On January 23, the third season of Diablo 4 begins. This will replace the bloody second season with the season of constructs. In addition to new gameplay mechanics, Blizzard is also introducing a small but important feature for PC players: the WASD controls.
How are you currently controlling your character? All versions of Diablo 4 support controller controls. The game is optimized for that. However, if you play on PC with a mouse and keyboard, you have to send your character from A to B via point-and-click, similar to Baldur’s Gate 3. Your abilities are located on keys 1 to 4.
This means you click with your mouse on the location where you want to send your character. This can be problematic if you want to visit an area with clickable events (e.g. NPCs, items, etc.). It’s easy to misclick here.
Is this type of control normal? In fact, some games still support this type of control. However, it is often an alternative to the now widely used control with the W, A, S, and D keys.
Many AAA games on PC are primarily controlled via WASD. Examples include Overwatch 2 and Cyberpunk 2077. The point-and-click control is often found in games with an isometric perspective – for example, in League of Legends and also in the aforementioned Baldur’s Gate 3.
How does the WASD control work? In WASD control, you use the namesake keys to move your character:
- W allows you to move forward
- S allows you to move backward
- A allows you to move left
- D allows you to move right
Depending on the system, other keys like Q and E can be used for diagonal movements.
Why doesn’t Diablo 4 support WASD control? The exact reason is unfortunately not known. Colleagues from Gamerant speculated in May 2023 that the focus on optimized controller control was an obstacle to WASD optimization.
We cannot say for sure whether this is correct. But one thing is certain: the controller control for Diablo 4 is indeed top-notch. For many players, it is probably better on PC than the point-and-click alternative: “Lying on the couch and dealing more damage” – Players test Diablo 4 with controller on PC and are thrilled
With the start of the third season, Blizzard is finally implementing WASD control as an option for Diablo 4.
Diablo 4 Finally Gets WASD Control as a New Feature – The Community Debates the Impact
Under a reddit post titled WASD is here. Finally.
, players are gathering. However, the first comment expresses concerns:
It’s going to be weird using WASD and skills both with the left hand
, notes user MIGHT_CONTAIN_NUTS. However, the MMORPG players among the commenters dismiss this. No, it’s very easy,
writes WoW player aterdolor, you move with WASD and have a billion more keys to press than just 1 to 4.
Others recommend an MMORPG mouse with side buttons. User LolitsaDaniel writes: I’m really looking forward to it. I use a mouse with side buttons, and controlling with one hand while using my skills with the other will be a great improvement for me. Currently, my mouse hand does a lot.
Others, however, just shrug. Reddit user eetfukouija says that since he started playing with the controller, he has never longed for mouse and keyboard again.
And of course, in the thread there are requests for support for keyboard and mouse on the console versions next.
The new season for Diablo 4 starts on January 23 at 7:00 PM CET. We have summarized everything about the new season features in our extensive collection news. You can read here what to expect: Diablo 4: Season 3 brings mechanical companions that you can customize – The Features at a Glance
