Patch 10.1.7 introduces a brand-new ping system in World of Warcraft that players will be able to use. You might already be familiar with similar systems in other games, such as League of Legends and DOTA 2.
The goal of a ping system is to quickly communicate with your teammates without having to use text or voice chat.
You can use pings on friendly targets, enemies, the ground, or the unit frames.
Note: Please keep in mind that this is an early preview of the ping system, and the information provided is based on the Public Test Realm (PTR), which means that it is subject to change before the system is implemented in the live version of the game.
Ping Wheel
To access the Ping Wheel, you have to hold down G + Left Mouse Button and drag your mouse to make the wheel appear on your screen.
On the wheel, you will currently find the following options:
- Attack
- Assist
- Warning
- On my way
You can also hover over a player or an NPC and use the ping to instruct your teammates on which NPC or player to attack.
Using a Ping Without the Wheel
You can also use a ping by simply holding down G and clicking on a friendly player, an enemy, or the ground.
For friendly targets and the ground, the default option is set to a non-threatening alert. However, for enemies, the default option is set to a threatening alert.
- Friendly Target & Ground: Non threatening alert
- Enemy: Threatening alert
Ping Limitation
If you use too many pings consecutively, you will be locked out for a few seconds. This prevents people from continuously spamming pings.
Additionally, you will be able to see in the chat who caused each ping. So, if somebody excessively uses pings, you will be able to identify the person.
Macro Support
The new Ping system will have Macro support to let you have more control and convenience. The following Ping commands can be used within macros:
/ping
/ping attack
/ping assist
/ping onmyway
/ping warning
/ping [@target] attack
Final Thoughts
I personally believe that the addition of a ping system in World of Warcraft is long overdue. It will greatly enhance communication among players and prove especially beneficial for individuals with hearing disabilities, as they will be able to rely on visual pings within the game.