To be clear, it's num-pad "+" , not "shift =" . If your laptop doesn't have a physical number pad usually there is one superimposed on the keyboard that you access by pressing an "Fn" key or similar.

Once you're in game, in the settings there is a keyboard configuration that's much more laptop friendly (I actually use it on desktop- the "laptop" configuration uses WASD for movement which is incredibly common in games today.)

You will need to use the + to access a number of secondary menus.