How on Earth do people play this game with mouse and keyboard? (Help requested)

CMDR_Un1k0rn

Before we begin, allow me to state that the only person who is lacking in skills is myself.

I've been playing on PC near everyday since halfway through January, and I always make some time to try and practice with mouse and keyboard input.

I cannot do it.

Every time I attempt to enter a fight with an NPC, I find my character paralysed as I cannot cast skills whilst moving, or I cannot move whilst casting.

How on Earth do I make it possible for me to do both at the same time? At this point I'm begging. A gamepad is a decent stop-gap solution but they fail rather quickly under intense use. Especially the sticks.

I am desperate to find a way to play this game with mouse and keyboard, but thus far, I can't do anything with it.

Does anyone have suggestions for custom bindings? I currently have my controls more or less set to default. As a result, it seems, I can't move and cast at the same time, because my five left digits just can't reach casting keys and movement keys at the same time.

Has anyone got any advice? I'm at a complete loss.

DisgracefulMind

I think moving and casting is just a lot of practice. I don't personally have issues with it, though I've played ESO on PC for 5 years. As for weapon swap and such, I rebind that to my mouse. I also rebind autorun on my mouse too. I know a lot of people who are successful binding certain skills to their mouse as well.

anitajoneb17_ESO

I'd simply suggest patience and practice. You're changing your habits, that's all. Don't expect to be at 100% of the speed you were having with a pad, just accpet that you need to adjust and that this adjustment will happen naturally over a little bit of time.

(Since when am I sooo wise ? :-) )

DeadlyRecluse

Gaming mouse with all casting tied to thumb buttons makes moving and casting 10x easier.

If you're using a default mouse, and trying to cast and move with your left fingers at the same time, it's going to be rough (plus you end up having "combos" of motion+skills that you are more or less limited to--hard to strafe right and hit "5," for instance).

VaranisArano

A lot of players use gaming mice, so its possible to remap their skills to mouse buttons while using WASD to move.

Personally, I started gaming on PC with Skyrim and so I have no fancy moves nor a gaming mouse. I just hold down "W" to move forward or "W+A/D" to strafe while steering and light attacking with my mouse. I reach up to hit #1-5 with my left ring or index finger. There's bit of cross-over when I hit my #3, so its not ideal.

Its not amazing, and I'm sure there are better ways to do it, but that's how I play without a gaming mouse or too many different keybinds.

Caleb_Kadesh

I have a custom keyboard and programmable mouse. But I've been playing 1st/3rd person games for over 30 years. Adding a mouse would be the easiest upgrade in my opinion.

CMDR_Un1k0rn

I am seriously considering one of these gaming mice with 10-12 buttons on the side. As it stands my right thumb does nothing but weapon swap.

Problem is my current mouse only has two buttons on the side... Hardly enough to cast all those skills as well.

I don't know if this logic is flawed or not, but I just feel that if I could dedicate my left hand to WASD, and have my currently dormant thumb casting skills... I might get on better.

What do you think guys?

DisgracefulMind

CMDR_Un1k0rn wrote: »

I am seriously considering one of these gaming mice with 10-12 buttons on the side. As it stands my right thumb does nothing but weapon swap.

Problem is my current mouse only has two buttons... Hardly enough to cast all those skills as well.

I don't know if this logic is flawed or not, but I just feel that if I could dedicate my left hand to WASD, and have my currently dormant thumb casting skills... I might get on better.

What do you think guys?

Gaming mice definitely help tons of people, so I would definitely give one a try for awhile and see how much you end up liking it!

Kiralyn2000

Personally, I've never understood how anyone uses those gaming mice without mashing their thumb across half a dozen buttons every time they try to touch it. (I had a 4-button regular mouse with side buttons, I physically disabled them because I kept accidentally triggering them just moving the mouse around. I suppose I hold my mouse differently? /shrug)


I don't have any issues with using WASD to move and all the keys around it for other commands, but I've been playing games that use that control arrangement for several decades. It's just so ingrained that it's hard to give useful advice - it's just "um, that's the way it works?" to me. Sorry.

msalvia

Sorry I don't have more constructive feedback, but I also use a gamepad and find it pretty much the same once you get weaving down. I similarly struggle with combat using m+key, but gamepad works fine in most cases!

DeadlyRecluse

CMDR_Un1k0rn wrote: »

I am seriously considering one of these gaming mice with 10-12 buttons on the side. As it stands my right thumb does nothing but weapon swap.

Problem is my current mouse only has two buttons... Hardly enough to cast all those skills as well.

