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Controls Guide: Key Bindings & Best Setup

Controls in ASTRONEER are centered on how you interact with your Backpack, manage your tools, and navigate the research and inventory interfaces. Knowing these inputs makes everyday tasks like gathering, building, and organizing resources much faster.

Backpack interaction

The Backpack is the core of your personal storage and crafting setup. It has 8 dedicated inventory slots for resources and small items.

  • Collected resources from the Terrain Tool and items created by the Backpack Printer are placed into any available inventory slot automatically.
  • If all inventory slots are full, newly created or collected items fall to the ground near you.
  • You can manually place, remove, and rearrange items in these slots.
  • To quickly place items into Backpack slots, use the quick-transfer input shown in the interface.

Widget slots

The Backpack also has 2 additional slots in the upper left and upper right for Widgets.

  • These slots are commonly used for items such as the Small Solar Panel, Work Light, and Portable Oxygenator.
  • Some Widgets can be toggled on and off with the context keys, including the Work Light, Portable Oxygenator, and Small Generator.
  • Like other attachment points, these slots can also hold small resources or other small items for extra storage.

Terrain Tool controls

The Terrain Tool has three main control modes:

  • Left click digs and removes terrain in the direction you are aiming.
  • CTRL + left click flattens terrain to match the plane where you started the tool action.
  • ALT + left click fills holes or builds terrain outward.

The Terrain Tool is also toggled between your Backpack and your hand with the E key.

Alignment Mod

The Alignment Mod attaches to the Terrain Tool and changes how terrain deformation behaves.

  • It aligns terrain deformation with the curve of the planet.
  • While active, it uses 0.5 energy per second.

Research Catalog

Pressing the Research Catalog key opens the catalog, where you spend accumulated Bytes to buy Schematics.

  • The catalog is divided into 4 size-based categories that correspond to the four item sizes used by the printers.
  • Movement keys let you move within a category.
  • Left and right context keys switch between categories.
  • You can also click the category buttons and schematics directly to navigate.

Backpack device toggles and navigation aids

Some Backpack-mounted devices are controlled directly from your context keys, making them quick to use without opening another menu.

Toggleable Backpack devices

A Beacon is a customizable Compass marker used to help with navigation.