Angels Fall First 1.0 Beginner Guide & Controls

Quick Answer

Start with the four tutorials in this order: Infantry, Vehicle, Ship, then Command. Confirm your interaction, targeting, Tac Map, command, Flight Assist, and countermeasure bindings before entering a match. Learn the basic survival loop—shields recharge, armor needs repair attention, and health needs medical support—then play one Single Player bot scenario while staying with one role and one objective at a time.

Updated for Angels Fall First 1.0 on July 15, 2026. Menu values shown below are a practical checked setup, not mandatory settings for every player or map.

What This Hub Is For

Angels Fall First combines infantry combat, ground vehicles, spacecraft, pilotable capital ships, boarding, loadouts, bots, and battlefield command.

Trying to learn all of them during the same match makes the game feel more confusing than it is.

This page gives you the foundation that belongs before the specialist guides:

Which tutorial to play first.
Which controls to confirm.
How shields, armor, health, repairs, and revives work.
How to choose between ULA and AIA.
How to set up a readable first bot match.
How to identify the guide that solves your current blocker.

It does not repeat every boarding step, budget number, bot setting, order type, or achievement condition.

Your current problem	Start here	What the focused guide adds
I do not understand the controls or survival loop	Continue on this page	Controls, defense layers, repairs, healing, factions, tutorials, roles, and first-match setup
My loadout is over budget or cannot deploy	Loadout Budget and Progression Guide	Exact caps, seven infantry slots, ammunition, vehicle builds, ranks, 25/25/25, Loaded, and Prestige
I reached a ship but cannot get inside	How to Board Ships Guide	Dropships, Breach Points, rear-module transfer, Core routes, defense, and troubleshooting
Bots, Freelance, tasks, or orders make no sense	Single Player, Bots and Orders Guide	AI settings, MILNET, objective hierarchy, squad roles, vehicle offers, and bot troubleshooting
I want to complete all achievements	Achievements Guide and 103 Checklist	Four-stage roadmap, hidden tasks, map mastery, ranks, Prestige, and long counters

Best Starting Order

Do not start with a full server and attempt every available role.

Use this sequence instead:

Complete the Infantry Tutorial.
Complete the Vehicle Tutorial.
Complete the Ship Tutorial.
Complete the Command Tutorial.
Open Controls and confirm your important bindings.
Create one Single Player bot match.
Select one faction.
Play infantry until you understand the active objective.
Add one vehicle or spacecraft role in the next match.
Return to a focused guide only when a specific system blocks you.

Angels Fall First tutorial selection area with infantry, vehicle, ship, and command training — Use the tutorials to learn each combat layer separately before combining them in a full objective match.

The Four Tutorials and What Each One Teaches

Tutorial	Learn this first	Do not leave until you can	Why it comes here
Infantry	Movement, weapons, interaction, objective markers, Support tools, and reviving	Move between objectives, interact with equipment, and recognize a downed teammate	Every other role eventually returns to infantry movement and objective play
Vehicle	Entering vehicles, vehicle deployment, equipment, armor, weapons, and repair flow	Deploy, operate, leave, and repair a vehicle without losing the objective	Ground vehicles add another control layer but still use familiar objectives
Ship	Launching, targeting, Flight Assist, countermeasures, docking, and boarding introduction	Launch, target, fly, return to a bay, and recognize a boarding opportunity	Spacecraft movement is the largest control change
Command	Tagging, context-sensitive orders, squad structure, and objective assignment	Tag a valid target and issue an order that matches it	Orders make more sense after you recognize units, maps, and objectives

Basic Controls to Confirm

The game allows controls to be rebound, so use this table as a first-session checklist rather than assuming every installation uses the same full layout.

Action	Current default or reference	Why it matters
Move	WASD	Infantry, interiors, vehicles, and ship movement all begin here
Look and aim	Mouse	Used for weapons, interaction prompts, targeting, and orders
Primary fire	Left mouse	Fires the current weapon or active vehicle system
Aim or secondary function	Right mouse	Used for aiming and equipment-specific secondary behavior
Interact or use	F in the current tutorials	Activates tutorials, equipment, vehicles, docking, and boarding prompts
Tag or target	G in the current Ship Tutorial	Selects enemies, friendlies, objectives, spacecraft, and order subjects
Return to tutorial selection	Home	Returns you to the tutorial area without restarting everything
Tac Map and deployment	Confirm your current binding	Used to read locations, objectives, squads, spawn points, and redeployment
Command menu	Confirm your current binding	Opens context-sensitive orders after a target has been tagged
Flight Assist toggle	Confirm your current binding	Switches between assisted turning and freer momentum-based flight
Vehicle countermeasure	Confirm your current binding	Answers incoming guided missiles when the vehicle has a countermeasure equipped
Cycle weapons and tools	Mouse wheel or your current binding	Needed to reach the Multiwrench, explosives, sidearms, and specialist tools

Shield, Armor, and Health Explained

Infantry can show three separate defensive layers:

Shield
Armor
Health

They should not be treated as three identical health bars.

