Tanking keybinds and tray setup

[tehweebl]

Howdy fellow BHs.

 

In my experience in MMOs one of the most intriguing parts is to figure out my keybinds and interface setup for end game content - even though I usually figure it out quite easily. Since in SWTOR we're kind of limited when it comes to interface modification or scaling up/down, I'm still struggling in finding the best setup for me.

 

I usually fill up the right bar with stuff non-combat related and my stims. But when it comes to the "main" combat bars (at the center) I still haven't quite figured it out.

 

That said, I just thought I'd make this thread so we can discuss it and show off your trays/binds.

 

Screenies would be best, but I guess you could just describe it in text.

 

 

Regards,

 

Pitfall

[AetherMcLoud]

I use EDSF for moving around, it's superior to WSAD in every way (natural 10 finger position on the keyboard, more keys to press for the little finger, etc.). Anyway, this is my setup (if there's 2 abilities it's my difference between full tank and parakeet spec):

 

Upper middle bar:

Q - Death from Above

A - Flame Burst

Y - Missile Blast

X - Flame Thrower

C - Flame Sweep

V - Heat Blast / Incendiary Missile

B - Rocket Punch

G - Rapid Shots

T - Rail Shot

1 - Oil Slick / Neural Dart

2 - Carbonize

3 - Electro Dart

 

Lower middle bar:

Shift+Q - Recharge and Reload

Shift+A - Sonic Missile

Shift+Y - Determination

Z - Quell

W - Grapple

R - Explosive Dart

Shift+X - Kolto Overload

Shift+T - Energy Shield

Shift+F - Vent Heat

4 - Unload

5- Neural Dart

H - Jet Charge

 

on the left bar I have all my buffs (clicking them)

on the right bar I have consumables and a few other skills bount to keys like Shift+R = Explosive Fuel, Shift + W = Shoulder Slam, Shift+G = Guard etc.

Edited February 16, 2012 by AetherMcLoud

[Agthomson]

My general set-up is:

 

Right bar for medpacks, stims, speeder, quick travel thingy, huttball (if required).

 

Left bar for situational items (PvP buffs, abilities that never get used, shield stuff, only there for bound keys)

 

Top Middle Bar has auto shot, my 2 taunts, quell, oil slick, flame burst, Electro, rail shot, rocket punch, jet charge and grapple (plus 1-2 misc moves)

 

Bottom Middle bar has Unload, and all of my AoE (so that I don't accidentally break CC).

 

I have shield, health regen buff and relic bound to my middle mouse button(s).

 

Works for me, but i've developed it since lvl 10, and it's what i'm used to.

Edited February 16, 2012 by Agthomson

[Grizm]

Still tweaking mine from time to time and not yet 50 on the Powertech but here's what I have so far.

 

WASD - movement, I've tried every other suggested configuration but I just go back to WASD in the end, old habits are really hard to break on that.

 

I do 1-6 and then shift+1-6 on top bottom bar, I don't want to have to reach beyond 6 and it leaves 7 and beyond for stuff I wouldn't be trying to tap in a panic anyway. Non Shift+ letters are on bottom middle row. Shift+letters are on left bar.

 

1 - Jet Charge

2 - Rapid Shots

3 - Flame Burst

4 - Rocket Punch

5 - Rail Shot

6 - Unload

 

S+2 - Explosive Dart

S+3 - Electro Dart

S+4 - Shoulder Slam

S+5 - Kolto Overload

S+6 - Vent Heat

 

Q - Quell

E - Missile Blast

R - Neural Dart

T - Sonic Missile

 

F - Grapple

G - Oil Slick (to have it near B not to have it near Grapple)

 

Z - Death from Above (I usually just click this since I'm usually using it to start a pull and have to use the mouse to target it anyway, I tried using Z for Target of Target but wasn't using it really.)

X - Flame Sweep

C - Flame Thrower

V - Stealth Scan

B - Energy Shield

 

S+R - Relic

S+T - Relic

S+G - Guard

S+B - On the Trail

 

Mouse Wheel press - Determination

 

I don't bind a key to medpacs cause I'm clumsy and don't want to burn them by accident, I don't have trouble clicking them when needed. And buffs, speeder, and Recharge and Reload are all out of combat so I click those from my right bar.

[oOEggmanOo]

I think you need to decide what your fingers are used to not how everyone else does their setups.

