Updated on April 2, 6:46 p.m. (GMT+8): Improved relevancy.
The question of whether you should use a low or high sensitivity is one of the most enduring questions in the first-person shooter genre.
A low sensitivity grants more control and precision, while a higher sensitivity lets you track targets more easily. In tactical shooters like Valorant where you’ll do less tracking than in a game like Apex Legends, the more common recommendation is to lower your sensitivity in order to improve your aim.
That said, you’ll still find pros on both sides of the divide. In a recent stream, Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker weighed in on the issue. As it turns out, it may just depend on how much practice you’re willing to put in.
Is a low or high sensitivity better?
“I will say you probably get more consistency out of a lower sensitivity,” said yay. “I used to play on a really high sensitivity for a while, and you have to play a lot to get it consistent.”
“You have to play a ton because there’s a lot of very small, micro adjustments.”
Lower sensitivities also encourage you to use your arm more, which allows for smoother and more consistent adjustments, while higher sensitivities mean that you’ll be favoring your wrist.
Yay currently uses a relatively low sensitivity, with 800 DPI and 0.27 in-game sensitivity, according to his Twitch profile. That translates to a 216 eDPI, which is basically your mouse DPI multiplied by your in-game sensitivity. It’s a measure used to standardize different DPI and sensitivity combinations, allowing various sensitivities to be more easily compared.
In comparison, the average eDPI of Valorant pros is 280, according to ProSettings. Players like Spencer “Hiko” Martin are at the higher end of the range with a 576 eDPI, while Team Liquid’s Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom sits on the opposite end of the spectrum at 138.
At the end of the day, mouse sensitivity remains a very personal choice. While you can use the settings of pros as a guide, you should always pick what works best for you.
Check out the different settings for players like Jay “sinatraa” Won, Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom, Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan, and more here.
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