As Blizzard Entertainment continues to try and fix Diablo 4, it seems like every day, its fanbase finds something to complain about. And, while the increasingly vocal community can get testy, some issues raised are rather valid. Case in point, Diablo 4 players have grown weary of the controller options for the game, or the lack thereof. Many are urging Blizzard to address this issue as soon as possible, especially since Diablo 4 is a multi-platform release with cross-platform play enabled.
Indeed, Diablo 4 marks a first in the series by being developed with controller support from the get-go, rather than having the feature added as an afterthought. This has sparked considerable debate among fans on the most suitable gameplay method. Arguments for keyboard and mouse focus on increased precision during combat and ease of chat and emote functionality. On the flip side, controller advocates extol the virtues of precise character movement and simplified spell-binding.
However, some dedicated controller users have started voicing concerns over several issues, resulting in a comprehensive list of problems plaguing the controller experience for Diablo 4, as posted on Reddit. In the midst of these critiques, a plea for parity between keyboard mouse and controller functionality echoes strongly.
D4 Controller Support Lacking // No Updates Since Launch
byu/AZAWESTIE indiablo4
Keep in mind that the controller issues raised in Diablo 4 aren’t exclusive to PC players. Console users report similar if not worse grievances as well. Most are calling for native keyboard and mouse support for Diablo 4 on the Xbox and PlayStation.
Indeed, the direction Blizzard went with Diablo 4 is perplexing. Other big-time MMOs and multi-platform co-op titles, from the latest Call of Duty titles to Final Fantasy 14, among others, offer the luxury of switching between control schemes in their games.
Then again, when you realize that this lack of native keyboard and mouse support extends to other Blizzard titles, namely Overwatch 2, it’s a sign of incompetence that extends to just more than a single development team.
It’s a shame that Blizzard didn’t capitalize on the success that Diablo 3 had on consoles. Even though Diablo 3 didn’t support platforms outside the PC at launch, Blizzard did an excellent job bringing the experience to consoles post-launch. You could argue that all Blizzard had to do was do the same for Diablo 4 and be done with it. Instead, Diablo 4 is a step back compared to Diablo 3 in terms of controller support, regardless of whether you’re playing on a console or PC. This inherent disadvantage due to controller preference is even worse in PvP, one of Diablo 4’s selling points for those looking for endgame content.
To make matters worse, certain skills appear to be less effective if cumbersome to use on controllers, further highlighting the design bias towards keyboard and mouse users.
Between Path of Exile and Diablo 3, Blizzard had plenty of material to draw from to make sure that Diablo 4 had an intuitive controller scheme right from the get-go. Instead, it has left the community seeking resolution and equality across multiple platforms.
While the lack of controller parity isn’t a game-breaking Diablo 4 issue, it’s a quality-of-life problem that might affect the long-term success of the game.
Gamers can only joke so much about the first few seasons of Diablo 4 being a beta test before they get tired of being in it. Here’s to hoping that Blizzard finally gives the Diablo 4 community the version of the dungeon crawler that it deserves.
