A hard mousepad on a soft desk mat is fine, but probably unnecessary.

Not really. If you already have a decent desk mat—even a soft felt one—adding a mousepad on top usually doesn’t improve performance. In fact, it can hurt it.

Modern optical and laser mice track well on most surfaces, including felt. A soft mat can actually be better for comfort than stacking two layers. Adding a mousepad on top introduces a potential height difference and can cause the mousepad to slide around on the felt, making your aim less consistent. Unless you’re gaming at a high level and need a specific surface texture (like a hard pad for low friction), the extra layer is just clutter.

If your felt mat is so thick and plush that your mouse sinks into it and tracking gets janky, then yes—throw a thin, hard mousepad on top. But for 95% of people, a single decent desk mat is all you need.

Don’t overthink this one.