I was going to go through and list details about the key functions, but there are plenty of guides, official wiki info[windborne.gamepedia.com], fan wiki information[windbornefan.wikia.com], and tutorial/quest information on the basics of the keys. Here, I'll provide some additional tips/tricks on the keys and mouse buttons.

This is a WASD movement game, and I typically play this game two handed - left hand on the WASD keys to move and near the other interaction keys on the keyboard (Q, E, Z, X, C); right hand on the mouse controlling those functions there (select, drop, smooth). Your results may vary depending on what you prefer.

If you don't like using your keyboard/mouse, but would rather use a controller, there are instructions on how to do 'keybinding' for your controller at this link on Keybinding[windborne.gamepedia.com]. It also lets you know how to re-map the default keys for the keyboard, should you have other preferences from playing other games. Yes, it's a manual change, but at least it is available until they get something integrated into the game.

Always remember that the shift and control keys often offer special actions in the game when used in combination with other keys or the mouse button...don't be afraid to experiment. While some are mentioned on the wiki page for game controls (link above), some aren't really highlighted.

WIWHK TIP:
Shift - Mouse button while having an item selected that has been placed on the island - this key/mouse combination allows you to 'transform' the item - left mouse button cycles backwards; right mouse button cycles forwards. For example, if you have a Highborn arch placed on the island and currently selected/highlighted, then clicking on Control-Mousebutton (either) will flip the arch. It will also cycle through the various 'neighbor' fitting options for other furniture items, if they are available. Have fun playing around with this key / mouse combination!!

WIWHK TIP:
Holding down the shift key when crafting an item will allow you to craft 10 items at a time (or as many as you have resources for, if it is less than 10). You can queue up multiple items in the crafting menu.

WIWHK TIPS:
Holding down Shift-Right Mouse Button while having the Shaper, Stove, Inventory or Chest open, will have one item that is selected jump to the first open slot in the other tool/inventory. Control-Right Mouse Button will have 1/2 the selected items jump into the open slot.

You can also use Shift-Left Mouse Button to select only one item at time, and Control-Left Mouse Button to select 1/2 the items at a time, and then drop them into open slots in the Shaper, Stove, Inventory or Chests.

When you create a new island, you will be asked to enter the name of the island and the 'seed'. These two don't have to be the same thing, but they can be. When I am experimenting with new island seeds, I will often initally make both the name and the seed the same, so I can remember what I used to create that island. However, once I've explored the island, if I like it, I may create a new island with the same seed, but name it something different for one of my building projects.

You can have as many islands as you can manage! I love this feature of the game. I often find myself creating new islands to just explore new areas, and also to hunt/find relic chests. Hunting relic chests to me is like an ongoing treasure hunt (almost as fun as my RL hobby of Geocaching). Also, it's great because you can create some islands as resource islands where you strip mine/gather resources from those islands to build wonderful structures on other islands. That way, you can have beautiful pristine islands for your primary build sites, community island shares, and friends' or public islands.

If you delete an island, everything on that island will go away - to include any inventory in relic chests on the island.

WIWHK TIP:
Using the same seed when creating a new island, will consistently produce the exact same island, with relic chests in the exact same locations with the exact same contents.

WIWHK TIP:
What's a seed? A seed is set of alphanumeric characters that is used to randomly generate your island - you can enter a word, phrase, or set of numbers up to 12 characters - and yes, capitalization DOES matter. Whatever you enter into the 'seed' portion of the island creation page will be converted to a number string for use to generate the island (unless it is already a number string, and then it just uses that number). If you don't enter anything, I think now, they will randomly generate an island for you (whereas before, everyone got the same island seed used for their island).

WIWHK TIP:
What happens when I don't remember the word or phrase I used to generate an island that I'd like to generate again? There is a cool function where if you hit "F3" while on your island, it provides an overlay screen of some stats for your island (and current location). If you can read it (I am often using a low graphics mode where the information is difficult to read), there is a line in the stats that provides the island seed. This island seed will be all numbers (not the word(s) you used to create the island), but it's what the island generation algorithm converted your alphanumeric entry seed into, and you can use that number string in the seed field when generating another island of the same type. Not quite as cool as the original word or phrase, but it works. To get out of the stats list, just hit "F3" again to make it disappear.



When you create new islands and 'island hop', all the items in your 'on person' inventory will go with you. Items in a relic chest (or other type of chest) will not be available to you on the new island unless you manually 'shuttle' those items by using your 'on person' inventory.

WIWHK TIP:
Be sure to save an island before leaving it, either to change islands or exiting the game. While the game is really good about auto-saving, if you just happen to island hop between saves, there is a chance that you will lose resources gathered whether they were put into a chest or your inventory if you just jump without saving.


WIWHK TIP:
Greatest tip ever, IMO, is that when you hit Control-Left Mouse Button to place a resources block, it will automatically shape to the landscape around it. In other words, if you accidentally remove a resource block (as I often do, as I get over-zealous in block removal mode), you can select that type of resource block (marble, granite, sandstone, dirt, grass, etc) for placement and hold down the Control-Left Mouse Button to place the block and it conform to the landscape around it "auto-magically".

