Follow these simple steps to play Dota 2 with a Controller:
- First of all you need to have a (Steam) Controller: The Steam Controller is preferred because it’s perfectly suitable compared to other Controllers. Read below how to get one!
- Connect the Controller with your PC via Bluetooth or USB.
- Enable big picture mode on Steam: It will enhance the experience.
- Under the option Use Steam Configuration for Non-Steam Controllers, you will find the controller option!
- Click on Controller option and select the global setting for PS4.
- Now import the controller configuration, this configuration indicates which button hotkeys (items and abilities) you have selected:
- On this image you can find an example of a Dota 2 controller configuration, after making your desired configuration, import it! The controller configuration is the toughest part, but you can edit it any time.
Is it really possible to play Dota 2
with a controller?
Fact is, Dota 2 Controller support is available. But isn’t it incredibly hard to play RPG, MMORPG, and MOBA games with a controller? It definitely is! On top of that in the past years, most gamers felt ultimately comfortable using mouse & keyboard. Whenever people get beaten by controller players in shooter games, they are shocked! 😀 And now it even gets popular in strategy and MOBA games…
Dota 2 is designed and developed in a way, that it can easily be played with a controller. Most of the Dota 2 players do not know it, because all of them prefer mouse and keyboard. To prove this theory right that gamers can easily play Dota 2 using the controller, a professional Dota 2 player came up with a challenge for himself. He practiced three days on a controller with bots, and on the fourth day, he was ready for ranked matchmaking! 😀 In his first ranked match with a controller, he picked invoker and guess what? He nailed it! And won the game with high stats. The best part is, for that one game, he changed his id name to PS4 Controller (Invoker). xD Check out the video:
Which Game Controllers are
compatible with Dota 2?
Dota 2 supports many controllers, but not all of them are good for it. The best controllers for Dota 2 are the following:
- Xbox Elite Wireless Controller (It comes with a portable wire as well you can use it anytime).
- PlayStation DualShock 4.
- Steam Controller.
- Nintendo Switch Pro.
If you want the best one for Dota 2, just go for the Steam Controller. Because Dota 2 is a Steam game and the controller is designed according to that. The right side of the Steam controller is like a trackball or mousepad you can easily use it to control the camera view or to control your hero.
Can I get a Steam Controller on Amazon?
It is easy to get a Steam Controller on Amazon. Along with Steam Controller, many other controllers will also appear. However, if you want to experience pro gaming, then go for the Steam Controller.
Hotkeys and Buttons of a Steam Controller
The Steam Controller is designed in an efficient manner so it can support every game of Steam. The design has 2 trackpads, 1 analog stick, 4 buttons combination, and few more buttons to increase the flexibility. The structure of the steam controlling is so satisfying that it is easy to make combos on it. Most Controllers fail because it is quite hard to press many buttons at the same time.
The right plain trackpad on the steam controller is mainly used for the camera view. There are some rumors in the Steam community that steam is coming up with a new advanced version of the controller that will make the gameplay more flexible and comfortable. However, many pro players think that maybe this controller will switch a right amount of Dota 2 players from mouse and keyboard to Steam new controller.
Is a Steam Controller worth for Dota 2?
Here are some of the advantages playing Dota 2 with a controller compared to mouse and keyboard:
- You do not have to stick a PC table or chair, you can use a controller even on a couch! It provides complete comfort, how sick is this? 😀
- Dual Trackpads: The primary purpose of a controller is to give comfort to the user. By using the dual trackpad, a user can easily play in the living while sitting on a couch.
- HD haptics: Gives the real-life feel to the user. It generates high fidelity vibrations to increase joy. It will create a fantastic haptic when you will take a rampage or perfect gank.
- Analog stick: Some players do not feel comfortable on the trackpad. Analog stick is an alternative.
- Dual-stage triggers: With a satisfying digital click at the end of the trigger pull, dual-stage triggers can be used as analog, digital, or both types of input at the same time.
- Gyroscope and Accelerometer sensors: It is used for the smoothness of the analog stick and to improve the motion-controlled input.
- The steam controller supports all the features a multiplayer game has.
- Steam controller is available in two versions (wired and wireless).
- It comes with a fantastic battery time that provides up to 80 hrs standard gameplay.
Detailed Configuration of the Steam Controller for Dota 2:
Configurating the Controller for Dota 2 is quite tough, but with a proper guide, you can efficiently complete this task. The following points show the best settings for the Steam Controller.
- Set up gyro for camera control: Camera control is one of the essential features in Dota 2. It is better to set the gyro/trackpad for the camera control because it is a smooth surface and you can easily swipe your thumb on it. Moreover, many players like Diablo and SingSing use this configuration.
- If you have set up gyro as camera control, then it is essential to set an analog stick as a movement. Your right thumb will control the camera view, and your right thumb will control the actions.
- To perform combos, it is efficient to set multiple keys on one button. Dandy played few games with a controller and set up analog stick press as ping. On the other hand, using a mouse, it takes Alt+left mouse click to ping. Controller shortens two steps into one. Same like this, you can perform multiple combinations on various buttons.
- Use buttons (Y, X, B, A) for your heroes default abilities. Y= Ability 2 (w), X= Ability 1 (Q), B= Ability3 (E) and A= Ultimate (R). Use item 5 and item 6 for D and F.
How to use a Controller
like a Pro in Dota 2?
No doubt, it is quite hard to use a controller instead of mouse and keyboard… However, if you still have a desire to play with it, then stop playing ranked and normal matches. Go for bot matches, play with bot sas much as you can until the controls are on your fingertips. The main issue that players face is the camera control view. When you think you became an expert in using camera view then go for Dota 2 matchmaking. The fascinating part comes when the controller seems to run like itself because our brain connects the keys to the actions and things can be done even faster and smoother than with a mouse & a keyboard!
However, bot matches are quite dull, convince one of your Dota 2 friends to play in a lobby with you, using a controller. It will keep both of you motivated, and you will not get bored. When you think you are ready and you have acquired the skills to win a game using the controller, change your Dota 2 id name to Controller Player! 😉
What’s your feedback – ever tried to play Dota 2 with a controller?
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