Should I Play Elden Ring With a Controller on PC?

You may have to keep it a secret from PC die-hards, but is having a controller worth it?

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Yes, Elden Ring supports controllers, and the game, like Dark Souls and others before it, was built to be played flawlessly with a controller.

But, you’re probably asking, “Why would anyone want to play a PC game with a controller?” Good question.

The main reason why is that there’s still debate whether FromSoftware has upped its game in terms of keyboard and mouse usability. Many users on Reddit have complained that the studio’s previous titles, such as Dark Souls 3, were completely unplayable on PC using a keyword and mouse setup. A particular issue with previous games was that the mouse movements switched opponents too often. 

But, it’s a new dawn, a new day, and a new game… So, have FromSoftware stepped up with Elden Ring?

Benefits of using a controller to play Elden Ring

The games by FromSoftware are truly built around controllers. Since Demon’s Souls arrived in 2009 to fill us with both frustration and love, the studio generally opted to use the same layout.

When it comes to Elden Ring controllers, those with controllers have a distinct advantage. Why? As they offer the distinct advantage of letting you remap back buttons or paddles to certain functions, allowing you to move faster, evade more smoothly, carry out numerous functions, and, simply… run away faster! 

If you manage to map dodge or sprint to one of the back paddles, you’ll be able to free your hand to perform complicated combinations before you can say ‘Elden Ring!’

We all know that every second may be the difference between being safe and being impaled by a grotesque boss, so having these options with a controller is proving to be a game-changer for a lot of gamers.

Negatives of using a mouse and keyboard to play Elden Ring

In all honesty, FromSoftware’s largest game ever deserves better on PC. This would be achieved with only a few minor tweaks to provide the best performance possible.

Some issues include:

Elden Ring prevents you from rebinding 2 major keys

This is odd: Elden Ring just does not allow you to modify some functionalities. 

It’s actually a bizarre regression from all of the Dark Souls games on PC as there is no item in the key binding settings for how to enter the main menu (Start on a controller), making it constantly linked to Esc.

Plus, it also lacks a choice for the map button, which is locked to G.

Odd. Very odd indeed!

Elden Ring doesn’t let you bind individual hotkeys to inventory items

Elden Ring’s creators opted to map the D-pad controls to the arrow keys. It gives you have a wonderful up-down-left-right input technique for shifting weapons and cycling through objects and spells. Whilst this seems like a natural and highly intuitive match, the positioning of the arrow keys requires you to completely remove your hand from the mouse to make those adjustments.

Compared with a controller, this is clumsy, as with the controller you can simply slip your thumb off a joystick to make a quick shift. The arrangement simply does not work on a keyboard at all.

The double keybindings could be better

To be fair to Elden Ring, a great feature is that you are allowed to bind actions to both the keyboard and the mouse! 

In my opinion, duplicate keybinds are fantastic and are often a lifesaver in the heat of the moment.

Unfortunately, the implementation is lacking here as well. You should be able to tie movement such as going forward/backward to mouse buttons for accessibility reasons. But, alas, those commands are blocked in the keybind settings.

Plus, while Elden Ring allows you to duplicate mouse and keyboard bindings if your extra mouse buttons are set to input separate keyboard instructions via Windows, Elden Ring will not recognize them as mouse buttons. At all.

Using a Mouse and Keyboard may be best for more professional play

Technically, even if you’re not a PC purist, using a Mouse and Keyboard is nearly always preferable to a controller.

However, it depends on the game you’re playing. For example, if you’re playing Counter-Strike you’d be a bit misguided to assume you could compete professionally using a controller. 

With a 3rd-person ‘non-shooter’ like Elden Ring, a controller will feel more natural to use. In general, a controller is a more pleasant experience for most people. Plus, you won’t be missing out on as much potential as you would with a game more reliant on precise aiming and a speedy camera.

Overall, if you actually put in the work to perfect Mouse and Keyboard, there probably isn’t a situation where a controller is superior. A controller’s purpose is to provide a player with an approximation of the Mouse and Keyboard experience but in a more comfortable and intuitive manner. So, for most titles, people prefer controllers. They’re more comfortable, and that’s often what matters most at a casual level of play.

Should I use a controller or a mouse and keyboard with Elden Ring?

At the end of the day, if your primary goal is to have fun, a controller is the way to go. Use a controller if you wish to simply play. If you want to be in the top bracket of a game, you should use a Mouse and Keyboard.

As for me? I’ll be opting for a controller. What can I say? I’m a creature of comfort!

Controller not working in Elden Ring?

Some players have been struggling to get their controllers to work with the Steam version of the game, if you are one of them then check out our guide to getting it up and running here and you will be sorted in no time,

More Elden Ring content

We’ve been waiting to get our hands on FromSoftware’s Elden Ring for so long, we almost can’t believe it’s finally arrived. Other than our Tier List, We’ll be here to walk you through every step of your journey through the Lands Between. Join us for all our Elden Ring content and guides over the coming days and weeks!