Breakfast Topic: WoW Essentials
by Jennie Lees 
Feb 28th 2006 at 7:02AM
As gamers, we all have strange rituals and equipment setups--in real life. I always have paper and pen next to me when
playing, and I often have a laptop open too for email, IM and Thottbot. Add to that the usual gamer
staples of soda and snacks, and I'm all set; headset and Zboard at the ready, I can plunge into WoW feeling
well-equipped.When I end up playing elsewhere, I always feel there's something out of kilter -- from the lack of Teamspeak to the missing addons. What's your essential WoW kit? Any item or addon you simply couldn't play without?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Branislav Feb 28th 2006 8:32AM
I could not play without a good mouse.
I push my Razer mouse to the maximum sensitivity so that i only have to slightly move my hand/arm to go from the left to the right hand side of the screen.
I used to have wrist problems because of intensive gaming sessions on Lineage2 before WoW.
I played an archer, and had to run/watch behind/shoot again and again for 50 levels.
Use high sensitivity, that is my major advise. I believe anyone could have these problems in the longrun.
FPS gamer would avoid high sensitivity for accuracy reasons. We do not care about that since we mostly use the keyboard for game commands.
Kovah Feb 28th 2006 8:40AM
I usually pack my WTF, WDB and Addons folder, and upload it to my website. So when I go somewhere else to play, I just download it and unpack it. Then when I login everything is as home. Except for my Logitech Cordless Desktop Comfort, regular keyboards just don't cut it.
I actually use my PSP for Thottbot when I play, sometimes my Windows Mobile. ^^ Wish I had a laptop though. -.-
TheLimper Feb 28th 2006 8:50AM
My G15 Keyboard, with the latest Beta of Ventrilo is key. The LCD screen displaying Ventrilo stats and information is incredibly useful.
Stunwatch, CT_RaidAssist, and my macros are the other essentials.
PodMonkeys Feb 28th 2006 9:21AM
CosmosUI, RatPadsGS mouse pad, and my Razor Mouse (which I managed to get working on my G5 Powermac).
My work laptop is used as my Thott/GoblinsWS/Allahkazam terminal. I really gotta get me my own, since I sometimes leave the work laptop at work.
My chihuahua thinks that it is essential that he be stuffed into my shirt to help prevent my death.
Berylium Feb 28th 2006 10:03AM
If you're into raiding then CT_RaidAssist is pretty much a requirement.
Beyond that, as far as AddOns I've come to rely on, ClickHeal tops the list (I'm a priest) followed closely by Titan Panel and an assortment of Titan Panel AddOns.
-Berylium
toolmonkey Feb 28th 2006 10:17AM
Auctioneer, CTMod, and some good music. All of which are essential for me to make lots of gold and to enjoy the WoW experience.
Mike Feb 28th 2006 10:29AM
My essentials are (drum roll please...)
NOTHING. I'm a purist. My essentials are limited to my own person, a keyboard, and a mouse. No headset, no special gear, no add-ons. Just me and Azeroth. One on one.
Branislav Feb 28th 2006 10:50AM
I forgot the most important.
You DO need a girlfriend to take care of you after an evening of corpse run because of stupid gankers.
;)
Grendalsh Feb 28th 2006 10:52AM
Right hand = MS ThumbBall with programmed outrider buttons (jump, TeamSpeak mike)
Left hand = Nostromo N52. Every screen button pre-programmed, and most emotes, /commands, and mod commands
All right under my hand where I want it, with minimal hand movement (directional movement off N52 Dpad, POV steering with rightclick & Thumbball). Only time i have to actually move my hands is to the keyboard for chat.
CosmosUI, CT_Mods, and a slew of others.
Then throw in dual monitor, with secondary on the right showing Rhapsody (Trance grooves in Barrens... smoooth), Thottbot, IM for cross-faction coordination with guildmates, or TeamSpeak.
Like the idea of having yer mods avail on a webfolder, but hate not having my hardware with me. Good thing my house is the one people come to for lanplay :)
RighteousDork Feb 28th 2006 11:40AM
Yay! Another Nostromo Speedpad n52 user in the house. Nice.
