How to tank as a druid, Part 2

Here's the link to the first post, in which discusses abilities, talents, and gear. Without any further ado, let's continue on to the important issue of key bindings.

Key Bindings
I myself use the in-game action bars to bind my abilities, so if you want to bind them to specific keys on your keyboard, I can't help you there. If you choose to bind to the in-game action bars, you will definitely want to enable more than just one bar. Go to the Game Menu, then Interface, then Action Bars, and at least check off the bottom left bar. I use all of them except for one bar on the right.

Main Action Bar
Because this bar changes with your forms, you'll want to put abilities that are specific to bear form here. Here are the bindings I use. If you think something different would work better for you, then use a different configuration. The main idea behind this binding system is to put your most important abilities close to the WASD keys, since you will need to use them more than the others, and putting them close to your left hand allows you to use them with your left hand while still being able to use your mouse to select targets or even click abilities (the great sin of tanking, I know; but I still do it, and you don't see my group-mates complaining).

1 - Feral Charge (Bear)
Because of the nature of this ability, you will want to keep it within easy reach, so that you can use it the moment you need it. That said, you won't use it as frequently and Growl, which is why I put it first; it's important that you be able to use this ability instantly, but not so much as using growl instantly.

2 - Growl
The essence of the tanking role is keeping enemies attacking you, and that is exactly what this ability does. Because clothies, be they DPS or healers, can probably be killed in a few hits if they draw an enemy's attention, you'll want to be able to use this ability to get an enemy's attention before he gets to them. That's why I put it right above my middle finger; that's the easiest place to reach it.

3 - Mangle (Bear)
With few exceptions, you should always use this ability when it is off of its cooldown, which is why I put it so close to the WASD keys. The 3 key is pretty much as reachable as the 2 key, and since this ability is as important as growl, it is a good one to put on the 3 binding.

4 - Lacerate
Another ability that is used frequently by bears, but the fact that it's use is less imperative than Mangle is why I bind it to the 4 key. What do I mean by that? Like I said, Mangle should be used whenever it is off of its cooldown, so you need to be able to use it at the drop of a hat. Lacerate does not need to be used with the same urgency.

5 - Maul
When you use this ability, you will want to be able to spam it, which is why I put it relatively close to the WASD keys. This allows you to hit the ability whenever you have excess rage. However, because I don't use maul spam very frequently, and because maul only needs to be hit once before each of your attacks (which gives you a 2.5 second window to hit it if you don't have any haste on your gear), I put if after Mangle and Lacerate.

6 - Swipe
When you use this ability, you will probably want to be able to spam it. That said, unlike Maul, you won't be spamming this ability while using other abilities (with the exception of Maul), which is why it can be off on its own. Because I rarely need to target a specific enemy while maul spamming, I usually reach up with my right hand to use this ability while also using Maul when I have the rage for it.

7 - Bash
While I do sometimes need to use this in a pinch, I don't use Bash very frequently, which is why I put in after my more frequently-used abilities. You'll usually have a pretty good window of time to use it for interrupting a caster or stopping a runner, so you can usually click it rather than hitting the key is it bound to.

8 - Demoralizing Roar
If you use this ability at all, you'll have enough time to click it. It can be used frequently, though, which is why I put it here, before the emergency use abilities.

9 - Enrage
I usually put my emergency abilities after my frequently used abilities since I usually know when I am going to us them and thus have enough time to click them. I put Enrage and the next two abilities on the action bar because they have no use outside of bear form. I put Enrage before the other two abilities because I use it more than the other two.

10 - Frenzied Regeneration
This is a pretty useful emergency ability, but it is used a good deal less frequently than Enrage, which is why I put it after Enrage.

11 - Challenging Roar
I rarely use this ability, but I still keep it on the bar for the few times when I do need it. You could argue that, because this is basically a taunt ability, you would want to have it within easy reach of your hand so that you can use it quickly. Well, I tend to only use it in maybe one run in every five of ten, so it's hardly worth putting in a prominent position on the action bar.

12 - Runic Healing Potion
I tend to not use healing potions, but if I ever did, I wouldn't want to go looking through my bags to use it. Why do I bind healing potions on the bear bar and not on the additional bar? Because the only time I would ever need to use my potions is while I'm tanking.

Additional Bar
I tend to put spells that I can use in multiple/all forms or that are used before the battle, when time is not of the essence, on the additional bar. The order isn't as important here. Though I put my more frequently used abilities closer to the left, you can do whatever you are comfortable with. That said, here are the abilities I keep on my additional action bar in the order I keep them in.

Barkskin
Because of this ability's short cooldown, I find myself using it frequently, which is why I put it first.

(Lifeblood)
Not everyone has this ability, but I do, and I put it next because I use it pretty frequently. Why? Because it gives me healing in a pinch when I need it, so I like to be able to use it quickly. If I had Survival Instincts, I would probably put it here too, since it serves a similar function.

Trinkets
As a tank, your trinket should be defensive in nature, and they should be on-use trinkets so that you can save them for when you need them. As such, you'll want to be able to use them without needing to look for them, so you should bind them to your bars somewhere within easy reach of your mouse.

Berserk
Because this ability is offensive in nature, rather than defensive, it's not as important to be able to activate it immediately, which is why I put it after the defensive ones. If you use Berserk, you will probably plan it in advance anyways, meaning you won't need to be able to move the mouse immediately.

Faerie Fire (Feral)
This is really nothing more than a pulling ability which you will only use at the beginning of the fight, which is why I put it so far to the right.

Moonfire
Sometimes you will find yourself in caster form. It is during these times that you will want to start the fight with Moonfire and then switch to Bear Form to take advantage of Furor. This is because Moonfire causes more damage and threat than the damage of FFF. That said, you'll probably have time to apply FFF to your target before you get in melee range, and you should do so.

So there you go. Due to time constraints and the unexpected amount of space needed to explain keybindings, I'll need to put off going over strategies for different kinds of pulls until next week. See you then, same time, same place.