You’ve probably seen the clips on YouTube. Dante is mid-air, switching between a motorcycle and a demonic sword, never touching the ground, while a rank of "SSS" flashes violently on the screen. Then you boot up the game, try to do the same, and end up just aggressively tapping the attack button while your character awkwardly stumbles into a stray scythe. It’s frustrating. But honestly, Devil May Cry controls aren't actually designed to be difficult; they’re designed to be expressive.
Most modern action games use a "canned" combo system. You press Square, Square, Triangle, and the game plays a pre-set animation. DMC doesn't work like that. It’s more like a musical instrument. If you don't understand the rhythm, you’re just making noise.
The Mental Shift: It’s Not About What You Press, But When
The biggest hurdle for newcomers is the lock-on mechanic. In almost every other third-person game, locking on is just a way to keep the camera centered. In this franchise, the R1 or RB button is the literal modifier for every move in your arsenal.
Think of it this way: Your joystick direction is relative to where your character is facing, not the camera. If you want to do a "Stinger"—that iconic forward-thrusting stab—you aren't just pressing forward and attack. You are holding Lock-on, tilting the stick toward the enemy, and then hitting your melee button. If you tilt the stick away from the enemy while locking on, you get a completely different move, usually a launcher that sends enemies into the air.
This directional logic is the DNA of the series.
Once you realize that Devil May Cry controls are built around this "relative-to-enemy" axis, the game stops feeling clunky. It starts feeling intentional. You realize that "High Time" (the launcher) isn't a random occurrence. It’s a specific input. You’re finally in the driver's seat.
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Why the Default Layout Might Be Sabotaging You
Let's talk about Nero. In Devil May Cry 5, Nero has a mechanic called "Exceed." By revving his sword like a motorcycle handle (L2/LT) immediately after an attack, you can charge his blade with fire. If you’re using the default controller map, you’re likely trying to jump with X, attack with Y, and rev with L2.
It’s a nightmare for your thumb.
Pros almost always remap the "Shoot" button. On default, it’s usually one of the face buttons (X or Square). This is a mistake. Nero and Dante both have "charge shots." To maximize damage, you need to hold the shoot button down while you are performing melee combos. Unless you have a mutant thumb that can hold Square while also mashing Triangle, you need to move "Shoot" to a trigger.
Try moving Gunfire to R2 or L1.
Suddenly, your index finger is constantly holding the charge, and your thumb is free to focus entirely on the swordplay. This single change is usually the "aha!" moment for players who feel stuck at a B or A rank. It’s the difference between playing a game and performing a sequence.
Dante’s Style Switching: The Four-Dimensional Chess
If Nero is a rhythmic brawler, Dante is a technical masterpiece. Or a headache, depending on who you ask.
Dante uses the D-pad to switch between four distinct styles: Trickster (movement), Swordmaster (extra melee), Gunslinger (extra ranged), and Royal Guard (defense). Managing these while simultaneously handling the standard Devil May Cry controls for weapons is what separates the casual fans from the "Combo Mad" creators.
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- Trickster is your "get out of jail free" card. Hit the Style button (usually Circle or B) to dash.
- Swordmaster gives your weapons an entirely new move list. Your Rebellion sword goes from having 5 moves to having 15.
- Gunslinger makes your firearms actually useful for combo extension rather than just chip damage.
- Royal Guard is the hardest to learn. It’s a frame-perfect parry system.
The trick isn't to master all four at once. It's to find "anchor points." Start in Swordmaster. Get a combo going. Switch to Trickster just to close the gap when an enemy flies away. Switch back. Don't worry about the others yet.
The Secret Language of Frame Buffering
Have you ever wondered how people switch weapons so fast without the animation looking weird? It's called buffering.
The game allows you to input your next command while the current animation is still playing. If you’re mid-swing with a heavy axe (like King Cerberus) and you tap the weapon switch trigger, the game queues that change. The moment the swing ends, you’re holding a different weapon.
This is vital for "Jump Canceling."
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Jump canceling is the "advanced" part of Devil May Cry controls that people get terrified of, but it's basically a glitch that became a feature. If you are in the air and you press the Jump button while near an enemy's head, the game resets your animation.
- Attack enemy in air.
- Press Jump (you "step" on their face).
- The game thinks you’ve landed on solid ground for a split second.
- All your gravity and move limitations are reset.
- Attack again immediately.
You can stay in the air forever. Seriously. The sky is the limit, literally.
Input Latency and the Hardware Factor
We need to be honest about hardware. If you’re playing on a TV with high "Input Lag" or using a Bluetooth controller with a lot of interference, your timing will always feel "off." In a game where a parry (Royal Guard) happens in a 6-frame window (that's about 0.1 seconds), every millisecond matters.
If you're on a console, make sure your TV is in "Game Mode." If you're on PC, check your refresh rate. If the game drops below 60fps, the engine actually slows down, or worse, eats your inputs. Devil May Cry controls are tied directly to the frame rate. If the frames aren't stable, your combos won't be either.
Actionable Next Steps for Better Style
Stop trying to memorize 50-move combos. It's a waste of time. Instead, do this:
- Go to the Void (Training Mode): Spend ten minutes just practicing the "Stinger" (Lock-on + Forward + Melee). Do it until you don't have to think about the stick direction.
- Remap your Gun button: Put it on a shoulder trigger. Hold it down during your entire next mission. Get used to the feeling of "holding" one button while "tapping" others.
- Listen to the music: The "Dynamic Music" system in DMC5 actually rewards you. The music gets more intense as your style rank goes up. Use the beat of the track to time your hits.
- Master the "Shuffle": Learn the back-to-forward inputs. These are usually the most powerful moves in a character's kit. For Nero, that's the "Shuffle" (Lock-on + Back, then Forward + Melee). It has "i-frames," meaning you are invincible for a split second during the wind-up.
Style isn't about being fast. It's about being efficient. Once you stop fighting the controller, you'll find that the game actually wants you to look cool. It's just waiting for you to learn the language.
Get into the settings, move those buttons around, and stop treating the D-pad like it’s a menu. It’s part of the fight.