over the hill Recovering from mud and rollovers: winch controls and tool budgeting

A situation with a nearby anchor point or discovered cabin. Use your current bindings if controls have been changed.

1. Use 4L and the winch in mud
2. Choose the jack after a rollover
3. Replenish supplies for the next departure

The original research read in-game settings images posted October 14 and cross-checked a June demo control table. The bindings below are those shown when the images were published. Any bindings you changed take precedence. The images are not reproduced. PCGamingWiki keyboard settings image record; keyboard settings image; volx controls list.

The Xbox column is also transcribed from launch-day settings images. These are controller bindings displayed on PC, not an indication that a console version has released. PCGamingWiki controller settings image record; controller settings image.

If stuck in mud: release W → press Tab for 4L → center the camera on a nearby tree → attach with O → combine O to reel in with W → detach with P once free. If pulled the wrong way, detach with P and point the camera at a tree in the direction you want to move. Use a close anchor instead of repeatedly trying an unreachable tree. The Q winch selection lets you choose the vehicle attachment point and external anchor yourself. Release-version community control explanation.

If overturned with tires off the ground, use a carried Jack through Q → Tools. If you have none or cannot recover, use M to return to a discovered cabin. This is not a route that also solves having no first cabin discovered yet. Treat the standard winch separately from the Portable Winch, which provides an anchor on the ground. Release-version community control explanation; equipment list.

The following values come from a release-version community database. The currency is Pebbles. They have not been checked against an official price list or the author's in-game shop, so retain the attribution. Vehicle upgrade list.

Do not describe Winch upgrades as increasing pulling power; the listed effect is range. Tool slots are listed at 25, 50, and 75, with the same amounts in Burro's entry. The general list orders them 25 → 75 → 50, so do not infer progression solely from list order. Their simple three-purchase total is 150. A post-release review also confirms one initial slot and four maximum, but shop progression conditions shared across vehicles have not been tested. Burro upgrade list; Explosion Network hands-on review.

For your first 50 Pebbles, one proposal puts 25 into the first extra Tool slot and the remaining 25 into Tires tier 2. If being unable to reach trees often stops you, put that latter 25 into Winch tier 2 instead. This budget proposal comes from the table above; it is not a demonstrated fastest solution.

A hands-on review explains that the standard winch is reusable, while carried tools are single-use and replenished at camp. You can also carry several copies of the same tool. Therefore, this guide does not say you must buy a tool after every winch use. TechRadar hands-on review.

The public material consulted does not confirm individual prices for Jack, Repair Kit, Planks, and Portable Winch, their unlock conditions, or whether replenishing them costs extra. Do not add claims that all equipment is free, each tool always uses one slot, or camp refills are free. Equipment list.