I decided to download SoT on my PC and give it a try after seeing how many people were complaining about cross-play, and I have to say there are some definite truths to PC having an advantage. I’ve played on the Xbox for probably 100-150 hours since launch, and have only played on PC for about 10-15 hours 150+ hours, but here’s what I’ve noticed so far.
First, I think Console players should have kB/m support without a doubt. The ability to aim a weapon on the PC is insane compared to Xbox. I’m able to pop shots at people with extreme accuracy that I just couldn’t do on console from the same distances and the ADS speed is insane. When fighting with swords in close combat you can 180° in mid air and change directions to flank your opponent.
The ability to free look around when doing various activities such as climbing a ladder, pulling anchor, pulling sails, etc.
The ability to hot key literally every single item for quick access (no more using the wheel at all).
The ability to hear in-game chat, while being in a private party and switching between the two with a press of a button.
The ability to turn 180° in the blink of an eye to target an enemy and fire your weapon in a second or two.
Increased FPS making the game feel smoother.
Zooming around the map in a blink of an eye and selecting all desired locations/islands.
Selecting weapons from the armory quicker. (no bumpers, all mouse).
Using gaming monitors to have a dedicated crosshair on your screen for hipfire accuracy.
The ability to use full text chat as another forum of communication.
The ability to quickly turn nearly 90° during a sword charge to attack an opponent on your left or right.
The ability to “on the fly” adjust your mouse sensitivity to drastically increase your aiming speeds with weapons, including the Eye of Reach.
The ability (can’t prove myself) to respawn faster after exiting the Ferry of the Damned vs console players and some PC players. (Hardware dependent). Spawn times from the Ferry of the Damned have been adjusted but still are not equal. PC players spawning in roughly 5-10 seconds faster.
So far the ONLY downside I’ve seen using the telescope feels pretty slow / not as smooth as the console. I will also admit I have not tried the Eye of Reach so I have no opinion on that.
-Adjusted the above text to reflect using “on the fly” DPI changes in mouse sensitivity to increase those aiming speeds.
Overall, I feel like I can do quite a bit more on PC vs Xbox which is a bit of a shame. I enjoy playing on the Xbox as the game in 4k HDR on a MUCH larger screen is just down right beautiful. Now, I don’t think that the PC players should be limited in these options / mechanics, but I do think the console players could use a little boost to try and get up to the same level as PC players in some of these areas.
Just my thoughts on the subject.