Apex Legends: Best mouse DPI and sensitivity guide

Turn Windows Mouse Acceleration Off

If you’ve never tweaked your PC system settings, then it’s by no means obvious how to go about switching Windows Mouse Acceleration Off – let alone know know that it’s actually a thing which exists!

We’ll try and keep this explanation as simple as possible.

Basically, Windows mouse acceleration is turned on by default because Windows wants to give you a helping hand. It automatically tries to increase the precision of your cursor as you move it about the screen.

However, this isn’t ideal if you’re trying to play a first-person shooter where precision is everything.

Switch mouse acceleration off and it means Windows won’t tamper with your cursor anymore, and so all mouse movements from thereon will be entirely yours and yours alone.

Although it’s barely noticeable at first, switching it off enables you to build muscle memory for mouse sweeps and wrist flicks.

There will be no interference from Windows, so you can be confident that performing the same mouse sweep over and over will produce exactly the same result.

Here’s how to turn off mouse acceleration:

• Type “mouse settings” into your Windows search bar.
• Select “Change your mouse settings”.
• Click “Additional mouse options”.
• Select the “Pointer Options” tab.
• Uncheck the “Enhance Pointer Precision” box.
• Click “Apply” in the bottom right corner.
• Click “Okay”.

How to find the right mouse DPI setting for you

Purchase a gaming mouse

First things first, there’s one unavoidable step you’ll need to cross if you want to adjust your mouse settings properly, and that’s to purchase a gaming mouse. Although it involves parting with your hard earned cash, it’s well worth the investment. Not only will it help you here, it’ll come in handy for every game you purchase in the future too.

We’d recommend going for known brands like Logitech, Zowie or Steelseries (and many others besides). Purchasing cheaper, unknown models usually results in disappointment as their sensors aren’t particularly precise and they’ll likely falter after a few months.

Spend around £40 though and you’ll have yourself a solid mouse which will last you an age.

Once you’ve settled on a gaming mouse and got it set up, you’ll then need to go about tweaking the DPI settings.

Just below we’ve broken down the advantages and disadvantages of high and low DPI ratings, which should give you a better understanding of which setting will suit you.

Low DPI (400-800)

Set your mouse at a low DPI and it’ll mean you have to put more effort into each movement. It’s less “flick of the wrist”, and more, “sweep of the arm”.

Set your mouse DPI to 400 and you’ll need to perform sweeping arm movements for 180 turns and necessitate broad mouse strokes to target enemies. While this takes some getting used to, it’s easily the best way to improve your accuracy.

Aiming will feel more careful, smooth and considered at a lower DPI, but just prepare yourself for a lengthy adjustment period.

From personal experience in games like CS:GO and Call of Duty, we’d recommend that DPIs ranging from around 400-800 work well and promote better aim.

It’ll feel like a bit of a workout at first, but you’ll build up gradual muscle memory to the point where aiming becomes automatic – and precise.

High DPI (1000-3000+)

Set your DPI over 800 and you’ll swing the other way. Sweeping arm movements will be replaced by wrist flicks and very subtle mouse gestures.

When it comes to advantages, it’ll mean you’ll be able to react faster and target enemies without it being a slog. However, that’s about it for first person shooters (in our opinion). High DPI settings better suit MOBAs or RTS games where map coverage supersedes aim in importance.

We personally wouldn’t recommend going above 900 DPI as only minute mouse movements will translate to huge cursor lurches in-game. This makes your margin for error much larger, and at a very high DPI accuracy is eclipsed by speed, which isn’t ideal when accuracy is a top priority.

Essential Apex Legends Coverage

• Apex Legends: Guide – Our core guide to the game
• Apex Legends: Best Weapons – Every weapon’s stats examined
• Apex Legends: Map Guide – Getting to grips with the battleground
• Apex Legends: Best Loot Spots – How to gear up fast
• Apex Legends: Best Characters – An overview of every Legend
• Apex Legends: Abilities – Every passive, tactical and ultimate ability
• Apex Legends: Best FPS settings – How to get a performance boost on PC
• Apex Legends: Controls – Controls for playing on PC, PS4 or Xbox One
• Apex Legends: Battle Pass Guide – What’s coming with Season play
• Apex Legends: System Requirements – Specs to run the game on PC
• Apex Legends: Download / Install – How to get started on all platforms

Which DPI setting should I choose?

This all comes down to personal preference.

We’d recommend trying out as many DPI settings as possible when you’re next in-game. The practice range is the perfect place for this!

Focus on movement, turning and shooting to truly see if the DPI setting is right for you. You’ll know immediately if things are too twitchy or slow. If you’re unhappy with it, keep tinkering until you find that perfect setting.

Once you’ve settled on a DPI setting you feel comfortable with, then make sure you practice with it as much as possible, and don’t be too disheartened if your aim feels off in sticky situations. As with all new things, it’ll take time to adjust. The greatest reward will be the pay off when your aim gradually improves and becomes far, far better than it was before.

If you’re struggling to find a DPI setting which fits you, some mice come with software which enables you to fine tune the DPI of your mouse precisely to the pixel, instead of being locked to chunky incremental increases.

Moving up or down 1 or 2 DPI can be the difference between a perfect setting, so don’t be afraid to spend some downtime tweaking away!