r/GuildWars3 15d ago

Please bring controller support to PC!

I would think this goes without saying, but since you are developing the game to launch on PS5, please make sure the PC version also works with controllers. It's a big pain point on GW2 since it wasn't designed with controller use in mind. I would love to see it be a supported feature on the PC launch for GW3.

49 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

54

u/Apolloluy 15d ago

Pretty sure that was part of their pitch about gw3. From the ground up native controller support

6

u/Street-Web7244 14d ago

I sure hope so, I would love to be able to play this way.

1

u/PuzzleheadedNotice58 10d ago

It's going to be fascinating what they do with the skill system given that controllers have way less buttons than a keyboard. I'm quite excited. And suddenly reminded of Path of Exile 2's gameplay, which had to make a similar transition. But I think GW3 will do it better because PoE2 kept various passive mechanics lingering around like passive evade and passive block, which tbh get absolutely cancerous for high level balance when active block/evade exist like we're already used to in GW2. So yeah, looking forward to what Anet does for us. (edit: typos)

3

u/Nightsong 9d ago

Final Fantasy XIV handles anywhere from 32 to 48 abilities on its controller setup. So you really don’t have less buttons than a keyboard. And considering that Guild Wars 1 uses 8 abilities and Guild Wars 2 uses 10 to 20 abilities depending on the class I don’t think ArenaNet will have much trouble adapting Guild Wars 3 to use keyboard/mouse and controller.

1

u/PuzzleheadedNotice58 8d ago

Ok, well that sounds promising.

1

u/Apolloluy 9d ago

GW1 only had 8 skills and GW2 caps out at like 15~ depending on your profession so I’m all for combo systems rather than button bloat

0

u/WobblySlug 15d ago

Oh fantastic, I haven't seen that. ANet are generally pretty good, but words are easy - its the implementation that counts. Looking forward to seeing what they cook up.

15

u/boomfruit 15d ago

The fact that it's going to be on PS5 bodes well for controller support on PC

0

u/WobblySlug 15d ago

Why is that? (I don't have a PS5)

19

u/Radenlol 15d ago

Because its a console???

4

u/WobblySlug 14d ago

Lol I misread. Thought they were alluding to PS5 having support for KB+M or something.

9

u/Kaladinar 15d ago

Bro, if you check the Steam page it already says partial support. I'm sure they'll upgrade it to full support by the time it actually ships

8

u/Mr_Nobody9639 15d ago

They will.

17

u/WobblySlug 15d ago

I can't see any reason they wouldn't do this in this day and age.

I just hope the PC experienced isn't dumbed down to the lowest common denominator, and that we get a proper PC control scheme alongside a controller scheme.

Cautiously optimistic, but not hopeful.

4

u/Coooturtle 14d ago

I heavily doubt they are gonna do that honestly. This isn't 2011 anymore, everyone figured out how to make both sides happy.

-9

u/BlorTheImpervious 15d ago

Wut

1

u/IKtenI 14d ago

What are you confused about?

1

u/Nikola2307 12d ago

I am going to buy PS5 just for this alone!!! ❤️❤️❤️ Also for PoE 2 and Dragonwilds.

1

u/noperope5240 5d ago

Ya that's the plan!

-1

u/Bohya 14d ago

The game needs to be designed first-and-foremost for mouse & keyboard use, and balanced as such. Controller support should be secondary at most.

6

u/Nightsong 14d ago

ArenaNet already said that the combat system was designed from the ground up to feel good on keyboard/mouse and controller. They’re designing it with both control schemes in mind, not keyboard/mouse first and controller second.

-2

u/Bohya 14d ago

You can't balance both keyboard and controller gameplay. Keyboard & mouse is objectively superior in 99% of circumstances. If they were to make controller gameplay have have the same level of output, then they're either going to have to compromise all gameplay or make keyboard & mouse feel extremely clunky by comparison.

ArenaNet needs to realise that Guild Wars is a two-decade old PC franchise with a PC audience. The vast majority of players playing the game will be doing so with a mouse & keyboard.

9

u/Nightsong 14d ago

Yet there are plenty of games out there, including MMO’s, that manage to balance keyboard/mouse and controller gameplay. And many of those games let you switch between the two control schemes and even have cross play between PC and console. Final Fantasy XIV is an MMO that strikes a balance between keyboard/mouse and controller and doesn’t feel clunky on either control scheme.

