Trench Decay Controls Cheatsheet

Use this controls cheatsheet when you already deployed and need a binding now, not a full tutorial. Defaults match studio rook. listings in the in-game Preferences menu for TRENCH: DECAY early beta (build BETA 1.1.4 at time of writing). Verify Preferences after patches — bindings can shift.

Deep explanations, platform notes, and drill routines live in the Controls guide. New players should complete Getting Started first.

Full default bindings table

Input	Action	Quick combat use
W A S D	Move	Strafe while leaning; mud slows recovery after sprint.
Shift	Sprint	Cross open trenches between cover — stamina is limited.
C	Crouch / Prone	Crouch for headglitch peeks; prone shrinks profile for gas crawls.
X	Stand from prone	Press before relocating — prone turn speed is slow in tight lanes.
Tab	Inventory	Check ammo, meds, and objective items during quiet moments.
Q	Lean left	Minimal exposure peek; pair with rear callouts.
E	Lean right	Clear perpendicular trenches without stepping out fully.
T	Kick	Create space vs blockers or stuck squadmates in chokepoints.
LMB	Light melee swing	Fast cleanup on wounded PvE — saves ammo.
RMB	Heavy melee swing	Break blocks and elite armor segments — slower windup.
B	Block	Absorb frontal damage; do not hold forever — stamina applies.
G	Interact	Supply crates, doors, extraction beacons, tutorial prompts.
Fire (platform default)	Shoot	Ammo is scarce; switch to melee when magazines bottom out.

Open Preferences from the hub menu to re-read official binding text, adjust sensitivity, and confirm whether new actions were added in a beta update.

Interactive controls board

Tap a key cluster to highlight mid-fight reminders.

Movement Combat Inventory & interact Camera tilt

• Shift Sprint between cover - never sprint blind into gas.
• C Crouch, then prone to shrink your silhouette in trenches.
• X Stand up only when the lane is clear.

Movement cluster: Shift, C, X

Shift sprint is your panic button and your waste button. Good squads sprint only across exposed no-man’s land between hard cover — not down every trench bend where PvE audio gives away position. If gas is closing, sprint to the next pocket, then C crouch immediately so your profile drops before the cloud catches standing hitboxes.

C toggles crouch and prone contextually. Crouch when you need a quick peek over sandbags without becoming a full silhouette. Prone when machine-gun lanes are active or when crawling under low wire during gas survival routes. Many beta wipes happen because one player stands to reload in a lane that forgives prone players.

X stand from prone is easy to forget after a long crawl. Prone stabilizes aim but traps rotation in tight geometry. Tap X before you need to sprint to extraction — standing late means you eat melee elites while animation locks you.

Drill: hub spawn → crouch walk one corridor → prone → crawl three seconds → X → sprint to cover. Repeat until automatic.

Vision cluster: Q and E lean

Q and E lean left and right without stepping your whole body into crossfire. In Trench Decay’s narrow WW1 lanes, full stepping announces you to flanking spawns; lean exposes only a shoulder and weapon line.

Practical habits:

• Lean, shoot or identify, un-lean — do not hold Q while reloading in the open.
• Call direction in squad chat (“leaning right on corner”) so teammates do not stack the same angle.
• Combine lean with C crouch for lower headglitches on elevated sandbag lips.

If you forget which lean key is which, remember Q is left on a standard keyboard layout (lower letter = left side mental anchor).

Combat cluster: LMB, RMB, B, T

Melee is not optional in beta extractions. When ammo runs dry during a wave, the LMB light swing finishes stragglers fast enough to keep moving toward the beacon. RMB heavy swing punishes enemies mid-block or winding up — pair with patience, not spam.

B block absorbs frontal damage during elite melee pushes. Hold block when you hear the windup audio cue, release to heavy swing during recovery windows. Holding block forever drains resources and invites flanks — the rear player must cover angles block does not protect.

T kick creates space when bodies clog chokepoints. Kick, then sprint backward or call a teammate through. Extraction halls often jam when four players stack on G interact — kick clears the pile without friendly fire.

Triangle flow: shoot → block → heavy → light cleanup. See Melee Tier List for which unlocked tools amplify each step.

Utility cluster: Tab and G

Tab inventory is a squad coordination tool, not a solo hoard check. Before holdout phases described in How to Extract, call “tab check” — everyone confirms ammo counts and meds. Opening Tab mid-lane in open ground gets you shot; use lulls behind corners or after wave clears.

Speed goal: open Tab, read primary ammo and melee slot, close under a three-count. Public squads respect players who tab fast more than players who guess aloud.

G interact triggers supply crates, doors, Commissar tutorial steps, and extraction beacons. Missing the interact prompt is a common beta fail — watch for on-screen cues when objectives complete. If extraction started and you are melee-only, interact first, then cover rear gas.

Preferences menu note

Preferences (hub menu) is the authoritative in-game source:

• Full binding list with patch-accurate labels
• Sensitivity and invert toggles for mouse players
• Controller glyph hints when a pad is connected
• Mobile players: compare on-screen buttons to this table’s action names

Roblox experience description mirrors the same defaults if you cannot load a server but need confirmation. After every major update on the Updates Hub, open Preferences once before ranked-style pushes on the Live War Map.

Platform quick notes

PC: Lower mouse sensitivity often helps lean micro-adjustments without over-exposing shoulders.

Mobile: Prioritize easy reach for crouch, interact, and inventory — touch players forget stance toggles most often.

Controller: Verify block and melee on shoulder buttons after connecting; elites punish unreachable block binds.

Five-minute warm-up before queue

1. Lean clear — Q/E, crouch, stand, sprint to cover.
2. Melee chain — block, heavy, light on any idle target.
3. Prone crawl — move under wire without standing.
4. Kick escape — T, then sprint backward.
5. Tab timer — open/close inventory before a three-count.

Related pages

• Controls guide — full tactics and platform sections
• Getting Started — tutorial and first deployment
• Tools Hub — other quick references
• Survive Gas — stance choices under chemical attacks