In Elite Dangerous, piloting your starship efficiently requires mastering a variety of controls through keyboard, mouse, or joystick inputs. Below is a comprehensive summary of the essential actions for flight, combat, and docking in the game:

Flight Control
– Thrust:
– Forward Thrust: Press Shift to accelerate forward.
– Reverse Thrust: Press Control to decelerate or move backward.
– Note that while land gear is deployed, releasing the thrust keys will stop movement. When retracting landing gear, thrust continues until the keys are pressed again.

– Roll and Orientation:
– Roll your Ship: Use Q to roll left and E to roll right.
– Pitch and Yaw: Utilize W (up) and S (down) for pitching, and A (left) and D (right) for yawing.

– Speed Adjustment:
– Press Space to increase speed and the ? key (often mapped as the ‘C’ key on some setups) to reduce speed.

– Supercruise:
– To engage supercruise, select your destination via the System Map or Target Panel and begin flying towards it. Be aware that stopping in supercruise is impossible, and your speed is affected by nearby stellar bodies’ mass.

Combat Control
– Weapons:
– Press A to fire lasers.
– Use T to target missiles and M to launch them.
– E is used for electronic countermeasures (ECM), while Tab activates energy bombs.

– Customizing Controls:
– You can personalize the keybindings for firing weapons and other combat controls, making them comfortable for your playstyle, whether on keyboard, mouse, or joystick.

Docking Procedure
– Requesting Docking:
– Approach the starport or station until you are within 7 km, then use the Contacts tab in the Target Panel to request docking permission.

– Navigating to the Landing Pad:
– Once granted permission, utilize your navigation compass to locate your designated landing pad.

– Aligning and Landing:
– Deploy your landing gear, carefully align your ship with the pad, and land gently to achieve docking successfully.

– Automatic Docking:
– For players who prefer automation, pressing C activates the docking computer, handling the docking process automatically.

– Inside the Station:
– After docking, you can use the user interface to refuel, repair, and rearm your ship before setting out again.

Summary of Key Controls

| Action | Controls/Notes |
|————–|————————————————————————————————|
| Flight | Shift = forward thrust, Control = reverse thrust, Q/E = roll, WASD = pitch/yaw, Space = speed up|
| Combat | A = fire laser, T = target missile, M = fire missile, E = ECM, Tab = energy bomb |
| Docking | Request docking (Contacts screen), navigate to pad using compass, deploy landing gear, dock |
| Supercruise | Select destination and engage supercruise, exit near target |
| Misc | C = activate docking computer, use station UI to refuel/repair/rearm |

Mastering these controls is essential for effective gameplay in Elite Dangerous. Additionally, the game allows customization of key bindings to suit your personal preferences, enhancing your piloting experience. For more detailed control configurations, refer to the in-game settings or explore community guides. Happy flying!