Best controller settings in MW3: Aim assist, sensitivity, deadzones, more

Having the best controller settings possible is crucial for adapting to MW3’s fast-paced movement and gameplay in this year’s game.

Fine-tuning your settings is an almost never-ending task for Call of Duty players. You’ll alter your sensitivity slightly, play with different aim assist settings, and adjust your deadzones to find the sweet spot, but soon enough you’ll feel the need to change things up again.

While this process can get tedious, it is essential, as not having optimal controller settings can jeopardize your gameplay. The tricky bit is figuring out which settings you should use, with that task getting increasingly difficult as Sledgehammer Games adds more options in every update.

Taking a look at how many of the top pros and streamers set up their controller, and assessing all of the options available in-game, here are the best MW3 controller settings to use, including aim assist, sensitivity, and deadzones

How to change controller settings

Changing your controller settings in Modern Warfare 3 is an easy enough task. All you need to do to access the appropriate menu is follow these instructions:

• Launch either Modern Warfare 3 or Call of Duty HQ on your platform of choice.
• Once on the main menu, press start.
• Use either RB or R1 to change to the settings tab, represented by a white cog.
• Finally, click ‘Controller’ to access controller settings.

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Best Controller settings

Deadzones

First things first, you’ll want to adjust your deadzones. Modern Warfare 3 introduced a feature that allows players to test if their controller has stick drift. The Deadzone Input Test shows a diagram of both the left and right sticks plus both triggers. All four can be tweaked to account for stick drift and overly sensitive triggers.

Decreasing the Deadzones as low as possible results in the best possible precision aim. However, you may need to increase the Left and Right Stick Min if you experience stick drift. Your Stick Min settings should match your stick drift percentage seen on the test diagram.

For example, if you have 2% stick drift on either axis, then Left and Right Stick Min should be set to at least 2. However, a slightly higher value is recommended as stick drift will vary slightly as you play. For most players, 5 on both sticks and triggers will work great.

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Inputs

L1 Button Ping	Off
Button Layout Preset	Default
Flip L1/R1 with L2/R2	Off
Stick Layout Preset	Default
Controller Vibration	Off
Trigger Effect (PS5	Off

Best Aiming settings

Aiming

Horizontal Stick Sensitivity	6
Vertical Stick Sensitivity	6
ADS Sensitivity Multiplier	0.90
Vertical Aim Axis	Standard
Tac-Stance Sensitivity Multiplier	1.00
Aim Response Curve Type	Dynamic
ADS Sensitivity Multiplier (Focus)	0.90
ADS Sensitivity Transition Timing	Instant
Custom Sensitivity Per Zoom	Off

Aim Assist

Target Aim Assist	On
Aim Assist Type	Default
Third Person ADS Correction Type	Assist

Motion Sensor Aiming

Motion Sensor Behavior

Off

Best Gameplay settings

Movement Behaviors

Automatic Sprint	Automatic Tactical Sprint
Slide Maintains Sprint	On
Auto Move Forward	Off
Tactical Sprint Behavior	Single Tap Run (Irrelevant if using Auto Tac Sprint)
Grounded Mantle	Off
Automatic Airborne Mantle	Partial
Automatic Ground Mantle	Off
Slide/Dive Behavior	Tap to Slide
Plunging Underwater	Trigger
Parachute Automatic Behavior	Off
Sprinting Door Bash	On
Ledge Climb Behavior	Mantle Only

Combat Behaviors

Aim Down Sight Behavior	Hold
Change Zoom Activation	Sprint/Tactical Sprint/Focus
Equipment Behavior	Hold
Weapon Mount Activation	ADS + Melee
Weapon Mount Exit Delay	Short
Tactical Stance Activation	ADS + Down Button
Tactical Stance Behavior	On Toggle
Interact/Reload Behavior	Prioritize Interact
Armor Plate Behavior	Apply All
Backpack Control	Directional Buttons
Depleted Ammo Weapon Switch	On
Quick C4 Detonation	Grouped
Manual Fire Behavior	Press
Akimbo Behavior	Paired

Vehicle Behaviors

Vehicle Camera Recenter	Short Delay
Camera Initial Position	Free Look
Lean-Out Activation	Melee

Overlays Behavior

Ping Wheel Delay	Moderate
Double Tap Danger Ping Delay	Moderate
Wheels Behavior	Hold

Best Aim Assist settings

While playing on a controller, it is always essential to ensure Target Aim Assist is On. Besides just making sure that Aim Assist is on, players also must consider the different Aim Assist Types.

• Default: Traditional aim slowdown near target used in Modern Warfare games.
• Precision: Strong aim slowdown that only kicks in when aiming closer to the target. Recommended for accurate players.
• Focusing: Strong aim slowdown that also kicks in when narrowly missing the target. Recommended for players new to analog aiming.
• Black Ops: Traditional aim slowdown near target used in Black Ops games

We recommend using the Default Aim Assist Type. While Black Ops Aim Assist was particularly popular in MW2 and in the early days of MW3, changes to aim assist now mean that Default is the best aim assist to use.

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Best Aim Response Curve

Modern Warfare 3 offers three types of Aim Response Curves, each coming with its own distinct feeling for your thumbstick movements. Here are how the three types work:

• Standard: Simple power curve map from aim stick to aim rate
• Linear: Aim stick maps directly to aim rate
• Dynamic: Reverse S-curve mapping for fine aim rate control

Most MW3 players will lean towards the Standard Aim Response Curve, but we recommend giving Dynamic a go and learning how to use it. The setting allows for much finer control than the other options but requires a bit of a learning curve, no pun intended.

At the end of the day, controller settings come down to personal preference, so if one or more of our settings don’t quite seem to work for you, then it’s easy enough to find your own specialized adjustments.

Load up a Private Match with bots and tinker around with the settings until everything feels exactly as it should — and make sure to check out our best Warzone controller settings if you want to drop into the COD battle royale mode.