World of Warcraft has captivated millions of players all across the world with its awesome game expansion packs and several new additions to the already immersive gameplay experience. However, the game is not free from glitches and errors. One such error that several players have reported is that the WoW Strafe is not working in the Dragonflight expansion.
In this article, we will discuss what is Strafe feature in World of Warcraft and what are the possible causes of the Strafe not working error. In the end, we will provide a few fixes so that you can resume the game glitch-free.
What is Strafe in WoW?
Before we delve any further, let us understand what is Strafe and why it is necessary for WoW players. So, you are fighting an enemy and you want to flank them or dodge the incoming blows. Well, Strafe is exactly that. Strafe is a move that allows you to move your character to the left or the right while facing the enemy.
It is an important gaming process as you can move away with an increased speed while still facing the enemy and you are invulnerable to the abilities that work well when used from behind.
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WoW Strafe not working: Possible causes
It is frustrating when such an important function isn’t working. Here are some of the possible causes of WoW Strafe not working issue:
- It could be due to a bug in the game.
- Your keyboard must have malfunctioned.
- Server instability.
Blizzard is aware of the issue and has issued a few fixes which we will discuss in the next section of this article.
WoW Strafe not working: Possible fixes
Now that we have understood what is Strafe and why is Strafe not working, it is time for us to find the possible fixes to the WoW Strafe not working problem.
Here are a few fixes that you can try:
Check the server status
Sometimes the server is busy or scheduled for maintenance. You should check the Blizzard Server page where they will mention the maintenance schedule.
You can also take the help of various third-party websites like Downdetector to check the server’s status. Furthermore, you can check Blizzard’s social media accounts to report a problem and verify the server status.
If there is a server outage, you can do nothing but wait it out. However, if you have checked and are sure that there aren’t any server outages, then proceed further.
Check your keyboard
You should check your keyboard for any malfunction. Open Notepad or any document editor and then check all the keys, especially those keys that you had bound to the Strafe function.
There are many third-party websites like Keyboard Test where you can test and diagnose the keyboard keys free of cost.
If your keyboard is working fine, then move on to the next steps.
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Rebind your keys
The quickest and easiest way to fix WoW Strafe not working issue is to rebind your keys. Here’s how to do that:
- Go to the Key Bindings option by pressing the Esc key.
- Look for Strafe Left and Strafe Right options and then press the key that you want to assign to each of these options.
- Confirm the process by selecting Save.
Once you are done, the Strafe should work fine. If it doesn’t, try resetting the keyboard settings to the default.
Re-logging the game
Blizzard developers have mentioned that re-logging should fix the issue. Close the game client and then wait a few seconds before re-launching it.
Once the game client is open, you can now log in with your WoW account to fix Strafe not working error.
Mount and dismount a dragon mount
This is another Blizzard-prescribed fix that you can try. There are a few ways to dismount:
- You could just land on the enemy and start the auto attack.
- Or, just press the mount key bind.
As per Blizzard, mounting and dismounting a dragon mount can fix WoW Strafe not working issue.
Clear WoW cache
The cache files are small. frequently used files that are stored in the memory. But sometimes, the cache files get corrupted or malfunction. So, it is important to clear these files to fix bugs such as WoW Strafe not working issue.
Here’s how to clear WoW cache files on Windows:
- Open the Task Manager on Windows by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- Click on the Processes tab and then locate agent.exe or the Blizzard Update Agent file. After that click on the files and press End Process.
- Next, press the Windows Key + R and open the Run dialogue. Type %ProgramData% and then press Enter.
- Navigate to the Blizzard Entertainment folder and delete it.
- Restart the Battle.net client.
If you are a Mac user, follow the steps given below to clear the WoW cache:
- Click on the Go menu and then select Computer.
- Select Macintosh HD.
- Next, go to the /Users/Shared/Blizzard directory.
- Here, delete the Battle.net folder.
- Restart the game client.
Logging into other characters
Several players have reported that logging into other characters can fix the WoW Strafe not working issue. However, this is not a permanent fix and is more of a workaround to the problem and “will only work until the next time you enter an instance.”
As of now, there is no permanent fix to this infuriating bug. However, by clearing the cache, checking for server status, mounting and dismounting the dragon and rebinding your keys you can potentially fix WoW Strafe not working issue.
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