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How to play
PEAK is a game that is mostly learned through experimentation and trial and error. The players are nudged in certain directions by the 
Guidebook found at the start of any run at the Crash Site, and in bits and pieces by collecting Scoutmaster Myres' diary pages.
When starting a new game lobby from the main menu, players are dropped into the Airport where they can customize their individual Scout appearances, test out the game mechanics and physics by climbing a rock wall, and then start their adventure by boarding the plane. Starting a new run allows the player to select the difficulty level by pressing the "up" and "down" buttons in the boarding pass UI.
The game can be played solo or with friends. By default, PEAK supports up to 4 people in a given lobby, but this limit can be extended with the help of modifications such as PEAK Unlimited.
The run begins when the plane you've just boarded crashes into the Shore. Your objective is to climb the mountain by moving through several biomes and finally reaching the Peak of the mountain. You'll encounter many hazards on your way up, but you will also find useful equipment that will help you on your journey. Keep in mind that the island changes every 24 hours for all players.
Controls
The controls can also be viewed in-game on the pause screen (
). As of 1.30.a, you can change control bindings.
| Mouse and Keyboard | Action |
|---|---|
   
|
Move |
|
Aim |
|
Climb |
|
Helping Hand |
|
Interact |
|
Drop / Throw (Hold) |
|
Jump |
|
Crouch |
|
Sprint / Leap (While Climbing) |
|
Ping Location |
|
Emote |
|
Push to talk / Push to mute (depending on the settings) |
Basic gameplay
Climbing & Stamina
In order to reach the Peak and beat the game, you will need to climb the mountain ahead of you. Climbing is accomplished by standing close to a cliff, holding down Left Click, and moving with the movement keys. Pretty much any surface in PEAK is climbable with rare exceptions.
Climbing consumes your stamina. When you run out of stamina, you can no longer climb until it regenerates back. If you run out of stamina mid-climb, you will begin to rapidly slide down and fall, which can be fatal. Performing certain actions in PEAK rewards you with 
Bonus stamina, which is only consumed when you run out of your main stamina.
You can press Left Shift to perform a lunge and give yourself a small vertical boost at the cost of some stamina. If your hands are empty, you can also press Right Click to extend a helping hand to your friends, which will pull them to you once they're close enough (note that this only works if they're climbing and you're above them). Be careful, however, as this will also pull you slightly towards them!
Another thing you can do with your friends to help each other climb is to crouch, let a friend stand on top of you, and then jump. This will give them a vertical boost without consuming their stamina. Your friend can then extend their hand and help you climb up too.
You can also hold Left Shift to sprint while not climbing, but keep in mind that this consumes your stamina.
Status effects
Over the course of your climb you will have many status effects accumulated in your stamina bar, the majority of which deplete over time:
Weight is gained when carrying items or other Scouts and does not deplete over time. It can be removed by throwing out (or consuming) carried stuff or mitigated by carrying items with negative weight, such as 
Anti-Rope, 
Anti-Rope Cannon, 
Balloon, and 
Balloon Bunch.
Hunger is gained naturally over time. It can be removed by eating food.
Injury is gained when your Scout takes damage from falls or other sources and does not deplete over time. It must be removed with a healing item, such as 
Bandages, 
First Aid Kit, 
Medicinal Root and 
Cure-All.
Poison is gained by touching poisonous objects or eating poisonous food. It does deplete after some time, but it's better to be removed with some healing items, such as 
Antidote, First Aid Kit, Medicinal Root and Cure-All. Do not underestimate its effects, as there are situations in which you can get a great deal of poison inflicted on you if you're not careful.
Cold is gained during blizzards in the Alpine, during nights on Ascent 5 or higher, or when the Fog finally reaches you.
Heat is gained by being burned (e.g. on a campfire or by a 
Scorchberry) or by being in direct sunlight in the Mesa.
Thorns are gained by touching various cacti in the Mesa.
Drowsy is gained after consuming certain items (
Big Lollipop, 
Energy Drink, 
Napberry) or being hit with a 
Blowgun.
Curse is gained after being revived either by an Ancient Statue or a 
Scout Effigy, or upon being targeted by the 
Book of Bones and does not deplete over time. It can only be removed by drinking the Cure-All or using the 
Pandora's Lunchbox (the latter of which is not recommended unless in a dire situation).
Spores are gained by consuming Shroomberries, standing inside a spore cloud in the Roots, or by being bitten by a zombie. It does deplete after some time, UNLESS you have been bitten by a zombie, in which case it will continue to increase until cured. It takes the longest to go away on its own out of any status effect (unless playing in multiplayer, where Thorns takes the longest), so avoiding it should be of high priority.
These effects reduce the amount of stamina you have. If you run out of main stamina completely, you will pass out, unless you were targeted by the Book of Bones. While you are passed out, you will be unable to move or use items, and your friends will be unable to hear you. There is a certain amount of time during which you are still alive and can be revived (either by waiting for temporary status effects to wear off or by your friends). Once this time is over, you will become a ghost until somebody resurrects you at an Ancient Statue or by using the Scout Effigy. Unconscious Scouts can also be carried around, which temporarily stops the death timer.
