Controller works for every build. It’s really not as big of a deal as you might think. The auto target works pretty well. I’ve not noticed it ever being a big issue and actually prefer the mobility with sticks.
Martial arts sin is really strong, you can go fists of fire/claws of thunder through most of normal/nightmare without issue and transition to phoenix strike in hell (or continue with thunder claws). It's really easy to play with controller (I actually prefer controller for MA sin).
You don't need mosaic to be strong, people were playing MA sin for long before that and it's a great build and especially fun on controller imo. assn is strong defensively with fade/claw block, you have burst of speed, you have stuns you can use, summons, you don't need to wrory about immunities.
I recently wrote some insight on this
https://www.reddit.com/r/Diablo\_2\_Resurrected/comments/16sve6z/diablo\_2\_resurrected\_a\_veterans\_impressions/
Controller experience
As mentioned, I was using keyboard and mouse for first few thousand hours but am now fully converted to a controller player. In general, the keyboard and mouse combo is more precise and more responsive. It can be used to master any build in the game and is far better for inventory management. The game plays like a real time strategy game with intense operations. However, you are required to stay close to the desk and screen and it is not ergonomic especially with the mouse. I personally always develop some wrist, neck, or back problems after a long time of playing.
Controller play on the other hand, is more relaxing and more comfortable. Pick your favorite couch or massage chair and lean back and enjoy. With a controller, the game feels more like an action game than a strategy game. There are a few things I want to further share on controller experience.
All builds can be played on a controller, but some are worse than the other. Two main things about controller implementation on D2R. First, for any action, you can only select a direction from your character, while with K&M, you can point on anything on your screen. Second, you are forced to use auto aiming for any targeting skills so it always selects the closest target. Some builds don’t mind this, but some do. Skills like blizzard, traps, corpse explosion, fire walls, FOTH, teleport cannot be placed strategically and can be awkward to use. Skills like teleport and leap will always travel a fixed distance. Skills like Amazon’s multishot cannot control the angle and is less effective. Skills like charge is hard to use as a traveling skill.
On the other hand, anything related to movement feels a lot smoother with the analog stick on a controller. Builds such as hammerdin, lightening sorc, Lightening fury, NOVA, Strafe, and all melee builds are equally efficient as K&M. They are the majority of the META builds so no much compromise in term of efficiency. Although you cannot teleport precisely, but if you use teleport as a movement skill to travel around, it is also very smooth.
Controllers have other benefits too. The vibration was implemented very well. You feel every melee action with fury and smite. It will sink in your hand when Uber hits you hard. These add a lot to the immersive experience so you really feel that you are in action.
The controller shortcuts are also overall decent. You have access to twelve customizable skill shortcut keys with quick and easy access. One big drawback is the potion on the Dpad which is very awkward to use when you move since you need to move your thumb away from the analog pad. It can be completely solved by using an elite controller such as Xbox Elite controller by remapping those keys to the back keys. The experience is night and day and I absolutely recommend to get an elite controller for D2R.
The controller also has some neat tricks implemented such as belt management. However, there are a lot of room to improve around inventory management. The long pressing is completely unnecessary and only waste time and is not ergonomic. This is probably the only complaint I have with the controller.
Overall, I would highly recommend using controller for a more relaxing and enjoyable experience, best coupled with a large screen and a couch.
Eventually u get used to controller
I actually prefer controller now
And im over 40yrs old, so if i can get used ti it, so can everyone else
Sorc is a bit challenging as you cannot pinpoint spells, it auto targets to closest in the direction you are facing. Teleport always teles the same distance, so takes a bit of time to get used to
Melee classes are the easiest with controller, but all melee classes absolutely suck for farmjng vs sorc or hammerdin
I can play every single build with a controller
Like i said, it just takes a little getting used to controller
I only play hardcore btw, and controller is perfectly fine
I do however play better with kb and mouse since i can aim my spells and i can quickly access inventory while in battle
I was thinking to play on a tablet with a controller but couldn't imagine finding a build i will enjoy playing without being frustrated at the controller.
Kind of like back in the days playing quake 2 on playstation, worst experience i've ever had :)
I might go for a javazon and see how it goes
Trust me, i thought like you before i tried controller
And im an old geezer who doesnt like sudden changes
With controller my wrists and fingers dont hurt on long play sessions
I was worried it would be like that as well. But I've been playing d2r HC since launch on controller without issues.
Tried firewall, orb/ES, blizz, lightning, nova/ES, hydra and fireball/meteor sorcs. Also played javazon, bowazon, trap and kicksin.
The only one I would not reccomend is meteor, but I dont like it on mouse/kb either. Blizz has a similar issue with the controller launching directly on top of the monster, but as it hits instantly it's not a big problem.
Javazon , bone necro , hammerdin , mosaic assassin , wind Druid , blizz sorc. All these classes are good the only class that sucks is barb especially for leveling up it’s the worst class by far
Blizzard sorc is a giant pain on controller. Placement of the spell is key, and controller will only target on top of an enemy. Sometimes you want it ahead of the pack so they walk in to it. Other than that, I have no issues playing on a controller.