 

Take a look at Taugrim's keybinding guide, that will show you more about what i'm on about.

 

Basically you will have muscle memory in your hand that even though you don't realise it, your finger will automatically press that key, as it thinks that is where the appropriate key is for say Stun or Jump.

 

Taugrim's Key Bind Guide Here

 

What you need to do, is think of where your Stuns usually end up for your hand, where your main attack keys usually end up, where your utility keys usually end up according to your own hand and muslce memory. That way, it will never matter what character you play or what game, your fingers will be automatically set for what abilities are where, you only need to decide then, is Jet Charge a main attack/Stun/Utility ability and then decide on where to put it for you.

 

I just have my keys set to 1 to + for main toolbar, Shift+1 to + for secondary bar and Ctrl+1 to + for one of my side bars for myself, but then i have Logitech G13, but the principle is the same. I use the joystick as my movement with my Thumb (i only have left and right strafe mapped on it), and my fingers are just poised over my ability keys which just remember things like, little pinky is Shift or Ctrl.

[BruceLeee]

Take a look at Taugrim's keybinding guide, that will show you more about what i'm on about.

 

Taugrim's Key Bind Guide Here

 

 

 

this is great. One think I would add to this tread is the mouse wheel. Mouse wheel up is Rapid Shots, Mouse wheel down is flame burst, mouse wheel left is R.Blade, and Mouse wheel right is Quell.

 

binding the mouse wheel up and down was a big Ah Ha moment for me. I was trying to use it for "Select bad guy" but I kept using the tab or left click anyway. Try it for the very common abilities, you will like it.

[Umpire]

If you haven't already make A + D your strafe keys. You can (and should) turn with your mouse. Q + E are awesome keybinds.

 

You should put kolto overload + energy shield on keybinds that are easy to press together, likewise for offensive stuff. Shift F and shift G for the two defensives is a pretty awesome plan. using ESDF makes tab targeting pretty difficult.

 

Bind a key to "target nearest enemy" (i use q). You'll thank me later

 

edit: I think keybinds are something you should make up yourself to be really good at it, but here's a screen shot for you http://i.imgur.com/ZD57D.jpg

Edited February 17, 2012 by Umpire

[glenbruton]

I use the following keys:

 

WASD(movement)

Q

S+Q

E

S+E

R

F

S+F

G

H

C

V

1,2,3,4

S+1,2,3,4

Mousebutton middle (jet charge) and ****+middle (Grapple)

MB4 (rocket punch)

 

Serves me well.

[AKDarkHavic]

Key Binds are VERY user specific, but ive taken things from taugrims guides and personal preference and comfort, i also have a Razer Naga mouse so that changes things also. I strafe left with A and strafe right with D, and i move forward with both mouse buttons clicked. I also run the Ironfist Spec. Now im only LvL 46 almost 47 mind you so i dont have ALL the abilities yet but i have spots for them already picked out. As you look at my binds unless specified thats how it looks from left to right on my bars.

 

TOP BAR

1:Rapid Shots

2:Retractable Blade

3:Rocket Punch

4:Flame Burst

5:Rail Shot

6:Flame Thrower

7:Flame Sweep

8:Carbonize

9: (will be Explosive Fuel)

0:Hutt Ball

-:Missile Blast

=:Recharge and Reload

 

SECOND BAR

Q:Electro Dart

W:Jet Charge

E:Explosive Dart

R:Quell

T:Neural Surge

Y:Sonic Missle

S:Grapple

F: Death From Above

G:Guard

H:Kolto overload

MOUSE WHEEL CLICK:Determination

N: (currently unfilled im thinking a relic tho or other ability)

 

LEFT BAR (from the bottom)

B:Shield

V:Vent Heat

C:Scanner Droid

X: (currently unfilled im thinking a relic tho or other ability)

Z: (currently unfilled im thinking a relic tho or other ability)

`:unload

J:Thermal Sensory Overload

 

RIGHT BAR (how ever you want to set it up but ill show my binds on there)

Shift+=:PVP expertise stim

Shift+-:Med packs

Shift+0:PVP med stim

Shift+B:Speeder

Shift+V:

Shift+C:Class Buff(endurance i think its called)

 

Hope this helps, ive noticed with these binds atleast for me and with the Iron Fist spec with the point out of oil slick and into the shield vents to have 2 points there like this http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#301GRGb0RroMZMcrroZb.1

 

Once the Warzone ends 8/10 times im the top player, which im still unsure how the rating in that works but once you start sorting by damage and protection and such i usually have the most too second to most medals and same for protection, i almost always break 100k damage which as a tank i think is decent.

