I have a very very simply demonstration favourite selection set up, and hot keyed as follows:

1) Conjure Bound Sword
2) Conjure Frost Atronach
3) Fast Healing
4) Stone Flesh
5) Chain Lightning

My problem is that the hand abilities appear in is essentially random. I would like my bound sword to ALWAYS appear in my right hand, and my Fast Healing to ALWAYS appear in my left, but what usually happens is that when I press 3 in combat my sword disappears is replaced by Fast Heal. I tried using (Shift+3) a couple of times, which seems to place it in the left hand more frequently, but not always, and using just plain 3 without modifiers makes it appear randomly wherever it wants.

I am aware that I can actually open the menu and right and left click on abilities to eventually get them where I want them, but having to do that multiple times per 10 seconds after every heal or resummon or random nuke is both immersion breaking and infuriating, and defeats the entire concept of hotkeys in the first instance. Please, for the love of God let us bind abilities or weapons to SPECIFIC HANDS, or if we already can please tell me how this miraculous feat is accomplished, since in game if I replace my Shield of 40% Ice Resistance with Fire Bolt one more time my face will plant itself in the desk with such force that I may permanently alter my appearance.

Other than that, I'm loving the game. Truly, the scope is vast yet the attention to detail at small scales is wonderful. It just makes this particular problem all the more insufferable - 75% of all time I actually spend in combat is now spent in menus shuffling buffs and abilities around to ensure the hotkey system does not unequip something vital, and I want it to stop!

I can't even get it past 1 and 2... how did you assign 3-5?

Ah, nm. The controller only allows 2 "hotkeys", the PC goes to 8.