What DPI do you use when you play shooters?

[ZedClampet]

I'm at 800 in Remnant. Seems to be about right for me. I tested different DPS settings in AimLab, and do best (as far as I can tell because it was actually pretty close) at 800.

So what are your mouse settings at?

By the way, I also discovered that I do better with a claw grip on the mouse, which isn't how I normally hold the mouse.

 

[Frindis]

I'm about the same from the start in games and then I adjust the sensitivity on general, vertical, aim/ads, and scoping sensitivity depending on what the game has. In CSGO for example I have waaay higher general sens because I like to use the AWP a lot, but in PUBG it does not matter that much, so I tend to have most sens on the same spot for muscle memory. I also use the claw grip which is perfect for the two I use now: Steelseries Rival 3 and Logitech G Pro Wireless.

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[Brian Boru]

I don't pay much attention to all this, so take below with a spoonful of pepper

Grip

That's my finger grip above. My notes say:
"Finger Grip, more precise, small mouse"

Interesting both you guys are claw:
"Claw Grip, rare, small mouse"

Grip types article, Grip styles video.

DPI

I keep mine at 800 since that's what a lot of pro gamers use for my general playstyle, and my FC6 headshot percentage is over 85%. Higher DPI would prob be better for melee and spray n pray styles, where speed and turning are more important than control or accuracy.

Your physical screen size and resolution also factor in. I'm on 42" size and 1080p res, but if I ever go higher on either, then I'll probably need to increase DPI to avoid it taking an age to cross the display.

Sensitivity

Frindis mentions that above in a knowledgeable way. I can add that S can change the effect of a given DPI setting—so eg high DPI with low Sens would be similar to low DPI with high Sens. I've seen it said FPS favors higher DPI + low Sens, but don't remember what playstyle it was for.

What the diff is between those 2 examples, I don't know—my guess would be to set DPI at your most-used level in mouse settings, and then adjust Sens within individual game settings where it's supported.

There's also a thing about matching DPI with the sensitivity of your mouse's movement sensor. I know nothing about that, but heard to try and keep DPI at even multiples of the mouse's—so eg half or double, rather than 2/3 or x3.79

For old games, it may help to keep Windows' sensitivity setting in the middle—I've always kept it there for general mouse use anyway. Modern games won't use that setting.

Other Settings

I disable Mouse Acceleration and Enhance Pointer Precision in Windows, and in Logitech I disable Smooth Scrolling and SmartShift. That keeps things predictable, so muscle memory can do its magic.

But the whole thing is really like the grip—your personal preference is the #1 deciding factor, and as Frindis said, that can even vary by game. So no hard n fast rule

 

[Frindis]

That rubber grip looks nice! It's a shame that a lot of them don't have it. Even the Logitech G Pro Wireless that I use which is fronted by Shroud (He was a professional CSGO player and does couching/variety streams now) does not have a rubber grip. Since I use a claw grip it does not matter that much, but it would have been nice for when you for example want to flick hard or when dragging the mouse downwards quickly adjusting vertical/horizontal recoil spray on a target.

 

[Pifanjr]

I have no idea what the DPI of my mouse is set to. I typically don't even mess with the mouse sensitivity of a game unless it feels really off in the beginning.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Mines at 3200. I realize that its not optimal and if I could learn to work with lower DPI it would be more accurate.

Whenever Ive lowered it down it feels so sluggish to lift and drag the mouse twice or 3 times to go from one side of the screen to another that it frustrates me, and I'd rather just enjoy playing than go through the pain of recalibrating muscle memory.

I manage most shooters single player on above normal difficulties this way, and dont really care to play FPS games on the very hardest settings. Also never played much competitive FPS or BR on PC, so never felt the need to be competitive with other human players.

 

[ZedClampet]

I don't pay much attention to all this, so take below with a spoonful of pepper

Grip

That's my finger grip above. My notes say:
"Finger Grip, more precise, small mouse"

Interesting both you guys are claw:
"Claw Grip, rare, small mouse"

Grip types article, Grip styles video.

