Official news · Blizzard
Explore WoW: Forever with a Gamepad
Blizzard explains how to play WoW Forever with a gamepad, which works with any XInput controller and is in a beta state. It covers switching input, layouts and shortcuts.
Highlights
- Works with all XInput-compatible controllers; Xbox and PlayStation button icons are included
- Switch under Game Menu > Options > Gameplay > Gamepad; the settings page adjusts Camera, HUD Modifier, Frame Focus Style, Action Bars, Targeting and Raid Targeting
- Four action bars on the triggers (LT, RT, or both), in three switchable sets: 84 slots in all
- LB + RB shortcuts open the Backpack, Quest Tracker, Chat and buffs; typing in chat still needs a keyboard
- Support is a beta, with interface updates still coming and a keyboard-free game as the longer-term aim
What this means for players
If you plan to play on a controller, set it up in the Gamepad options before your first busy fight and arrange your spells on the four action bars the way you would on a keyboard bar. Keep a keyboard within reach for chat, and expect some screens to lack gamepad hints for now. Nothing in the class, race or spell guides changes.
Switching to a gamepad
Escape opens the Game Menu. Choose Options, then Gamepad under Gameplay, to leave keyboard-and-mouse input. Every XInput-compatible controller is supported, and the game shows Xbox or PlayStation button icons. On controllers with a light, Horde characters get red and Alliance characters get blue. The Gamepad settings tune the camera, HUD Modifier, Frame Focus Style, action bars, targeting and raid targeting.
Moving, targeting and menus
The left stick moves and the right stick turns the camera. The left bumper picks a friendly target and the right bumper a hostile one. The controller map lists X as Interact, A as Jump, B as Back and Y as Inspect, and those buttons also carry spell functions. The Menu button opens the Main Menu, and the View button is Change Focus Frame. Holding both bumpers while pushing the right stick forward or back zooms the camera.
Action bars and sets
The HUD shows four action bars on one button layout. Holding LT, RT or both triggers swaps the bar, and letting go returns to the default. A 
Mage could put 
Polymorph (Sheep), 
Fireball, 
Frostbolt and Blizzard on the same directional button across the four bars; Blizzard calls these examples, not fixed bindings. Holding both bumpers and pressing Left or Right on the D-pad switches between three sets of bars. Each set has 28 slots, giving 84 in total.
HUD shortcuts and legend
With both bumpers held, B opens the Backpack, Up the Quest Tracker, Down Chat and Y buff management. The main radial menu reaches the same features. A legend sits in the upper-left of the main screen and expands as you act, and most screens carry a footer listing their gamepad options, though not every screen has one yet.
Status and plans
Blizzard calls gamepad support functional but in a beta state, with interface updates ongoing, including easier bag and menu navigation. It says further refinements are planned. Cutting back on keyboard use is still a development aim, and a game with no keyboard at all is the longer view; for now chat typing needs one.
Not announced yet
- When every screen will have gamepad footers
- A date for a keyboard-free experience
- Which bag and menu changes come next
Guides this affects
Related news
This is our own summary of what Blizzard posted, not Blizzard’s text. The original is the authority.