Path of Exile 2 plays genuinely well on controller — it’s full native support, not an afterthought — and mouse-and-keyboard still wins for inventory chores.
This is the question I’m most qualified to answer on the entire internet: I play this game on a DualSense on PS5, on a controller plugged into a PC, and on a Steam Deck. The controller experience is the same good idea everywhere: combat feels better on a pad. Aiming feels natural, dodging is a button, and the moment-to-moment game is arguably better than on mouse.
What’s worse on a pad, honestly: inventory management is slower, and fine-grained menu work is slower. The good news is that the one chore that used to force a second device — trading — moved in-game in patch 0.5, so the laptop-near-the-couch era is mostly over. The trading guides cover the new system.
Verdict: play on whatever gets you playing. If the couch is why you’ll actually log in, the pad costs you nothing that matters.
Updated for patch 0.5 — June 12, 2026