Controller vs keyboard

[Kairobot]

I use legacy settings (in the character configuration menu: I also have 3rd person camera checked for mouse/keyboard and gamepad). I play with a controller in my left hand to control movement, and a mouse in my right hand for everything else. I adjust the camera angle with the mouse in my right hand by clicking on the screen in the direction I want to view. I can zoom in and out with the wheel of the mouse. I usually hold the controller on my lap (although sometimes I set it on the desk as well) when I sit at the computer.

[SenseiMadara]

I am playing at a computer with my ps4 controller. As said before, it takes some time to get used to it. But when you do; it's the best.
I like the controller more mosty because it's way more layed back, I react easier to almost everything in the game and I can always still use my mouse/keyboard.

Hope you'll get used to it or find a better way that works for you

[Lulu89]

You opened up a can f worms with this one. Try both.. Get a feel for them. See what you like more. I use controller it easyer and a lot like Useing a Nage to me.

[Dzian]

Really like the analog joystick movement and use of abilities interface for the controller. But the interface and map and using the different screens along with the targetting of mobs is really annoying. Keyboard is better at all these things. You cannot beat point and click for window management. ..but pressing the movement key and holding it down I hate. I guess there is no way I can be satisfied

There's so many things you can do to make controller targeting much faster and easier

there's filters so like L1+X is enemies only. I have L1+Square is objects only for those times where there's a bunch of mobs around a shield you need to trigger or something. all of these can be customised quite freely.

then you have the enemies list. holding l1 and presses up and down cycles the enemies in this list regardless of where they are on screen or even off screen.

personally I changed R3 to execute macro 99 which is basically target <f> (focussed) this is a godsend on fightswhere bosses repeatedly jump and become untargettable. quick press of r3 and you'vegot your target back.

then I have a couple of macros that also help. /target attack1. and /assist <t> keep these on my expanded bar and these help if I need to kill a specific target fast can either assist the tank and have it selected. or hit the attack1 if its marked..

all combined together make targeting really fast even with a controller.

[Niwashi]

The 3.4 update coming up soon will also give controllers some additional hotbar slots with its new W cross hotbar (activated by double tapping the L2 or R2 triggers). While most jobs are ok with the in-combat cross hotbar + out-of-combat cross hotbar + expanded cross hotbar, adding the new W cross hotbar may be helpful for summoners/scholars who have pet commands in addition to their own actions to deal with (or for players who just like to duplicate some of the more common menu options on their hotbars rather than going to the menu for them).

That should ease the concerns over the availability of easily accessible hotbar slots (before needing to swap hotbars, which gives access to all 128 slots, but which some players find awkward). The biggest remaining concern is targeting, but as Dzian said, setting up multiple targeting filters, along with party list / enemy list targeting, eases most of that.

(Window management is easier with a mouse, but I don't do it often enough to count it as a very significant difference. The only reason I don't like selecting things on the map with controller is that the targeting cross-hairs are white on a pale yellow background, so rather hard to see.)

[DivinityRyder]

There's so many things you can do to make controller targeting much faster and easier

there's filters so like L1+X is enemies only. I have L1+Square is objects only for those times where there's a bunch of mobs around a shield you need to trigger or something. all of these can be customised quite freely.

then you have the enemies list. holding l1 and presses up and down cycles the enemies in this list regardless of where they are on screen or even off screen.

I've been playing for months and I didn't know this. This should make things soooooo much easier.

As for topic, I started out a few years back on keyboard. When I came back, I had a PS4 so I used controller. It's much, much easier for me, but then again, I main NIN so that might be one reason why....

[Tint]

you can also cycle through the enemys with holding R2 and tabbing L1 (or L2 + R1 for cycling in the other direction).

[MGtheJester]

As a new player i went lvl 1-17 using a mouse and keyboard and it felt absolutely awful to me. I switched to using my xbox one elite controller and im enjoying the fluidity much more and ive used it so far from 17-30. Don't think ill go back to keyboard and mouse on this game.