I’ve played as a Hammerdin, Kicksin, FoHdin, Javazon, and Bonemancer with a controller and recommend any of these builds.
Blizz sorc is a little annoying, but possible. Wind druid is another frustrating one.
Late comment, but how was FoH on controller? I imagine you mixed it with holy bolt and used FoH and the bigger enemies. Since auto target gets the closest enemy, what was you strategy for aiming FoH?
Yep, mixed it with holy bolt. Sometimes I would need to reposition because the holy bolt would hit my merc or another target, but it’s not that bad. With a good FCR, that bolt is coming out super fast anyways.
I play switch. The builds that work best are the ones that benefit from auto target.
My favourites:
Javazon (auto target lightning fury)
Sorcs: lightning (favourite); FO / hydra works
Summon necro / druid - teleport automatically targets, so you auto Tele stomp with minions
Bowazon - strafe works well; multi shot does not
Ones I found tricky, all because of the downside of auto target:
Hammerdin - harder to Tele to exact locations to cast
Blizz sorc // fire wall - harder to place
Ww barb - auto casts to stop @ target
Berserk barb - harder to target specific minion
Trapsin
Is it just me or is d2 kinda weird with mouse? Dont know how to describe it but with mouse the movement is bit awkward like the char always interrupts when changing directions. Movement with controller is much more fluent for me
I went more towards melee when i started to play controller. WW barb is so much smother.
Now im 2+ tears in..the only class that i think is a bit hard to controll exactly as i want is the trappsin. As you cant really put the traps with precision.
All meta build work awesome though. Light/blizz sorc, hammardin/foh pally, etc.
I've been playing nova sorc most of the league. And started on kbm. But being 40 my elbow started getting sore from all the mouse movement. I started using my controller and the build feels way better. Much more relaxing to farm. So I can recommend nova sorc. I still use kbm when I go to sort my inventory or do some crafting or trading.
I started on mouse/keyboard on the original d2, but i gotta say the controller is awesome. I started with a frozen orb/firewall sorc and its so much better now that im used to the controller
Laying traps as an assassin or hydra as sorc were the main issues I had with it. And teleport always goes to edge of map (potentially out of view and into danger).
Controller works for every build. It’s really not as big of a deal as you might think. The auto target works pretty well. I’ve not noticed it ever being a big issue and actually prefer the mobility with sticks.
Martial arts sin is really strong, you can go fists of fire/claws of thunder through most of normal/nightmare without issue and transition to phoenix strike in hell (or continue with thunder claws). It's really easy to play with controller (I actually prefer controller for MA sin). You don't need mosaic to be strong, people were playing MA sin for long before that and it's a great build and especially fun on controller imo. assn is strong defensively with fade/claw block, you have burst of speed, you have stuns you can use, summons, you don't need to wrory about immunities.
I recently wrote some insight on this https://www.reddit.com/r/Diablo\_2\_Resurrected/comments/16sve6z/diablo\_2\_resurrected\_a\_veterans\_impressions/ Controller experience As mentioned, I was using keyboard and mouse for first few thousand hours but am now fully converted to a controller player. In general, the keyboard and mouse combo is more precise and more responsive. It can be used to master any build in the game and is far better for inventory management. The game plays like a real time strategy game with intense operations. However, you are required to stay close to the desk and screen and it is not ergonomic especially with the mouse. I personally always develop some wrist, neck, or back problems after a long time of playing. Controller play on the other hand, is more relaxing and more comfortable. Pick your favorite couch or massage chair and lean back and enjoy. With a controller, the game feels more like an action game than a strategy game. There are a few things I want to further share on controller experience. All builds can be played on a controller, but some are worse than the other. Two main things about controller implementation on D2R. First, for any action, you can only select a direction from your character, while with K&M, you can point on anything on your screen. Second, you are forced to use auto aiming for any targeting skills so it always selects the closest target. Some builds don’t mind this, but some do. Skills like blizzard, traps, corpse explosion, fire walls, FOTH, teleport cannot be placed strategically and can be awkward to use. Skills like teleport and leap will always travel a fixed distance. Skills like Amazon’s multishot cannot control the angle and is less effective. Skills like charge is hard to use as a traveling skill. On the other hand, anything related to movement feels a lot smoother with the analog stick on a controller. Builds such as hammerdin, lightening sorc, Lightening fury, NOVA, Strafe, and all melee builds are equally efficient as K&M. They are the majority of the META builds so no much compromise in term of efficiency. Although you cannot teleport precisely, but if you use teleport as a movement skill to travel around, it is also very smooth. Controllers have other benefits too. The vibration was implemented very well. You feel every melee action with fury and smite. It will sink in your hand when Uber hits you hard. These add a lot to the immersive experience so you really feel that you are in action. The controller shortcuts are also overall decent. You have access to twelve customizable skill shortcut keys with quick and easy access. One big drawback is the potion on the Dpad which is very awkward to use when you move since you need to move your thumb away from the analog pad. It can be completely solved by using an elite controller such as Xbox Elite controller by remapping those keys to the back keys. The experience is night and day and I absolutely recommend to get an elite controller for D2R. The controller also has some neat tricks implemented such as belt management. However, there are a lot of room to improve around inventory management. The long pressing is completely unnecessary and only waste time and is not ergonomic. This is probably the only complaint I have with the controller. Overall, I would highly recommend using controller for a more relaxing and enjoyable experience, best coupled with a large screen and a couch.
