Guild Wars 2

Since we are helping each other out in this section of the forums I thought I’d be proactive rather than reactive and do a public service announcement:


Hey people! Do not use your keyboard to turn or for movement! Use your mouse!


I keep being surprised at the number of keyboard turners I see in dungeons, in the Nightmare Tower, etc.

If you want to get better at GW2 or at many MMOs with similar interfaces, learn to move with your mouse (or a combination of mouse and keyboard).

Why?

1. Your reaction speed and turns will be faster and more precise, allowing you to more efficiently get out of AoE or away from danger
2. You are freeing your keyboard-hand to press your skills and weapon buttons on the keyboard, which is faster than clicking them with your mouse

How to do it?

• By pressing both mouse buttons simultaneously you get your toon in a forward motion.
• While pressing both mouse buttons use the same hand to turn left and right by moving the mouse
• You can then combine forward motion and turns with strafing as needed (e.g. you can keybind your strafing with either special buttons of your mouse – if you have a very fancy one – or do like me and use keys on your keyboard close to your abilities to trigger strafing while using your mouse for forward motion and turns)

What about dodges?

Since your keyboard-hand is freed from the need of holding “W” down or of turning you can use it to activate abilities and trigger dodges. For dodges in a specific direction double-type the direction you want to dodge toward (e.g. if you are strafing left with “A” then double-type “A”). For a regular backward dodge, you can either double-type the key you use to backpedal or “V” (default dodge key).

How to get used to that?

It takes a big of time to break habits and get used to mouse motion, but you will NEVER regret giving up keyboard turning. Once you are used to mouse motion you will simply be amazed by how more efficient you are at moving, dodging and activating your abilities. Even if the first days are hard.

A tip to break the habit of keyboard turning is to unbind your keys for turning and for forward motion from the keyboard. You are then condemned to use your mouse for that and it makes you learn fast! You might want to bring back the forward motion keybind eventually as you need it for a forward dodge.

Zel

Once you opt for the principle of using your mouse for motion, the issues of keybinds is then a matter of taste, but a possible way to do it is as follows (for people with standard mouses and keyboards):

• GW2 does not have many abilities to trigger, so you can simply leave your weapon skills mapped 1 to 5
• Assuming you use an Azerty keyboard, you can keybind “A” to strafe left; “Z” to move forward; and “E” to strafe right
• For special skills, you can either leave them on 6-0 or map them to other keys closer to 1-5 and AZE (to further diminish the need for hand-movement)

As GW2 is not a very demanding game I personally left all skills on 6-0 (I have big hands anyway and can easily reach all).

you then use A and E to strafe and for side-dodges. You use W only for forward dodges (and mouse buttons for forward motion).

Not before they fixed tab targeting.

I’m not going to stop running to select the foe I need. (speaking about PvP)

You can also bind all your skills to reach them with ease from WASD. (like Q,E,R).

I used to play FPS games a lot. And Gw2 is pretty much my first mmorpg. So I’ve pretty much customised my keybindings so its more like playing an FPS.

WASD keys for movement.
Mouse to rotate.
Shift to dodge.
Space to jump.
QERF, middle mouse button for weapon skills.
1234 for utility skills.
G for elite.
C for heal.
Extra mouse buttons for F1-F4.
Extra mouse button to autotarget.
H to target opponents with red circle target.
V for interact.
T for aoe loot.

For people with an inclination to spend money, a Naga could solve all these problems… Could.

Keyboard turning is bad but you don’t have to do all that. Just hold right click and turn.
WASD for forward/backward and strafing works fine, still don’t understand why they have keyboard turning. Is there some other popular MMO with that default config? Maybe popular when GW1 was out because I think it had that as the default as well.

These suggestions looks like they have a very high chance of getting you killed in a jumping puzzle. Especially doubt tap to dodge.

Hi Khisanth,

I never had any problem with the double-tap in JPs (and do quite a few of them), but can understand the concern.

