How to set up and use the Belkin Nostromo N52
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 6th 2008 at 7:00PM
Our good friend Phaelia from Resto4Life (who, I'll have you know, will be live on our podcast this week -- more info tomorrow) has an extremely in-depth guide to setting up and using one of the most popular controllers for World of Warcraft, the Belkin Nostromo keypad. Some people swear by the G15 or the Zboard, I personally like to keep things vanilla with just an Apple Keyboard and a gaming mouse, but whenever you ask WoW players what they use, it seems like the Nostromo always comes up.And Phaelia's got it down -- from setting up button mods (she's using Bartender, one of Adam's essential addons for 3.0.3) to configuring the keyboard itself and even putting in macros for all three Druid forms, if you've ever wanted to use the Nostromo, there's probably something interesting to learn here. Seems really complicated to me -- I'm not sure if I'm willing to commit that much work into getting my interface exactly right, especially if there's a chance that a big patch could wipe it all out.
But I can see how half the fun of playing the game is getting the controls just perfect, and if tweaking things that much makes you play that much better, more power to you. If you want to dive into the world of custom controllers, Phaelia's guide will probably be invaluable.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Add-Ons, Hardware
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Vorust Nov 6th 2008 7:16PM
Definitely a nice piece of gear.
Myself, using a pretty standard Razer Tarantula and a good old Razer Copperhead, serves me well.
V-
Cinate Nov 6th 2008 7:32PM
i myself, use the old school g15 (the one with blue lights) and razer diamondback. never really felt comfy using other gaming devices for pcs. cant fail with ol' trusty keyboard mouse combo.
DancinDan Nov 6th 2008 7:34PM
Absolutely a critical Gaming Peripheral. I have both the old N52 and the new one, and they are the only pieces that i cannot substitute with something else. I have my Mage macros bound to one set, and my Druid macros bound to another set, so that i dont have to use different keys for my alts. If you are a key masher, this is DEFINATELY the piece for you.
Myrldin Nov 6th 2008 7:35PM
Ooh this is interesting, thank you for posting this. I'm gonna look into this :)
Antipas Nov 6th 2008 7:37PM
I use the Nostromo. Nice feel, alot like a keyboard but it just feels tighter. I'm biased though since I am in Phaelia's guild and she was the person who told me to get one and try it =P But it really is nice and I've used it ever since.
blitzkrieg999 Nov 6th 2008 7:38PM
I too have an old-skool G15. Hate playing WoW without it. Sad because when it finally dies, I'll need to get the G11, as I use all 18 G-keys (the new version of the G15 doesn't have as many)
Cow Nov 6th 2008 7:41PM
I use a Saitek Eclipse II and a Logitech G9 Laser.
Serves me fine.
Rhoan01 Nov 6th 2008 7:46PM
I use an older version of the Speedpad as well, mainly because it fits my hand better and cuts down a bit on my RSI.
I've been intrigued in the macro capabilities of the software, but haven't really had the inclination to dig through it. This really looks like a big help.
Frank Nov 6th 2008 7:46PM
I loved the Nostromo n52 save for a few small things.
1. The thumb button required too much pressure to press, so it was not ideal for continued use.
2. Required, this was before the latest hardware release of the Nostromo, you to use Windows XP. I had recently upgraded to Vista 64-bit and it quickly collected dust.
I believe they might have addressed this issues with the latest release and I will likely be on the market for another one of these.
In the interim I accomplished my many key needs by binding ALT and CTRL to my mouse and using (~-6),ALT+(~-6),Shift+(~-6), and CTRL+(~-6) though that is often dedicated to pet controls.
Giving me 21 keys without too much in the ways of configuring hardware.
Mihn Nov 6th 2008 9:33PM
The N52 TE thumb button presses a lot smoother.
Plus is lights up. Its pricey, but, I love my n52. Gotta have it.
diarx Nov 6th 2008 9:50PM
i've been using my n52 (non te) fine on my vista 32 laptop, perhaps this is just a vista 64 problem or they've updated the drivers since you tried?
Got to say I find the n52 indispensible for my desktop dual box setup, I have an n52te hooked up to my second PC which controls my healbot paladin on follow, then my razer tarantula controlling the first PC (have the n52 sitting just in reach to the left of my tarantula)
For dual boxing on my laptop I use my old model n52, but paired with keyclone which makes life a ton easier with the limited amount of free keys available on a laptop.
Frank Nov 10th 2008 2:06PM
Thanks to both of you for your time and information. I will probably spend some time researching compatability with Vista 64bit and look to purchasing one.
Kuroyume Nov 6th 2008 7:48PM
i use a Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit, which is pretty similar to the Nostromo. Overall it has made my WoW experience more enjoyable.
Nick S Nov 6th 2008 7:59PM
$6 off-brand keyboard for me. I sometimes wish I could switch to something like the n52, but I just can't justify the dollars for an increase in available keyboard real estate that I'll only use in PvP, in one game.
Tekkub Nov 6th 2008 8:00PM
"especially if there's a chance that a big patch could wipe it all out"
*cough* What?
The n52 is damn easy, you set up which key on the pad maps to which keyboard key, then you bind those in-game. There's nothing to break, it works with the default UI. You don't need addons at all, you certainly don't need addons specifically for the pad, unless you'd like your action buttons to be laid out in a pattern similar to the pad's keys.
Clarick Nov 6th 2008 8:03PM
I use the Zboard with the BC keyset (Soon to be using the WotLK keyset) but I do have a N52 as well
Cezoram Nov 6th 2008 8:10PM
.
Asystole Nov 6th 2008 8:12PM
This is very interesting seeing as how Blizzard has banned accounts that used programmable keyboards in the past. Calling them "Third-party-programs" and "Botting" .
If you do choose to program macros to your keyboard, be careful as to not alert the blizzard watch dogs, by doing the same sequence of actions, for a long period of time... for example: lvling up a weapon skill on an elite mob.
Prophetik Nov 7th 2008 2:18AM
FUD.
Blizzard in fact supports the G15, which I use - they put stats on the screen & other info! There is nothing wrong with creating an in-game macro and binding it to another button on your keyboard.
Clegane Nov 7th 2008 5:54AM
Leveling up weapon skill on elite mobs is very legal. Why would it not be? [rant] Speaking of weapon skills, am I the only one who thinks that weapon skills should be removed from the game? That whole mechanic seems dumb. With all the "streamlining" that they did for classes, races, and game mechanics in WotLK, you'd think that they'd have gotten rid of weapon skill; especially since they took away the easiest ways to skill weapons. Now if you decide to pick up a new weapon skill late in your leveling career, you're spending a TON of time running around looking for easy targets to pick on. They'll get rid of poison crafting, but not weapon skill... just seems dumb to me... [/rant]
Anyway, back to the topic...
I've used both the N50 and N52 since wow launched. Never had a problem from Blizzard or their watch dog software (Warden?). Both peices of hardware are great and can generally be had pretty cheap off ebay. Just DL the drivers and software from Belkin, and you're good to go. The N5o may be XP only at this point (at least that's what I use it on).. but I know the N52 runs on vista32 just fine. Highly recommended.