Elsewild plays on a keyboard and mouse, a controller (Xbox, PlayStation or Switch) or a touch screen, and you can switch between them at any time. The game shows hints in whatever you used last. This page lists the default controls. Keyboard keys and controller buttons can be changed in Settings.
In the world
Controller buttons are given by their Xbox names. On a PlayStation controller, A is Cross, B is Circle, X is Square, Y is Triangle, LB/RB are L1/R1, LT/RT are L2/R2, View is Share and Menu is Options. On a Switch controller the buttons are named by where they sit, so the bottom button (B on a Switch) does what A does here, and LT/RT are ZL/ZR.
| Action | Keyboard | Controller | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move | W A S D | Left stick | The stick |
| Run | Shift (hold) | LT (hold) | Push the stick to its edge (or tap, then hold: see RUNNING in Settings) |
| Jump | Space | A | JUMP |
| Attack | Left click or F | RT | ATTACK (the big button) |
| Running attack | Attack while running | Attack while running | DASH |
| Guard, parry or a weapon's special | Right click or R | B | The button beside ATTACK, named for what your weapon does (for example DODGE, SKYFALL or RAIN) |
| Use (open, talk, pick up, pray, sleep...) | E | X | USE (shows when something is near, named for what it does) |
| Swap what's in your hand | Q, or the mouse wheel | RB (next), LB (previous) | Swipe the bar at the bottom of the screen, or tap a thing on it |
| Aim | The mouse | Right stick | The stick (or drag off a button that aims) |
| Pack | I | Y | PACK (in the column by the map) |
| Build menu | B | View | BUILD (in the column by the map) |
| Stats | K | Left stick press | SELF (in the column by the map) |
| Map | M | Right stick press | Tap the small map |
| Settings (pause menu) | Tab | Menu | MENU (in the column by the map) |
| Chat (in an online room) | Enter | Hold View | CHAT (in the column by the map) |
| Choose a seed (with the seed pouch in hand) | C or the mouse wheel | D-pad left and right | SEED |
With a fishing line out, ATTACK reels in and the guard button yanks. On touch you can also hold the screen to reel and flick upwards to yank. See Fishing.
Placing a building piece
| Action | Keyboard | Controller | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set it down | Left click (hold and drag to lay several) | A | Tap where it goes, or drag it, then BUILD |
| Turn it | R | X | TURN |
| A story down or up | Z and X | LB and RB | The down and up arrows |
| Colour (pieces that have colours) | C | Y | COLOUR |
| Stop placing | Esc | B | STOP |
See Building and Stories and Stairs for more.
In menus
- Keyboard and mouse: click, or use the arrow keys or W A S D to move, Enter to choose and Esc to go back. Tab moves to the next section of Settings.
- Controller: the D-pad or left stick moves, A chooses, B goes back, X and Y do that window's two actions (shown at the foot of the screen), LB and RB turn its tabs, and LT and RT change amounts. When you type, a keyboard appears on the screen.
- Touch: tap. Pinch a window to zoom it.
On a controller, a strip at the foot of the screen always shows what each button does in that place.
Changing your controls
Open Settings and choose CONTROLS.
- Keys: choose an action, then press the new key. Esc cancels, and Backspace puts that action back on its default key. If the new key was already used by another action, a message tells you which one, so you can give it another key. RESET KEYS puts every key back.
- Controller buttons: the same list shows buttons while you use a controller. A button can only do one thing, so if you pick a button another action uses, that action moves to your old button (a message says where). RESET BUTTONS puts every button back. Menu always opens Settings and cannot be changed.
- DEFAULTS puts the whole CONTROLS section back as it came, keys and buttons included.
- Touch buttons can't be moved, but you can change their size, which side the stick is on, how the stick works and how you run (see Settings).
- CONTROLLER ON or OFF turns controller play on or off.
If you are signed in, your keys and buttons are saved to your account and follow you to other devices. See Accounts and Cloud Saves.