So maybe I'm just a total newb to 'standard' MMOs (though I've been playing non-violent MMOs since 2009), I was completely perplexed by how to chat in this game when someone was visiting on my island in multiplayer mode. And yes, I still hope they get a better chat function before they go into 'full release' because while this might be 'standard' I find it horribly clunky.

Initially some friends and I were using Steam's chat, via Shift-Tab, and then chatting, but you aren't really chatting in game, and it can get annoying to have to Shift-Tab all the time.

WIWHK TIP:
Duh, so to chat, hit the ENTER key first. Type in your chat message, and hit ENTER again. Of course, you have to repeat this, IMO, painfully arduous process EVERY time you want to type a sentence to someone. GAH!! Frankly, I'm used to separate chat windows and such, so that once you enter chat mode, you can just type and hit enter, and enjoy socializing with a visitor. I guess some gamers are used to this ENTER, text, ENTER mode, but I find it a bit clunky and painful, but workable at this point (if you know that you have to hit ENTER in the first place for every line of text you want to type).

First off, if you are a new player, don't get too discourged if you see some of the amazingly incredible buildings, sculptures and structures that other players are building. Instead study their work/pictures for ideas, but never fear, with practice you will get better at building whatever you want to also.

Don't limit yourself to using the various crafted items for what they were originally intended. I've seen some very unique ways to use some of the items. I personally love using the shingles and fence post to make umbrellas for my outside decks. I remember seeing someone use the arch block under the steps instead of putting a solid block. I fell in love with the open and scalloped look, and now often the arches that way myself.

Start small. Experiment, Experiment, Experiment. Don't be afraid to tear down and rebuild. Keep working with items until you find a look that you like.

Personally, I didn't like how my roof was looking on my first major house. It took me a while, but I found that I liked the roofline better if I started the roof one block outside the top block of the wall of the house, instead of on top of the top block of the wall of the house. Your results may vary, but keep trying different things until you like what you've built. It really doesn't matter what others think.

WIWHK Tip:
Use one island to gather resources into your inventory. Take the resources gathered to another island for building. That way you can keep you build island pristine without it looking like you strip mined it to get resources.

WIWHK Tips:
Remember to use the Shift-Mouse Button (either one) to cycle through the transformations of a selected item. Sometimes the roof tiles will 'autofit' incorrectly, but it is pretty easy to change the transformation after the tile is placed.

Also remember that the R key is the way to horizontally rotate selected items.

WIWHK Tips:
Some folks are master builders from other games like Minecraft. I've found that I enjoy the game more if I don't compare my buildings with theirs. Also, I've noticed that some mention that they use templates to build their master buildings. If you are discouraged, try finding a template of something you like and attempt to build that way. You will learn a lot by doing and practicing.

Having multiple avatars is a new phenomena in the game with the May 2014 World Traveler release, so most of the tips didn't even exist when I started playing Windborne in Feb 2014. I've only started playing a second avatar in late June/early July 2014, so I'm still gathering info and frankly, it's still a bit quirky IMO. But I thought I'd include this section to start gathering some tips/tricks for multiple avatars.

In general, I personally like to start games over and over and over using different strategies for playing when it is clear there are multiple paths to success, they have significantly changed the quest line and I want to provide beta feedback on the updates, or sometimes I just like playing different people (especially if I feel that I've ticked off a lot of folks in game or in the discussion forums).

Okay, so that you know I'm not totally schizophrenic, I will also sometimes play an avatar, in memory of my Dad who passed from this earth in 2010. He loved various games, and back then non-violent MMOs were just starting to get a solid foothold. Sadly, he passed before I could get him into one of my favorite non-violent MMOs (Faunasphere), so since we could create multiple accounts in that game for free, I created one for him, that I would play 'as him'. It's sort of become a tradition for me to build an account/avatar in his Geocaching name for other games since that I'll play when I miss him, or on his birthday or some other meaningful day for me to remember him. I currently have an island in his memory (that is private to me), but I suspect I'll probably create an avatar for him in this game too.

Multiple avatars are also really super if you only want to purchase a game once, and then create multiple avatars for various people your family, so they don't disrupt your personal account (for example if you have kids., spouses/partners or other relatives that will be playing with your copy of the game), and you don't plan on being in the game simultaneously...(though frankly, I don't know if you can log into one game multiple times, and all play on one account from different machines at home (with multiple avatars)...I suspect this might be possible, but being a solo player, I personally don't know).

WIWHK TIP:
When you start a new avatar, you start completely over - no inventory, and you start the quests from the beginning (which is cool, if you want to see if they have modified a quest line during an update; mildly annoying, if you just want a different personna without starting things over from scratch).

WIWHK TIP:
Multiple avatars can access the relic chests on any island you have in the game and make modifications to all the islands in that account.