If you're coming from another game or this is your first time in WoW, you'll hear a lot about "macros". They aren't cheats or outside programs: they're buttons you make yourself, inside the game, so one press does what would normally take two or three. This guide explains what they are, how to create them and what each piece means, and every class page has the most useful ones ready to copy.
What a macro is
A macro is text with one or more commands that the game runs when you press a button. The most common command is /cast, which casts a spell; what goes in square brackets decides on whom.
An example: a priest who wants to heal a teammate normally has to click them, cast the heal and click back to their target. With this macro, you just hover over the teammate and press the button:
#showtooltip
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][] RenewMacros don't decide for you: they do exactly what you wrote, the same way every time. Blizzard has brought the modern game's restrictions to Forever so addons can't make decisions in combat; the macros in this guide don't read anything from combat, they only choose who the spell goes to.
How to make a macro
- Type /macro in chat, or open the menu (Esc) and go to Macros.
- Pick the tab: general (shared by all your characters) or character-specific (only that one). Class macros are best in the character tab.
- Click New, give it a name and choose the question mark icon: with
#showtooltipon the first line, the game shows the spell's icon by itself. - Paste the macro text into the box and close.
- Drag it to your action bar like any spell.
The detail that trips people up: language
The spell name must be in your game's language and spelled exactly. If you play in English it's /cast Polymorph; in the Spanish client it has to be /cast Polimorfia. That's why every macro on wow4ever uses spell names taken from the Forever client, not our own translations. Commands (/cast, /startattack…) are always written in English.
What each piece means
| Piece | What it does |
|---|---|
#showtooltip |
First line. The button shows the spell's icon and tooltip |
/cast Spell |
Casts the spell |
Empty [] |
"If none of the above applies, my target" |
[@mouseover] |
On whatever is under your mouse, including party frames |
[@focus] |
On your focus: a second target you set with /focus (the enemy healer, say) |
[@player] |
On yourself |
[@cursor] |
On the ground spot under your mouse |
help / harm |
Only if friendly / only if hostile |
nodead / dead |
Only if alive / only if dead |
[mod:shift] |
Only while holding Shift (alt and ctrl work too) |
[stance:1] |
Only in that warrior stance (1 Battle, 2 Defensive, 3 Berserker) |
; |
"Otherwise, this": separates options on one line |
/startattack |
Starts melee auto-attack if it wasn't on |
/petattack / /petfollow |
Your pet attacks / comes back to you |
/castsequence reset=10 A, B |
Each press casts the next one in the list; starts over after 10 seconds (or when you leave combat with reset=combat) |
/cast !Spell |
If it's already on, doesn't turn it off (for Auto Shot) |
/cancelform [form] |
Drops a druid form before casting |
Those pieces cover almost every useful macro. The best known is the mouseover one (@mouseover), used above all by healers; the second is the focus one (@focus), to interrupt or crowd-control an enemy without losing your target.
Macros for each class
Each class page has four or five macros ready to copy, with what each one does and from which level it works:
- Warrior: charge and attack, stance switching, focus interrupt, mouseover taunt.
- Paladin: mouseover heals and Purify, blessings, focus Hammer of Justice.
- Hunter: Auto Shot with your pet, Hunter's Mark, one button for your pet.
- Rogue: Stealth and Sap, focus Kick, Distract where you aim.
- Priest: mouseover shield, Renew, Dispel Magic and Resurrection.
- Shaman: mouseover Healing Wave, focus Earth Shock, two totems on one button.
- Mage: focus Polymorph and Counterspell, Arcane Intellect, conjure water and food.
- Warlock: focus Fear, mouseover Corruption, Banish.
- Druid: heals that drop your form, focus Entangling Roots, Growl.
What we don't know yet in Forever
Forever runs the modern game's macro system underneath, not Classic's. The macros in this guide use that syntax, which has already been seen working in the beta (in Warcraft Tavern's hunter guide, for example). Some things aren't confirmed yet:
- Casting a specific spell rank, the way Classic did with
(Rank 1). The modern game doesn't allow it without addons, and nobody has confirmed it for Forever. - The character limit and the number of macros. In the modern game a macro holds 255 characters; there's no official figure for Forever.
- A beta bug: in late September some players reported on the official forums that they couldn't save new macros.
We haven't tested these macros one by one in the beta yet. When the game launches we will, and we'll mark the tested ones; if one fails for you before then, tell us on the board.
Frequently asked questions
What is a macro in WoW?
A button you make inside the game with one or more commands, such as casting a spell on whoever is under your mouse. It isn't an outside program and it isn't against the rules.
How do you make a macro in WoW Forever?
Type /macro in chat (or Esc > Macros), click New, name it, pick the question mark icon, paste the text and drag the macro to your bar.
Do macros go in English or in my game's language?
Commands (/cast, /startattack…) in English, but spell names in your game's language and spelled exactly: in the Spanish client, "Polimorfia", not "Polymorph".
What does @mouseover mean in a macro?
That the spell goes to whatever is under your mouse, even if it isn't your target. It's the macro healers use most, to heal from the party frames.
