The Blood of Dawnwalker puts a surprising number of verbs on a small set of buttons: you move, you commit to a direction when you attack, you parry, you sneak, and you talk your way through the world. This controls reference lists every action and the default button it maps to, so you can learn the layout before a fight is already on top of you.
The actions, by context
The game groups its inputs into four buckets:
- Movement — walk, sprint, crouch, and camera control.
- Combat — attack, block, focus, and the vampire’s shadowstep.
- Interaction — talk, draw or sheathe your weapon, and lock onto a target.
- Quickslots — four mapped directions that fire your consumables and abilities without opening a menu.
Default controller layout (Xbox)
The console scheme is the reference layout; PlayStation uses the same face-button logic, where cross / circle / triangle / square stand in for A / B / Y / X by function.
| Action | Xbox button |
|---|---|
| Move | Left stick |
| Sprint | Click left stick |
| Camera | Right stick |
| Lock on target | Click right stick |
| Attack | RB |
| Block | LB |
| Focus | LT |
| Shadowstep | RT |
| Interact | X |
| Draw / sheathe weapon | Y |
| Jump | A |
| Crouch | B |
| Top quickslot | D-pad up |
| Bottom quickslot | D-pad down |
| Left quickslot | D-pad left |
| Right quickslot | D-pad right |
PC and PlayStation differences
The action set is identical on every platform — only the physical input changes. On PC the same sixteen actions live on the keyboard and mouse; on PlayStation they sit on the DualSense face buttons and sticks. What matters more than the hardware is that all of it can be remapped.
Remapping your controls
Open the settings menu and you can rebind every action to a key or button of your choice. If the default layout fights your muscle memory — say you want block on a bumper you reach more naturally, or attack on a mouse button — rebuild it. The scheme above is a starting point, not a rule.
Habits worth building early
- Use lock-on in crowds. Clicking the right stick pins your camera and your directional attacks onto the nearest threat, which stops you swinging into empty space.
- Map your four quickslots on purpose. The D-pad directions are your fastest way to spend a potion or an ability mid-fight — put your healing and your signature ability where your thumb finds them without looking.
- Crouch to reposition, don’t just sprint. Stealth and positioning matter in this game; a quiet approach often beats a loud one.