PEAK beginner guide: climb, rest, carry, and help

Edition: PC Steam app 3527290, standard release, no mods. Normal expeditions on standard Peak difficulty, solo or co-op for up to four. Tenderfoot, high Ascent, and Custom Runs are covered only where they differ.

Verification scope: Standard patch 2.6.a, dated October 2, 2026, checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. The Final Ascent and camp autosaves are implemented. Excludes beta, mods, and unreleased ports. Individual controls/item effects were checked against public sources, not tested in-game on 2.6.a.

Sources checked: 2026-10-04

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The same button changes function depending on whether your hands are empty

These are default mouse/keyboard inputs. If rebound, prioritize current control settings under Esc and the on-screen use prompts.

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The same button changes function depending on whether your hands are empty: 9 entries
Action	Required state	How to use	Solo/co-op difference
Climb	Empty hands, within reach of the wall	Hold left-click and move with WASD	Same in both. You cannot climb while holding an item.
Let go	A landing spot lies below	Release left-click	Choose a position that does not drop directly onto a teammate
Jump/sprint	On the ground	Space to jump, Shift to sprint	Uses stamina; conserve it immediately before a long wall
Lunge while climbing	Gripping the wall	Shift to Lunge	Costs extra stamina. Distinguish normal movement from repeated lunges.
Pick up/select slot	Aim at the item	E to pick up; 1/2/3 to select. Press the same slot again to empty your hands.	Each player's hand inventory
Drop/throw	Holding an item	Tap Q to drop. Hold Q, then release to throw.	For handoffs, tap on flat ground; avoid throwing items to people
Crouch	Stable footing	Ctrl; can also help a teammate stand on you	The supporting player should check their own landing spot too
Helping Hand	Helper above with empty hands, recipient climbing below	Right-click to offer your hand and pull a teammate within reach	Co-op only. The pulling player moves slightly too.
Indicate a location	Looking at a landmark	Middle mouse button to Ping	Use to tell everyone the next rest point

If right-click does nothing, check whether the helper is holding food or another item. Do not confuse an item's alternate use with Helping Hand.

If stamina will not refill, inspect how the gauge is occupied

Remaining stamina and the portion occupied by conditions are different. Rest helps ordinary consumption, but cannot recover space blocked by load or injuries in the same way.

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If stamina will not refill, inspect how the gauge is occupied: 6 entries
Symptom	Gauge/footing/status check	Action	Success check
Still draining while you think you are resting	Still hanging from a wall, vine, or rope?	Move to a walkable ledge or hold a piton	Ordinary stamina begins increasing
Only partially recovers	Hunger icon/injury/weight	Food for hunger, treatment for injury, inventory changes for load	The status-occupied portion shrinks
Capacity shortened just after picking something up	Hand and backpack contents	Put unused items safely at your feet and compare	Load-occupied portion decreases
Yellow or other bonus capacity does not return	Difference between ordinary and bonus stamina	Choose food granting extra stamina if needed	Bonus increases; resting alone will not restore it
Cannot climb rain-exposed walls	Is the surface wet and exposed?	Shelter on a safe ledge and switch to shorter sections	Depart without worsened slipping/consumption
Keep collapsing immediately	Have combined conditions eliminated recoverable capacity?	Receive supplies/treatment matching the cause in a safe area	Enough usable capacity returns to stand up

This does not fix exact recovery times. The wait differs after some consumption versus full exhaustion; wait until stamina actually increases before the next climb.

Separate backpack storage from immediately usable items

In addition to three ordinary hand slots, the backpack has four storage slots. Plan for situations where you must stop to retrieve items. Move a piton into your hand inventory before climbing if you will need it on a wall.

Choose broad, flat footing, select the backpack with 4, and place it with Q. Avoid cliff edges and areas near fire.
Look at the bag and hold E to open its radial storage menu. Put a held item into an empty slot or select a needed item to take out.
Select the backpack's equip position in the menu to put it back on, then check hand slots and weight. Storing items does not remove their weight.
In co-op, you can access a teammate's worn backpack too. Ask them to stop before climbing and say what you removed.

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Separate backpack storage from immediately usable items: 3 entries
Placement	Common failure	Better choice
Narrow ledge at a cliff edge	Placed backpack falls and cannot be recovered	Flat ground with room for you and the bag
Hot ground/near fire	Unintentionally cook the bag's contents too	Organize away from the fire
Mid-climb	Needed piton is in the bag and inaccessible	Move it into a hand slot before climbing

Other back equipment exists. This page uses the ordinary Backpack as its example. Do not assume other equipment has the same number of slots.

Example: from starting out to the first safe rest

Instead of prescribing a particular rock or route, practice one cycle of a short climb and reliable rest in Shore. Choose somewhere a failure will not cause a long fall.

Pick up the guidebook at the start and check how to empty your hands. Choose useful supplies from nearby luggage rather than carrying everything you find.
Find a low wall with a visible standing ledge above. Recover at its base, check fallback positions above and below, then grab with left-click.
Move to the ledge using WASD and release your grip once your feet are on it. Releasing too early causes a fall, so do not rush the input change.
Stop sprinting and jumping there and confirm the gauge refills. If not, check whether you are still hanging or conditions are blocking capacity.
In co-op, the person above should empty their hands and prepare Helping Hand before the next person climbs. Test one person at a time rather than everyone grabbing the wall together.

This is control practice. Daily terrain, load, and injuries mean the same distance is not always reachable.

The helper must keep their own footing

Stabilize the person above first, then assist the teammate below. If everyone is on a wall with nearly empty stamina, nobody has a rescue buffer.

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The helper must keep their own footing: 4 entries
Situation	Prepare first	How to help	When to stop and return
Teammate just below a ledge	Empty the upper player's hands	Move within reach of the right-hand assistance	The pull risks taking you off the ledge too
First step is high	Lower player crouches securely	Let the other player stand on them, then help with a jump	No landing surface where the boost sends them
Followers cannot make a long wall	Placement tool in the leader's hand inventory	Leave a rope/piton from a safe position	The lower player cannot reach the placed aid
Found a downed teammate	Dead or unconscious; injury/hunger	If unconscious, give supplies or treatment matching the cause	If already a ghost, ordinary treatment cannot restore them

Check the recipient's condition before giving food. Do not try to cure injuries solely with meals or hunger solely with bandages.

Frequently asked questions

Left-click will not make me climb

If you are holding something, it performs that item's use action. Empty your hands, for example by pressing the selected 1/2/3 slot again, approach a reachable wall, and hold left-click.

Does moving items into my backpack make me lighter?

Changing storage location does not remove the load. Check the bag as well as your hands, and see how the gauge changes when you leave unnecessary items somewhere safe.

Does staying still on a wall count as rest?

Do not equate staying still on an ordinary wall or vine with recovering on the ground. Move to standing footing or grab a piton with E and check recovery.

Why can I not pull someone up with right-click?

Check that the helper is above with empty hands and the recipient is climbing below. Move within reach if needed, but do not lean too far over the edge: the pull moves you too.

Eating did not restore the entire gauge

Food mainly affects hunger or extra stamina. If injury, load, or another condition still occupies capacity, address each cause with treatment or inventory changes.

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Based on site-wide views, captured July 6, 2026 (previous 28 days plus capture day).