PoE2 Sprinting Feels Clunky – Here Is How Players Fix It

POE2 fans compare sprinting to steering a truck. Here is how they fix awkward WASD controls with simple tricks and settings.

Neviriah

Updated: 16hr agoPosted: 16hr ago

Sprinting feels a bit tricky with WASD.

Path of Exile 2’s new sprint system has been a hot topic lately, especially for players using WASD controls. Exiles (aka players) compare the turning radius to steering a truck or drifting a car, making it feel stiff and awkward at first.

After playing for a bit, it turns out that quite a few players agree on this one fact now: they found that sprinting with the mouse feels much smoother. Letting go of WASD and guiding movement with the cursor can help reduce wall collisions and give more natural control.

Here is the original Reddit thread where players are trading sprinting advice:

Sprint Tip: If you're using WASD controls, let go of WASD while sprinting and it'll move towards your cursor instead
byu/yumicheeseman inPathOfExile2

Community Tricks That Can Help

WASD(-only) sprinting can still work well, but it needs a bit of adjustment. So, in the meantime, the community shared a few simple tricks to make it feel less clunky:

Let go of WASD keys when you want to shift angles mid-sprint.
Use dodge rolls for sharp turns or to cancel sprint quickly.
Turn off the overlay map and focus on your character for cleaner pathing.

Another big help is the Toggle Sprint Option in the Interface settings. Instead of holding the spacebar, sprint becomes a one-press action – many players recommend turning this on right away.

PoE2 Patch 0.3.0 comes with a Toggle Sprint Option in the Interface settings, which can help players with movement, especially those who play with WASD. Instead of holding space, sprint will turn into a one-button action.

Funny Bugs and Odd Behavior

Not everything is ‘smooth’, though. A few players also noticed strange sprint interactions:

Cloak MTX can cause funny issues like removing footsteps or crashing your character into the ground.
On ultrawide monitors (such as 5120×1440), sprinting sometimes acts up – characters might drift sideways or run in the wrong direction.
Controller players report that sprinting feels much smoother, thanks to the analog stick’s natural steering.

Sprinting feels a bit clunky at first, but it gets a lot smoother once you mess with the settings and adjust how you move. Toggle sprint and dodge rolls are two quick fixes that can make a big difference.

Want more? Check out our latest coverage of guides and news for PoE2: The Third Edict.