WoW: How to set up Rotation Assist (and is it worth it?)

WoW has introduced a brand-new feature to help teach the game, and that’s Rotation Assist. It’s aimed at helping players learn exactly how they’re supposed to play their class, since the title frankly doesn’t offer that information easily, or at all. Instead of using a third-party addon, which already existed, players can now go into their settings to set this up in-game, based on Blizzard’s most recent design.

Added as a part of the updates for the 11.1.7 patch (Legacy of Arathor), one can now figure out exactly what they’re doing as a new or returning player. There are certainly more complex classes where this could be incredibly useful.

Here’s everything you need to know about WoW’s Rotation Assist.

How to set up Rotation Assist in WoW

You can set up Rotation Assist in WoW by simply logging onto the Retail servers and opening up the settings. You’ll find a new section, which ought to have “new” next to it in-game: Gameplay Enhancements. You might not be familiar with this if you didn’t enter the settings to turn on Cooldown Manager.

Left: Where you'll find the option. Right: Look for the gold-bordered spells/abilities (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

However, there’s a very important catch to using Rotation Assist right now: It doesn’t work with outside addons. I tried using Bartender (my preferred addon for hotbars), and it wouldn’t trigger. Only when I disabled it, reapplied, and re-set up my old hotbars did I see that telltale blue glow.

That’s how it works: You load all the appropriate abilities into your hotbars (marked with a gold border in your spellbook) and begin combat by attacking things. You’ll see abilities with a blue glow, which means you should use them next. It will only use specific abilities that are in your spell book and loaded into your hotbar, so keep that in mind.

Is it worth it to use Rotation Assist in WoW?

You'll lose some DPS using this, but it's a great teaching tool to understand the order of operations (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

The real question is “Is Rotation Assist worth using in WoW?” and if you’re a seasoned player who understands their class, the answer is obviously no. If you’re new to a class, returning to it after many months/years, then I can see value in it.

I imagine every DPS class will see some damage loss from using this. You’ll have to wait for something to glow to start using it, if you want to learn the proper rotation, and this takes time, and thus, slows down your damage.

I don’t recommend healers use it at all because you don’t really have a “rotation” per se. It won’t teach you how to properly heal.

Other than that, for beginning/returning players, I do see value in this system and recommend at least giving it a shot.

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About the author

Jason is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda holding an amazing 11 years of experience under his belt. Having put out 4000-plus articles and amassing over 12 million reads for Sportskeeda, he is among the company’s most experienced writers. Jason holds a Bachelor's degree in English from UNC Pembroke and was inspired to become a gaming journalist very early on in life after reading Nintendo Power.

Jason is a jack of all trades when it comes to gaming journalism. He’s a key writer in Sportskeeda's MMO department, but he also likes to help out in other categories, like streamers, RPG, card games, and whatever else is needed. A solo gamer at heart, Jason's favorite titles include Earthbound and Dragon Warrior.

Jason places high value on accuracy and relevance in his write-ups. He achieves this with thorough research to sift facts from rumors. One of the biggest highlights of his career is his interview with Canadian pro wrestler Kenny Omega about his inclusion in the Like a Dragon game series. He is also good friends with journalist Kazumo Hashimoto, who he admires for the kind of stories he works on and his deep ethics.

A true cinephile, one of Jason’s primary hobbies involves enjoying cinematic experiences. He also loves reading, be it fiction or manga, when not working. Additionally, he streams on Twitch and posts his gaming insights on YouTube.

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Edited by Jason Parker