Just out of curiosity, what is the alternative to double-tapping if you want to do a directional dodge??

Zel

That should be ‘V’ by default, so any of WASD (orQE)+V – if only V the dodge goes backwards iirc.

Can I just ask what a AWERTY keyboard is? Has someone been playing a lifelong prank on you and been swapping your A and Q keys since birth?

The only issue I see with using a keyboard is turning with one. Players that actually do this should be identified in game (like a title, “I’M A KB TURNER”), so I can actively avoid them.

Brother Grimm.5176:

Can I just ask what a AWERTY keyboard is? Has someone been playing a lifelong prank on you and been swapping your A and Q keys since birth?

…

Not too common from what I recall and this picture isn’t exactly useful for interfacing with a modern computer. but here ya go.

Brother Grimm.5176:

Can I just ask what a AWERTY keyboard is? Has someone been playing a lifelong prank on you and been swapping your A and Q keys since birth?

The only issue I see with using a keyboard is turning with one. Players that actually do this should be identified in game (like a title, “I’M A KB TURNER”), so I can actively avoid them.

Did you mean “AZERTY”?

Rouven.7409:

Brother Grimm.5176:

Can I just ask what a AWERTY keyboard is? Has someone been playing a lifelong prank on you and been swapping your A and Q keys since birth?

The only issue I see with using a keyboard is turning with one. Players that actually do this should be identified in game (like a title, “I’M A KB TURNER”), so I can actively avoid them.

Did you mean “AZERTY”?

Hmm …. AZERGY keyboard

Khisanth.2948:

Hmm …. AZERGY keyboard

lol – funny

Ah, French layout….gotcha (was totally unaware it was different).

I use the Xboxe360 Controller.
Not everyone plays on Keyboard and Mouse.

lol

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

I use the Xboxe360 Controller.
Not everyone plays on Keyboard and Mouse.

lol

Me too! Also, I don’t think it really matters what controls you use.

Jaysin X.6740:

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

I use the Xboxe360 Controller.
Not everyone plays on Keyboard and Mouse.

lol

Me too! Also, I don’t think it really matters what controls you use.

It actually does matter what controls you use.

The Controls you are most comfortable with and can play well with is clearly the right choice! =)

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

Jaysin X.6740:

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

I use the Xboxe360 Controller.
Not everyone plays on Keyboard and Mouse.

lol

Me too! Also, I don’t think it really matters what controls you use.

It actually does matter what controls you use.

The Controls you are most comfortable with and can play well with is clearly the right choice! =)

lol right on

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

It actually does matter what controls you use.

The Controls you are most comfortable with and can play well with is clearly the right choice! =)

Being comfortable with your controls is one of the conditions for efficient playing but is in itself not sufficient!

I am sure many keyboard turners are comfortable with it. but they are still slow, lack precision and overall move inefficiently.

So, yeah: Xbox controller, mouse movement, etc. whatever means that you can turn and move fast and well + NOT click your abilities with the mouse but activate them rapidly at the press of a button + be comfortable with

i’m curious how you handle targeting ground based skill-shots while moving forward holding both mouse buttons. because you cannot change mouse location on screen while right mouse button is pressed

I have been trying to use the keyboard less, especially to turn. I didn’t know that you could press both mouse buttons to walk forward. It will take some getting used to. It was going well until it glitched and I couldn’t get my toon from walking forward even when I let go. It took me a good 10 minutes and that wasn’t fun in the tower.

Thanks for the tip.

I played the piano for years and it was pounded into my head (well, hand, with a sharp tap with a rular by Mrs. Calendar, my piano teacher) that practice will get your fingers moving wherever they need to go. Over And Over And Over And … anyways, at least playing a game to get a combination committed to ‘coordination memory’ is better than listening to myself mangle Mozart ad nauseum.

