move
W A S D to move, mouse to aim
Hold a movement key to move relative to the camera, and point the cursor to aim. R toggles running. Left-click a thing to use it; right-click it for all of its options.
the short version
What you actually do
Aether is a small tile-based MMO. You arrive in a settlement, take work from the people who live there, fight what lives outside it, craft and trade what you bring back, and go down into a dungeon with a boss at the bottom — alone or with a party.
controls
Desktop
These are the default keys. You can change them in Settings.
fight
Space to attack, Left Shift to dodge
Your weapon attacks in the direction you aim. Move clear of enemy attack shapes to avoid being hit. Dodge in the direction you are moving, or toward your aim when standing still. Its two charges recharge over time.
abilities
1, 2, 3, 4 for the ability bar
The first two slots hold weapon abilities; the next two hold learned abilities. The bar shows what is ready and what is cooling down. K opens the side panel (inventory, skills, equipment, mastery, quests, party, bank), Escape closes it or opens the menu. Hold Alt and drag a panel to move it.
Phone
The same game and the same server; only the input differs.
move
A stick under your left thumb
Drag the ring in the lower-left corner to move. Tap a thing to use it; long-press it for all of its options. Choose Talk when you want a conversation.
look
Swipe to orbit, pinch to zoom
A one-finger swipe on the world turns the camera around you; two fingers pinch to zoom.
fight
The bar under your right thumb
Attack and abilities sit bottom-right; the dodge charges are the two pips above them. Press and hold a panel to move it.
the first hour
Where to go
- Talk to the people. Open Quests and walk to the Villager or Warden Ilse, west of the square; choose Talk. The starter quests take you from the bank chest to the workbench, to the trader, out to the wolves, and finally down the watchtower to the crab at the bottom.
- Use the square. The trader buys your loot and sells starter gear; the bank chest keeps what you do not want to carry; the workbench turns pelts and parts into gloves, boots, hides and better weapons. Cooked meat heals when eaten — carry some.
- Attune the Waystone. Touch the standing stone and death brings you back to it. If a party member goes down, a friend beside them can revive them where they fell.
- Go down. The watchtower leads to a dungeon of floors, each with its own company and a boss; a party enters one shared instance. Chests down there stay emptied once you have looted them, and your floor progress survives leaving and coming back.
what grows
The systems
skills
Skills and proficiency
Attack, Strength, Defence and Hitpoints grow by fighting; Blade and Polearm by what you fight with; Crafting at the bench. Each weapon category also builds proficiency the more you use it, which unlocks a weapon's second ability.
mastery
Mastery
Levels earn mastery points to spend on stat nodes and gear tiers. A respec at the Waystone is free and unlimited when you are out of combat.
gear
Gear, affixes, sets
Weapons carry their own damage range, speed and reach; armour reduces incoming damage. Drops can roll a rarity and affixes, crafts a quality tier, and wearing a matching set adds a bonus.
effects
Status effects
Poison and bleed tick over time, venom and rend inflict them on hit, aegis wards the wearer. Some pets grant one while summoned.
together
Party and trade
Invite a friend to a party to share a dungeon instance and floor credit; trade items face to face; ignore anyone you would rather not hear.