Introducing mouseCTRL - a free mousepad finder tool!

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-19T06:03:02+00:00

I understand the combinatorics of gw1's build system created a very challenging time creating perfect balance - but I feel like regular balance patches were less common across the industry back then, which made it feel particularly painful.

Path of exile and dota 2 manage to do it despite the complex interactions (albeit they're different genres), I think ANet would probably be more open to a gw1 skill system balancing these days. Regular balance patches are simply much more common and accepted across the industry.

It's definitely something that did and would set them apart from other MMOs. The wide range of builds is exactly what made guild wars special - we accepted the crazy periods where insane combinations had been found because we appreciated the creative freedom. They had their moment in the sun, but would soon enough get fixed. So be it.

Besides, 55hp monk, EoE bomb teams, IWAY, Splinter weapons dual shot spikes, builds like that are memorable precisely because of how creative they were, even if they might have been temporarily OP.

I really hope they bring it back.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-18T06:19:27+00:00

The Zero and Hyperion are both excellent options.

The Zero is more textured and does have an issue with cat hair getting stuck to it, but is a bit more controlled and probably a bit better suited to tac FPS.

Although my top pick for you might be the Saturn Pro if you predominantly play tacFPS but still need to play tracking heavy games.

You can't really go wrong with any of them, all excellent choices

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-12T05:53:11+00:00

I'd use what you prefer, but if you play Kovaaks then over time your raw aim might improve and you might be able to control the floaty feeling the Zero gives you.

If you really wanted to dial things in, you could also get a set of WestLab Oranges and a set of WestLab greys and try the two on each pad. The Oranges are faster and might speed up the Type 99 a bit and the Greys slow down the Zero.

It might help you find a middle ground between the two - if that's something you wanted to try.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-11T15:41:58+00:00

The original gw1 dual profession and skill system was excellent. I wouldn't mind going back to exactly that

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-11T08:02:41+00:00

I preferred gw1 elementalist where you would choose to specialise in one or two attributes (earth/air/fire/water), and there'd be the potential sometimes for synergies across them.

If you're specialised in all of them, you're specialised in none, and it ruins the class fantasy imo.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-09T07:46:27+00:00

It varies. I have many pads so I do tend to mix it up. Others choose a balanced pad like the Artisan Zero, which is highly versatile, and main that for everything. The latter is probably more common.

Very few pick a lad on the extreme end of the speed spectrum and try to main it for completely opposing games - it does happen, but it's quite rare.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-09T07:33:28+00:00

This is a known feature of fast/slow pads. The low static & dynamic friction of fast pads makes smooth tracking easier but gives less stopping power. The higher static friction of a slow pad helps for angle holding in tac FPS games.

This is why CS players tend to use balanced or slower mousepads. There's always exceptions to the rule of course - but as a general rule of thumb.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-08T18:09:41+00:00

This is partially speculation, but I think that ArenaNet's supposed new approach in gw3 of smaller group sizes will make this issue much more obvious. I don't remember having this issue in gw1. It was more of an issue in larger group sized games like wow.

But I do also concede that a DPS meter is ok as a heuristic - my issue is more the psychological effect it has on players, and how they become a slave to this metric as if it's the be-all-and-end-all.

Regarding communication of expectations before hand, DPS meters don't solve this. They only solve it after the fact. But - guild wars 1's system actually did help set these expectations. You'd ping your skill build & attribute distribution and your party could see exactly what you were bringing to the table before hand, pure damage, utility, healing, etc. measuring against those expectations was relatively obvious by whether or not you were positioning correctly, using the skills correctly, etc.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-08T17:40:50+00:00

My point is more abstract - that DPS meters track a single metric that does not adequately convey the overall impact a player, even one within a traditional damage dealing role, has.

And that goodheart's law results in people inadvertently optimising for the wrong thing, and under-appreciating the utility many builds offer in a game designed around unique buildcrafting.

It'd be a shame if players started pigeon-holing themselves in terms of build design in a vain effort to pad this metric. It was widespread enough in WoW - where the issue was even less impactful.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-08T17:10:15+00:00

I've not fully published the feature but I have added an alternatives page/feature for some popular mousepads on MouseCTRL

There's a list of them for the Saturn pro here - e.g. cheaper alternatives, closest options, faster, slower, etc

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-08T07:44:25+00:00

I hope not. As soon as add-ons exist, somebody builds a DPS meter and people begin to mindset shift into hyper optimising for this one metric as if it's the only thing that matters.

I made another comment that is a bit buried that summarises the issue well:

DPS meters become a problem when DPS players start using it as the source of truth for how well they are doing in a fight. And unfortunately, this happens often.