Saulius.8430:

i’m curious how you handle targeting ground based skill-shots while moving forward holding both mouse buttons. because you cannot change mouse location on screen while right mouse button is pressed

There are two options. First, you can momentarily switch to auto-run while you place the AoE, then immediately continue with manual controls, which sidesteps the issue. Second, you can place the mouse cursor in a specific location on your screen so that you know where your AoE is going to land when you double-tap the skill button. This second option ends up being similar to Tera’s reticle aiming system, if you’re familiar with that. It can make AoE placement faster, but it takes getting used to.

However, that said, I am not advocating one system of movement controls over another (I use a combination of both dependent on circumstances), because I think DreamyAbaddon’s post is absolutely correct. Use whichever controls are comfortable and effective.

tbh, I hate the idea of moving entirely with the mouse. Playing an elementalist, I use 12345 for skills, ZXCV for attunement swaps, WASD to move, and have utilities mapped to QE + mouse buttons. I jump with middle mouse click and dodge with space bar.

I didn’t know anyone kept the default controls of swivel camera with AD, I always hold RMB and use the mouse to move the camera. It’s closer to an FPS in this way I suppose?

Zelu.1692:

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

It actually does matter what controls you use.

The Controls you are most comfortable with and can play well with is clearly the right choice! =)

Being comfortable with your controls is one of the conditions for efficient playing but is in itself not sufficient!

I am sure many keyboard turners are comfortable with it. but they are still slow, lack precision and overall move inefficiently.

So, yeah: Xbox controller, mouse movement, etc. whatever means that you can turn and move fast and well + NOT click your abilities with the mouse but activate them rapidly at the press of a button + be comfortable with

I’m going to be totally honest with you…
I do NOT know how to play GW2 with keyboard and Mouse, so I have nothing to say regarding that department, I was only stating that some people don’t use it to play GW2 and I’m one of those. lol

Here is a video of my playing with the Xbox360 Controller:

I seem to do fine in PvE/PvP/Dungeons and such.
I don’t like WvW so I don’t really do that zerg fest stuff much.

Either way, being comfortable is important for effeciant play.
If you are effective by how you play, then you’re fine.

Again: I don’t know nothing about keybinds and K&M!
Let people play how they wont, and they’ll learn the mechanics fine.

I agree as far as turning. I can’t stand keyboard turning, and it really doesn’t work very well in a fast-paced game like GW2. Keyboard turning is sooooo slow, having to hold a button to slowly rotate instead of quickly swiping your mouse to the side. Mouse turning forever. Especially in jumping puzzles, I can’t even imagine trying to do some of the more precise and fast-paced JP’s with keyboard turning.

Movement is better on the keyboard, though. Mouse movement only allows you to go forward (unless you have extra buttons on your mouse which you map to other directions), which is no good. You need to be able to move backwards for sure, and straffing left and right is also very helpful. Straffing and backwards movement allow you to keep attacking the enemy while moving away from them, which is extremely important. If you rely entirely on mouse movement, the only way to get away from your enemy is turn away from them and stop attacking.

Keyboard movement + mouse turning is ideal. IMO. You get all the basic directions of movement as well as the freedom from mouse turning.

As for the idea that you can’t move and use skills at the same time if you use keyboard movement… not at all. Set up your keys the right away and you can reach all your movement and action skills with a single hand. I use the arrow keys to move, the numpad for my skills and attacks, the ins / del / page cluster for profession skills, and the left side of my keyboard for stuff like looting and interacting, and I can hit all of that without ever moving my hand. And my right hand stays on the mouse at all times. The only time I move either hand is when I’m typing text or doing menu stuff.

I think the important thing is you shouldn’t use the keyboard to turn because it’s much slower. After that how you do it is up to you.

Likewise it’s generally agreed that the default 1-0 bindings for skills don’t work well and clicking isn’t a good substitute, but I doubt you’d find 3 people who agree on what does work. It’s a matter of experimenting and deciding for yourself what you want to use.

