What is this?

This fix makes Dark Souls use raw mouse input without any additional smoothing or acceleration. It offers a flexible binding system, automatic cursor support for the UI, improved targeting and an easy configuration using a GUI.

You can download the fix from PC Gaming Wiki here or from Nexusmods here.

Overview

Description

Important: This is a beta version. Although it underwent some thorough testing before the first public release, there might still be some issues that need to be addressed. If you encounter any problems see the Contact And Support section on how to get in touch with me

Although there already is a mouse fix for Dark Souls, which did a great job in helping many people (including me) to play the game with mouse and keyboard over the years, it is not an optimal solution. Because it emulates a controller, there are still some issues with sensitivity, apparent negative acceleration and overall sluggish movement. Using the cursor in the UI is also a hassle, because it has to be manually enabled and disabled via keybindings.

Instead of emulating a controller, this fix injects raw mouse input directly into the game’s camera functions, thereby avoiding any additional transformations. It also provides an auto cursor feature which automatically manages the visibility and capture settings of the cursor depending on the current situation.

Features

• True raw mouse input without controller emulation
• No additional smoothing or acceleration
• Flexible options such as individual horizontal and vertical sensitivities for camera movement and bow aiming
• Allows any action to be bound to any combination of mouse buttons, the mouse wheel or keyboard keys
• UI Auto Cursor mode that enables and disables the cursor when in a menu or when switching out of the game
• Improved target switching
• Includes a GUI for easy configuration
• Steam Controller support
• Compatible with DSFix

Instructions

Supported Versions

This fix only works with the latest, fully patched Steam version.

Important: The fix relies on the layout of the executable. Older versions or ones that otherwise have been tempered with probably won’t work. This also means that if the game were to be patched — which is very unlikely at this point — it might break the fix and require it to be updated.

Install

The fix does not make any permanent changes to the system, the game or the configuration of the game and can easily be removed (see below).

1. Install Durante’s DSFix if you haven’t already
2. Extract the contents of the DarkSoulsMouseFix.zip to the same folder. For example: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition\DATA"
3. Look for the dinput8dllWrapper line in DSFix.ini and set it to dinput8dllWrapper DarkSoulsMouseFix.dll. No additional configuration of DSFix is necessary
4. Start DarkSoulsMouseFixGUI.exe to set mouse setting and keybindings as desired
5. Start the game normally, for example directly through Steam. If you want to change the settings while in the game, see the Configuration section below on how to do that

A few additional notes on the installation:

• You should hear a Mouse fix loaded message on game launch when the fix is installed correctly
• If you currently have DSMFix installed, it is not necessary to remove it. Just replace the dinput8dllWrapper dsmfix.dll entry in DSFix.ini with dinput8dllWrapper DarkSoulsMouseFix.dll
• It is not necessary to unplug the controller if you have one. You can even enable the controller on-the-fly by using the Input Mode Toggle binding (see Configuration)
• The GUI requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.1, which should already be installed on most systems. If you are having problems starting the GUI, you can download the required version here
• I would recommend increasing the FPS limit to 60 in DSFix for the complete smooth experience. Keep in mind that there are some problems with unlocking the FPS though. You can find more information about that on PC Gaming Wiki here

Uninstall

1. Set the dinput8dllWrapper setting in DSFix.ini to none and delete the files of the fix

Configuration

Although the configuration using the GUI should be easy and straight-forward, there are some things to note:

• You can change settings while in the game by using the Reload Config binding, which is per default set to the '-' key on the numpad. Just change the settings in the GUI as necessary, press save and then use the binding to reload the config ingame. You should hear a Mouse Fix Reloaded sound message when the reloading was successful
• You may also want to enable borderlessFullscreen in DSFix for easier switching between the GUI and the game
• Although it is not necessary to bind a standard action when you are happy with the ingame setting, it is strongly recommended to exclusively use the bindings in the GUI of the fix
• It is not necessary to unbind a key or button in the ingame settings to use it with the fix
• The GUI also provides tooltips with additional information about a setting

Binding System

The new binding system allows you to bind any action to an arbitrary combination of keyboard keys, mouse buttons or the mouse wheel. Instead of manually selecting a key from a limited set of predefined keys, the new system works reactively. To bind an action, double left click the corresponding box. When the box turns green, press the combination of keys you would like to assign. The combination is set once any pressed keys are released.

You should be able to use almost any keyboard key, independent of the keyboard type or layout. The key names are dependent on the layout currently set in Windows. If you are using an English layout, the key names will be in English, while an AZERTY layout will lead to French names. Bear in mind that the key names are automatically determined by using a Windows function and not all keys have pleasant display names.

A few additional notes on the binding system:

• Each key pressed before another acts as a modifier for the next one
• Any key can be used as a modifier key, not just ALT, CTRL or SHIFT
• There is no limit to how many keys can participate in a combination. You can set a combination involving half a dozen keys if you want to
• The order you are pressing the keys in is only important during the binding process to differentiate between bindings that involve the same modifier keys
• To unbind an action double right click the corresponding box

Auto Cursor Mode

The Auto Cursor mode automatically manages the state of the cursor behavior depending on the current situation:

• It captures and hides the cursor when ingame and not in a menu
• It releases and shows the cursor when in the main menu, in a system menu or when the window goes into background, e.g. when using alt-tab
• It overrides all cursor settings in DSFix

Non-Standard Bindings

Non-standard bindings perform actions that usually have to be performed by using a context-sensitive key or a combination of keys. They are provided for convenience as they could also be implemented by using external tools, such as Auto Hotkey. Although they do not allow anything that cannot also be done manually, purists of the game might not want to use them.

