While the World of Warcraft online game is loads of fun, figuring out how to use the interface panel functions can be frustrating. Seriously, when you don’t know how to do something in the middle of your gaming experience there is an ample amount of time wasted. So we decided it would be a good idea to give you a first hand look at everything needed to give you the smoothest transition using the keyboard functions. In the end it will help you complete quests quicker, fight off enemies faster, and cut down on your overall game time in a particular realm.

Character Pane

When you first get started setting up a character and enter the world you choose, there will be a bunch of icons at the bottom of your screen. There will be ones for socializing with other players, quest logs, achievements unlocked and many others that are viewable. When you are in the middle of playing you can open your character pane which has several options. Whether it is changing your armor or checking out the levels you have reached, it’s an important aspect to the game. However, if you want to make things easier on yourself then press C on your keyboard and the character pane will open up.

Backpack

When you are looting enemies and any other opponents dead on the field, all the belongings you find will be placed in your backpack. One thing to understand is that you can only have about 12 different items in there at one time. When your backpack is full the game will tell you it is full in the middle of the screen. In order to alleviate some of the things you don’t need, you can drag the items to the center of the screen and left click the mouse. The game will then ask you if you want to destroy the item. Now, you can either use your mouse and click the backpack at the bottom right hand corner of the screen or you can press B or F12 on the keyboard.

Bags

When you find the talent trees and need some new supplies you can purchase additional bags. These allow you to hold more than the regular amount your backpack carries. In fact, when you are looking at the backpack area at the bottom of the page there are empty slots where you can add them. While this is great you can take the keyboard route and press F8, F9, F10, or F11 depending on how many you have at that time. It’s just easy access and you won’t have to worry about using your mouse at all.

Spellbook

One of things we enjoy about the World of Warcraft game is the various spells you can perform. While learning new spells can be as easy as going to a trainer, you can also find specific herbs throughout the game and create some others. Again, when you are running around with the arrows it can be difficult to multi-task for some players. When this happens just take a moment and press the P button on your keyboard and the spellbook will pop up. This will allow you to drag the ones you want to use to the action bar at the bottom of the screen.

Abilities

While creating a character can be enjoyable in itself, one of the best parts of the game is being able to gain new abilities. There are several ways to do this and even certain combinations will create better abilities. If you want to open up your Abilities Screen simply press the letter I on your keyboard. We have estimated that you can save hours over the course of your game play by using the keyboard as opposed to the mouse. Obviously this will depend on the person, but our own case study has given us positive results.

Pet Options

Need a little boost to your game? If so then make sure you find the appropriate Pet Trainers. Once you pick out the pet you would like to use, there will be great additions along the way. As you learn more about the game and your pet, there are different functions on the keyboard that will give you easy access. Pressing the SHIFT-I options at the same time will open up the pet book. If you need to open the Pet Pane then press SHIFT-P simultaneously. You will soon realize how helpful this is once you start getting deep into the game.

Reputation

Keep in mind while you are playing the game there are reputations you must keep up in order to do more quests. If a particular area deems you unworthy or going against their beliefs, you could end up being on the outside looking in after awhile. So make sure you check your reputation for certain areas from time to time. In order to do this you can either access it with the mouse at the bottom of the screen or press the U button on your keyboard.

World Map Pane

There are two ways to access the map when you need to figure out where in the world you are going. If you really want to use the map in the top right hand corner of the page you can click on the map there. If you want to make things a little easier as you are running through the forest you can press the M letter on your keyboard. There are several other functions available for the World Map Pane, but many of them you won’t need to use. The most notable is the time shown in the realm you are playing. Just keep in mind it will differentiate between each realm.

Quest Log

When you first get started playing World of Warcraft game the quest log can be a daunting thing to figure out. Since you can have up to 25 quests available at any time, you can end up spending more time in this area then the actual game. Do yourself a favor and instead of using the icon at the bottom of the page, hit the L button on your keyboard. Oh, and as a helpful hint it is a lot easier to complete requests when you have several. This way when you are in a certain area you will most likely have some sort of quest there.

More Available

This should be enough to help you get started, but there are many others available. If you want to bring up the Social Pane then press O on the keyboard. Game Menu? Press the ESC button. Then of course the Skill Pane can be accessed by pressing K. All of these should help you become more efficient with your time. The longer you play the World of Warcraft games the faster you will learn how time consuming this game can be. To be honest you can use just about anything on the keyboard and it is associated with some sort of function. For now though, just worry about the ones above and they will help you tremendously.