I don't know if this logic is flawed or not, but I just feel that if I could dedicate my left hand to WASD, and have my currently dormant thumb casting skills... I might get on better.

What do you think guys?

Yes, that's exactly what I (and most people I know who play) do.

I personally have 4 thumb buttons and a second index button on my house, it isn't one of the 10-12 button ones, but it works pretty well. 4 skills are on my dominant thumb, one skill is still on the number bar (usually a long-lasting buff or conditional skill that I don't need to cast as often and don't need to be as crisp about animation-cancelling). I keep my ultimate on the keyboard as well.

Yuisoku

Check out Rocket Jump Ninja from Youtube, he does best mouse reviews for all needs

Sennecca

12 button gaming mouse for skills, and changed my WASD movement keys to ESDF to open up more easy to reach keys for my left hand.

keep in mind this also makes you change other keybinds as the default on several keys will be changed, but I use C for crouch and then i can use w for weapon swap.

Vercingetorix

Just use a controller like a normal person, lol. No need to utilize a keyboard when the ability to plug in a controller for ESO exists on PC.

Larry78

started playing with razer naga lefthanded edition ( with 12 butons at side),2 years ago and stopped playing when i broke that mice...Reasons..same as you OP, cant play at keyboard especially soz im lefthanded..i hope ill find solution too..

Kiralyn2000

Question for all the people using gaming mice with thumb buttons - how do you actually hold the mouse, if your thumb is running around pushing buttons? I grip the sides of the mouse with my thumb & ring/pinky fingers, using index & middle to push the two buttons. I honestly have no idea how you'd hold a mouse when it has buttons on the sides. /confused

CMDR_Un1k0rn

msalvia wrote: »

Sorry I don't have more constructive feedback, but I also use a gamepad and find it pretty much the same once you get weaving down. I similarly struggle with combat using m+key, but gamepad works fine in most cases!

Well, like I suggest in my OP, I don't have a problem with a gamepad per se, but they don't last very long.

My beef with gamepads isn't a gameplay issue. In that regard they're great.

But they break so easily, and they're only getting more expensive with each console generation. I can't keep up with replacements, which is why I'm so keen to find a more worthwhile solution that will last.

DeadlyRecluse

Kiralyn2000 wrote: »

Question for all the people using gaming mice with thumb buttons - how do you actually hold the mouse, if your thumb is running around pushing buttons? I grip the sides of the mouse with my thumb & ring/pinky fingers, using index & middle to push the two buttons. I honestly have no idea how you'd hold a mouse when it has buttons on the sides. /confused

The thumb buttons tend to be pretty stiff, so you can still push against them to hold/move the mouse without engaging them. Plus you can rest your thumb just below them (if there aren't a ton of buttons) or inside the button ring if it's something like a Hex mouse. Just takes practice, but after like 15 minutes you really don't even notice the buttons when you are just pivoting your view or whatnot.

barney2525

Hold down W with left finger and the mouse will lead you where ever you want to go

Your casting is 1 2 3 4 5, so place these in a specific order.

You will stop, use the mouse to target, hit a number. Don't try to cast the next option too fast. IN between you use left click on the mouse to do light attacks.

The S is right below the W, in case you want to back up a bit

If the character needs to get out of a bind fast, hit W repeatedly and quickly. it will dodge roll. Then swing the mouse around and locate the targets again

That's basics that helped me get a handle on things

DisgracefulMind

Larry78 wrote: »

started playing with razer naga lefthanded edition ( with 12 butons at side),2 years ago and stopped playing when i broke that mice...Reasons..same as you OP, cant play at keyboard especially soz im lefthanded..i hope ill find solution too..

Leftie here too, I think I'm so good at using my skills as keys on my keyboard because of that haha. Only weapon swap with my right hand and use my mouse xD

Alkapton

Some people like playing with a keyboard, they claim is faster that way. You can get keyboards that split in half or whatever to make you even faster it is claimed. Maybe its the arthritis, I don't like playing with keyboard. I use xbox elite controller. If you pc a xbox controller just plugs in and works fine, but remember to select it in the game. and I can still use the keyboard if I want - for txt or whatever.

Dagoth_Rac

If it is any consolation, I have never had any issue with mouse/keyboard but cannot do a gamepad for anything. I was fine with Atari and NES and stuff. But once they switched to "dual stick", I was lost and never got any better. It seems like I need each hand doing something distinct, which is the case with mouse/keyboard. But gamepads nowadays have so much "mirror symmetry", where each hand is basically doing the same types of things to the exact same types of objects. I just cannot get the hang of that. It extends beyond games. I can play the guitar but I am horrible with the piano. Guitar has each hand doing separate things (fretting versus strumming) where piano each hand is doing the same thing (pressing keys).