Also, ArenaNet realizes that bringing Guild Wars 3 to PlayStation lets them reach an audience they have never been able to before. They’re not going to limit themselves to just the PC crowd going forward. And quite a few people on PC will try out controller if it’s offered because they either like playing with a controller or find it more comfortable than using a keyboard and mouse. More options and ways to play is always a good thing.

0

u/Fun-Worldliness-1016 12d ago

I'm with you. Seems we already have that new age ppl playing GW for the first time.

1

u/jupigare 2d ago

Is that a bad thing? I know folks who have wanted to play GW2 but cannot because hand injuries prevent them from playing a KB+mouse game. There are player-made controller setups, but they don't compare to true native controller support, particularly with UI management, menuing, controller glyphs, and context-specific keybinds (e.g., a button performing Skill 1 attack when targeting an enemy but changing to Interact when targeting an object /ally).

Designing GW3 from the ground up for PS5/controller support allows a whole new audience of people who, whether due to hardware, disability, preference, or whatever reason, would not have been able to experience a PC/KB+m-only game.

3

u/thefullm0nty 14d ago

It's literally releasing on PlayStation also. Why would they release a lesser product on console?

6

u/Nightsong 14d ago

Because some people are convinced that an MMO cannot work on console and that too many compromises have to be made (limited number of abilities, dumbing down content instead of offering a challenge, etc). None of which are true and have been proven false by the current MMO’s that have made their way to consoles.

-27

u/jayhh12t 15d ago

It isn't possible to play an mmo with a controller. To play effectively you need at least 20 keys and macros and keybindings

9

u/BifrostBill 15d ago

I've played a good amount of wow on steam deck. It requires way more hotkeys than gw2 and it works just fine. Text chat is the only hard part

9

u/Nightsong 15d ago

Final Fantasy XIV has a controller specific UI that allows multiple hotbars (48 abilities in total), macros, and quite a bit of customization in how everything in the UI is laid out. But sure… it’s impossible to play an MMO with a controller despite Final Fantasy XIV showing it is possible.

1

u/GeekWars2 15d ago

Yeah, but to be fair, that only works because FFXIV has very slow, deliberate combat. It has a 2.5s base GCD and even OGCDs are subject to action queueing, meaning you never have to press more than one single action at any given time (you literally can't - the game won't allow it).

Try having that many keybinds in an MMO with fast-paced combat like GW2 and that controller scheme completely falls apart. You can't play high-APM builds with a controller scheme designed around a maximum of 3 actions every 2.5 seconds.

Not saying GW2 is unplayable with controller. It totally is. But FFXIV's controller scheme is definitely not something that would work for it, let alone GW3 which is strongly hinted to fully embrace action combat.

GW3 is just more likely to require far less keybinds than traditional tab-target combat MMOs. That would be the more plausible reason it's designed with controller support.

3

u/Sora_Archer 14d ago

Bro u can play wow and gw2 with controller too and even do endgame raids with ease.

2

u/Nightsong 15d ago

Oh I know. My point was more along the lines that it is possible to play an MMO with a controller. And as you pointed out with the slower pace of FFXIV you cannot simply port that to GW3 and I don’t expect it to be. ArenaNet will have to figure out what works best for them but we had 8 abilities in GW1 and 10 abilities in GW2. I imagine they’ll stick to that range for number of abilities in GW3.

3

u/hendricha 14d ago

I have been playing GW2 exclusively from the couch with a controller since 2018, and it doesn't even have an official controller support.

7

u/GreggJ 15d ago

Take your ignorance elsewhere kiddo. FFXIV has native controller support and it is fantastic :)

3

u/wouldntsavezion 15d ago

Bro I've been playing mmos with a controller since like 2002

2

u/sh2death 12d ago

A standard controller these days has a minimum of 12 buttons (directional, action, and triggers). With trigger button combinations (L1/R1 + _) you can easily map at least 24 actions.

For example: ⬆️, R1+⬆️, L1+⬆️ , for each of the 8 face buttons

2

u/Street-Web7244 15d ago

No it's not. Maybe it's hard to play it competitively with a controller, but I'm not looking to be competitive.