Reference

Controls

Every binding below is a default. Press Shift+K in game to rebind any of them; your choices are saved between sessions.

Two that catch everyone out

Ctrl+S is switch place with a follower; Shift+S is save. Likewise N builds a small fortification while Ctrl+N builds a large one.

The movement grid

Eight keys, laid out over the map. The four arrow keys and the numpad still move you as well, so either way of playing works.

Q W E        NW  N  NE
A S D         W  S   E
Z C           SW    SE

Movement and time

Key	Action	Notes
`QWEASDZC`	Move	The eight directions, laid out as the grid above. The `←↓↑→` arrows and the numpad move you too, if you would rather use those.
`R`	Run	Toggle. Twice as fast, and it costs stamina — you cannot start running while tired, and you stop automatically if you become tired.
`X` / `Num`5	Wait / rest	Do nothing. Recovers stamina faster than any other action.
`Shift`+`W`	Wait one hour	Interrupted if you see an enemy, get hungry or sleepy, or witness something important.
`Shift`+`Z`	Sleep	Recovers sleep and heals slowly — faster on a couch, anywhere at all with the Hardy skill. You cannot sleep while hungry, and you are blind and helpless until something wakes you.
`U`	Shout	Makes noise. Good for waking sleepers nearby; bad for anything else.
`.`	Use exit	Stand on a ladder, hole or stairway to change maps.
`P` / `Ctrl`+`P`	Push / pull	Shove a person or shift a movable object. Pushing costs stamina equal to the object's weight, and you move with what you push.

Fighting and fire

Key	Action	Notes
Bump an actor	Melee attack	A tiring action. Your Melee skill, any equipped melee weapon and your stamina all matter.
Bump a barricade	Attack the barricade	A sure-to-hit, full-damage hit that destroys the material you used.
Bump a door / window / shelf	Open, take, talk	Bumping is the game's universal interaction verb.
`F`	Fire	Enter fire mode, then pick a target. Press again for rapid fire: two shots for one action, each less likely to hit. The line of fire is drawn red (no shot), yellow (beyond efficient range) or green.
`F` with a grenade	Throw	Throw distance comes from the grenade and your Strong skill. It explodes a few turns later. You can throw past your own field of view, and over people.
`Shift`+`T`	Close door / window	Closes an adjacent one.
`Shift`+`E`	Eat corpse	Only in modes with corpses. Desperate, and it counts against you socially.
`Shift`+`R`	Revive corpse	Requires the Medic skill and a medikit.

Items and inventory

Key	Action	Notes
`Ctrl`+`1`…`0`	Use / equip / unequip	The item in that slot of your pack. Equipping is free — only using an item costs the turn.
`Shift`+`1`…`0`	Take from the ground	Slot N of the ground under you — the same numbering, a different inventory. Ends your turn.
`Alt`+`1`…`0`	Drop	Slot N of your pack, straight onto the ground. Ends your turn.
`1`…`0` on their own	Nothing	The number row exists only to carry those three modifiers — pressed by itself it does nothing at all, not even spend the turn. Use the left mouse button for the plain action.
Left-click	Use / equip / take / talk	On your inventory, on the ground inventory, or on an actor. Equipping does not end your turn; using an item does.
Right-click	Drop	On one of your items. Dropping a useless item discards it.
Hover	Look	Over any tile, actor or item for a description — the main way to work out what something actually is.
`G`	Give item	Pick the item with the mouse, press `G`, then choose an adjacent actor. Ends both your turn and theirs.
`B`	Barricade / repair	One mode, both jobs. Barricade a door, window or fortification, or repair an existing fortification — the game tells you which you are pointing at. Consumes one barricading material per use, up to a cap.
`K`	Break / dismantle	Yields material from some objects. Needs an equipped melee weapon.
`N` / `Ctrl`+`N`	Build fortification	Small (transparent, jumpable, pushable, 2 material) or large (opaque, blocks movement, 4 material). Needs Carpentry; level 3 uses one less.
`M`	Use spray	Spray paint tags a tile — and marks your minimap if the option is on. Stench spray erases the scent trail the undead follow.
`Ctrl`+`E`	Mark as enemies	Declare nearby actors as personal enemies. Free action, instant, and permanent. There is no undo.

Other people

Key	Action	Notes
Bump an actor	Trade	A quick, semi-random exchange. Look for the can trade icon on the map.
`L`	Negotiate trade	Choose the exchange yourself. Charismatic unlocks items they would not otherwise part with; a follower who trusts you accepts anything.
`T`	Lead / leave	Ask someone to follow you. You need the Leadership skill, and the cap is your skill level.
`O`	Order / directive	Set standing directives and one-off tasks. Both of you must see each other, or both have a tracker equipped.
`Ctrl`+`S`	Switch place	Swap positions with a follower.
`Shift`+`U`	Unload ammo	Take the rounds out of the gun in your hand and put them in your pack. Whatever will not fit is dropped on the ground.
`Y`	Move to backpack	Move the item under the cursor between your pack and your backpack. Only some items may go in a bag; the game says so when one may not. Still Alive only.
`Ctrl`+`F`	Make a fire for cooking	Light a fire with a matchbox, for cooking raw food. Still Alive only.

Screens and reference

TabAction menu — every command on one list. Click one, or press the letter shown beside it. Reloaded.

+-Map zoom in and out

HGame manual

Shift+HAdvisor hint

Ctrl+HAll hints

ICity info

Shift+MMessage log

Shift+OOptions

Shift+KRedefine keys

Shift+FSwitch between top-down and first-person view

V[Shift+C]Turn in first-person view (free, costs no turn)

System

Shift+SSave game

Shift+LLoad game

Shift+NScreenshot

Shift+AAbandon run

Shift+QQuit

There is one save slot. Loading does not erase the run you abandoned — but a true rogue survivor never reloads, only his weapons.

Inside menus

Menu screens — main menu, character creation, options, keybindings, hiscores, trade, orders — read the keyboard directly and do not use the bindings above.

EnterConfirm

EscCancel / go back

←↓↑→Move the selection

Browser notes

Screenshots are downloaded by the browser rather than written silently to a folder, and there is no automatic screenshot on death. The game is keyboard and mouse only; there is no touch support. Append ?debug=1 to the URL for per-action [render] and per-frame [draw] logging in the console.

Read the full manual →