Leetgion El’Druin Review

• Brand: Leetgion
• Model: El’Druin Gaming Mouse
• Website: http://www.leetgion.com/product-eldruin.php
  
• RRP: €69.90 (At time of the review)

The Leetgion El’Druin continues the company’s practice of making gaming mice which are themed on popular games but also accessible and usable in a variety of other titles. The El’Druin is a Diablo 3 themed mouse, shown clearly in its use of gold “Omni Tuner” and sharp angular design. The word El’ Druin is defined as “the Sword of Justice, a blade wielded by the Archangel Tyrael. By all accounts it was a unique weapon, capable of cutting through any foe or substance in existence.”

The El’ Druin certainly looks to innovate in features through it’s use of 2 scrolling wheels on each side which benefit from custom key mapping, allowing you to set up some nifty shortcuts in specific game titles.

In this review I will look at the El’ Druin’s performance in comparison with Leetgion’s other mouse, the “Hellion“.

Technical Specifications

• Avago 9500 Laser Mouse Sensor (100 to 5000DPI)
• Japanese Omrom Micro Switches
• One Patent Pending Omni-Tuner for DPI Micro Tune and Profile Management.
• Five Directional thumb SPAD.
• Twelve Fully Programmable Hotkeys.
• Four Custom Profiles sets (one default profile.)
• Dual LED lighting cue system, for profile and Omni-Tuner Mode indication.
• Four Removable Palm Plates for adjustable size and grip.
• Heaven Plate Size: L 127mm x W 69mm x H 44mm
• Inferno Plate Size:

System Requirements

• PC with USB port
• Windows 7 / Windows Vista / Windows XP
• Internet connection (for driver installation

The Leetgion El’ Druin comes in similar packaging to the “Hellion” in that it features a removable sleeve which when removed reveals a folding cardboard box which encloses the transparent perspex case for the mouse itself. The sleeve features information on the mouse’s “abilities” as well as including technical specifications and an image of the mouse itself.

As with the “Hellion” the El’ Druin is very well packaged to ensure safety in transit while also looking great and making the product really stand out amongst it’s competitors.

Included in the packaging is a twist open quick start guide, the user’s manual, an Anvil logo sticker, and an extra set of feet for when the originals get old.

You also get three additional palm plates. which can be switched out depending on personal preference. There are 4 plates in total including 2 rubberized version of both the “Heaven” plate and the “Inferno” plate.

One of the most innovative and interesting things about the El’ Druin is the design itself. Featuring 2 gold coloured rings on each side and changeable backplates certainly make it a customizable mouse and add to its appeal by allowing users to change it to their preference.

At 120g the mouse is fairly light and as with the “Hellion”, it would’ve been nice to see some adjustable weight options. However this is not a huge issue and the fact that the mouse is fairly large and grippy does compensate for the lack of weight. The mouse’s shape is well suited to users who have a “Palm” grip and features a large backplate which works well as a palm wrest for even the biggest of hands. Although I personally like the mouses size I feel that some users with smaller hands may struggle with it and therefore wouldn’t recommend it to that market.

In total, the mouse features 12 customizable buttons which can be easily assigned and applied in the software configurator. Of the 12 buttons features on the mouse, 7 are featured in the gold rings as either buttons or scroll wheels. This keeps the mouse uncluttered and ensures that the design still looks sleek and clean. One of the great things about this mouse is that it does feel very sturdy and the build quality throughout is very impressive. One thing that I would change is the gold rings, which I personally think would feel better if it was made using a metal (which would also give the mouse a bit more weight), however for the price they look fine and it’s not something with affects the mouse greatly.

The left side of the mouse features the SPAD controller, which gives you four way control plus a click in to give you five actions in total. On the right we are presented with a slightly different set-up as the gold ring features small notches to make it easy to roll. This one is used for changing DPI settings/ profiles.

The rubber scroll wheel in the middle is very grippy and works great in both gaming and internet browsing. As far as scroll wheels go it’s pretty basic but does it’s job well and I didn’t find any problems with it.

Under the mouse we find the Avago 9500 laser which has been placed centrally as unlike the hellion, this mouse doesn’t feature any profile switch on the bottom. The mouse also features a gold plated USB 2.0 connector and a braided cable which further add to the great build quality shown throughout the Leetgion product line.

The El’ Druin’s software package is downloaded from their site as there is no disc included with the product. The software works well on Windows 8 and allows the programming of macros, changing of buttons, performance and profile management.

Button assignment is very easy to do in the software and simply involves selecting the button you want to change and then selecting a key accordingly.

The macro tab is also easy to navigate due to the consistent design throughout the software. I really like the software and found it to be very easy to use in comparison with software from more well known companies,which I have found confusing in the past.

The profile and performance tabs stick with the simplystic user interface which makes the software easy to use and highly accessible to even the most basic of users.

I used the El’ Druin for about a week and found it to be a perfectly competent gaming mouse in a wide variety of games. Unfortunately Leetgion don’t recognise this in their advertising and therefore some users may be put off by the emphasis that this is a mouse just for users playing Diablo. I used the mouse in Battlefield 3, Shogun 2 and Counter Strike Source and found the performance to be exceptional in each with no strain on my hand and a comfortable and pleasant experience thanks to the changeable palm wrest and highly sensitive Avago 9500 laser.

The programmable buttons were great in Battlefield 3 allowing me to set a melee key in an easy to reach spot and also giving me the option to use the side wheel for changing weapon instead of the standard mouse wheel. In counter strike I found the precision of the Avago 9500 laser to be flawless and had no issues at all. Again in Shogun 2 I was able to make full use of the programmable buttons which worked great.

Like the “Hellion” the mouse build quality is great and feels very sturdy.

In conclusion I think the El’ Druin is a great example of Leetgions’s innovative attitude to the gaming peripheral market and looks to push the boundaries of what gaming mice can offer, without being too complex. Personally I think the emphasis put on Diablo 3 is a negative to this product as it will be something which puts people off if they think they need to be a Diablo gamer to benefit from the mouse’s features. As I have shown it’s a perfectly capable mouse in variety of games and genres and something which I feel would both look good and perform in any gamers set-up.

The customization options available, DPI options between 100-5000 dpi and the quality of the mouses grip certainly add to the El’Druins appeal and means the mouse can be used in a variety of situations. It’s also very comfortable which is a bonus and fit in my hand well.

Check out CazuallUK’s unboxing and first look in the video below.