APM in BGs (and mouse bindings, too)

PVP Battlegrounds
1

I haven’t played WoW in a couple of years, I’m giving it a try again and experimenting with all my old characters to see how different builds work now.

I’ve never been particularly quick on the draw but now I have arthritis so fast-paced button-mashing isn’t working for me. I’ve read posts about actions per minute (APM) rankings from raids, but I wondered if those rankings translate into battlegrounds. I’m not trying to do ranked stuff or anything competitive but I’d like to hold my own in random BGs.

I found an APM list at SimulationCraft, it suggests that the lowest APM in raid settings for ranged DPS are Frost/Arcane Mage, MM Hunter, and Destro Lock. Would that be true in battlegrounds as well, or is there a clear winner for the build with the fewest buttons and slowest rotation?

Also, I’m trying to figure out how to best utilize my gaming mouse. I have a Logitech G700s that I’ve never used for WoW before. I tried using the side buttons within WoW itself but it can’t see most of them, so I guess I have to bind them in the Logitech software and run that alongside WoW?

Once I get it working, would the ideal setup be a 4-skill rotation on the side (thumb) buttons, interrupt on the wheel, and then cooldowns on everything else? Or are there clever tricks with macros or shift/alt commands to better manage things? I’m getting overwhelmed just thinking about it!

Thanks!

2

Hi there.

Some simple tips from what you have posted.

  1. You will need to generally bind those “extra” mouse buttons as keybinds or “single keys” and that is generally not an issue with most modern gaming mice. You can figure out which keys are not being utilized; I generally use numberpad but make sure of case on your numlocks as it will toggle between that.

  2. I would structure your keys based on what you do most on the easiest to use keys. You can try to do this through trial and error and feeling what’s comfortable. I also like to group similar abilities together so for instance I use say E for a my main heal, and then I use SHIFT E to say heal me only. That way it’s nice and easy to use and as you indicated I would use the side buttons thumb ones as perhaps CD/single press versus “spam” since they generally are not as cozy to use as some of your other binds.

  3. I would pick an easy to use mouse button and bind it to ALT. I just recently learned this. (Or CTRL, or whatever is your non “easily reachable” third modifier button. Having 3 modifiers really opens up a lot of keybinds. BUT I recommend to do them slow and get cozy before going all in and finding what’s most comfortable.

  4. I would also look into mouseover macros for some of your abilities. The classes you mentioned are not healers, but it’s nice to be able to use some abilities fast on mouseover instead of just targets. There are many options and tweaks for this but for a basic one it would be something like:

/cast [@mouseover,exists][@target]SpellName

Just remember that it’s ultimately up to you on what’s cozy so I would recommend trying some things out and determining what is good for your hand size and personal comfort.

Also this is very basic stuff so can help a lot more if you were interested in specifics…

Hope it helps

PS - Slower paced classes could be Destro, Ele, maybe even SP. Though in PVP reaction time will always be a factor in how things play out.

3

Ele is hardly a good spec for someone with arthritis … you need to kite in GW all the time .

OP… Destro is a good spec for you . It’s mainly stand and deliver.

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I don’t find it a very twitchy spec. You run, plant, cast. But I respect your opinion. None of the specs are really “slow paced” in a pvp situation but some more than others.

1 Like
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The GCD is an APM barrier - this isn’t GW2. No classes require a high APM, as far as APM is concerned.

If you somehow managed 60 skills pressed and 60 mouse movements simultaneously that would be 120apm, which is still nothing to gawk at.

I’d imagine the average iron league of legends player has 120 apm.

While for MMO’s WoW has high variation in their binds, in the genre they have comparably simplistic rotations compared to things such as BDO or FFXIV etc. so even if the rotation is daunting at first, by time muscle memory kicks in, it won’t be.

(Despite seemingly popular belief, WoW is a game of macro moreso than micro). As our most MMO’s, hence the term “know the fight”. It’s a knowledge barrier, not a barrier of mechanics such as RTS or FPS.