The most recent Back to Basics Segment appeared in All Things Azeroth,  episode #254, which was called “Metzen just can’t stop himself”.  This Back to Basics was about all those little buttons that appear at the bottom of the screen when you play WoW.  Specifically, it’s the ones next to the bag slots.

People who learn best by listening to something being described might have gotten all the need from hearing that Back to Basics episode when it was first played.  I decided to go ahead and put the same information into written format, for all the people who learn best by seeing something, or by reading it over.

What are all those little buttons?

Looks like: Red Question Mark
This is really called “Help Request”.
What it does:  This is where you can go if you need help with something in game.
Features:

• A button called “Knowledge Base” : Check here first to see if your question has already been answered.
• A button called “Account Security” : It has helpful tips to keep you from getting scammed.
• A button called: “Character Stuck” : A button in here will teleport you to the nearest graveyard.
• A button called: “Report Lag” : Go here to let Blizzard know that you are experiencing major lag
• A button called: “Report Abuse” : This is where to go to tell on that player that is abusing you.
• A button called: “Open a Ticket” : This will open a ticket with a GM.  If all else fails, try this.

Looks like: Little Computer Monitor
This is really called “Options”.
Go here to change your audio settings, your interface, or to exit the game.

Looks like: A Helmet
This is really called “Raid”.
This is what to click if you are interested in getting into a Raid, (and need a group to do it with).

Looks Like: A Red Book With a Skull (or a Monster Manual from D&D)
This is really called “Dungeon Journal”
Inside are lots of buttons to click on that will teach you more about the different dungeons.  Find out about the loot that drops, and what boss is in a particular dungeon.  It beats searching online for this information!

Looks Like: Green Glowing Eyeball (or The Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings, but not red)
This is really called “Dungeon Finder”
This is what to click on if you want to be placed into a dungeon, (but don’t have a group to do it with).

Looks Like: A Shield
This is really called “Battlegrounds”.
This is what to click if you want to get into a battleground, and go fight players who are of the opposite faction.  If you are looking for PVP (player vs. player), and aren’t on a PVP server, a battleground is a good place to find it.

Looks Like: Your Guild’s Talbard (or is completely blank).
If you are not in a guild yet, then this button will do nothing for you.  Once you join a guild, this becomes the button to click on if you want to find out information related to your guild.  A window opens up that will tell you more about who from your guild is online right now, what level your guild is, and more.

Looks Like: A Yellow !
This is really called “Quest Log”.
Click this to open a window that will tell you what quests you currently have accepted, and how many you have in total.  It also can give you information about where to go to complete the quest, or to turn it in.

Looks Like: A Silver Shield Trimmed in Gold
This is really called “Achievements”.
Clicking on this button will open up a window that tells you how many Achievement Points you have earned, which Achievements you have completed, and which ones you haven’t done yet.

Looks Like: A Knife that has been Thrown at a Target
This is really called “Talents”.
As you level, you will earn some talent points.  Click on this button to place those points where you want them to be.  There will be three different specializations for you to choose from.  The short answer is that the points help your character to do stuff a little better.

Looks Like: An Old Book
This is really called “Spellbook”.
There are a bunch of tabs inside here that show you what spells you have already learned how to do.  This is also where to go to access your secondary professions (cooking, first aid, fishing, archeology).
You can also find your companion pets (and summon or dismiss them) through a tab here.
And, this is where to go to find your mounts, (and you can mount or dismount through here, too).

Looks Like: A little tiny picture of Your Character.
This is where to find tons of information about your character.
Scroll over the stuff he or she is wearing to see statistics about each piece.
You can see the titles you have earned here.
This is where to find out what your reputation is with different factions.
This also is where to find out how much currency you have (that isn’t copper, silver, or gold. Those are in your backpack).