I have tried a couple of times to play WoW at a local LAN gaming center but I spend more time moving my action buttons around than I do playing. I'll just stick with WoW on my own machine for now. I'll leave the LAN centers for games I don't have.
In terms of UI, I have become a big fan of BibMod. Everything is movable, scalable, and you got access to 10 action bars. It's incredibly flexible and uncomplicated.
My Logitech MX518 Mouse rests comfortably on my large WOWpad. I can adjust my sensitivity on the fly and use the back and forward buttons on the side for autorun and jump. When I'm traveling long distances, I primarily use the mouse for movement and of course looking around.
My left hand is usually glued to the Nostromo n52. I have buttons programmed for all of the major window panes (character, map, quests, skills, social, main menu). I also use it to open my bags, and when I'm fighting I will strafe with it. I use the directional pad for movement in smaller areas where there are more obstacles and precise movements are required. It's totally customized to the way I play and I can't imagine anyone else using it like this. I'm weird like that though.
Like Grendalsh, the only time I have to move my hands from the mouse or n52 is when I chat. I use a Saitek Eclipse keyboard that has a great backlight for typing in the dark. I love it!
StarShadow Feb 28th 2006 12:54PM
ADDONS.the same with kovah.upload.then download it whenever I need them.
and some music.not from WOW.but winamp
Tryst Feb 28th 2006 1:28PM
I love my Nostromo n52! Although my playing area is a bit crowded, so I'm working on that. It's not quite perfect yet. I could not imagine playing without TitanPanel, Enchantrix and Auctioneer. The other add-ons I have are great but those are the absolute essentials. I like to have everything in the most convenient spots possible.
Sam Mellick Feb 28th 2006 2:55PM
Wow Kovah, that's a pretty good tip!
I basically have my custom UI as my "essential". I do have a laptop, and I could hook it up so I don't have to alt+tab all the time, and it would save heartache because my computer is such a POS...
But I'm far too lazy. :P
Grendalsh Mar 1st 2006 12:05AM
Oi RighteousDork,
Too cool mate, I got the Saitek Eclipse board too! Tell me ye play a dwarf priest or NE rogue and I'll get the shivers :) It's great for those all-nighter dungeoncrawls with the lights off. Still surprised the only similar products to this cost like twice as much. Must be produced by AH engineers.
Wanna swap N52 profiles? Be interested in seeing how others think of laying out and accessing the UI.
mk Mar 1st 2006 1:12AM
Give me CT_Mod Core, flagRSP and Auctioneer, and I'm good to go.
Also, I wanted to mention (I don't know if it fits *exactly*) that if you can, have at least a total of 1Gb RAM in your system. You'll be glad you did every time you step into any of the capital cities.
Mike Mar 1st 2006 8:30AM
Mk- Amen.
I had 384 MB when I started playing (I know it's a weird number). At 384, Orgrimmar was decidedly unbearable. I might see a new frame every 3 seconds if I was lucky.
I upgraded to 1 GB about a month ago. Made all the difference in the world. 1 GB of RAM is most certainly a WoW essential.
Grendalsh Mar 2nd 2006 9:28AM
Ahh. forgot SellEnchant. Best durn revamp on a skill screen I've seen. Especially love that it colors based on available mats (on you, in bank, on alt, etc). And that it lets you reverse sort - what Enchants use this Reagent, so you know that you can either cast 2 of Enchant A or 1 each of Enchant A and B.
Wish I had something like it for the other skills, esp Alchemy. Tailoring at least has a slot selector so you can find all the things you can make for a given body part, but having to scroll thru a hunnert pots to find Minor Magic Resist or Swiftness is a pain.
vectorelement Mar 3rd 2006 2:15AM
Another vote for the Nostromo N52; can't melee without it.
Also Titan Panel and LootLink or whatever addon can show me the vendor price of various items.
J-bob Mar 9th 2006 9:52AM
I just picked up a nostromo 52 and was wondering how everyone else sets theirs up. If anyone has a moment, could you email me your profile at jvogelhut at gmail dot com.
Thanks