I use finger grip for everything other than shooters. I didn't really want to change, but after AimLab testing, it was clear that I was just better, more accurate and faster, with the claw grip. Sometimes it can make my wrist tired if I play for a long time.

Whenever Ive lowered it down it feels so sluggish to lift and drag the mouse twice or 3 times to go from one side of the screen to another that it frustrates me, and I'd rather just enjoy playing than go through the pain of recalibrating muscle memory.

Turning is the one downside to lower DPS, but I've learned to make faster, sweeping gestures that work just fine for me.

Now in something like Vermintide, I double my DPS because turning fast is so important.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I use finger grip for everything other than shooters. I didn't really want to change, but after AimLap testing, it was clear that I was just better, more accurate and faster, with the claw grip. Sometimes it can make my wrist tired if I play for a long time.

Turning is the one downside to lower DPS, but I've learned to make faster, sweeping gestures that work just fine for me.

Now in something like Vermintide, I double my DPS because turning fast is so important.

Never done any actual testing but I've tried briefly to lower DPI's and it doesnt feel right. Every pro CSGO/whatever FPS player for the last 100 years cant be wrong. It's just that I cant be bothered to push through the discomfort for what feels like a small benefit in my case.

 

[SirDJCat]

I use 1800 (I used 2800 forever but it was impossible to rank up in any shooters lol) and I usually turn the in-game sens down to 0.2. Idk why but that’s a sweet spot for me

 

[Alm]

Mine is normally set to 4500. I can go from one side of the screen to the other with a small flick.

Maybe lowering it might help my accuracy in shooters but I think it's more important to be able to react over the whole screen.

I might try it lower though, just to see.

 

[IronDeniskach]

I have 1600, for me this is the golden mean, when you can be quite accurate, but also react relatively quickly and move to another part of the screen. I also bought a good mouse pad for this.

 

[Johnway]

mine is around the 4000 mark, its what feels alright for me for most games, but i dunno, any less and i need to use my arm to move the mouse instead of my wrist.

 

[Milkovich]

I miss in life, so when playing shooting games I lower the indicators so that I can aim more accurately

 

[JarlBSoD]

1200 because i can't be arsed to switch back and forth between desktop and games anymore, i am to grumpy for that. In all seriousness though, i used to lower it to 800 but i noticed that i suck just as bad in 800 as i do with 1200 so i just keep it at 1200

 

[neogunhero]

I’d have to check, but every time I’ve messed with DPS settings in software, it messes with my brain that has gotten so used to the previous setting. Every gaming mouse I’ve had over the past 10+ years features a DPS changing button, but whenever possible, I delete all profiles and just keep one so no matter if I hit the button or not, my DPS will stay the same.

I’ve always found it easier to find a DPS that works good on the desktop, then change in-game mouse settings on a per-game basis. One game’s 1.75 mouse sensitivity is not the same as another’s 1.75 mouse sensitivity.

 

[neogunhero]

Grip types article, Grip styles video.

I am a palm-gripper through and through. Love to lay my whole fat sweaty hand all over the entire top surface of the mouse. lol, I just like to stretch my fingers out and straight, not keeping them bent. I can’t do small mice, they need to be long enough for the whole length if my fingers to lay across it.

 

[Milkovich]

I am a palm-gripper through and through. Love to lay my whole fat sweaty hand all over the entire top surface of the mouse. lol, I just like to stretch my fingers out and straight, not keeping them bent. I can’t do small mice, they need to be long enough for the whole length if my fingers to lay across it.

When I try to hold the mouse with my fingers straight, the next time I press it my fingers cramp. I don’t know what this could be connected with and how to fix it

 

[IronDeniskach]

When I try to hold the mouse with my fingers straight, the next time I press it my fingers cramp. I don’t know what this could be connected with and how to fix it

Just hold it with your fingers bent or buy a larger mouse, perhaps more curved