[Umpire]

bunch of keybind crap

 

sooo your naga hits 890-=, right? Cause I mean I have big hands and have 6 keybound, sometimes I feel like 7 isn't a big stretch, but I don't care if you are Shaquelle O Neil you aren't hitting - or = on the fly, let alone with a shift modifier.....

[AKDarkHavic]

sooo your naga hits 890-=, right? Cause I mean I have big hands and have 6 keybound, sometimes I feel like 7 isn't a big stretch, but I don't care if you are Shaquelle O Neil you aren't hitting - or = on the fly, let alone with a shift modifier.....

 

Yes the Razer Naga mouse has 12 buttons on it and once you get your thumb used to using it it, it is pretty amazing. It covers 1-= and it makes hitting things on the fly very easy. It completely changed my game play.

[Umpire]

okay good cause i was about to rage at you for having pass the huttball on a crap key. I know way too many people who just "click" it or "eh i rarely use it so i just take my hand off my mouse".

 

The naga is SO not for me but that's the beauty of keybinds, what works for me won't work for you and vice versa

[AKDarkHavic]

exactly and thats why i stated in my original post that binds are really very personal. I LOVE hutt ball and am a beast in it, i pass alot and run hard defense and have the hutt ball button in that spot so if i get in a bind or just see a good pass opportunity my thumb jumps to the bottom back button on the mouse its quick and its easy, but like you said what works for some doesnt work for others thats why i said ill post my binds because it might help someone find something more comfortable or just set abilities in different spots, i got a LOT of inspiration from taugrim, and the rest was just through forums like this or just comfort from abilities i use a lot hence why the abilities i use A LOT are 1-6 or right next to my A and D keys, the others are more situational.

 

With A as strafe left and D as strafe right my thinking was ok how can i utilize W and S without confusing myself to much.. ohh if i make W jet charge my mind still thinks ok W forward and thinking ok S was backwards... ohh grapple on S ok so jet charge to get them and grapple to bring them to me, it just seemed to click correctly in my mind, but thats me.

[StarSoar]

One major item most people don't realize is that you can change the keybinds for ALL of your quick slots. What this means is that instead of have your "1" (most people have their zero cost, zero requirement filler ability bound to "1") key on the first slot of your center quick slot you can bind it to your right quick slot bar instead.

 

I can already see your O.0 face. The reason for this is simple, with the lack of addon support we can not fully customize our bars. (Think Bartenders from WoW). Do what I just outlined will alow you to take your "zero cool down, zero requirement" abilities and move them out of the way and then group up your important abilities with cool downs. This way you can look in one place for important information instead of having to look around your entire screen.

 

This also lets you keep the keybinds you leveled with and feel natural to you instead of having to rebind all of your abilities. I'll post a picture later to better explain what I mean. Hope this helps.

Edited February 18, 2012 by StarSoar

[StarSoar]

Here's the link. This should clear things up.

 

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/5622/edited1o.jpg

 

 

Pic explained:

 

• My high usage dps cds are in the green
  
• My "dps assist cds are in the brown right under my dps cds
  
• My movement cds are in the black
  
• My pvp abilities are in the red
  
• My tank cds are in the purple
  
• My low use abilities are in the yellow
  
• My character buffs and utilities are all on my left quick slot
  
• My "zero cost, zero requirement" abilities are in the right quick slot.
  

 

The idea is to keep everything organized and group together so you know exactly where everything is and won't have to waste precious time searching for an ability on your bars.

[Umpire]

the most important and overlooked thing is that whatever you put in the very first slot is your right click ability.

 

right click is my grapple

[revelzdevelz]

I have my G15 using rail shot, range DoT auto shot then i bind all three to 1 with no delay. I have rail shot , oil slick, rocket punch, flame bound to 2. 3,4,5 is escape,shield,vent. I have all heal over time bound to 6 and instant heals to 7. Charge is 8 and pull is 9. Quell is mouse 5. DfA is 0. I have it all remapped on me Macro KB so that I can reach it all easily.