Ephinea Gamepad Setup

Ephinea Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst supports gamepads, but some additional configuration is needed to make them fully functional. This step-by-step guide shows you how to set up a gamepad for Ephinea, enabling all action shortcuts and improving camera control.

Contents

Mappings

Following this guide will result in the button mappings below. The triggers act as modifiers, allowing access to all ten action shortcuts while keeping the main action palette on the face buttons, similar to the original console controls.

Movement

Gamepad Button Keyboard Key Mapping
Left Stick WASD Move
Left Stick Click Q Auto Run
Right Stick   Adjust Camera
Right Stick Click ↑ Center Camera
LB ↑ Center Camera / Prev Page

Action Palette

Gamepad Button Keyboard Key Mapping
A ↓ Action Palette Middle
B → Action Palette Right
X ← Action Palette Left
Y End Action Palette Top
RB Ctrl Change Action Palette / Next Page

Action Shortcuts

Gamepad Button Keyboard Key Mapping
RT + A 1 Action Shortcut 1
RT + X 2 Action Shortcut 2
RT + B 3 Action Shortcut 3
RT + Y 4 Action Shortcut 4
LT + A 5 Action Shortcut 5
LT + X 6 Action Shortcut 6
LT + B 7 Action Shortcut 7
LT + Y 8 Action Shortcut 8
RT + LT + A 9 Action Shortcut 9
RT + LT + X 0 Action Shortcut 10

Other

Gamepad Button Keyboard Key Mapping
Menu Home Main Menu
View Ctrl + M Map
RT + LT + B Esc Cancel
RT + LT + Y Tab Character Info. Change
RT + ↑ F1 Display F Key Functions
RT + → F2 Equipment
RT + ↓ F3 Technique
RT + ← F4 Mag
LT + ↑ F5 Guild Card
LT + → F6 Simple Mail
LT + ↓ F7 Symbol Chat
LT + ← F8 Team
RT + LT + ↑ F9 Team Log Window On/Off
RT + LT + → F10 Normal/Change Team Chat
RT + LT + ↓ F11 Keyboard Control On/Off
RT + LT + ← F12 Main Menu

Example

In the screenshot below:

  • Shifta is assigned to Action Shortcut 1 and can be executed by pressing RT + A.
  • Deband is assigned to Action Shortcut 2 and can be executed by pressing RT + X.

Mappings - Example

Step 1 - Add PSO to Steam

Adding PSO to Steam allows you to use Steam Input to map your gamepad to keyboard controls.

  1. Click Games → Add a Non-Steam Game to my Library….
  2. Browse to your PSO installation (e.g. C:\Users\Username\EphineaPSO).
  3. Select online.exe.
  4. Find the new entry in your library.
  5. Click Manage → Properties.
  6. Rename the shortcut to Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst.

Add PSO to Steam - Add a Non-Steam Game Add PSO to Steam - Properties Add PSO to Steam - Shortcut

Step 2 - Enable Steam Input for PSO

Once your gamepad is connected, enable Steam Input for PSO.

  1. Click Controller Settings.
  2. Click Enable Steam Input.

Tip: Most modern controllers, including the PlayStation 5 DualSense, are supported.

Enable Steam Input for PSO - Controller Settings Enable Steam Input for PSO - Enable Steam Input

Step 3 - Apply a Steam Button Layout

Apply the Ephinea - All Action Shortcuts community layout instead of creating one from scratch. This layout includes all the mappings above and you can customise it later to suit your preferences.

  1. Click Gamepad.
  2. Click Community Layouts at the top.
  3. Click Show All Layouts at the bottom.
  4. Click Ephinea - All Action Shortcuts.
  5. Click Apply Layout.

Tip: If you can’t find the community button layout on Steam, drop a message on our Discord or Forums for help.

Apply a Steam Button Layout - Layouts Apply a Steam Button Layout - Community Layouts Apply a Steam Button Layout - Layout

Step 4 - Enable Gamepad

Enable your gamepad in the Ephinea Launcher (Options → Page 4 → Use XInput for Gamepad).

Tip: If you’re on Steam Deck, you don’t need to enable this.

Enable Gamepad

Step 5 - Enable Analog Camera Control

By default, the game uses a Chase Cam that slowly adjusts behind your character, but you can enable manual camera control using the right stick for a more modern feel.

  1. Enable Analog Camera Control (Options → Page 3 → Analog Camera Control → Enabled).
  2. Invert Analog X-Axis (Options → Page 3 → Analog Sensitivity → Invert).
  3. Disable Chase Cam (Options → Page 3 → Chase Cam → Disabled).

Enable Analog Camera Control

Step 6 - Update Keyboard Mappings

Update the in-game keyboard mappings (Menu → Options → Keyboard Config → Custom).

Tip: The Q key (Auto Run) is not mapped by default.

Update Keyboard Mappings

Step 7 - Update Gamepad Mappings

Update the in-game button mappings (Menu → Options → Pad Button Config).

  1. Set Right Analog Left/Right to Right Stick.
  2. Set Action Palette Middle / Decide to A.
  3. Set Action Palette Right / < Cancel > to B.
  4. Set Action Palette Left / < Detail > to X.
  5. Set Action Palette Top to Y.
  6. Set Menu Open/Close to Menu.
  7. Set Prev Page / Camera to LB.
  8. Set Next Page / Action Palette Change to RB.

Tip: Use the D-pad (←/→) to adjust behaviour for some mappings.

Update Gamepad Mappings

Step 8 - Enable Ctrl Shortcuts

Finally, enable Ctrl Shortcuts by typing /shortcuts in-game.

Tip: This is required for shortcuts like the map (Ctrl + M).

Enable Ctrl Shortcuts - Enabled Enable Ctrl Shortcuts - Ctrl + M Shortcut

Step 9 - Finished

Your gamepad should now be fully configured for Ephinea with support for all action shortcuts and improved camera control.

FAQs

What are the Menu and View gamepad buttons?

These are the two centre buttons on an Xbox Series X/S gamepad, referred to as Start and Select in Steam Button Layouts.

Can I use a Steam Deck or other non-Xbox controller?

Yes. The guide uses an Xbox Series X/S controller as an example. Steam Deck and most modern controllers, including the PlayStation 5 DualSense, are supported. Button labels may differ.

I can’t find the community button layout on Steam

If you can’t find it, ask for help on our Discord or Forums.

I get the error “XInput support requires Windows 8 or greater. XInput will be disabled.”

If you’re on Steam Deck, you don’t need to enable XInput.

Original Keyboard Mappings

For reference, here are the original keyboard mappings.

Original Keyboard Mappings