Disclaimer: Not sure if this belongs in UI/Macro, but I am really looking for more of a general discussion of it.

I am having quite the time dealing with the huge number of binds required to raid/pvp/quest these days. This post is partially for me to get my thoughts in order, but also to ask for advice. Maybe it will help illuminate the problem for a future request to Blizzard about the number of binds required in the game these days too - I don't know. I'm talking about my specific DPS DK issues, but I have the same issues tanking, and with PvP, and I know other classes are in just as rough a spot or worse, so if you want to talk generally about this issue instead of offering specific thoughts on one lousy player, please do.

I'm going to post a quick summary of my problem for the tl/dr crowd, but I'll give the detail I can below in order to really get into the situation, because I don't think there's a quick, easy fix for me. Note that I say "for me" because I realize that individual skill, dexterity, etc. might play a big part in this.

I guess it may be useful to know that I do perform at a pretty high level in a top-100 25-man, regularly ranking circa top 20-30 as DK dps. I don't have issues playing the game, I am trying to make the part that is hard for me easier so I can be better about positioning, raid awareness, etc.

Summary:
  • Razor Naga using num-pad binds
  • ESDF movement. Turn is not bound.
  • Major abilities on easy to reach keys
  • Additional abilities on 1-6, F1-F6
  • Some Shift modifiers
  • ~50 total binds for one spec for PvE, and no buttons left
  • I find many Shift combinations very difficult to use, especially while moving
  • Just about everything needs to be used while strafing (Think Attenuation)
  • For example: F to strafe + Shift-N or Shift-6 is not really workable
  • I do not have the dexterity to reliably use the Naga buttons for "rotational" or quick reaction abilities, so utilize it for cooldowns or off-gcd things like Blood-Tap on 1-3 only

Details:
Rotation:
9 buttons - Plague Strike, Icy Touch, Outbreak, Pestilence, Obliterate, Frost Strike, Howling Blast, Death and Decay, Soul Reaper, Blood Tap, Plague Leach. Icy Touch/Pestilence are situational enough to be a Shift modifier. (R,T,Y,G,V,C,A,Num-1,Num-3)
Cooldowns:
4 buttons - Pillar of Frost, Trinket, Engineering Gloves, Raise Dead, Potion, Army. I have this down to 4 binds thanks to not currently having an on-use trinket. Trinket/Pillar/Ghoul cannot be all macro'd together or I lose a GCD of pillar by casting Raise Dead with it instead of prior to it. (Z,F6,Num-6,Num-9)
Utility/Buffs/Defense/etc:
16 buttons - Mind Freeze (+Focus), Strangulate (+Focus), Grip (+Focus), Tier 6 Talent (+mod for Gorefiends), Death Strike, Healthstone/Death Pact, Death's Advance, Rocket Boots, Presences (+mod for each), Control Undead (so useful... it gets put on 7),Chains of Ice, AMS (+mod AMZ), Horn of Winter, Brez (+Mouseover),Dark Simulacrum,Undead Racial,IBF. (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,Q,X,W,Num-4,Num-8,Num-2,Num-10,B,F2,F4)
Encounter Specific (this starts to be the real problem):
2 Buttons - ExtraActionButton, Grip/Mark adds, @Focus versions of Howling Blast/Plague Strike for Garalon/Dogs/Whatever, Dark Simulacrum (e.g. @Warlock), Blood Boil (useful to break MC, get Lei Shi out, annoying), Symbiosis. (N, Num-5 for ExtraAction Button and Symbiosis - the rest I need to add CTRL-modifiers to existing binds on a per-fight basis)
(mostly)Out of Combat stuff:
6 buttons - Mount, Use quest item, Goblin Glider. Some PvP things: Lichborne, PvP Trinket, A million things I'd like to bind but don't have buttons for (Death Gate, make food, switch specs, hearthstone, use plow...) (Num-12,Num-11,Num-7, F3,F5)

Total - 37 buttons (way more binds with modifiers). There are 39 buttons (plus 4 movement) between F1 and N on the Keyboard + Naga. This is already stretching it - F6, 7 are not easy to reach while moving, and some keys that have modifiers already are difficult to use while strafing. F1 is currently unbound, but would be used if I had an on-use trinket, so that leaves D as my 1 available button.

As I mentioned, this would be workable if it was the whole story, but I'm about to start progression for Wind Lord, and I don't have anything available for, say, Grip and Mark new Menders when they spawn, nor are my current solutions to things like HB on Garalon attractive, I just don't know how else to do it. I also have no binds available for quality of life things outside combat (though a couple can go on F7-F12 or 8-=, these require looking at my keyboard and my eyes are lazy). Even moreso, the current setup is horrible for PvP, as there's no room at all for @Arena1-3, extra focus modifiers, etc. (And I just realize I didn't list /focus Target above - middle mouse if you're curious).

Solutions?
  • Un-bind backpeddle - 1 more key! (kind of need it when tanking sometimes)
  • Teach myself to use the Naga way differently and add Shift and CTRL binds to every button for my whole rotation. I'm not even sure this is possible, I don't think I could perform that way.
  • Put strafe and run on the naga, using the mouse exclusively for movement. This would be a huge change...

I'm open to any suggestion, or to comforting thoughts from people with the same problem. Please recognize, as I said, that everyone's ability to use multiple modifier combinations is different, even due to things as simple as hand size. I know some people perform extremely well even with abilities bound to the standard blizzard keybinds, which is just flabergasting, but I am trying to make things easier than they are, however easy you may think that is.