I have used a Nostromo N52 Speedpad for *years*, for all of my games whether they're FPS, RTS, or MMORPG, and I love it, would never give it up.
Frequently folks ask me how, specifically, I have it set up for World of Warcraft - this post is intended to be the definitive guide to how *I* am using the N52 to play WoW as a high-level mage. Naturally 'your mileage may vary', but this configuration works perfectly for me. Like any change to your configuration/key bindings, there is a bit of a learning period as you get used to what does what - but everything is second nature to me now, I barely have to think about what my fingers are doing, they just do it.
There are two steps to getting everything working for you: first, you map the N52 keys to a fresh profile (this occurs outside of World of Warcraft); second, you assign those keys to the actions you want them to perfom while you're playing WoW (this occurs in-game, from the default Blizzard key binding menu).
This is how I have my N52 keys mapped when starting fresh:
| KEY | DEFAULT | RED | GREEN | BLUE |
| 01 | A | F1 | O | 1 |
| 02 | B | F2 | P | 2 |
| 03 | K | K | K | K |
| 04 | C | F3 | Q | 3 |
| 05 | D | F4 | R | 4 |
| 06 | E | F5 | S | 5 |
| 07 | L | L | L | L |
| 08 | M | M | M | M |
| 09 | N | N | N | N |
| 10 | F | F6 | T | 6 |
| 11 | G | F7 | U | 7 |
| 12 | H | F8 | V | 8 |
| 13 | I | F9 | W | 9 |
| 14 | J | F10 | X | 0 |
| 15 | PageUp | PageUp | PageUp | PageUp |
| 16 | PageDown | PageDown | PageDown | PageDown |
| 17 | Home | Home | Home | Home |
| D-Pad, Up | Spacebar | Spacebar | Spacebar | Spacebar |
| D-Pad, Forward | 'Red' state | 'Red' state | 'Red' state | 'Red' state |
| D-Pad, Back | 'Blue' state | 'Blue' state | 'Blue' state | 'Blue' state |
| D-Pad, Down | 'Green' state | 'Green' state | 'Green' state | 'Green' state |
Some things to note - certain keys (those in bold type) never change regardless of which color 'state' the N52 is in. These keys are not used to control action buttons, but instead have specific functions at all times:
Key 03 is always 'K' - this is assigned to 'Move Forward' in WoW
Key 07 is always 'L' - this is assigned to 'Move Left' in WoW
Key 08 is always 'M' - this is assigned to 'Move Backward' in WoW
Key 09 is always 'N' - this is assigned to 'Move Right' in WoW
So the keys '03 07 08 09' take the place of the 'W A S D' keys traditionally used for movement in most PC games; this is why they are not mapped to action buttons. In addition:
Key 15 is always 'PageUp' - this is assigned to 'Focus Target' in WoW (this is the N52 scroll wheel button)
Key 16 is always 'PageDown' - this is assigned to 'Target Nearest Enemy' in WoW (this is the N52 big orange thumb button)
Key 17 is always 'Home' - this is *not* assigned to anything in the WoW client, and is instead my 'talk' key for TeamSpeak and Ventrilo (this is the N52 flat black thumb button)
All other keys (01-02, 04-06, 10-14) change between four possible assignments, depending on the color state of the N52. Default runs "A-J", Red runs "F1-F10", Green runs "O-X", and Blue runs "0-9".
These assignments are arbitrary, I just wanted to keep them sequential as much as possible.
Once you have a fresh profile for the N52, it's time for Step Two.
First, assign the keys (listed above) that don't change based on N52 color state:
NEVER CHANGE (commands relating to movement and targeting)
| KEY | 'WoW' KEY BINDING | N52 ASSIGNMENT |
| 03 | Move Forward | K |
| 07 | Move Left | L |
| 08 | Move Backward | M |
| 09 | Move Right | N |
| 15 | Focus Target | PageUp |
| 16 | Target Nearest Enemey | PageDown |
| 17 | Unassigned (used for TS/Vent 'Talk' key) | Home |
| KEY | 'WoW' KEY BINDING |
| Mouse Scroll Wheel, Click | Bongos Action Button 11 |
| Mouse Side Button | Bongos Action Button 12 |
| Mouse Scroll Wheel, Up | Next Action Page |
| Mouse Scroll Wheel, Down | Previous Action Page |
Then assign all the various keys that do change based on N52 color state - below is how I have all of my key bindings set:
DEFAULT STATE (see below for a fuller explanation of my Bongos setup)
| KEY | 'WoW' KEY BINDING | N52 ASSIGNMENT |
| 01 | Bongos Action Button 1 | A |
| 02 | Bongos Action Button 2 | B |
| 04 | Bongos Action Button 3 | C |
| 05 | Bongos Action Button 4 | D |
| 06 | Bongos Action Button 5 | E |
| 10 | Bongos Action Button 6 | F |
| 11 | Bongos Action Button 7 | G |
| 12 | Bongos Action Button 8 | H |
| 13 | Bongos Action Button 9 | I |
| 14 | Bongos Action Button 10 | J |
RED STATE (rarely used commands)
| KEY | 'WoW' KEY BINDING | N52 ASSIGNMENT |
| 01 | Sheath/Unsheath weapon | F1 |
| 02 | Run/Walk | F2 |
| 04 | Sit/Stand | F3 |
| 05 | Target Party Member 1 | F4 |
| 06 | Target Party Member 2 | F5 |
| 10 | Target Party Member 3 | F6 |
| 11 | Target Party Member 4 | F7 |
| 12 | Currently Unassigned | F8 |
| 13 | Currently Unassigned | F9 |
| 14 | Currently Unassigned | F10 |
GREEN STATE (assorted commands, especially map-related ones)
| KEY | 'WoW' KEY BINDING | N52 ASSIGNMENT |
| 01 | Cartographer WorldMap | O |
| 02 | AlphaMap | P |
| 04 | AlphaMap HotSpot | Q |
| 05 | AlphaMap View | R |
| 06 | FlightMap | S |
| 10 | SuperInspect Target | T |
| 11 | Expand SimpleMinimap | U |
| 12 | Nameplates | V |
| 13 | Autofeed Pet (Hunter only) | W |
| 14 | Follow Target | X |
BLUE STATE (commands relating to quests, inventory, and characters)
| KEY | 'WoW' KEY BINDING | N52 ASSIGNMENT |
| 01 | SuperTalents | 1 |
| 02 | Character Pane | 2 |
| 04 | Guild Pane | 3 |
| 05 | Social Pane | 4 |
| 06 | Spellbook | 5 |
| 10 | UberQuest | 6 |
| 11 | TinyPad | 7 |
| 12 | ArkInventory Bank | 8 |
| 13 | ArkInventory Bags | 9 |
| 14 | UberQuest Minion | 0 |
Luckily we can increase this number, using Action Bar Pages.