SeaGtGruff

What @barney2525 said-- arrange your skills so they're easier to use.

It does take practice, but if your skills are in a certain order, you can keep W held down and press 1 through 5 as needed-- but put the skills you want to use most frequently while moving furthest away from W.

esotoon

Kiralyn2000 wrote: »

Question for all the people using gaming mice with thumb buttons - how do you actually hold the mouse, if your thumb is running around pushing buttons? I grip the sides of the mouse with my thumb & ring/pinky fingers, using index & middle to push the two buttons. I honestly have no idea how you'd hold a mouse when it has buttons on the sides. /confused

For me I usually hold the mouse like you, but when fighting, my grip changes slightly so that the mouse is guided between my pinky (on the side of the mouse) and the fleshy bit of my palm, where thumb attaches (at the back of the mouse on the opposite side). This leaves the tip of my thumb free to hit the buttons. I tend to use the furthest two columns of buttons for my skills, which means the whole length of my thumb is also along the side of the mouse as I use them, and the back two columns for things I need less often, as I need to bend my thumb in order to get to those, so the mouse is slightly less supported whilst using them.

CMDR_Un1k0rn

Thank you guys. You have given me a lot to think about.

kargen27

Larry78 wrote: »

started playing with razer naga lefthanded edition ( with 12 butons at side),2 years ago and stopped playing when i broke that mice...Reasons..same as you OP, cant play at keyboard especially soz im lefthanded..i hope ill find solution too..

I am let handed and think that provides an advantage using keyboard and mouse. I set mine up this way.

Left mouse button = attack
Right mouse button = switch bars
middle mouse button = block
scroll middle button = interrupt
keypad 8 = forward
keypad 2 = back
keypad 4 = left
keypad 6 = right
keypad 9 = ultimate
keypad 1 = synergy
keypad 3 = duck
keypad 0 = jump
keypad Enter = interact
left arrow key = skill 1
middle arrow key = skill 2
right arrow key = skill 3
up arrow key = skill 4
Page Down = skill 5
keypad 5 = push to talk for discord
keypad + = sprint

I can do movement with my fingers and easily reach the keys for skills with my thumb without having to move my right hand.

spacebandit

Gaming mouse is definitely the way to go. I use keys 6-12 instead of 1-6 because they are at the back closer to my thumbs natural position. And backwards at that, 12 is 1, 11 is 2 so on.

It takes a lot of getting used to (basically learning a new skill) But in my opinion the effort to learn is worth the reward.

Also gaming mice are shaped where you can easily maneuver them without accidentally pushing a skill button.

Never use wireless mouse or keyboard for gaming tho.

technohic

DeadlyRecluse wrote: »

Gaming mouse with all casting tied to thumb buttons makes moving and casting 10x easier.

If you're using a default mouse, and trying to cast and move with your left fingers at the same time, it's going to be rough (plus you end up having "combos" of motion+skills that you are more or less limited to--hard to strafe right and hit "5," for instance).

This.

I'd find it impossible without and would probably try a gamepad

zaria

DeadlyRecluse wrote: »

Gaming mouse with all casting tied to thumb buttons makes moving and casting 10x easier.

If you're using a default mouse, and trying to cast and move with your left fingers at the same time, it's going to be rough (plus you end up having "combos" of motion+skills that you are more or less limited to--hard to strafe right and hit "5," for instance).

This, I use an naga mouse and has everything including bar swap on mouse.

SirLeeMinion

Like some above, I've been gotten used to WASD 12345 gaming over a bunch of years and am hopeless with a controller and mostly hopeless with a gaming mouse. I have found that remapping some keys and unbinding most of them helps me a great deal. I put the ultimate on 7 vs the standard R or 6. That way it doesn't trigger accidentally when I'm going for 5. I unbind everything near WASD 1-7 that isn't combat related- it keeps me from opening the crown store when my hand is off a bit in combat.

With at least one stam and mag character of every class, something that has really helped me is standardizing rotations. For example, for every toon, 1 and 3 are always AoE backbar, and spammable damage front bar, 2 is a damage plus resource regain / utility skill, 4 is always the "Oh noes..." emergency heal or shield. 5 is for longer lasting buffs. This makes playing just about every DPS except warden pretty similar.

And for those that like to run dolmens while eating popcorn and watching the news, if you put your character into autorun + walk, you can light or heavy attack everything while walking around the dolmen and get your XP with no keyboarding required.

Kagukan

I use a Logitech G13 with a Logitech G602. Makes gaming life easy.