Aster guide for WoW Forever: install, JustAC and Hekili Forever, rotation setup

Set Aster up for WoW Forever: install, choosing the engine (JustAC or Hekili Forever), keys and settings.

Before you start

Your key needs the WoW Forever option. Without it Aster shows LOCKED and presses nothing. The Profile page shows the time left for each game.
Aster supports the WoW Forever client (game folder _forever_). Classic Era and Anniversary are not supported.
Aster plays by pressing your keys. It does not read game memory or inject anything into the game.

Note. Honestly: at level 60 the rotation is solid. While levelling (below 60) it is not perfect yet: expect the odd wrong or missed press. We fix them with every update, and a report from the bug button helps us find the cause.

Install in four steps

Start WoW Forever first and log in a character: Aster installs the addons into the game that is running right now.
Start Aster and pick WoW Forever on the left. A green dot means Aster sees the game.
In about 15 seconds Aster copies the addons into _forever_\Interface\AddOns: JustAC (the rotation) and oharaaster (the bridge Aster reads). If Hekili Forever is picked, Aster installs it too. Then type /reload in game.
On the character select screen open AddOns and check that JustAC and 0hara Aster are enabled (and Hekili Forever if you picked it).

Heads up. Played the Aster Forever beta? The old bridge inside "Forever Rotation" draws a second marker and Aster presses strange keys. The system check (the check-mark button next to START ASTER) removes it in one click.

Which engine: JustAC or Hekili Forever

On the Rotation page (with WoW Forever selected) there is a ROTATION ENGINE switch. Aster presses the picks of the addon chosen there.

What	JustAC (default)	Hekili Forever (beta)
Rotation source	wowsims priorities + our levelling rules	wowsims priorities, Hekili's engine
Strong side	Levelling: wand, mana thrift, no DoTs on dying mobs	Plans several steps ahead: shot timer, range, melee/ranged weaving
Level	Any	Best at 60
Kicks and defensives	Aster does them through JustAC	Through Hekili: turn on Interrupts and Defensives in `/hekili`
Settings	`/jac`	`/hekili`

Levelling? Take JustAC. At 60 try both and keep the one that plays your class better.
To switch, pick the option in Aster and type /reload in game. Aster installs Hekili Forever the first time you pick it and backs up the old files.
You can go back to JustAC any time with the same switch. Hekili Forever stays installed; if you don't need it, disable it in AddOns so it doesn't use resources.
To see which addon Aster follows right now, type /ohara engine in game.

Hekili Forever: what to set

Opens with /hekili.

Hekili's icons must stay on screen. Aster reads the first icon of the main (Primary) display. You can shrink and move it, but don't hide it.
Leave Display Mode on Automatic: Hekili switches between single target and AoE by itself.
Toggles: Cooldowns for big cooldowns, Interrupts for kicks, Defensives for defensives. What is off, Hekili does not suggest and Aster does not press.
You can hide keybinds on the icons: Aster takes the key straight from your action bars.
Hekili Forever is a third-party project (author defzach, GPL license). It updates fast; Aster installs the version we tested.

Bars and keys

Put every ability Aster should press on an action bar and give it a keyboard key: A-Z, 0-9, F1-F12, numpad and - = ; , . / [ ] \ ', optionally with Shift, Ctrl or Alt.
Aster cannot press mouse buttons or the wheel. A spell bound only to the mouse is skipped.
Numpad keys only work with NumLock on.
Forever has spell ranks. Any rank on the bar works, and the button keeps working after you learn a new rank.
Things outside the rotation (traps, Feign Death, Blink, Fade and so on) can stay on your bars: with JustAC, Aster presses rotation spells only.

Tip. The system check lists every recommended spell that has no key or sits on a key Aster cannot press.

How the JustAC rotation works in Forever

Retail has Blizzard's built-in rotation helper; Forever does not. Here JustAC builds the rotation from lists for your class and talent tree.

Talents choose the rotation. The tree with the most points wins (Arms, Fury or Protection for a warrior, and so on). With no points, the class default is used.
Below level 60 the levelling rules apply: mages, priests and warlocks use the wand when mana runs low or to finish a mob, paladins keep one seal and save mana, and DoTs are not put on dying mobs. At 60 the raid priorities apply.
Aster presses in combat only. Put up buffs, seals, auras and weapon enchants yourself before the pull.
When the rotation says wait, Aster waits. For example while Auto Shot is running and everything else is on cooldown or already up.
JustAC's Priority tab. By default it is on Theorycraft — that is Aster's rotation. If you switch to My List, JustAC follows your list and Aster presses everything on it.

