The User Interface
- _This is your Character--your presence in the game world.
- This is the main Action Bar. By default, each one of these slots corresponds with one of the keys along the top of your keyboard, from the "1" key to the "=" key. You can use this to arrange special attacks, abilities, and items for easy access and use.
- This series of buttons allows access to various menus important to the game, including your Character equipment and stat screen, the "spell book" of your various abilities, your Quest Log, the general Game Menu, and so on.
- These slots are for any inventory bags you have equipped, corresponding with the "F8" through "F12" keys on your keyboard. At the beginning, you only have your basic backpack, which you can access by pressing the "F12" key. Later, as you gain more inventory bags, you can press the "B" key by default to open all your bags at once.
- This is your Experience Point (XP) Bar, where you can monitor your progress from your current Experience Level to the next one.
- This is the in-game Chat Window. It represents your primary means for communicating with other people who are playing the game. The text box where you can type your own messages is along the bottom, just above the Action Bar (more on this in just a bit).
- This is your Character Portrait, which includes an image of your Character's head, along with its name, Health meter, Resource meter (which governs use of your special abilities; more on this later), and your current Experience Level.
- This is your Minimap, which gives you a quick "bird's-eye" view of your current position and the surrounding area. It allows you to easily locate key resources such as Quest Givers, Class Trainers, Flight Masters, and so on. The name of the area you are currently in is shown just above the Minimap. To the left of the Minimap is the Tracking control, which allows you to adjust what points of interest will show up on your Minimap (for now, leave its settings the way they are). To the upper right of the Minimap is the icon for your in-game Calendar, where you can organize plans for group activities and see what special in-game World Events are coming up. Just below the Calendar icon is your Mail indicator, which will show an envelope symbol whenever you have in-game Mail messages waiting for you. The in-game Clock is along the bottom of the Minimap, along with controls to zoom your Minimap view in and out. *Note: By default, the in-game Clock displays your Realm's server time, not the local time where you are in the real world. To get it to display your local time, click on the Clock, and in the window that comes up, check the "Use Local Time" box, and then click the "X" in the upper right corner of the clock window to close it.
Before you go too much farther into the game, you should make a few minor adjustments to the controls and User Interface that will make things easier for you in the long run. First, hit the "ESC" key on your keyboard to bring up the general Game Menu, as shown below:
Click on the "Interface" button. In the "Controls" section, which is the first one you should see, look for a check box marked "Auto Loot," and check it. This will set the game to automatically remove all loot items from any enemy or container you search for loot, so that you don't accidentally miss anything you need. Next, click on the section marked "Action Bars" on the left side of the Interface menu. In this section check the check boxes marked "Bottom Left Bar," "Bottom Right Bar," "Right Bar," "Right Bar 2," and "Always Show Action Bars." This will create a series of additional Action Bars along the bottom and right side of your screen, so you have easier access to new items and abilities as you acquire them. Finally, click on "Status Text," and check the box marked "Experience Bar Text." Doing this will display your current number of XP--as well as the total you need for the next Experience Level--all the time instead of just when you point your mouse cursor at the XP Bar. Once you've done all this, click "Okay" to confirm the changes, and then press the "ESC" key again to exit the Game Menu.
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World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, and Legion are registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
World of Warcraft, its associated expansions, all content described by this guide, and all images contained in this guide are the sole intellectual property of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Any questions, comments, or concerns about this guide? E-mail: [email protected]
World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, and Legion are registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
World of Warcraft, its associated expansions, all content described by this guide, and all images contained in this guide are the sole intellectual property of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Any questions, comments, or concerns about this guide? E-mail: [email protected]