The Razer Basilisk V3 proves that the gaming mouse still has a few tricks up its sleeve. Manufacturers have seemingly polished the peripheral in the last few years, from ergonomic designs to vivid RGB lights to comprehensive software suites. The Basilisk V3 has all of these features, but it also boasts an automatically adjusting scroll wheel, which has never been seen before in a gaming mouse. While this is more of a productivity function, it’s more important than ever in a population that works and plays video games at home daily.
The $70 Basilisk V3’s biggest feature is its scroll wheel, but there’s a lot to like about it, from its own textured grips to its amazing in-game performance. My only criticism is that the newly introduced sniper button is far less adjustable than prior models’ customizable paddle, which could be a disadvantage for professional gamers. This is our complete Razer Basilisk V3 review.
Design
The Razer Basilisk V3 is a right-handed ergonomic mouse just like its predecessors with an all-black chassis, textured grips, and three prominent thumb buttons. In reality, the Basilisk V3’s main flaw is in those buttons.
A small clutch, or “paddle,” extends below the two major thumb buttons on previous Basilisk models. It was exceedingly simple to reach but equally simple to remove if you didn’t want to have a third thumb button.
The Basilisk V3 does away with the paddle in favor of a non-removable square “sniper” button that reduces DPI and slows mouse movement for in-game tasks that need precision such as lining up a sniper shot. The sniper button works well, however, the paddle was a more creative solution, as sniper buttons are available on many other gaming mice. In addition, everyone will be happy if they can remove the paddle.
The Basilisk V3’s design, on the other hand, hasn’t changed all that much since the previous model. It is still great in the hand, thanks to the textured thumb rest and textured grip on the two outermost fingers. It’s the perfect size for both big and small hands, measuring 5.1 x 2.4 x 1.7 inches and weighing 3.6 ounces.
The predominance of RGB lighting, on the other hand, drew my attention. The Basilisk V3 has a light-up scroll wheel and a palm-rest logo, just like other Razer mice. This time, however, an LED underglow strip is included, it creates more than 20 programmable lighting zones. I chose to let it flow in a rainbow pattern, but if you’re so inclined, you could get really creative.
Features
The Razer Basilisk V3 has a unique feature that no other gaming mouse has: a scroll wheel that can be adjusted automatically. While other gaming mice have adjustable scroll wheels, the Basilisk V3 takes it a step further by allowing the scroll wheel to adjust on its own. Scroll wheels that may be adjusted usually have two settings. The “Tight” setting is the first, which is useful for making little adjustments like zooming in with a sniper rifle. The other setting is a “loose” option for scrolling through a large amount of data as rows in a spreadsheet. A little button beneath the scroll wheel on mice like the Logitech G502 switches between the two modes. The Basilisk V3 also features a similar button. However, when you need to adjust the scroll wheel on the Basilisk V3, you can use the Razer Synapse software.
I was really surprised by how well it functioned while the feature takes a little getting accustomed to. Synapse defaults to a tight scroll mode if you allow it to take the wheel. If you start scrolling quickly, the wheel will unlock and you will be able to scroll at full speed. This is admittedly a little slower than simply pressing a single button to switch modes, but it is unquestionably handier. In my experience, Synapse software has never failed. It always understands when I want to speed up or slow down.
When it comes to the Synapse software, it can be used for a variety of tasks, like tweaking RGB lighting and creating profiles for specific games and apps. It takes some time to learn the program’s ins and outs, as new features are added regularly. But it performs what it’s supposed to do, and it’s far more stable than it was previously.
However, I wish the Basilisk V3 had a wireless option. Razer usually waits a few months to release wireless versions of its products, and not every peripheral receives one. The Basilisk V3, on the other hand, appears to be an excellent option, especially because the customizable scroll wheel has so much potential as a productivity element. The Basilisk Ultimate proved that this design works well in a wireless mode, thus it feels like a missed opportunity not to have this option.
Performance
The Razer Basilisk V3 works admirably in-game, as one would expect from a Razer peripheral. I put it through its tests with Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, Doom Eternal, Baldur’s Gate III, and Final Fantasy XIV, and found that it performed perfectly in all of them, especially in Doom Eternal, where the sniper button proved useful. From the button-heavy FFXIV to the keyboard-centric Baldur’s Gate III, its generalist design and a generous variety of buttons complement just about every genre.
Verdict
The Razer Basilisk V3 is still a great product with few flaws. The mouse is pleasant to use, practical, and even inventive. Although the Basilisk V3 lacks one of my favorite features from the V2, the automatically adjusting scroll wheel more than compensates for the lack of a paddle, and the sniper button is not really a bad replacement. Its price is up to $70, but it’s still cheaper than some of the top-end wired ones on the market.
FPS gamers should consider the Basilisk V3 — though they should also compare it to the G502, which features a sniper button and an adjustable scroll wheel. I don’t have a strong preference between the two, however, I will say that the Basilisk V3’s illumination is considerably nicer.
