Diablo 4‘s Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim goes live in a few hours, and players are starting to go over their build options for the season! Among the strongest builds right out of the gate is the Hydra Sorcerer. With high damage, ranged summon playstyle, multiple defensive skills and crowd controls for survivability, it’s already being the best pick for Pit pushing and speed farming.
But for players on controller or console, there is one big question: Does Hydra play well without a mouse and keyboard?
Someone asked on Reddit, and we’ll break down player’s answers:
Controller Concerns: The Real Issue
Many abilities in Diablo 4 behave very differently on controller. Skills that require precise targeting, like Teleport, Leap, or Vortex, often feel clunky, automatically snapping to enemies instead of allowing free placement like you get with a mouse. This can break positioning, cause misfires, and generally make high-skill builds harder to use.
Because Hydra is a turret-based skill, some players feared it might suffer the same fate: misplaced summons or poor targeting that ruin uptime and control.
So, How Does Hydra Actually Handle?
Surprisingly well. The general consensus from the community is that Hydra works just fine on controller. Unlike skills that require pinpoint placement, casting Hydra is relatively straightforward. You don’t need to worry about targeting a very specific point, it auto-deploys near where you’re aiming, and the lack of precision isn’t a dealbreaker for this build. Even if the Hydra ends up a bit too much on the left or right, since after it’s placed it auto-targets enemies around it anyway, it’s no big deal.
Most players who tested Hydra on PS5 or Xbox reported a smooth experience. As mentioned, the Hydras lock onto enemies automatically and deal damage passively, meaning you can focus more on moving and surviving rather than micromanaging every cast.
