INTRODUCTION

   As many of you are aware we were all caught off guard when recently Scythe one of the oldest CPU Cooler manufacturers ceased operations in the USA (and perhaps globally as well although i hope that's not the case). Personally i think that this was the result of them expanding their product line to several other areas other than just CPU coolers including speakers, amplifiers, power supply units and many other peripherals for computers. Luckily that is not the case with other manufacturers such as Thermalright since they have proven extremely careful when expanding into other areas and the success of their Leetgion brand is an example. Now most of you know that we were the first to make the upcoming El'Druin RPG Gaming mouse up for grabs roughly a month ago and naturally we couldn't give away something we hadn't test ourselves first.

   Leetgion began in early 2010, originating from Thermalright, a company with over a decade of experience in top end, world class thermal solutions for PC enthusiasts. With our long involvement with PC enthusiasts and often PC gamers, we had a vision of expanding our product line for the PC gaming community, to deliver our expertise in quality and design. Leetgion is composed of two words Leet + Legion. The word leet is an internet phrase derived from the word “Elite.” Often used as describing an individual or feet of superior skill or prowess. Legion refers to a large military force or group. Our self-given description of the word Leetgion is: A group of elite individuals fighting alongside each other, conquering all that stands before them. Our goal is simple, to provide the best in both quality and innovation. We’ll go the lengths of using nothing but the best components and technology to match our quality standards. We are not afraid of thinking outside of the box, and putting a spin to the standard. Leetgion understands that in the end it is the user that wins games, what we want is to let our peripherals be an extension of the user, to combine technology and human control.

   The first gaming mouse released by Leetgion was the quite perfect (although weird looking) Hellion which proved to be ideal for fast passed games (for example FPS) mainly thanks to its fast speed and great accuracy. However the Hellion lacked one thing and that was the number of buttons we find in other MMO targeted gaming mice (like the Razer Naga HEX) which is mainly why Leetgion started working on the El'Druin even before they released the Hellion model to manufacturing. However unlike other similar products Leetgion did not actually use several buttons but instead they used a 5way thumb SPAD. Certainly the name El'Druin given to the product by Leetgion points to RPG games and not MMOs (Diablo fans know this well) and so it's no surprise that they have classified it as an RPG Gaming Mouse. So how does the end result compare to other similar gaming mice in the market? Well that's what we're here to find out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Leetgion send the El'Druin in a much larger box than the Hellion with a product picture at the front and their logo.

The main features of the El'Druin RPG gaming mouse are listed at the top of the box.

At the rear we see the product specifications list in 3 different languages along with the system requirements, package contents and a few words about Leetgion.

Just like the Hellion box the El'Druin one opens up to reveal the mouse behind a clear plastic cover.

Aside the El'Druin RPG gaming mouse inside the box you will also find a quickstart guide, user's manual, Leetgion sticker, extra Teflon mouse feet and 3 additional palm plates.

THE EL'DRUIN

Just like with the Hellion gaming mouse Leetgion managed to design and manufacture an gaming mouse that looks like no other in the market (its design reminds me a lot of Warcraft and Diablo).

Usually when a new manufacturer enters the picture the first units released usually look a lot alike but excluding some minor design similarities and their color the Hellion looks nothing like the El'Druin.

Instead of the usual thumb buttons featured with most gaming mice Leetgion has placed an fully adjustable 5-Way SPAD on the left side.

The product name is printed on the lower end of the palm plate.

By default Leetgion has mounted the large gray palm plate which should be ideal for most people (i liked it more than the medium sized ones).

The right side ring allows you to micro tune your DPI settings (DPI selection) and scroll between profiles.

Leetgion has used 2 OMRON micro switches (Japanese) for the primary buttons and a clickable scroll wheel.

The El'Druin also has an lighting system with 1 LED placed right in front of the 5-way SPAD and 1 right behind the scroll wheel.

As you can all see Leetgion bundles a total of 4 palm plates, 2 large and 2 medium ones in black and gray.

The large black plate is even better than the gray one since it's coated with a very thin rubber layer.

At the base of the El'Druin we see the 3 large Teflon feet and the Leetgion logo.

The Avago 9500 laser mouse sensor may not be the fastest one out there (5000DPI/11.750fps/30g) but it's very accurate and has also been tested on other gaming mice (and also has an 2.5mm lift detection).

For good or bad the 2 LEDs found on the El'Druin provide a limited lighting effect.

THE EL'DRUIN CONFIGURATOR

Although there's not an CD included in the bundle you can download the available configurator from the Leetgion website.

Easy to use but not very eye catching is what we all think about the Leetgion configurator. Still from here you can remap all 12 buttons, setup up to 4 profiles, create macros and adjust the performance of the unit.

CONCLUSION

   Just like we were the very first English written review site to review the Hellion and the very first to showcase alpha pictures of the El'Druin we are also the first to finish a very thorough review (aside giving away one as well) of it and we did that by playing several game titles such as Planetside 2, Far Cry 3, MechWarrior Online, Diablo 3 and Hitman Absolution. The verdict? Well first of all it's quite fast and very accurate (since it uses the Avago sensor that was expected), however i do prefer the shape of the Hellion when playing FPS games although in a strange way the El'Druin actually glides a bit better (though the other two people who also helped to test the El'Druin disagree with me and feel that the Hellion glides a bit better). Now both the 5-way SPAD and the right side ring will take some time to get used to (especially to avoid accidental clicks) but in the end they are very easy to use and offer the same functionality as other multi-button gaming mice without however using up the same amount of space. The only thing really missing from the El'Druin is a weight adjustment system since its 120g may be more than ok but it wouldn't hurt for gamers to have that extra option (perhaps Leetgion can implement it later on) especially since i think it would be nice if it was just a tad heavier.

   The El'Druin just got officially released (or it should be in a while) so currently we only have a recommended price tag which is set at around USD89.95 inside the USA and 69.95Euros (estimated - not official) inside the EU and so just like the Hellion it's placed right alongside with the most expensive gaming mice in the market. In the end however it's always about what you need and what you can afford so although for casual gamers the El'Druin may not be the most tempting gaming mouse out there because of its price tag this is not the case for hardcore gamers (especially Diablo fans) and enthusiasts who just want the best there is without taking a second look at the price. Personally I’m very picky when it comes to RPG games so getting a mouse aimed towards those is not something I’d do, however the El'Druin is also very fast, extremely accurate and glides even better than the Hellion while both the 5-way SPAD and the DPI/Profile selection ring can come in handy with pretty much every game out there so because of all that we are giving it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (OMRON Switches)
- Design (Unique)
- Very Fast (Avago 9500 5000DPI Laser Sensor)
- 5-Way SPAD
- DPI/Profile Selection Ring (Omnitune)
- 4 Different Palm Plates
- Extra Teflon Feet

CONS

- Price