For all the Divinity dev details Larian isn't ready to comment on, we got a firm answer about the game's controls: the studio's sticking to its guns on no WASD movement

Scruffy Hobbit and/or Dwarf from Divinity trailer in festival crowd. — (Image credit: Larian)

In Larian's big AMA for its next RPG, Divinity, there were aspects of the game the studio wasn't ready to share, but we got a definitive answer to a surprisingly granular aspect of its controls: No WASD movement, everything will still be mouse-driven on PC.

User Plastic-Guarantee976 posed the question about keyboard controls⁠—similar to the ones in Dragon Age or Knights of the Old Republic⁠—in the AMA, pointing out that "the WASD movement mod was one of the most downloaded and beloved mods for Baldur's Gate 3." Divinity gameplay lead Artem Titov did not leave any room for doubt, replying with a simple "No."

Comment from r/Games

Presumably, Divinity's M&K control scheme will closely hew to Baldur's Gate 3's then, though hopefully with a similar jump in quality as the one between Original Sin 2 and BG3. On the one hand, it's surprising to see Larian shoot down such a popular feature so far in advance of release, especially since such driving controls will be built into the game anyway for controller support on both PC and console.

The PC is all about choice and flexibility, after all, so why am I not bothered? Perhaps it's easy for me to say, having never touched the WASD mod, but these days I appreciate when a developer of any size sticks to its guns on questions of design or preference, even if it means refusing to give players what they say they want. It's the FromSoftware special, a certain "I know better" imperious remove that refuses to cater to the tastes of a fleeting moment, which I find can result in something more timeless.

Of course, when Nintendo does the same thing it just pisses me off, so I'm clearly biased and you should take my assessment with a grain of salt. If you're one of those annoyed by this, then rest easy anyway: WASD movement support will undoubtedly be among the first mods for Divinity. And I am glad that Larian is responding to one vector of popular pressure and taking its criticism for AI use⁠ seriously.

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Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch. You can follow Ted on Bluesky.

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