Angels Fall First HUD showing separate shield, armor, and health bars — Read the three defensive layers separately. A returning shield does not mean your armor and health have also recovered.

Layer or state	What happens	What you should do
Shield	Takes the first layer of normal pressure and recharges after you avoid damage	Break line of sight and wait for the shield to return before re-entering the same angle
Armor	Protects health after the shield is depleted	Use a Multiwrench or find repair support instead of waiting in place
Health	The final survival layer	Use medical equipment or teammate support and stop taking unnecessary trades
Incapacitated	You are down but can still be recovered	Give teammates room to reach you; a Multiwrench can revive you
Dead or redeploying	You return through the deployment system	Select a useful spawn and role instead of automatically repeating the same failed route

The safest rhythm is:

Fight while the shield is available.
Leave the angle when the shield breaks.
Check whether armor or health also took damage.
Repair or heal before committing to another long fight.
Return through a different doorway if the enemy is already holding the first one.

What the Multiwrench Does

The Multiwrench is not just an optional repair gadget.

It can support several important jobs:

Repair a teammate’s damaged armor.
Revive an incapacitated teammate.
Repair vehicles.
Repair damaged capital-ship systems.
Support a defensive position without changing to a pure damage role.

A beginner does not need to carry it in every loadout, but every squad benefits from someone who knows how to use it.

When a teammate goes down in a protected position, revive first and resume shooting second. When the body is exposed to several enemies, clear the immediate threat before standing over it with a repair tool.

ULA or AIA: Which Faction Should You Choose?

ULA is the United League faction. AIA represents the Antarean side.

Both factions use the same broad match structure:

Incursion and Territories objectives.
Combat, Support, and Command progression.
Infantry, vehicle, spacecraft, and capital-ship roles.
Loadout budgets.
Squad and Commander systems.
Bot support.

Their weapons, vehicles, spacecraft, ship layouts, sounds, and silhouettes differ.

Choice	What changes	Beginner recommendation
ULA	You learn the United League weapon, vehicle, spacecraft, and ship roster	Stay with ULA for several matches if you start here, so friendly equipment becomes recognizable
AIA	You learn the Antarean weapon, vehicle, spacecraft, and ship roster	Stay with AIA for several matches if you prefer this side, rather than switching every round
Switching later	You see the opposing roster from the inside	Switch after the basic objectives feel familiar and compare equivalent roles

There is no need to find a universally correct beginner faction.

The useful choice is the one you keep long enough to recognize:

Friendly uniforms and silhouettes.
Your faction’s vehicle bays.
Your available spacecraft.
Your capital-ship interiors.
Which equipment is friendly when smoke and effects obscure the fight.

What Single Player Actually Is

Single Player is the normal objective-based combined-arms experience filled with AI.

Do not begin expecting a linear story campaign with chapters and permanent mission progression. The reliable solo structure is:

Select a scenario.
Configure the match.
Fill teams with bots.
Choose ULA or AIA.
Complete the same objective structures used in regular matches.

Steam describes support for up to 64 players or bots combined, but a maximum-size match is not the best place to learn the interface.

A Checked Single Player Setup

Angels Fall First Single Player settings showing a 20-minute minimum match time, AI Skill 3, Rank Cap 19, and 16 AI per team — This checked setup uses a 20-minute minimum match time, 10-second respawns, 0% friendly fire, AI Skill 3, Rank Cap 19, and 16 AI per team.

Setting	Checked value	How to adjust it
Server Mode	Single Player	Keep this for an offline bot match
Minimum Match Time	20 minutes	Long enough to see the objective flow without committing to a very long session
Respawn Delay	10 seconds	Keeps mistakes readable without removing their cost
Friendly Fire	0%	Prevents accidental team damage while learning silhouettes and weapons
AI Skill Level	3	Lower this first if individual fights feel too punishing
AI Rank Cap	19	Controls how advanced AI loadouts can become
AI Per Team	16	Lower population if the HUD, objective, or performance becomes difficult to read

Do not change every field after one bad match.

Use this troubleshooting order:

Lower AI Skill if you lose most direct fights.
Lower AI Per Team if the battlefield is too crowded or performance drops.
Keep the same map and other settings for the next test.
Change the map only after you know whether the difficulty or the layout caused the problem.

