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Final Thoughts
The Razer Naga Epic Chroma does provide 16.8 million color possibilities, but it merely cycles through each color or uses one 
static color. It does have a breathing effect and you can synchronize the color with your BlackWidow Chroma if you have a matching set.
The Naga Epic Chroma goes up to 8200 DPI, but lacks DPI on the fly, so we mapped a couple of DPI settings to the Mouse 4 and Mouse 5 buttons. The lack of DPI on the fly is a lack of attention to detail on Razer’s part. The battery pack in the Naga isn’t replaceable, so it’s a limited-life wireless mouse. Even when in wireless mode, you have a docking station hanging around with 7 feet of mouse wire attached to it.
The Synapse software is fantastic but requires some effort to understand and use. Effort that is well worth giving to the Synapse software. Synapse is like a hive mind for all of your Razer gear and unifies all the Razer gaming peripherals on your rig. Once you get past the learning curve, Synapse is the real diamond in programmable Razer gaming gear. There’s little you can’t do with the software, but don’t just glance at it and give up. Read the manual and Google some others using Synapse and use online tools to assist in the learning curve.
The “Chroma” end of the Naga Epic Chroma is limited in function, but a nice addition to give the mouse a little extra flair. Once we got past the learning curve, there wasn’t much we couldn’t make the Naga do for us. Macros are always a bit of a pain to get right, but once we got the hang of it we could double-hand spells in Skyrim, one-key multiple spells and hit enemies with spell combinations, then do a quick healing spell, then hit them with more spells all from one emergency macro key.
Like anything else worth doing, the Razer Naga Epic Chroma has a learning curve and that curve is complicated by the Synapse software. Once you ride that curve and take the time to learn the mouse layout and Synapse, you have a powerful gaming combination.
The 32-bit ARM processor and 8200 DPI laser sensor instantly transmit your clicks. The mechanical keys on the side are easy to trigger, but the 12-key layout takes a little muscle memory to get down pat. The Teflon feet of your Naga Epic Chroma float across the mouse pad with little or no resistance. Razer even includes options to set the Naga Epic Chroma for a specific mouse pad if it’s a Razer Product, and nicely allows you to calibrate for “Other” mouse pads.
In MMOs that allow the in-game configurator software known as Grid Assist Display, the Naga was as deadly as we allowed it to be. Once we got past looking at the side buttons and really had the buttons down pat we found using the Naga made us feel almost like we were cheating. We laid waste to scenes we had struggled with previously, and the Naga is our choice for MMOs period. The Naga Epic Chroma did well in other games once we got past a somewhat frustrating Synapse learning curve, but use outside MMOs is going to be on a personal preference level. The Naga isn’t just a mouse. It’s a “mouse system” with a hive brain called Synapse, and once you get that thought mastered you can embark on the learning curve that leads to one of the deadliest tools in your gaming arsenal.
The Bear Facts: We weren’t sure about the Naga Epic Chroma at first, but it’s capabilities grew on us even though you face a steep price of $114.99. The Naga Epic Chroma is an improved model, and except for the “Chroma” end of things, one of the previous generation Naga would do the same job. You have to ask yourself if the Chroma part makes the Naga Epic Chroma worth the extra money. There’s a lot of technology in the Naga Epic Chroma, and it has a few flaws you need to take into consideration. For us the lack of DPI on the fly was a glaring omission, but Synapse provides a workaround. How much DPI on the fly counts in MMOs we’re not sure, but a $115 mouse needs DPI on the fly. It also needs a replaceable battery. The Naga itself is worth a Gold Award in performance and deadliness, but the omission of the replaceable battery pack, no DPI on the fly, and having to tug on the cord to get the cord out of the docking station drops it to a solid Silver Award.
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