WoW Forever has announced native gamepad support. This guide explains the controls shown in AnnieFuchsia’s BlizzCon demo.

How LT and RT add more bindings

The four D-pad directions and four face buttons give you 8 input positions. Hold LT, RT, or both triggers while pressing one of those buttons to use a different set of bindings. Each trigger combination acts as a separate layer.

Four input layers 4 directions + 4 face buttons in each
No trigger8 input positions
↑←→↓
YXBA

A → Jump in the demo

Hold LT8 input positions
↑←→↓
YXBA

LT + A → One binding

Hold RT8 input positions
↑←→↓
YXBA

RT + A → A different binding

Hold LT + RT8 input positions
↑←→↓
YXBA

LT + RT + A → Another binding

8 × 3 = 24trigger-modified input positions
on one action-bar page

The base layer also handles actions such as jumping. This schematic shows input combinations; it does not assign spells or reproduce the game’s layout.

Watch the layers in the demo · 3:19 ↗

For example, A, LT + A, RT + A, and LT + RT + A are four different inputs. Hold the trigger combination while pressing the face button, then release the triggers to return to the base layer.

Action-bar pages add more sets

The demo also shows three action-bar pages. Use LB + RB to open the shortcut controls, then use the displayed next-page or previous-page control. Changing page gives you another set of trigger-modified bindings.

Three pages shown in the Alpha demo
Page 1LT · 8RT · 8LT + RT · 8
Page 2LT · 8RT · 8LT + RT · 8
Page 3LT · 8RT · 8LT + RT · 8

Each page has LT, RT and LT + RT groups. The numbers count input positions.

Watch page switching · 3:47 ↗

Holding a trigger changes the layer; changing page selects another set of bindings. You can then use the trigger layers on that page.

The creator observed the base controls staying the same across pages. Whether those controls can be overwritten, and whether more pages can be enabled, is unconfirmed. The demo does not establish a final total of freely assignable spell slots.

Controller button names and positions
Xbox-style button names Position reference
Controller button positions LT and RT are the upper triggers, with LB and RB shoulder buttons below them. The D-pad has four directions. Face buttons are Y at the top, X left, B right and A at the bottom. The Menu button is near the center. The right stick can be pressed for ping. LTRT LBRB ↑←→↓ YXBA MenuD-padRight stick

Common controls

LB/RB are shoulder buttons; LT/RT are triggers. Actions depend on context and your bindings.

Select a party memberLB + D-pad1:37 ↗
Cycle enemiesRB + D-pad / stick1:54 ↗
PingPress right stick; hold for options2:06 ↗
Shortcuts / page controlsLB + RB2:18 ↗
Menu wheelMenu / Start button4:23 ↗

Bind a spell

  1. Open the menu wheel, then the spellbook.
  2. Select a spell and press X to bind it.
  3. Press your chosen combination, such as LT + RT + A.

Watch the binding example · 4:48 ↗

Will this change my keyboard layout?

The demo preserves separate gamepad and keyboard layouts when switching Gamepad UI off and on. Watch the check · 5:48 ↗

When you try it: take a screenshot of your existing bars, change one binding, then switch modes and check both layouts before configuring everything.

What still needs testing?

  • Party and raid healing under pressure.
  • Ground-targeted spells and macros.
  • Steam Deck setup, performance and other controller models.
  • ConsolePort compatibility and any extra features it provides.

We have not tested these in the Forever client. Native support alone does not establish addon compatibility or a console release.

For access requirements, see our Beta Access guide.