World of Warcraft: Forever adds controller support, with 84 ability slots across three layouts
World of Warcraft: Forever gives PC players a gamepad option for its November 4 launch. Blizzard has detailed a controller interface with three action-bar sets, providing 84 customisable slots for spells and abilities.
The game supports XInput-compatible controllers and can show Xbox or PlayStation button icons, according to Blizzard’s new control guide. Support is still being refined: some interface screens do not yet have gamepad prompts, and typing in chat still needs a keyboard.
Blizzard set the global launch for 3 p.m. Pacific time on November 4, or 23:00 UTC, and access is included with an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time. Controller support is a PC feature; the announcement does not establish an Xbox console release.
Blizzard shows the gamepad action bars and target controls. Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Triggers switch between four action bars
Blizzard says players can switch to gamepad input through the Game Menu, then Options, Gameplay and Gamepad. The settings include camera controls, action bars and targeting options.
The controller display has four action bars. Holding the left trigger, right trigger or both together switches between them; releasing the triggers returns to the default bar. Players can assign abilities to those positions rather than use a fixed spell layout.
There are three action-bar sets, each with 28 slots across its four bars. Holding both shoulder buttons and pressing left or right on the directional pad changes the active set. That makes the 84 slots a collection of switchable layouts, not 84 abilities displayed at once.
The map and quest log display gamepad prompts. Image: Blizzard Entertainment
A keyboard is still useful for chat
Blizzard’s guide maps the left stick to movement and the right stick to the camera. On its Xbox-labelled example, the left bumper targets a friendly character and the right bumper targets an enemy.
Holding both bumpers also opens shortcuts to interface elements. For example, both bumpers plus B opens the backpack, while both bumpers plus Up accesses the quest tracker. Blizzard says a radial menu offers another route to these features.
Blizzard describes gamepad support as a functional beta in its November 3 guide. An earlier Xbox Wire preview called the setting “Gamepad (Alpha)”. Both sources describe an unfinished interface, so players should expect further changes rather than assume every screen already works without a keyboard.