Also bear in mind that what looks complicated written down can be very simple in practice. I use 4 different methods to move (auto-run + right mouse for long distances, both mouse buttons for short distances, Q, W, E and S for precise movements out of combat and the arrow keys in combat) and if I was to try and explain how that makes sense and how I decide what to use when I’d have to first explain my entire keyboard/mouse set-up and then how I use it. It’d look like a massive, complicated post. But when I’m playing I don’t even think about it and it’s come about because it’s what makes sense to me so I don’t have to think about it.

How do i bind movement to my left click and right click? It wouldn’t let me assign it in game.

You don’t need to, it’s done automatically. Hold down both buttons and your character will run forwards, move the mouse and they’ll turn in the direction you point them.

(You can also control how quickly they turn, which is why this method, or keyboard + mouse has an advantage over keyboard turning, you can do a complete 180 on the spot if you need to, or move around objects.)

Why not just hold down W and right click and turn?

Zelu.1692:

Hey people! Do not use your keyboard to turn or for movement! Use your mouse!

If you want to get better at GW2 or at many MMOs with similar interfaces, learn to move with your mouse (or a combination of mouse and keyboard).

I don’t agree this is 100% truth. I’ve seen players using solely keyboard (left hand on normal layout zone and right hand on num-pad zone), and playing extremely well. I agree that dominating mouse for movement will be a better option, rather the keyboard turning and absolutely better than the horrid point/click to move!

/cheers

This reminds me of this post from way back.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/players/One-Handed-Gaming-A-guide-and-story-of/first#post1982905

Story of a one-armed gamer.

I use QWES for forward/backward and strafe. Mouse look & turn. Let’s you continue moving while placing your AOEs, if you’re comfortable moving while hitting your keybound skills. Just make sure your keyboard can handle large numbers of simultaneous inputs.

I have used mouse movement since day 1
I cannot imagine moving with a keyboard because I have tiny hands and my left hand is stupid
I use the keyboard for my skills and I have the F skills mapped to my thumb buttons on my mouse (logitech G600)
I can always spot a keyboard turner a mile away because they look like they are lost most of the time.
But yes whatever works for you- I am trying to get my friend to move over to mouse moving and so far she refuses because she is used to wasd

So by using both mouse buttons to move, you come to a complete stop every time you select a new target? Sounds like suicide.
I think the combo of holding down the right mouse button for turning and WASD or ESDF for movement is and always will be the most comfortable for me.

If this was Guild Wars I’d agree with you, because of lagg, rubber banding, body blocking.

This game is made to move with a keyboard, it doesn’t have the options GW had, where you could hold both mouse buttions, let one go(don’t remember which), and move your character freely everywhere, where it would follow your mouse. Or clicking on the ground making your character move to the selected area.

But it doesn’t. So no thanks.

Edit: Who actually uses their keyboard to turn around!? I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone do it except for occasionally during no fights, most likely not intentionally.

PSA: Stop making threads teaching things you have no clue about!

You don`t even know you can hold direction keys and press the dodge button to dodge in that direction, SERIOUSLY? And u make a thread to “help” ?

tip: hold 2 direction keys + dodge and make a diagonal direction dodge. mind blown.

also, using mouse to move forward is awful

if any new players reading this ignore the OP, movement is WASD, A and D strafe ofc, right mouse to rotate view

tip: if you don’t have gaming mouse with extra buttons for keybinding skills, then its recommended to change WASD to ESDF, to get more buttons on the left side (imo WASD is only good for first person shooters where you don’t have many different skills)

this:

• keyboard turning
• double tap dodging (as opposed to direction keys+dodge)
• not using ground instant casting
• having skills on far away buttons (like 9,0)

is like participating in 100meter sprint with crutches, you can do it, but don’t expect to win

I use my mouse just to look and target, 1234 for weapon skills and qert and x for other abilities

I love you.

You have no idea how much this helped me, thank you so much.

Hello guys,
I was wandering why the game doesn’t take all the programmable buttons of my mouse to bind them with keyboard keys??
Thanks, for your help/replies in advance

Uh, this is a dead thread from two years ago. You’d be better off just making a whole new thread about your topic.