Rogue Dos Controls And Tips For Reaching Deeper Levels

The Rogue Dos controls, aka Rogue game commands, can be a bit confusing at first. While you can see the command list by pressing the ? key followed by the * key, I found it more useful to be able to reference the list in a separate window with larger print, so I did not have to interrupt my game to look up keys.

In this post, I will share that detailed list of Rogue Dos controls, along with a few tips to help you succeed at the deeper levels.

To download Rogue and see a video of gameplay, check out this post!

Complete Rogue Game Commands List

Here is the list of Rogue game commands, complete with short descriptions.

?	Help command. The game will ask for a character you need help with. If press the * key, it will list all commands. If you pick a specific game key (Ex. the w key), it will explain what that command does.
/	This command identifies a character or symbol you see on your screen. For example, if you encounter ‘Y’ on your screen and you want to identify what that is before interacting with it, type ‘/Y’ and it will tell you that is a Yeti.
left arrow key, h, H	Move left. You will move one space to the left by pressing ‘h’ or the left arrow key. If you use upper case ‘H’, you will continue to move left until you run into something. The uppercase command works for all movement commands.
down arrow key, j, J	Move down.
up arrow key, k, K	Move up.
right arrow key, l, L	Move right.
y, Y	Move diagonally up and left.
u, U	Move diagonally up and right.
b, B	Move diagonally down and left.
n, N	Move diagonally down and right.
t	Throw an object. This is a prefix command. When followed with a direction command key, it throws an object in the specified direction. (ex. press ‘tl’ to throw something to the right.)
f	Fight to the death. When followed with a direction, this forces you to fight the creature in that direction until someone dies.
m	Move without picking up an item. This will move you one space in the direction you specify and, if there is an object there, you won’t pick it up.
z	Zap. Point a staff or wand in a given direction and fire it.
^	Identify trap command. If a trap is on your map and you don’t remember what it is, you can find out by moving next to it and typing ‘^’ followed by the direction it is in.
s	Search for traps and secret doors. This command searches the spaces immediately adjacent to you for traps and secret doors. It can take several search attempts to locate traps and secrets if there is one next to you, so I recommend trying several times in the same space.
>	Climb down a staircase to the next level. You must be on top of the staircase symbol to climb it.
<	Climb up a staircase to the level above. This command can only be used if you have the Amulet of Yendor.
.	Rest. This is useful for healing without moving. You may be discovered by a creature though.
,	Pick up whatever you are standing on.
i	Inventory. This will provide a list of what is in your pack.
I	Selective inventory. Tells you what a single item in your inventory is.
q	Quaff one of the potions in your inventory.
r	Read one of the scrolls in your inventory.
e	Eat food from your inventory.
w	Wield a weapon. Change the weapon you are carrying to another weapon from your pack.
W	Wear armor. Wear a suit of armor from your pack. You can only wear one suit of armor at a time, so you have to take the armor you are currently wearing off in order to wear a different one.
T	Take armor off. You can’t remove armor if it is cursed.
P	Put on a ring. You can wear only two rings at a time, one on each hand. You will be asked which hand you want to put the ring on (l or r), unless one hand already has a ring on it.
R	Remove a ring. If you are only wearing one ring, this command will remove it. If you are wearing two, it will ask which ring you want to remove.
d	Drop an item from your pack on the floor. This command is useful for freeing up space in your inventory. Note: You can only drop one item in each space, and you can’t drop a cursed item if you are wearing/wielding it.
c	Call an item something/rename an item. If you have an item in your pack that you want to rename, you can use this command.
o	Set options.
^R	Redraws the screen. This one is useful if messages or errors have messed up your screen display.
^P	Show previous message. This command will show you the last game message. Pressing this key more than once will show up to the last 5 messages.
esc	Cancel a command or count
!	Escape to a shell for commands.
Q	Quit.
S	Save the current game.
v	Show the program version number.
)	Show the weapon you are currently wielding.
]	Show the armor you are currently wearing.
=	Show the rings you are currently wearing.

You can add a number in front of most Rogue keyboard commands to execute them more than once. For example, ‘5s’ will search for traps and secrets in adjacent spaces 5 times. You can press escape to cancel mid-count if a creature appears or you change your mind.

Additional Rogue Game Tips And Tricks

As you advance to deeper levels, it gets more challenging to survive. Here are a few Rogue game tips and tricks to help you get further in the game.

• Strive to keep your HP from falling below the halfway point. Rest to regenerate HP with less risk of encountering a creature.
• Hoard food. Food gets scarce in the deeper levels, and you can starve to death if you run out. Try to eat food only when feeling weak or faint to make it last longer.
• Conserve energy. If it is obvious that a pathway you have not traveled, merely connects two rooms you have already searched, don’t bother with it. If you have finished the level, take the shortest pathway to the stairs. This allows you to have more energy for exploring. Every bit counts sometimes!
• Get rid of or avoid picking up unnecessary items. Pack space is limited and quickly runs out as you advance, so be sure to get rid of items you no longer need as you go along. If you found a better weapon, replace the one you are carrying and drop the one you no longer need.