Movement Bindings

The keybindings to move the character differ on a technical level from those you can bind ingame. They should fix the problem of sometimes not being able roll when running diagonally and not moving the camera at the same time, which existed in the game since launch.

Input Mode

The input mode specifies the behavior of the fix:

• Mouse and Keyboard: Enables raw mouse camera and keyboard bindings, deactivates controller input and vibrations
• Gamepad: Standard controller behavior, disables raw mouse camera and keyboard bindings
• Steam Controller: Standard controller behavior with the exception that the raw mouse camera is enabled and the right analog stick is disabled

Note that:

• The Auto Cursor setting is independent of the input mode. For example, it is possible to play with a controller and only use the mouse for menu navigation if you want to
• The input mode can be toggled with the Input Mode Toggle binding. The toggle order is the following: Mouse -> Gamepad -> Steam Controller -> Mouse -> …
• You should hear a corresponding sound message when the input mode is changed by using the binding

Additional Information

What You Should Know

Since the fix consists of an executable DLL-File, I could have put any harmful shenanigans in there. You just have to trust me that the file is clean.

If you don’t — and why should you — feel free to use a meta online virus scanner like VirusTotal to verify the file. Be aware however, that because the fix uses “hacking techniques” such as injection and hooking, it could trigger anti-virus software without being harmful.

Known Issues

The Auto Cursor currently briefly activates the cursor when opening certain doors with keys. This is not easily fixable but should only be a minor issue, due to the short duration and small number of situations where this problem occurs.

Apparently the dialog that pops up when summoning a co-op partner can currently not be controlled with the mouse cursor (unconfirmed).

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Kaibz for his extensive testing, detailed feedback and valuable suggestions during the development of the alpha versions of the fix. Without him, creating the fix would have taken even longer than it already did.

Additionally, I would also like to give a shout-out to the author of the original DSMFix for Dark Souls, which allowed me to enjoy several playthroughs of the game over the years.

Finally, I would like to thank Durante, author of DSFix, who made the game playable in the first place. Without his work, everything I’ve done would not be worth much.

Contact And Support

If you like this mod and want to support the development or show your appreciation, you can find more information on my website. There you can also find out more about other fixes that I have done and means to contact me if you have a question, want to provide feedback, bug reports or suggestions.

Version History

Beta 1.4.1 – Hotfix:

• The GUI no longer loads a local dxgi.dll to prevent conflicts with SweetFX

Beta 1.4:

• Replaced the binding system with an entirely new one, which allows the binding of arbitrary key combination with almost any key on any keyboard (see Binding System section for details)
• Added Manual Targeting options that allow the switching of targets by flicking the mouse instead of using a binding (also available in Steam Controller input mode)
• Added non-standard bindings for Kick, Leap Attack, Dash Only, Roll Only and Auto Run actions (see the corresponding tooltips or the Non-Standard Bindings section for details)
• Added a custom mouse cursor that should be more suitable for the game. The cursor is enabled by default but can be disabled in the GUI
• Added audio feedback for certain status changes, such as loading of the mouse fix, reloading the config or changing the input mode
• Multiple changes to the usability of the GUI, including a revision of the labels and tooltips
• The GUI no longer loads a local d3d3.dll to prevent conflicts with certain mods/injectors, such as DSPW or SweetFX/ReShade (thanks to SeanPesce for his feedback and research on the issue)
• The Auto Cursor will no longer enable the cursor and lock the camera when UI elements are shown that cannot be controlled with the mouse, such as subtitles or certain floating messages
• Fixed a bug that caused the Auto Cursor to not recapture the cursor correctly after having switched out of the game
• Added a complete initial default config that should be decently intuitive for most player that are not familiar with the game

Beta 1.3:

• Added preliminary modifier bindings that turn left and right attacks into heavy attacks (see Configuration for details)
• Made all modifier bindings non-blocking so they can also be used as a modifier in the ingame settings where applicable (see Configuration for details)
• Added proper Input Mode setting to the config that allows easy switching between mouse and controller input (see Configuration for details)
• Added experimental Steam Controller support (see Configuration for details)
• Replaced Toggle Mouse Fix binding with Toggle Input Mode
• Fixed bug that prevented the number keys from getting bound correctly
• Fixed bug in the GUI that prevented an action from getting unbound correctly when there was a default binding for it

Beta 1.2:

• Added option to bind movement to the config. These differ on a technical level from those in the ingame settings (see Configuration for details)
• Disabled hardware acceleration for the GUI to avoid conflicts with post-processing injectors such as ReShade or SweetFX
• It is now possible to resize the GUI in vertical direction to use it with low-resolution displays
• The GUI now groups options by category

Beta 1.1.2 – Hotfix:

• The mouse wheel can now correctly be bound again to any standard action

Beta 1.1.1 – Hotfix:

• Reverts changes regarding the mouse wheel in the previous update, which introduced a bug that caused buttons and keys to not be usable as a hold

Beta 1.1:

• It is no longer possible to accidentally flip the camera and invert the input by looking too far up or too far down
• The camera no longer suddenly jumps when exiting lock-on/focus mode
• ~~The mouse wheel can now correctly be bound to any standard action~~

Beta 1.0:

• Initial public release