I have Bongos set up so that there are six distinct pages of Action Buttons, each page being a block of 12 buttons (arranged in a 2x6 rectangle). An Action Button's binding does not change when the Action Bar changes - so, if you are on Action Bar #1 and press the (for example) '04' key, this will activate 'Bongos Action Button 03' on Bar #1; but if you are on Action Bar #3 and press the same '04' key, it will still activate 'Bongos Action Button 03', but because you are on Bar #3 the action associated with 'Bongos Action Button 03' can be an entirely different ability.
As an example, my 'Bongos Action Button 01' is "Pyroblast" on 'Bongos Action Bar #1', but on Bar #2 it is "Arcane Explosion", and on Bar #3 it is "Arcane Intellect" - what spell is actually cast depends on which Bar is currently active when I press the '01' key. The pages scroll visibly in-game, that is, the icons on the buttons will actually change as the bars change, so you can see what abilities you've placed on which bars.
Below are the six 'Bongos Action Bars' I have set up, detailing every button on each bar. Remember, all of these abilities are only accessible while the N52 is in the DEFAULT state; once the state changes to RED, GREEN, or BLUE, the N52 is no longer assigned to Bongos Action Buttons, but to the key bindings detailed above.
They are presented out of sequence by order of how frequently they are used instead of numerically.
The N52 keys bound to these buttons are:
| Key 01 | Key 02 | Key 04 | Key 05 | Key 06 | Key 10 |
| Key 11 | Key 12 | Key 13 | Key 14 | Mouse Side Button | Mouse Scroll Wheel Click |
.
The first three bars are the ones used most frequently: Bar One is the default bar with all the spells needed on a routine basis; Bar Two is for Area of Effect spells and spells not used as often; Bar Three is for spells, items, and abilities needed in a hurry, usually when taking high damage, near death, or in some other way debuffed.
All three bars are only a single mouse wheel scroll away (from default).
ACTION BAR ONE (most commonly used spells/abilities) - this is the default bar)
| Pyroblast | Fire Blast | Polymorph | Frost Nova | Assist | Shoot (wand) |
| Cone of Cold | Scorch | Frostbolt (rank 1) | Fireball | Counterspell | Ice Lance |
ACTION BAR TWO (Area of Effect and secondary spells) - this bar is one mouse wheel scroll forward from default
| Arcane Explosion | Flamestrike | Blast Wave | Blizzard | Evocation | Arcane Blast |
| Blink | Arcane Missiles | Frostbolt (rank 12) | Invisibility | Cold Snap | Mana Shield |
ACTION BAR SIX (emergency and rescue) - this bar is one mouse wheel scroll backward from default
| Mark of Resolution (trinket) | Fel Blossom | Purification Potion | Heavy Netherweave Bandage | Super Healing Potion | Super Mana Potion |
| Mana Emerald | Conjured Mountain Spring Water | Conjured Cinnamon Roll | Mana Ruby | Eat/Drink (macro) | Blackened Basilisk (food) |
.
The next two bars are not used as frequently, but still contain useful items: Bar Three contains mostly buffs/debuffs; Bar Five is for tradeskills and professions, and for conjuring food, drink, and mana gems.
Both bars are two mouse wheel scrolls away (from default).
ACTION BAR THREE (mostly buffs) - this bar is two mouse wheel scrolls forward from default
| Arcane Intellect | Mage Armor | Dampen Magic | Molten Armor | Ice Armor | Slow Fall |
| Arcane Brilliance | Remove Lesser Curse | Frost Ward | Fire Ward | Mount | Conjured Mountain Spring Water |
ACTION BAR FIVE (tradeskills and conjuring) - this bar is two mouse wheel scrolls backward from default
| Enchanting | Disenchant | Cooking | First Aid | Blackened Basilisk (food) | Buzzard Bites (food) |
| Conjure Mana Emerald | Conjure Water | Conjure Food | Conjure Mana Ruby | Mount | Fishing |
.
And finally, the last of the six bars and the farthest from default (three mouse wheel scrolls either way): Bar Four contains a few odds and ends, in particular the two macros I run when first logging in.
ACTION BAR FOUR (log in and uncommon items) - this bar is three mouse wheel scrolls forward or backward from default
| Buff and Mana Gems (macro) | Conjure Food/Drink (macro) | Currently Unassigned | Major Healthstone (when available) | Frame Finder (macro) | Currently Unassigned |
| Snowball/Leather Ball | Buzzard Bites | Blackened Basilisk | Brilliant Wizard Oil | Mount | Conjured Mountain Spring Water |
Hopefully this has been of some use to you.
For details on the AddOns Compilation I maintain, MookUI, click here.