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Controls
May 18, 2026 at 06:34 AM
Initial version: full keybind reference covering movement, combat, interaction, building, map, and communication.
Anvil Empires is played from a fully 3D third-person perspective using a keyboard and mouse setup. The control scheme covers movement and combat, building and crafting, inventory and item management, mounting and vehicles, and faction-wide communication. Most actions are mapped to letters within easy reach of the WASD cluster, and many keys also serve as alternate-mode toggles for the currently held weapon or tool.
All bindings below reflect the most recent pre-alpha tests of the game. Siege Camp has rebound several keys across major updates, so expect occasional drift in future builds. The in-game settings menu lets players rebind nearly every action to a key of their choice.
Action | Key or Input |
|---|---|
Move forward, left, back, right | W, A, S, D |
Sprint | Shift |
Climb | Ctrl |
Push | Space |
Crouch | C |
Rotate camera left or right | Comma, Period |
Free-look rotate camera | Middle mouse button (hold) |
Zoom in or out | Ctrl plus middle mouse button |
Cinematic mode and hide HUD | O |
Each avatar carries one primary item and one secondary item. The primary slot is usually the weapon, while the secondary is for shields, lanterns, tools, or thrown items. The R and F keys swap which slot is currently armed, and the C and X keys trigger alternate behaviours for the armed item, such as block stance on a shield or aimed shot on a bow.
Action | Key or Input |
|---|---|
Attack or perform action | Left mouse button |
Aim | Right mouse button (hold) |
Reload or arm primary slot | R |
Arm secondary slot | F |
Primary item alternate mode | C |
Secondary item alternate mode | X |
Quick swap between primary and secondary | Y (in some recent builds) |
Action | Key or Input |
|---|---|
Use or interact | E |
Open inventory and equipment | Tab |
Mount or dismount | Q |
Drop item or open gate | V |
Hotbar slots 1 to 9 | Number row 1 to 9 |
Pledge to a town or join an alliance | Town Centers and Keeps interaction prompt (E) |
Building is one of the deepest control surfaces in Anvil Empires. The B key opens the structure menu, which shows everything currently buildable from the avatar's pledged Settlements or held equipment. Right mouse rotates the ghost preview before placement, and the Z key disables grid snapping for off-grid placement during siege scaffolding.
Action | Key or Input |
|---|---|
Open build menu | B |
Upgrade structure (when permitted) | U |
Disable build snapping | Z |
Rotate structure ghost | Right mouse button |
Action | Key or Input |
|---|---|
Open world map | M |
Nearby players or house screen | F1 |
House management screen | F2 |
Voice chat is local-only in normal play. Pressing T while in range of allied avatars opens push-to-talk, and N toggles voice on and off. Typed messages go to a faction or alliance channel via the Enter key.
Action | Key or Input |
|---|---|
Open chat | Enter |
Push to talk | T |
Toggle voice chat | N |
New players should remember that the R and F keys are the fastest way to recover from a fight that has gone sideways: R reloads or readies the primary, while F swaps to the secondary slot. In a melee scrum, holding the secondary slot on a shield and tapping C to alt-mode block can save an avatar from being committed to a dropped weapon. The build menu (B) and the inventory (Tab) close instantly when a hostile lands a hit, so they are safe to open in the middle of a fight as long as the avatar is not actively swinging.
Most bindings can be remapped in the settings menu under Controls. Some players prefer to bind Push (default Space) to a side mouse button so they can shoulder-bash enemies off ramparts while still firing arrows, and others move the build menu to Q if they rarely mount horses. Whatever the layout, the priority should be keeping E, R, and F within easy reach because those three keys carry the bulk of moment-to-moment play.
