Playing the first beta I was surprised how well the devs adapted the game to controller. After some muscle memory....it’s ‘OK’...but..

Now in the second beta after seeing what limited things we can change in controller, I realize how much of a chore it is to remember more complex combos. And then there are those spells which you have to assign to the ‘wheels’....oh boy...

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IMO, I would have went for the bumpers on the controller as ‘shift hold’ buttons. 

Button A doesn’t get used for spells here, still jump ...AND should be the interact button also, not ‘hold Y’

Press and hold LB or RB to toggle second set of button actions, release to go back again to first set

Set 1 > LB not held is X = spell 1  Y = spell 2   B = spell 3

Set 2 > LB held plus   X = spell 4     Y = spell 5  B = spell 6

Set 3.> RB held plus.  X = spell 7  Y = spell 8   B = spell 9

Left and Right triggers 3 more. LT = Main Attack or spell 10     RT = Secondary Attack or spell 11    LT+RT = spell 12

The Dpad can be used for Ring menu for all the other things.

Example for Wizard/Witch

Spell 1 = Fireball   Spell 2 = Lightning   Spell 3 = Freeze

Spell 4 = Fireball Explosion  Spell 7 = Residual Lightning    Spell 6 = ???

Spell 7 = Meteor Shower  Spell 8 = Lightning Storm   Soell 9 = Blizzard

LT Main Attack = Your Choice

RT Secondary Attack = Your Choice

LT + RT = Your Choice

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I now have 9 spells on 3 controller face buttons. Add simple UI of three action boxes at the bottom roght of the screen would hold the current spell rotation.

Think how quickly you could rotate through spells. The finger rotation is always the same, X>Y>B. Just simply based on the ‘shift’ key you pressed you get a different set of buttons.

Currently, enjoy spells like Blizzard in the current format...LT+RT+RB or worse...Magic Lighthouse, has no button assignment...need to put it on a wheel or tale up 1 of the 4 dpad buttons for instant cast. Yea...ok...

Yup as a filthy mouse and keyboard player, I completely agree. BUT I will defend PA on this too saying right now i think they are doing the best they can do with the limitations of the standard controller. I knew this was going to be a challenge when it came to this "action" combat system. As a wizard main on PC, my custom (20 button) hotbar was mostly skills, besides 7 slots, petfood, 3-4 food buffs, and my daggers, kutum, nouver, rosar. the rest were all skills. 

We on PC lock all the heals, so they only work on hotbar. have a pet on the hot bar to summon and unsummon, have the hot bar required skills and MAYBE health pots when PvPing, basically anything we need for non awakening while we are in non awakening to switch (speed spell, sages, Freeze/Fog etc). 

I think if they let us keybind better and can use controllers like the Razer wildcat it wouldnt be as bad the extra buttons would be useful. 

Updated to minimize change to original layout.

Just keep Spell initiators off the movement sticks.

 Well, looking at Tekken and Mortal combat on console...there is some method to the madness for fighting games. I think my Wizard example shows you can be more effective with choosing your rotations.

And the X button, or ‘Special Action 2’...did you realize, for Wizard and Witch, they perma assigned Healing Aura’ to this button. Just pressing X gives you limited health back because it acts as a normal cast.

If you hold LT + X, you get a channeled version of Healing...EDIT different spell(Healing Lighthouse) is triggered, my mistake.

Still, the point remains...the control scheme needs work to be viable at end game.

3 minutes ago, Uberkull said:

And the X button, or ‘Special Action 2’...did you realize, for Wizard and Witch, they perma assigned Healing Aura’ to this button. Just pressing X gives you limited health back because it acts as a normal cast.

If you hold LT + X, you get a channeled version of Healing Aura which restores a lot more health. Not documented anywhere in the UI.

Again..the control scheme needs work to be viable at end game.

LT + X Activates another Skill called Healing Lighthouse which is listed under your Skills with appropriate description.

11 minutes ago, Uberkull said:

If you hold LT + X, you get a channeled version of Healing Aura which restores a lot more health. Not documented anywhere in the UI.

Thats a completely different skill, Healing Lighthouse I believe its called.

The way they have worked the controls is actually very similar to the PC version. 

On pc you use both mouse buttons, shift, Q, E, and F to make up all moves/spells/combos. Some use space also and obv C for awakening switch.

The controller layout reflects this, LT=Shift, RT and RB are your mouse buttons, X = E, B = F ect.