Keyboard Controls

Default Keyboard Layout

On PC, Tears of Metal assumes a standard WASD movement layout with the mouse handling camera rotation and many targeting functions. Light attacks typically sit on mouse buttons or a primary keyboard key, heavy attacks on a secondary key, and dodge on a nearby key you can hit without lifting your movement fingers—Space is the common default. Block or guard, where available per hero, often shares a modifier-friendly key so you can parry without awkward pinky stretches.

Ability slots map to number keys or letter keys depending on your hero and unlocked Emblem synergies. Ultimate abilities and Charm-triggered effects may consume dedicated keys separate from basic combos, which prevents accidental ult dumps during trash waves. Interact—opening shrines, talking to village NPCs, confirming map nodes—uses a single consistent key such as E or F across modes so you never hunt for context-sensitive prompts mid-fight.

Paper Cult may adjust defaults during Early Access patches, especially when new Emblem families add extra active skills. After every major update, open Settings → Controls and scroll the full list rather than assuming your muscle memory still matches the shipped defaults.

• Movement: W A S D
• Camera: mouse movement (sensitivity in Settings)
• Light / heavy attack: mouse buttons or bound keys (see in-game list)
• Dodge / roll: Space (recommended to keep)
• Interact: E or F (confirm in Settings)
• Ability bar: number keys 1–4 or hero-specific bindings
• Map / pause: Esc opens system menu; dedicated map key shown in UI

Battalion Command Hotkeys

Battalion commands are the reason keyboard players sometimes remap hero skills to the number row and push orders to function keys or Q/E variants. Follow aggressively sends your Scottish troops toward your hero's facing direction or last attacked target. Hold position anchors them for choke point defense—critical in Act 1 river crossings and Act 3 Mother Stone approaches. Recall pulls scattered soldiers back before artillery or hog charges delete your DPS floor.

Focus target commands let you mark an elite, boss weak point, or priority invader so your battalion concentrates fire while you dodge telegraphed swings. In co-op, focus pings should align with your squad's voice callouts; keyboard players often bind focus to middle mouse or a side mouse button for speed. Formation hints, when unlocked through village upgrades, may sit on shifted variants of the same keys to avoid doubling your memorization burden.

If you play without a gaming mouse, move battalion keys to F1–F4 or Z/X/C/V clusters you can reach while holding W. Never put recall on the same finger as dodge unless you enjoy watching your battalion dissolve off-screen. The Training Grounds exist partly to drill these sequences under dummy elite pressure.

Mouse Camera and Aim Assist

Mouse control gives precise camera snaps for spotting flankers in musou crowds—a major reason PC players compare Tears of Metal favorably to console musou titles. Sensitivity sliders cover horizontal and vertical axes independently, with optional inversion. Some players lower sensitivity during boss fights and raise it for campaign map navigation; you can only store one profile in Early Access unless Paper Cult adds profiles later, so find a balanced middle value first.

Soft lock or aim assist for mouse is lighter than controller assist by design, but toggles exist for players who prefer stronger snapping toward elites. This does not automate dodging; it only nudges targeting when your cursor nears valid enemies. Charm builds that rely on directional skill shots still demand manual aim, so test assist strength on Act 2 ranged elites before committing to a run-defining build.

Rebinding Recommendations

Priority one: dodge and battalion recall on separate hands. Priority two: interact on a key you can hit while strafing. Priority three: ultimates on keys you cannot accidentally press—double-tap modifiers or keys far from WASD work well. Many veteran roguelike players bind pause and map to keys away from combat clusters to prevent mis-clicks.

Co-op etiquette: if you rebind ping to something nonstandard, tell your lobby. The default ping key is shared knowledge in public matchmaking. For Game Pass and Microsoft Store builds, cloud save may sync settings across PCs, but Steam and Microsoft Store libraries do not cross-sync rebinds—maintain screenshots of your layout if you split time between platforms.

Return to the Controls Hub for battalion philosophy and platform notes, or see Controller Support if you switch to gamepad for couch co-op on a handheld PC.