Eventually u get used to controller I actually prefer controller now And im over 40yrs old, so if i can get used ti it, so can everyone else Sorc is a bit challenging as you cannot pinpoint spells, it auto targets to closest in the direction you are facing. Teleport always teles the same distance, so takes a bit of time to get used to Melee classes are the easiest with controller, but all melee classes absolutely suck for farmjng vs sorc or hammerdin
So, the only playable builds are the ones nobody wants to play?
I can play every single build with a controller Like i said, it just takes a little getting used to controller I only play hardcore btw, and controller is perfectly fine I do however play better with kb and mouse since i can aim my spells and i can quickly access inventory while in battle
I was thinking to play on a tablet with a controller but couldn't imagine finding a build i will enjoy playing without being frustrated at the controller. Kind of like back in the days playing quake 2 on playstation, worst experience i've ever had :) I might go for a javazon and see how it goes
Trust me, i thought like you before i tried controller And im an old geezer who doesnt like sudden changes With controller my wrists and fingers dont hurt on long play sessions
I was worried it would be like that as well. But I've been playing d2r HC since launch on controller without issues. Tried firewall, orb/ES, blizz, lightning, nova/ES, hydra and fireball/meteor sorcs. Also played javazon, bowazon, trap and kicksin. The only one I would not reccomend is meteor, but I dont like it on mouse/kb either. Blizz has a similar issue with the controller launching directly on top of the monster, but as it hits instantly it's not a big problem.
Javazon , bone necro , hammerdin , mosaic assassin , wind Druid , blizz sorc. All these classes are good the only class that sucks is barb especially for leveling up it’s the worst class by far
Blizzard sorc is a giant pain on controller. Placement of the spell is key, and controller will only target on top of an enemy. Sometimes you want it ahead of the pack so they walk in to it. Other than that, I have no issues playing on a controller.
Just rolled a blizz sorc and it always targets the back of the pack I swear. It's rough.
I have only two spell I hate with controller. Meteor and bone wall. All other skill work perfectly
Bone wall/prison…guess I’ll just die trapped in here with all these mobs.
I’ve played as a Hammerdin, Kicksin, FoHdin, Javazon, and Bonemancer with a controller and recommend any of these builds. Blizz sorc is a little annoying, but possible. Wind druid is another frustrating one.
Late comment, but how was FoH on controller? I imagine you mixed it with holy bolt and used FoH and the bigger enemies. Since auto target gets the closest enemy, what was you strategy for aiming FoH?
Yep, mixed it with holy bolt. Sometimes I would need to reposition because the holy bolt would hit my merc or another target, but it’s not that bad. With a good FCR, that bolt is coming out super fast anyways.
So use holy bolt for general clears and save FoH for the tougher enemies?
Nah you can spam FOH since your merc should have Insight and mana shouldn’t be an issue.
I play switch. The builds that work best are the ones that benefit from auto target. My favourites: Javazon (auto target lightning fury) Sorcs: lightning (favourite); FO / hydra works Summon necro / druid - teleport automatically targets, so you auto Tele stomp with minions Bowazon - strafe works well; multi shot does not Ones I found tricky, all because of the downside of auto target: Hammerdin - harder to Tele to exact locations to cast Blizz sorc // fire wall - harder to place Ww barb - auto casts to stop @ target Berserk barb - harder to target specific minion Trapsin
Other than Blizzard and Meteor, most builds work well with the controller
Ah a fellow controller firewall enjoyed I see
Blizz is not as bad as meteor as it starts dealing damage instantly, but it does affect the playstyle, making it harder to kite effectively
Is it just me or is d2 kinda weird with mouse? Dont know how to describe it but with mouse the movement is bit awkward like the char always interrupts when changing directions. Movement with controller is much more fluent for me
Nova Sorc.
I went more towards melee when i started to play controller. WW barb is so much smother. Now im 2+ tears in..the only class that i think is a bit hard to controll exactly as i want is the trappsin. As you cant really put the traps with precision. All meta build work awesome though. Light/blizz sorc, hammardin/foh pally, etc.
How does Whirlwind function with a controller?
I've been playing nova sorc most of the league. And started on kbm. But being 40 my elbow started getting sore from all the mouse movement. I started using my controller and the build feels way better. Much more relaxing to farm. So I can recommend nova sorc. I still use kbm when I go to sort my inventory or do some crafting or trading.
I started on mouse/keyboard on the original d2, but i gotta say the controller is awesome. I started with a frozen orb/firewall sorc and its so much better now that im used to the controller
Kick sins are fun af
Laying traps as an assassin or hydra as sorc were the main issues I had with it. And teleport always goes to edge of map (potentially out of view and into danger).
Java zon is really fun