JustAC settings that matter

Open with /jac (or Esc → Options → AddOns → JustAC).

Setting	Where	Choose
Priority	Priority tab	Theorycraft (default)
Use Blizzard's Cooldown Manager	General → Blizzard UI	On
Track rotation auras	General → Blizzard UI	Add Them
Interrupt Mode	General → Disruption	Kick Priority (default). Off = no kicks
Include Fears	General → Disruption	Off (default)
Defensives	Defensives	On, with defensives on keys
Maintenance slot	Defensives → Sustain	On for tanks
Mana Conservation	JustAC options	Optional: on one target with low mana it prefers free attacks

Tip. Why the Cooldown Manager: in combat WoW Forever hides your buffs and debuffs from addons. The Cooldown Manager is the only exact source, and with Add Them JustAC knows a buff or DoT really dropped instead of guessing from cast times.

Settings marked "Not used in WoW Forever" are greyed out on purpose. Leave them.
JustAC's look doesn't matter to Aster: you can hide or shrink its panel. Aster asks JustAC directly.
If JustAC says the spec is disabled, type /jac enable.
To make Aster never press a spell, exclude it on JustAC's Abilities tab.

Aster settings

Rotation engine (Forever only). JustAC or Hekili Forever — see above.
Control mode. Automatic: Aster presses by itself, F9 pauses. On trigger: Aster casts only while you hold the trigger (a key or a mouse button such as Mouse X2), and passes the press to the game when there is nothing to cast.
Capture. Leave it on Auto. Choose Window - compatible if Aster reads nothing, presses wrong keys or must work while WoW is in the background.
Repeat same key. 300 ms by default. Raise it if a spell gets pressed twice.
In-game panel. Panel, Dot or Aster mark: green = running, orange = paused, grey = stopped, red LOCKED.
Updates. Aster updates itself when it starts. If a new version did not show up, press Check for updates on the main page. What changed is under What's new.

Display settings

Aster reads a small marker in the top-left corner of the game window.

Windowed or Windowed (Fullscreen). The corner must be on screen and uncovered.
An FPS counter in the top-left corner covers the marker. Turn it off or move it to another corner: Steam (Settings → In Game → In-game FPS counter), NVIDIA (Alt+R / Alt+Z → statistics overlay), RTSS/Afterburner.
In-game brightness, contrast and gamma at their defaults.
Turn off anything that changes colours: HDR, Night light, colour filters (NVIDIA Freestyle), ReShade, GPU digital vibrance.
Close overlays over the corner: Discord, Steam, Game Bar, Overwolf, OBS.
Run WoW and Aster with the same rights (both normal or both as administrator).

Kicks and defensives

With JustAC, Aster interrupts with your class kick: Kick, Counterspell, Pummel, Shield Bash, Earth Shock or Feral Charge. If the kick is not ready it may use a control spell instead (Bash, Scatter Shot, Intimidation, Polymorph, Death Coil; Fear only with Include Fears).
Paladins have no interrupt in Forever.
The kick goes first, before the rotation, when a target in range casts something interruptible.
Defensives fire when your health drops below about 50%, if they are on keys.
With Hekili Forever, kicks and defensives come from Hekili itself: turn on the Interrupts and Defensives toggles in /hekili.
To make the kick stop your own cast, bind a macro: /stopcasting, then /cast with the kick's name.

Commands in game

Command	What it does
`/reload`	Loads addons after install, an update or switching the engine
`/jac`	JustAC options
`/jac enable`	Turns JustAC back on for this spec
`/hekili`	Hekili Forever options
`/ohara engine`	Which addon Aster follows right now
`/ohara`	Aster panel: extra cooldowns to press when ready
`/ohara test`	Checks that panel: are the spells and keys found
`/asterkick`	Last kick status, spell and key

Something not working?

Open the system check (the check-mark button next to START ASTER). It explains most problems and fixes many in one click.
Aster presses nothing: check that it is started (START ASTER), WoW is on top, you are in combat (attack the target yourself, not only with your pet), you typed /reload after installing, and nothing covers the top-left corner.
It presses the wrong things: check JustAC's Priority tab (it should be Theorycraft), or with Hekili its icon — Aster presses exactly that.
Still stuck: right after the bad fight press the bug icon. Aster asks you to type /reload — that saves the fight journal. Send the code to 0hara on Discord with your class, talents and level.