Guild Wars 2 Gaming Mouse By SteelSeries (Review)

This product was reviewed on the PC

SteelSeries has partnered up with ArenaNet to bring the Guild Wars name to SteelSeries’ line of high-quality products. Today, we take a look at the Guild Wars 2 Gaming Mouse, which is based on the same technology found in the SteelSeries Sensei RAW.

The Guild Wars 2 Gaming Mouse sports a rubberized coating in the trademark red, white, and black motif of the franchise with the Guild Wars 2 dragon logo adorned on the body. The mouse features red LED lamps that illuminate the scroll wheel, a CPI toggle button, and the Guild Wars 2 text logo on the back of the mouse. Like the Diablo III mouse of the same design, you can adjust the behavior of these LEDs to pulsate at three speeds: slow, medium, and fast, as well as a steady setting that just leaves the LEDs on at all times. This is done through the SteelSeries Engine software that also allows you to configure other options.

One odd difference between this mouse, in comparison to the other Sensei RAW lines, is with the cable itself as it utilizes a rubber-coated cable instead of the nylon braided wrap that we’re used to from SteelSeries. While it looks good out-of-the-box, we found that after rubbing it around on the desk for a bit it does tend to pick up dust, dirt, and other particulates that can wind up on your workspace. This indicates that over time, unless you’re good at regularly cleaning and dusting your desk and components, the cable has the potential to get kind of grimy over time.

Aside from the cable issue, the overall look of the Guild Wars 2 Gaming Mouse is simply gorgeous. One of my favorite aspects of the mouse is with the rubberized coating, as this tends to stand up better to the oily residue that can be left by your hand over time on glossy surfaces. The mouse is also designed with the comfort of all gamers in mind. The ambidextrous design ensures that both left- and right-handed gamers will be able to hold the mouse comfortably, while the SteelSeries Engine software also contains settings that effectively flip the mouse button functions, making the device perfect for both types of players. Beyond the universally comfortable design is the performance of the mouse across a surface. Whether using a SteelSeries QCK mousepad or my brushed aluminum gaming surface, the mouse flows spectacularly smoothly across both surfaces thanks to the UPE glides supplied on the bottom of the device.

Containing a total of seven buttons aside from the CPI toggle (two left, two right, two top, and scroll button), the Guild Wars 2 Gaming Mouse allows for the amount of diversity that MMO gamers require. The out-of-the-box settings are comfortable enough for some; however, I prefer to remap many functions that I need to have on-hand immediately, without venturing far from my 1-5 skill keys to maximize the effectiveness of my Elementalist. My left and right click buttons are kept at the default for attacking and moving the camera, while my two left and right front-side buttons take the place of my F1 and F2 keys to quickly swap between Fire and Water Attunements (my two most commonly used for attack and healing respectively). The two rear left and right side buttons are used for the skills I commonly access on the other side of my bar, which are my Healing and Elemental Attunement keys. The scroll button is used for my Arcane Shield skill to give me those much-needed saves from being knocked down or interrupted. This setup allows me to stay on the offensive without having to sneak a peek out of the corner of my eye for a much-needed healing or defensive skill.

For gamers that are very finicky about CPI (Counts Per Inch), you can configure the Guild Wars 2 Gaming Mouse using the SteelSeries Engine software to between 90 and 5,670 inch increments of 1 to find that absolute, most-comfortable resolution for you to play at depending on the area of your mousepad surface, size of screen, and general play preferences. Furthermore, the mouse comes equipped with a CPI toggle and indicates which mode it is in by an LED indicator forward of the button which sits just behind the scroll wheel. This allows you to configure a preferred CPI resolution for playing the game, and gives you a second setting for when you’re in other apps, surfing the desktop, or whatever else you may do on your PC. This is also accomplished using the SteelSeries Engine software, which is downloadable from their website and is installed along with the mouse drivers.

The SteelSeries Engine software also gives gamers the ability to create layered macros that include keystrokes and timing. While I’m not really the best at creating these macros, I did find the user interface to be quite intuitive. Those looking to create a macro to automate repetitive tasks or create a skill super-combo will find the software exceptionally useful.

The Guild Wars 2 Gaming Mouse by SteelSeries is a device that even the most casual player of the ArenaNet MMO can enjoy. The super-precise control and customization features allow players to dial in the mouse to their exact gameplay style, while the red LEDs along with the red, white, and black theme of the mouse make it stand out as the centerpiece of your gaming domain. For the price of $70, it’s the perfect gift for a Guild Wars 2 fan this holiday season or for yourself (if you are such a fan).

The Guild Wars 2 Gaming Mouse receives a 4.75/5.0.