Razer Basilisk V3 review

The Razer Basilisk V3 demonstrates that the gaming mouse still has a few surprises to offer. In the past few years, manufacturers have seemingly perfected the peripheral, from ergonomic designs, to colorful RGB lighting, to robust software suites. The Basilisk V3 has all of those things, but it also has something that has never appeared in a gaming mouse before: an automatically adjusting scroll wheel. While this is admittedly more of a productivity feature, it’s more useful than ever in a population that’s both working and gaming at home every day.

The scroll wheel is the standout feature of the $70 Basilisk V3, but there’s a lot else to like, from its textured grips to its excellent in-game performance. My only major gripe is that the newly added sniper button is a lot less versatile than the customizable paddle from previous models, which could admittedly be a drag for competitive players. Read on for our full Razer Basilisk V3 review to learn more about this best gaming mouse contender.

Razer Basilisk V3 review: Design 

Like its predecessors, the Razer Basilisk V3 is a right-handed ergonomic mouse with an all-black chassis, textured grips and three prominent thumb buttons. One of those buttons, in fact, is arguably the Basilisk V3’s biggest shortcoming.

Previous Basilisk models had a small clutch, or “paddle,” that extended below the two main thumb buttons. It was extremely easy to reach, but it was also extremely easy to remove, if you didn’t want a third thumb button.

The Basilisk V3 eschews the paddle in favor of a nonremovable, square “sniper” button, which lowers DPI as you hold it down, and slows down mouse movement for sensitive in-game tasks (lining up a sniper shot, for example). The sniper button works fine, but the paddle was a more innovative solution, since many other gaming mice offer sniper buttons. Furthermore, being able to remove the paddle kept just about everyone happy.

Otherwise, though, the Basilisk V3’s design hasn’t changed that much since the last model. It’s still extremely comfortable to hold, particularly due to its textured thumb rest and textured grip for the two outermost fingers. At 5.1 x 2.4 x 1.7 inches, it fits both big and small hands, and at 3.6 ounces, it’s neither too light nor too heavy.

What really caught my eye, though, was the preponderance of RGB lighting. Like other Razer mice, the Basilisk V3 features a light-up scroll wheel and palm-rest logo. This time around, though, you also get an LED underglow strip, resulting in more than 20 programmable lighting zones. I was content to let it run in a rainbow pattern, but you could get pretty creative, if you’re so inclined.

Razer Basilisk V3 review: Features 

The Razer Basilisk V3 has one feature that no other gaming mouse can boast: an automatically adjustable scroll wheel. While adjustable scroll wheels are present in other gaming mice, the Basilisk V3 goes one step further, and lets the scroll wheel adjust on its own.

For context, here’s how it works: Adjustable scroll wheels generally have two settings. One is a “tight” setting, for when you want to make incremental adjustments, such as zooming in with a sniper rifle. One is a “loose” setting, for when you want to scroll through a ton of data, such as rows in a spreadsheet. Mice like the Logitech G502 have a little button beneath the scroll wheel that switches between the two modes. The Basilisk V3 has a button like that, too. But you can also use the Razer Synapse software to let the Basilisk V3 decide when to adjust the scroll wheel.

While the feature takes some getting used to, I was surprised by just how well it worked. If you let Synapse take the wheel (both figuratively and literally), it defaults to a tight scroll mode. However, if you start scrolling fast, the wheel will unlock, letting you scroll at full speed. This is admittedly a little slower than just clicking a single button whenever you want to change modes, but it’s arguably more convenient. The Synapse software also never misfired, in my experience. It always accurately gauged when I wanted to speed up, and when I wanted to stay slow. But you can program the changeover threshold yourself, so Razer seems aware that not everyone’s preferences will be the same here.

Speaking of the Synapse software, it works well for other applications, too, such as adjusting the RGB lighting or setting up profiles for individual games and apps. Learning the ins and outs of the program can take some time, as it gains features on a regular basis. But it does what it’s supposed to do, and it’s also much more stable than it used to be.

There is one additional feature that I wish the Basilisk V3 had, however, and that’s a wireless option. Razer generally waits a few months before releasing wireless variants of its gear, and not every peripheral gets a wireless model. But the Basilisk V3 seems like a great candidate, particularly since the adjustable scroll wheel has so much potential as a productivity feature. The Basilisk Ultimate demonstrated that this design works well in a wireless format, so not having the option feels like a missed opportunity.

Razer Basilisk V3 review: Performance 

As you’d expect from a Razer peripheral, the Razer Basilisk V3 performs beautifully in-game. I tested it with Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, Doom Eternal, Baldur’s Gate III and Final Fantasy XIV, and found that it performed well across the board — particularly in Doom Eternal, where the sniper button came in handy. Otherwise, its generalist shape and generous array of buttons complement just about any genre, from the button-heavy FFXIV to the keyboard-centric Baldur’s Gate III.

Razer Basilisk V3 review: Verdict 

The Razer Basilisk V3 is more of a good thing, with very few drawbacks. The mouse is comfortable, functional and even innovative. While the Basilisk V3 has lost one of my favorite features from the V2, the automatically adjusting scroll wheel just about makes up for the missing paddle, and the sniper button is not a bad replacement. At $70, it’s a little on the pricey side, but still not as expensive as some of the top-end wired models on the market.

FPS gamers would be wise to check out the Basilisk V3 — although they’d be wise to compare it against the G502 as well, since that mouse also has a sniper button and an adjustable scroll wheel. I don’t have a strong recommendation between the two, but I will say that the lighting on the Basilisk V3 is much prettier.