General Controls
Default keyboard and mouse controls, including sailing.
These are the default bindings. If you have changed keys in Settings, use your saved bindings. The same key can have different actions at the helm or inside a menu.
Movement & interaction
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| W A S D / Arrow keys | Move |
| Mouse | Look around |
| Space | Jump |
| Shift | Sprint |
| Ctrl | Crouch |
| E | Interact, open a door or container, use a crafting station, or enter a ship’s helm/seat. |
| Esc | Open the game menu / back out of menus |
Items & combat
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| 1–6 / Mouse wheel | Select a hotbar item |
| Left click | Attack, fire, or use a tool’s primary action |
| Right click | Use the held item: consume food or medicine, block with a sword, aim a firearm, or draw a bow. |
| Middle click | Secondary attack, if the weapon has one |
| Alt + Left click | Alternate attack, if the weapon has one |
| R | Reload a firearm; cycle ammunition while manning a cannon |
Hold right-click to finish a consumable’s use animation. For a bow, draw with right-click and fire with left-click. Block while facing the attacker.
Weapon damage & blocking →Inventory & menus
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab | Open / close inventory |
| M | Open the map |
| Q / E | Switch inventory tabs while no text field is focused |
| Shift + Left click | Quick-transfer a stack to or from an open container or station; equip or unequip armor in the armor view. |
| Hover + 1–6 | Move or swap the hovered inventory item into that hotbar slot |
| Left click | Pick up, place, or swap a stack |
| Right click | Pick up half a stack or place one item; right-click a recipe with an empty cursor to learn it. |
| Left / right click outside the inventory | Drop the held cursor stack / one item |
| Right click on the map | Place a waypoint |
Put held cursor items into a slot before closing your inventory: closing it drops any items still on the cursor.
Building & retrieval
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Left click | Place the held buildable when its preview is valid |
| Mouse wheel | Rotate the placement preview |
| Hold Right click | Retrieve an eligible placed item. Hold the required hammer or use the item’s tool-free retrieval rules. |
Beds and Bed Rolls can be picked up by their owner, the Captain of the owner’s crew, or a member of that crew with Build Retrieval permission. The bed must be at full health. Use empty hands or a Hammer, aim at the bed, and hold right-click until pickup finishes. Leave room in your inventory.
Placement rules & fortifications →Sailing & cannons
Press E at the wheel to take the helm, or near a Canoe seat to sit. You need ownership or crew Ship Access. Press Ctrl to leave. At a cannon, use E to enter and Ctrl to leave.
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| A / D | Steer left / right |
| Q / E | Rotate or brace sails on sailing ships |
| 1 | Lower / raise the anchor |
| 2 | Show / hide a fitted flag on ships that support flags |
| 3 | Lock / unlock the helm |
| Ship | Sail or paddle controls |
|---|---|
| Canoe | W / S to paddle; A / D to steer from the rear seat. Extra paddlers add thrust. |
| Armed Launch | F opens or closes the sail. Q / E adjusts its angle. |
| Sloop | W / S adjusts the main sail; Q / E rotates it. R toggles the jib. |
| Schooner | W / S adjusts the main sails; Q / E rotates them. R toggles the jib. |
| Brig | W / S adjusts square sails; Q / E braces them. R toggles the jib; F toggles the spanker. |
| Galleon | W / S adjusts square sails; F toggles the lateen sail. Q / E rotates the sails. |
While manning a cannon, left-click fires and R cycles available ammunition. Sail and rudder settings remain where you leave them; Canoe steering returns to straight when released.
Read the wind & trim your sails →Chat & voice
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| T | Open text chat |
| Tab | Switch chat channel while chat is open |
| V | Hold to speak using push-to-talk |