they live. They do not pay so that the company can R & D some virtual goods to sell back to them. Now that the veil of charity is lifted, it is hard to see the Pet Store as anything but a greedy, player-unfriendly enterprise. Sure, Blizzard is a company out to make money, but when does the risk of alienating their player base outweigh the short term cash boost of micro-transactions?

For me, if I wanted to play Farmville, I would, but I would rather play World of Warcraft. I hope that Blizzard keeps that in mind.

Expertise for Feral Tanks

Recently, I have begun to wonder if Blizzard forgot entirely about Bear Tank itemization when crafting the gear made available in Patch 3.3. Sure, there is tons of Stamina and Agility to be had, but the striking absence of two pivotal Druid tanking stats on a vast majority of our class specific gear is incredibly disheartening. Those stats are Hit and Expertise. To answer your Feral Hit Rating Questions, check out our Guide to Feral Hit Rating Gear and our Bear Form and Hit Rating guide. Below I will explore the Expertise side of the Bear threat equation and explain why Blizzard has created a problem for Bear tanks tackling ICC.

What is the Bear Form Expertise Cap?

The soft cap for Bear Form Expertise is 26 Expertise or 132 Expertise Rating (the stat which appears on your gear). This level of Expertise will completely eliminate dodges from your enemies' defense tables. To eliminate parry from your enemies table you would need 443 Expertise, but I don't need to tell you how impractical and unnecessary that would be. Just shoot for 132 Expertise Rating and consider anything over that a less significant bonus.

Why is Expertise Important for Bears?

There is a common misconception amongst all tanks that Hit and Expertise are exclusively dps stats. The truth is, they are also vital threat stats because an attack which misses or is avoided generates zero threat. A lack of Hit or Expertise leaves your dps one unlucky string of failed attacks away from getting splattered by the target you were supposed to hold and all the Stamina and Avoidance in the world won't save you from their anger at the coming wipe.

Aside from the short term consequences of occasionally generating zero aggro, a lack of expertise severely harms your threat generated per second. Point for point, until you reach 132 Expertise Rating, Expertise gives you more threat per point than any other stat. You heard right, ANY OTHER STAT. That includes our precious Agility, Crit, Attack Power, Haste, and even Hit. Until you reach the hard cap of 132, Expertise nets nearly double the threat, point for point, of any other ability. If I have not convinced you by now that the stat is important, I do not think I will be able to.

Where Can Bears Find Expertise?

There are currently only three gear slots where Bears can find endgame leather with Expertise on it. Those slots are chest, feet, and legs. To reach your 132 target, you will need to equip an Expertise item in at least two out of the three. Unfortunately, you only have one random drop possibility (and it is BoE), so to get the Expertise you need you will need to part with either a significant number of badges or a significant amount of gold. Here are your options:

Chest:
Ikfirus's Sack of Wonder (BoE drop off Gunship in ICC 25)
Shadow Seeker's Tunic (95 Emblems of Frost)

Legs:
Lasherweave Legguards (95 Emblems of Frost)

Feet:
Footpads of Impending Death (Crafted BoE)

There are also a handful of rings and necks which provide Expertise, but they do not pair that Expertise with any other tanking oriented stats. Lastly, if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a Battered Hilt, the Lightborn Spire could help solve your Expertise woes.

Good luck in your hunt for this ever elusive stat. Hopefully, Blizzard will make things easier for us in the future.

Guide to Feral Druid Hit Rating Gear

On the heals of my comprehensive hit rating analysis and advice in Bear Form and Hit Rating it is now time to review some of the gear that is available to pull you out of your Feral hit rating slump. Below is a slot by slot breakdown of some of the best Feral hit rating gear currently available. For information on the Feral Hit cap and ways to work around it, check out Bear Form and Hit Rating.

Head

Mask of Lethal Intent/Hood of Lethal Intent - 75 Emblems of Triumph
Geistlord's Punishment Sack - Blood Princes (ICC 25)

Shoulders

Spaulders of Black Betrayal - Falric (H Halls of Reflection)
Shoulderpads of the Intruder - Assembly of Iron (Ulduar 25)

Back

Tank:
Platinum Mesh Cloak - 25 Emblems of Valor
Cloak of the Makers - Auriaya (Ulduar 25)
Titanskin Cloak - Mimiron (Ulduar 25 Hard Mode)
Royal Crimson Cloak - Blood Princes (ICC 25)

DPS:
Drape of the Lithe - Iron Council (Ulduar 25)
Accursed Crawling Cape - Devourer of Souls (H Forge of Souls)
Shawl of Nerubian Silk - Lord Marrowgar (ICC 10)
Might/Strength of the Nerub - Anub'Arak (ToC 25)
Drape of Icy Intent - Hordir (Ulduar 25 Hard Mode)

Chest

Choking Hauberk - Marwyn (H Halls of Reflection)
Knightbane Carapace - Crafted Leatherworking
Ikfirus's Sack of Wonder (BoE) - Gunship Battle (ICC 25) and in Sack of Frosty Treasures

Wrists

Chewed Leather Wristguards - Ick (H Pit of Saron)
Bracers/Armbands of Dark Determination - Anub'Arak (ToC 25)


Hands

Malfurion's/Runetotem's Handguards of Triumph - 25 Emblems of Triumph

Legs

Malfurion's/Runetotem's Legguards of Triumph - 50 Emblems of Triumph
Legwraps/Leggings of the Broken Beast - Northrend Beasts (ToC 25)
Gangrenous Leggings - Festergut (ICC 25)

Boots

Acidmaw Boots/Treads - Northrend Beasts (ToC 10)
Treads of the Icewalker/Icewalker Treads - Anub'Arak (ToC 25)

Rings

Tank:
Abomination's Bloody Ring - Gunship Battle (ICC 10)
Ashen Band of Courage - Ashen Verdict Friendly Reputation Reward
Harbringer's Bone Band (BoE) - ICC Random Drop


DPS:
Planestalker Band/Planestalker Signet - Lord Jaraxxus (ToC 10)
Ashen Band of Vengeance - Ashen Verdict Friendly Reputation Reward
Band of the Bone Colossus - Lord Marrowgar (ICC 25)

Trinkets

Mark of Supremecy - 50 Emblems of Triumph
Battlemaster's Precision - 34,100 Honor Points
Tiny Abomination in a Jar - Professor Putricide (ICC 25)

Weapons

Orca-Hunter's Harpoon - Marwyn (H Halls of Reflection)
Tortured Earth - General Vezax (Ulduar 10 Hard Mode)
Twisted Visage - XT-002 Deconstructor (Ulduar 25)
Dark Edge of Depravity - Yogg-Saron (Ulduar 25 Hard Mode)
Hersir's Greatspear - Blood Princes (ICC 10)
Shaft of Glacial Ice - Rotface (ICC 10)
Cryptmaker - Blood Princes (ICC 25)