Inventory & Backpack
Items that you pick up by looking at them and pressing the interact key () are stored into your inventory slots. You can select any of these three slots by pressing 
, 
, and 
, respectively. Pressing the corresponding key again while the slot is already selected will deselect it and empty your hands. Keep in mind that you cannot climb walls if you're holding anything.
Picking up items with a full inventory is still possible as they will be put into your hands, but you will be unable to store them until you make some room. To drop the current item, simply press . Alternatively, you can hold down and charge a throw, which you can perform by releasing the key.
Although you cannot change the amount of inventory slots that you have, you can use the 
Backpack to extend your storage. The backpack is a special item that goes into its own, special fourth slot (selected by pressing 
) and allows you to carry up to 4 additional items. One backpack is always available at the Crash Site, while more can always be found at the campfire.
To use the backpack yourself, place it on the ground, look at it, and hold the interact key (). A radial menu with four empty slots will appear. When you are holding an item, hovering over an empty slot and releasing the key will store the held item in the selected slot of the backpack. To retrieve a stored item, open the backpack menu again and select the corresponding slot. To equip the backpack, select the bottom slot with an icon of a Backpack.
Your friends can also use your backpack while you're wearing it without you first having to take it off.
Communication
Communication in PEAK is essential if you're playing with a group. The game features a proximity voice chat with a simulation of echo and the Doppler effect. By default, it is activated automatically by your voice, but can also be switched to "Push to Talk" or "Push to Mute" in the settings.
Another useful communication tool in the game is the Ping system. Middle Click will show a pointing hand at the point you're currently looking at to all players.
You can also Emote by opening the emote wheel with and selecting the desired emote. Be careful with the "Play dead" emote, however, as you may fall from a great height because of it!
Ascents
Ascents are the difficulty system of PEAK. Two Ascents are available by default: Tenderfoot and Peak. Peak is the standard difficulty with no additional modifier, while Tenderfoot is intended to provide an easier experience. After beating the game at least once on a given Ascent, the next Ascent is unlocked (with Ascent 1 being the first one), up until Ascent 7, which is the last ascent as of Patch 1.25.a.
Do not be afraid of trying a lower Ascent if you're having trouble beating the game. Randomly generated maps can also introduce a great deal of additional trouble to your playthrough, so feel free to start on a lower difficulty and eventually make your way to Ascent 7!
Badges
You can earn Badges for completing certain in-game actions. Badges serve as the game's achievement system and are synchronized with your Steam achievements. Earning them unlocks new cosmetics for your Scout.
Badges can be earned on all Ascents including Tenderfoot, which can make things a lot easier. Most of the badges are obtainable in solo, although some of them can only be earned with the help of other players.
Challenges & hazards
The difficulty of the Island depends on multiple factors:
- Your own skill level
- The skill level of your friends
- The generation of the map
- Which Ascent you're playing on
- The loot from luggage
- How far away you are from your friends
- How fast you're moving up the mountain
- and many more.
The game provides enough tools to combat all these challenges, so don't feel discouraged to try again if you happen to fail!
Tips & Tricks
- Always plan your path ahead of time. Finding a good path is a skill that has to be trained. You can usually tell what parts of the terrain can be stood on (the Shore will have sand, the Tropics will have grass, etc.), so use that information to your advantage.
- Even the smallest and steepest kinds of walkable terrain can be stood on, so long as you continuously hold down the directions opposite where you are bound to slip.
- Cooking your food is really useful, since it doubles the amount of Hunger restored and gives even more Bonus stamina.
- If you're playing in a group, try to stick together, as the game gives a lot of tools for helping each other. However, if the situation is dire, don't try to be a hero and save your fellow Scouts if the risk far outweighs the benefit. After all, they can always be resurrected as long as you make it out alive (unless you're playing on Ascent 7, in which case trying to stay alive for the entire run is the added challenge).
- It can be useful to send one Scout on a route to see if it's possible, and then save them in case something goes wrong (which it often does) and they fall.
- Use the quirks of map generation to your advantage. There are usually many little walkable surfaces that you can stand on and regenerate your stamina in the middle of a route. Some of these stops may require you to walk in place into the wall not to fall down, but stamina regenerates even while walking, so it's not an issue.
- The
Rope Spool can be very useful for helping your friends reach higher places. - Sometimes eating food solely for its Bonus stamina can be necessary for finishing an otherwise impossible climb.
- The Fog is usually much less scary than the game makes it out to be. As long as you're moving at a somewhat steady pace, you should be okay. It's often possible to avoid seeing it at all during the entire run if your route is particularly good.
- Fatal fall damage can be clutched by quickly using the Pandora's Lunchbox before passing out. This will randomize your status effects and have a good chance of restoring your health, or at least trading permanent Injury for some less permanent effects.