If you’ve spent hours grinding loot tiers in The First Descendant, you know how much control precision impacts your ability to take down giant interdimensional bosses or land perfect headshots on swarms of enemy grunts. A lot of players switching between platforms or coming from other looter shooters often ask: does the first descendant support mouse and keyboard across all devices, or are you stuck with a controller no matter what you play on? I’ve been grinding the game since its full launch, and I’ve tested every control setup across PC, PS5, and even cloud streaming to figure out what works best for every playstyle.
Does The First Descendant Support Mouse and Keyboard on All Platforms?
The short answer is yes for most modern platforms, but there are a few edge cases you need to be aware of before you run out and buy new peripherals. On PC, native mouse and keyboard support has been available since the game’s launch, with full customization options for sensitivity, keybinds, and polling rate adjustments. You won’t need any third-party software to get it working, and all in-game features are fully compatible with both wired and wireless peripherals.
On PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, native mouse and keyboard support rolled out in a post-launch update, and it works seamlessly for all game modes. I tested this on my PS5 last month, and I didn’t have to download any extra software or adjust system settings beyond enabling M&K input in the console’s accessibility menu. Just plug in your peripherals, boot up the game, and it recognizes them within 10 seconds.
Older consoles like PS4 and Xbox One don’t have native support at all, even if you use third-party adapter tools. Most adapters will let you map controller inputs to mouse and keyboard, but you’ll get extremely high input lag that makes the game almost unplayable, so I don’t recommend wasting your money on them. Cloud gaming platforms like GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming do support mouse and keyboard input, as long as you’re streaming to a device that supports those peripherals natively.
Key Benefits of Using Mouse and Keyboard for The First Descendant
Plenty of players swear by mouse and keyboard for this game, and for good reason. The fast-paced combat and emphasis on precise weak point hits make the control scheme a great fit for most playstyles, and you’ll get a few notable advantages over controller users if you take the time to learn it:
- Faster aiming precision for long-range weapons: Sniper rifles and marksman weapons have zero aim assist when using M&K, but the ability to adjust your crosshair position in milliseconds makes landing headshots on moving boss weak points far easier than with a controller.
- Customizable keybinds for ability combos: You can map every character’s four active abilities, weapon swaps, and interaction keys to positions that fit your playstyle, instead of being limited to controller shoulder button layouts that often force you to take your thumb off the aim stick mid-fight.
- Lower input latency for fast-paced PvP matches: In the game’s 4v4 PvP mode, M&K users report an average of 15-20ms lower input lag compared to controller users on the same platform, which makes a huge difference in close-quarters fights where a split second decides who wins the engagement.
That doesn’t mean M&K is always the better choice, though. If you’re used to controller aim assist for close-range shotguns or you play while sitting on a couch far from your screen, you might find controller feels more comfortable for casual PvE runs. I personally switch between both depending on what activity I’m doing: M&K for boss raids and PvP, controller for open-world loot grinding when I’m relaxing.
Common Mouse and Keyboard Issues (and How to Fix Them)
Even with native support, you might run into a few small issues when first setting up mouse and keyboard for The First Descendant. Most of these are easy to fix in less than five minutes if you know what to look for:
Input lag on console: If you’re using M&K on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, make sure you turn off “game mode” overrides in your TV settings, and enable “low latency mode” in the game’s graphics menu. A lot of players forget that console default settings often add extra post-processing that slows down input response. I ran into this issue when I first tried M&K on my PS5, and turning off motion smoothing cut my input lag almost in half instantly.
Keybind conflicts with system shortcuts: On PC, if your Alt key or Windows key keeps pulling you out of the game, disable in-game overlay features for your launcher and turn on “game mode” in Windows settings. You can also rebind any conflicting keys in the game’s control menu, and you can save up to three separate keybind profiles for different characters or game modes.
Mouse sensitivity changes randomly mid-fight: This is a rare bug that usually happens if you have a mouse with adjustable DPI buttons that you accidentally press during fights. You can fix this by disabling the DPI toggle button on your mouse’s software, or adjusting the in-game sensitivity setting to match your usual DPI level so even if you toggle it accidentally, the change is barely noticeable.
Should You Switch to Mouse and Keyboard for The First Descendant?
Whether you should make the switch depends entirely on what you care about most in the game. If you main DPS characters that rely on precise aiming, or you play a lot of competitive PvP, switching to M&K will almost certainly improve your performance. Even if you only play PvE, the customizable keybinds make it a lot easier to pull off fast ability combos for support or tank characters that have to juggle multiple skills at once.
But if you only play casual co-op PvE with friends, or you have years of muscle memory with controller, there’s no need to force a switch. The game balances input methods pretty well: controller users get generous aim assist for most weapons, and M&K users get no aim assist but faster response times, so neither group has a massive unfair advantage in most activities. Crossplay lobbies don’t segregate input methods either, so you’ll be matched with both M&K and controller users no matter what you use.
I know a lot of players who have tried switching to M&K and gave up after a few days because it felt awkward. Don’t get discouraged if you miss every shot at first. It takes about a week of regular play to build up muscle memory, and you can always start with lower sensitivity and adjust as you get more comfortable.
At the end of the day, the answer to does the first descendant support mouse and keyboard is yes for most modern platforms, and the devs have done a solid job of making the control scheme feel polished and well-optimized no matter what you play on. Take some time to test both input methods if you’re on the fence, and don’t be afraid to tweak keybinds or sensitivity settings until you find what works best for you. The most important thing is that you’re comfortable with your controls, so you can focus on grinding better loot and taking down those giant bosses with your team.