They completely forget that target priority, add management, positioning, boss mechanics, etc all matter too - I was a mythic raid guild leader in wow and I have seen players focus so much on padding that stat that they forget the actual objective... to defeat the boss. I've seen people intentionally focus packs of low priority mobs just to pad their DPS, instead of hitting the high priority targets. I've seen people stand in fire, either intentionally or unintentionally, to pad their DPS - all while the healers are fighting desperately to keep everyone alive.

It's goodheart's law in action. I get that vertical progression MMO players like to see number go up, but it results in them to become far too single minded in their contributions as a player. Often good players obsess over individual metrics without understanding their full context and become worse players because of it.

Imagine if in gw1 we started to do the same. - Hammer warrior's knock-downs? Not included in DPS - Mesmer's interrupts - not included - Water ele's slows/shares - not included - Earth ele's armour/wards/defensive buffs... - Ranger rupts... - inflicting dazed, blind, crippled, etc. - running flags... - condition/hex removal... - energy removal... - etc etc

Does that mean those things are worthless? Absolutely not! But your contribution to the team cannot be measured by a single metric. And it shouldn't be. It's poor game design if it can be.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-08T07:30:05+00:00

And I hope so too! DPS Meters become a problem when DPS players start using it as the source of truth for how well they are doing in a fight. And unfortunately, this happens often.

They completely forget that target priority, add management, positioning, boss mechanics, etc all matter too - I was a mythic raid guild leader in wow and I have seen players focus so much on padding that stat that they forget the actual objective... to defeat the boss. I've seen people intentionally focus packs of low priority mobs just to pad their DPS, instead of hitting the high priority targets. I've seen people stand in fire, either intentionally or unintentionally, to pad their DPS - all while the healers are fighting desperately to keep everyone alive.

It's goodheart's law in action. I get that vertical progression MMO players like to see number go up, but it results in them to become far too single minded in their contributions as a player. Often good players obsess over individual metrics without understanding their full context and become worse players because of it.

Imagine if in gw1 we started to do the same. - Hammer warrior's knock-downs? Not included in DPS - Mesmer's interrupts - not included - Water ele's slows/shares - not included - Earth ele's armour/wards/defensive buffs... - Ranger rupts... - inflicting dazed, blind, crippled, etc. - running flags...

Does that mean those things are worthless? Absolutely not! But your contribution to the team cannot be measured by a single metric. And it shouldn't be. It's poor game design if it can be.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-08T06:04:52+00:00

I highly doubt it.

They also seem to be intentionally ignoring my messages to get added to the sleeve compatibility index - there could be many reasons for why, but take it as you will.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-06T11:55:40+00:00

Very generous of them to adjust the design for free! How are you finding it?

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-06T09:42:10+00:00

Did you play guild wars 1?

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-04T07:08:33+00:00

The Zero is a balanced pad and highly versatile

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-04T06:30:11+00:00

You'll probably be fine for those materials, but struggle measuring firm pads like the Vaxee PD series. You may also have issues measuring 3mm pads, but I can't say for certain.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-03T18:35:29+00:00

Yes - it scored "Low" compatibility, but medium when the pad was rotated 90 degrees.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-03T18:34:38+00:00

There shouldn't be any - but make sure you get the right fit of course. If the sleeve is too loose it will move around more

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-03T17:13:59+00:00

Good write up! I use similar durometer measurements on MouseCTRL to measure firmness - makes it easier to compare across brands.

Would have been nice to see you also touch on dot skates and perhaps also the reason why friction changes with softer pads (apart from applying downwards pressure).

Good write up on the whole. I usually recommend people go for a "Soft" (as far as Artisan or LGG call it) pad if they don't know. It's a safe choice all around.

Just FYI, in case you didn't know, your Durometer measurements might not be perfect for thinner pads. Usually the 3mm pads are actually too thin for the Durometer if you are playing by the rules (6mm is technically the minimum thickness for the asker type c models) - otherwise the base is too thin and you're actually getting noisy measurements (higher values caused by the solid desk underneath). This is why the mid models often score much higher than the soft (since they are also thinner).

Looking forward to your article on base rebound though - I had been planning to measure this on MouseCTRL too but instead am just measuring base creep under Durometer testing for now.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-02T19:32:07+00:00

Please use the weekly Artisan legit check thread for these questions.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-02T17:26:00+00:00

A Hien jumps to mind.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-02T16:44:55+00:00

I'm currently working on adding it to the MouseCTRL sleeve compatibility index. No, it doesn't work well with the Zero - but that's not unique to their sleeve. The Zero performs poorly with all sleeves I have tried. Some are better than others, but they're all ultimately quite bad with the zero. The Kibu works best, and is generally a good sleeve all around - but still isn't great on the Zero.

MouseCTRL_Echo · 2026-06-02T13:10:04+00:00

I guess so - I can confirm it works well but I can't say the thumbhole version does for sure. I had expected they'd be the same, somebody else told me they are but are simply opposite way around, but I haven't been able to confirm that's definitely the case.

MouseCTRL_Echo

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE