I've been playing now for about 20 hours or so, and of course I adore this game, but I've still been getting a little confused with the whole 'left click' being 'right hand' and 'right click' being 'left hand'. I figured that I'd eventually get used to this and it wouldn't bother me, but I haven't really still. I'm mostly a magic user and often in the heat of battle I'll still get confused which spell I have in which hand (I'm a big fan of Healing+Fire and when they're in the hands they look kinda similar). I understand why they've done this, so that left click is your 'main' hand, but for magic that doesn't really matter.

I've been considering just switching M1 and M2 controls, so that my mouseclicks actually correspond to which hand I'm using, but I'm wondering if this messes up anything else further down the line or makes the UI even more cumbersome to navigate?

Or maybe I should just give in and use a controller?

It gets a bit confusing for me when trying to assign new spells, but mainly I roll with dual casting the entire time, so I don't really get mixed up much.

@mortface: Use a controller, I've been using a controller and it's the way they designed the game. Or wait for some sort of mod.

I switched them over very quickly. I use pure magic and it is very confusing when you're in a rush. Doesn't mess anything up at all, totally fine.

First time I actually think about, it hasn't been bothering me in any way.

i've been using a 360 pad. works great.

Aye. First thing I did. Don't think it has anything to do with it, but I'm left handed so it felt just too weird.

Still kind of upset that I can't pick on which side my shield is. What gives Bethesda?

@mortface: Swapping M1 and M2 is the first thing I did...I did it before even creating my character. Do it, I'm surprised anyone can play with M2 being the left hand. Insanity.

Yes.
One of the first things I did.
This is not a shooter like Bioshock 2 (where it felt wierd)
 
Swapping M1 and M2 made it all very natural in Skyrim.

@mortface: 
It only affects your weapon/spell actions tied to left/right hand.
All the menu and interface stuff remains unchanged.
 
DO IT
DOOOOOOOO IT

Yes.
One of the first things I did.
This is not a shooter like Bioshock 2 (where it felt wierd)
 
Swapping M1 and M2 made it all very natural in Skyrim. 

@mortface: Use a controller, I've been using a controller and it's the way they designed the game. Or wait for some sort of mod.

Nah. But I have made very little use of dual wielding or spell casting so far.

I've been playing with M1 and M2 reversed this whole time. In retrospect, I have no idea why. It doesn't make a lick of sense.

I really think it's weird that default settings is totally inverted for your hands. Why would left click be right hand?

I haven't, since I'm rolling with sword and shield, but I probably will when I start over with a pure mage character. It probably takes an hour or so to get fully used to it, after spending 150+ hours the other way around, but it's worth it.

Im genuinely surprised about the number of people who did switch, I thought you all would just stick with it but yeah I think that game is almost unplayable without switching the M1 and M2

I dual-cast most of my spells so it's not that big of a problem. I've gotten used to it when I use the conjured sword. 

I switched too. I was also going to switch R(ready weapon) and F(POV) because F was the ready weapon buton in the other games, but that broke the favorite function for some reason.

That and I made sprint shift instead of alt. This game shipped with some awkward ass keyboard controls.

I don't like the idea of right clicking being my main weapon, so I didn't switch. And I'm not making my left hand my sword hand, that's just weird.

@Beforet said:

I switched too. I was also going to switch R(ready weapon) and F(POV) because F was the ready weapon buton in the other games, but that broke the favorite function for some reason.

That and I made sprint shift instead of alt. This game shipped with some awkward ass keyboard controls.

It doesn't actually break the favorite function, it merely changes the favorite button to whatever you assigned the POV button to, but the prompt doesn't change in the menus. I had to change that button cause I was always accidentally swapping to third person.

@MikkaQ said:

I don't like the idea of right clicking being my main weapon, so I didn't switch. And I'm not making my left hand my sword hand, that's just weird.

Yup.

Swapping only makes sense to me for dual casting. Left click block/zoom right click attack.....wut? And I'm right handed so the sword would go in my right hand in the game...it just makes sense.

I left click make thing die, right click put up metal face. Make perfect sense to me.

everywhere i go i just type "kill all" in the console. i am pro like that. so i didn't think about switching them at all.

@SmasheControllers said:

@mortface: Use a controller, I've been using a controller and it's the way they designed the game. Or wait for some sort of mod.

Controller sucks because only 2 hotkeys.

It seems weird to switch hands on the mouse buttons because I'm used to attacking with a sword on the left mouse button on blocking with the right mouse button. I could make the switch for dual-casting, which makes a bit of sense, but I don't see a strong enough reason as to why I should.

I'm always equipping weapons in the wrong hand. Sadly I've not thought to swap mouse buttons.

Nope. Left click is main hand. As ever.

Why did so many people switch? Hasn't left click always been your main hand? I can't fathom pressing the right mouse button to swing my sword in my main hand.

Why did so many people switch? Hasn't left click always been your main hand? I can't fathom pressing the right mouse button to swing my sword in my main hand.

@CL60: It never mattered until they introduced a left hand attack. Why wouldn't that change things?

@CL60

Why did so many people switch? Hasn't left click always been your main hand? I can't fathom pressing the right mouse button to swing my sword in my main hand.

Most games aren't based around the idea of both hands being used. One of the first things many people will do is pick up two weapons, then immediately realise that left click swings the right weapon and vice versa. There is no 'main hand' if you're dual wielding or magic using, there's just a right hand and a left hand.

@CL60 said:

@Jimbo said:

@CL60

Why did so many people switch? Hasn't left click always been your main hand? I can't fathom pressing the right mouse button to swing my sword in my main hand.

Most games aren't based around the idea of both hands being used. One of the first things many people will do is pick up two weapons, then immediately realise that left click swings the right weapon and vice versa. There is no 'main hand' if you're dual wielding or magic using, there's just a right hand and a left hand.

I dual wield in Skyrim, and even then I consider my main hand to be my right hand since i'm right handed. Even in Oblivion I would use right click for my shield, and left for my weapon. It would be awkward to me switching that.

@mandude:

If I have 2 buttons, one of the left and one on the right, would it not make sense to make them correspond to left hand/right hand?

That makes sense to me, but to each his own I guess. Maybe my perspective is just different since I'm left handed. To me putting left mouse to left hand feels perfect.

Okay, so I guess it depends on how you view it? Main Hand/Off Hand vs. Left Hand/Right Hand.

I did right from the start, but eventually I just started using a 360 controller.

The whole dual wielding system just works better with a controller simply because your RH controls the in-game RH. Having 2 mouse buttons that are normally used by one hand to control the opposite side is really weird. Maybe changing E and the right mouse button might feel more natural?

Edit: I gave it shot, its worth trying ive got M2 set to activate and E for my left hand and M1 for my right hand. The menu controls as it normally does.

I did for my Mage, but I'll change back on my next playthrough with melee weapons.

@jetsetwillie said:

i've been using a 360 pad. works great.

Yeah most people should use the 360 pad makes things easier plus rotating objects feels more natural and easier.

@MB said:

@mortface: Swapping M1 and M2 is the first thing I did...I did it before even creating my character. Do it, I'm surprised anyone can play with M2 being the left hand. Insanity.

Try using a bow, you'll zoom with M1 and fire with M2. Now that's insanity.

I did it on my mage, but the default settings make way more sense when you play melee. Left click for attack and right click for block/zoom.

I switched the M1 and M2 functions as well. I also remapped sprint to left shift since it's awkward to hit the left alt key. Plus it also stops me from getting confused whenever I try to sprint in BF3.

@halcyonTwilight said:

I switched the M1 and M2 functions as well. I also remapped sprint to left shift since it's awkward to hit the left alt key. Plus it also stops me from getting confused whenever I try to sprint in BF3.

It took me 20 hours in to figure out I had a sprint. The design decision to make sprinting bound to the ALT key is one of the most mind boggling things I have ever encountered in a video game.

Sure, they wanted slow walking bound to a prominent key, but using both Caps Lock AND Shift for it, while using ALT for sprint, feels just weird.

Good thing they allowed players to make their own bindings, I guess?

@AlexW00d said:

@MikkaQ said:

I don't like the idea of right clicking being my main weapon, so I didn't switch. And I'm not making my left hand my sword hand, that's just weird.

Yup. That. I am going to see if I can get my PS3 controller to work with it. But I doubt it. .............soo I've got this one button iMac mouse that just won't quit....

@mortface said:

I've been playing now for about 20 hours or so, and of course I adore this game, but I've still been getting a little confused with the whole 'left click' being 'right hand' and 'right click' being 'left hand'. I figured that I'd eventually get used to this and it wouldn't bother me, but I haven't really still. I'm mostly a magic user and often in the heat of battle I'll still get confused which spell I have in which hand (I'm a big fan of Healing+Fire and when they're in the hands they look kinda similar). I understand why they've done this, so that left click is your 'main' hand, but for magic that doesn't really matter.

I've been considering just switching M1 and M2 controls, so that my mouseclicks actually correspond to which hand I'm using, but I'm wondering if this messes up anything else further down the line or makes the UI even more cumbersome to navigate?

Or maybe I should just give in and use a controller?

I noticed this within the first 15 minutes of the game, switched it right then and there and haven't looked back. However I switched to a controller and find I just prefer it overall (movement is smoother and I'm still in reach of my keyboard for quick-save/load so I'm not missing out on anything).

Yes, remapping M1 and 2 is very useful.

Also, I find the gamepad is kinda bleh in combat, especially if you have a higher FoV, but for inventory stuff and lean back talking to NPCs it's great.

Bonus Tip: You can map keyboard keys 1-8 to your favorites if you open the favorites menu and hit the number key over desired favorite.

I actually have no problem with it whatsoever. Left mouse button has been burnt into my mind as the primary attack button.

@Tennmuerti said:

It only affects your weapon/spell actions tied to left/right hand. All the menu and interface stuff remains unchanged. DO IT DOOOOOOOO IT

That was the reason I hadn't switched yet, I'm going to change it right now, thanks!

@Vodun said:

@MB said:

@mortface: Swapping M1 and M2 is the first thing I did...I did it before even creating my character. Do it, I'm surprised anyone can play with M2 being the left hand. Insanity.

Try using a bow, you'll zoom with M1 and fire with M2. Now that's insanity.

Oh god, I hadn't thought of that. I play a sort of mage-archer, so the M1/M2 default setup was annoying me when equipping spells, but I use archery when I'm OOM and I really don't want to mess up those controls. Hmm!

Can you bind several keys for the same thing? Maybe I could bind some keyboard buttons for attacks as well, and use keyboard for casting and equipping spells while keeping M1/M2 for archery.

I left the controls as-is. If you use a sword and shield, left click should always be your primary attack and right click to block so it makes sense.

I wish there was a way to swap buttons when changing from two-handed wielding to dual-wielding. Right click just feels weird when I'm Donkey-Kong hammering dudes.