For the full AI scale, MILNET, server population, bot labels, role hierarchy, and order troubleshooting, open the Single Player, Bots and Orders Guide.

Read the Objective Before Choosing a Role

Angels Fall First rewards objective play more than wandering toward the largest group of enemies.

You may see several layers of instruction:

Instruction layer	What it represents	Your decision
Main Objective	The current match phase that advances or wins the scenario	Use this when no more specific assignment applies
Commander Task	A team or squad assignment from the Commander	Support it when your role and location make it practical
Squad Task	A more specific assignment passed through the squad structure	Follow it with nearby squad members instead of splitting
Freelance	You do not currently have a specific assigned task	Continue helping the main objective rather than treating the match as deathmatch

The fastest beginner check is:

Read the objective text.
Find the matching world or map marker.
Check whether your squad has a more specific task.
Spawn close enough to contribute.
Choose a role suited to that location.

Pick One Role Per Life

You can change scale quickly, but that does not mean every life should contain every system.

Role	Good first goal	Leave the advanced decisions for later
Infantry	Reach, capture, defend, repair, revive, or destroy the marked ground objective	Specialized ammunition, extreme armor setups, and rare weapon challenges
Support infantry	Keep a contested route supplied, repaired, or revived	Trying to carry every Support tool in one loadout
Ground vehicle	Move infantry, protect an approach, or attack the marked vehicle objective	Chasing isolated enemies far from the task
Spacecraft	Protect friendly ships or attack the current fleet target	Constantly switching craft and weapon roles
Capital-ship crew	Repair, defend, operate a station, or follow the ship objective	Attempting to pilot, repair, command, and fight as infantry simultaneously
Boarding team	Reach the valid insertion and support the interior objective	Memorizing every ship interior before learning one route
Squad Leader or Commander	Keep one current order useful and visible	Issuing many overlapping orders without checking completion

Angels Fall First spacecraft battle near an asteroid and capital ships — Space battles become easier to read when you choose one responsibility: intercept, strike, escort, repair, board, or crew a capital ship.

Flight Assist: Learn Both Movement States

Spacecraft can switch between assisted flight and freer momentum-based movement.

Angels Fall First spacecraft HUD showing the Flight Assist state — Confirm the Flight Assist binding before a space match. Assisted and free-flight movement solve different problems.

Use assisted flight when you need:

Easier turning.
More predictable braking.
A stable approach to a bay or objective.
A simpler first flight.

Use freer movement when you need:

To preserve momentum.
To rotate without immediately changing travel direction.
To create a fast pass instead of remaining in a turning fight.
More control over advanced space maneuvers.

Do not disable Flight Assist once and assume it should remain off permanently. Toggle it to solve the current movement problem.

Loadout Over Budget?

A loadout becomes invalid when Combat, Support, or Command exceeds its available budget.

The Hub-level rule is simple:

Keep the equipment that defines the role.
Remove optional upgrades before removing the role’s only useful weapon or tool.
Check all three budget categories after each change.

The Loadout Budget and Progression Guide contains the exact rank curve, seven infantry slots, ammunition types, ground-vehicle templates, spacecraft templates, 25/25/25 planning, Loaded, Simpler Times, and Prestige order.

Stuck Outside a Boardable Ship?

The two useful clues are:

A valid target displays a door-shaped Breach Point marker.
Reaching the hull does not automatically complete the infantry transfer.

Do not turn the Hub into an eight-step boarding walkthrough. Open the How to Board Ships Guide for the complete dropship route, rear boarding module, internal spawn, Core objectives, station differences, defense, and failure fixes.

Bots or Orders Not Making Sense?

The most common problem is not that every bot has stopped working.

It is usually one of these:

You are reading the Main Objective while the squad has another task.
You are Freelance and waiting for an instruction that does not currently exist.
The order no longer matches the active phase.
The bot is moving from another spawn or route.
The Commander task requires a role or vehicle that is not available nearby.

Use the Single Player, Bots and Orders Guide for AI Skill, player limits, MILNET, Commander tasks, Squad tasks, Freelance status, vehicle offers, and troubleshooting.

Planning All 103 Achievements?

Do not work through the achievement list alphabetically.

The efficient route is:

Quick interface and objective actions.
Role, weapon, ammunition, boarding, and command projects.
Map mastery and hidden cleanup.
Maximum ranks, faction wins, Prestige, and long counters.

The Achievements Guide and 103-Item Checklist contains the full categorized list, current completion-rate snapshot, hidden-achievement status, map tracker, loadout naming system, and pre-Prestige order.

Performance and System Requirements

The official requirements are modest, but a large bot match can be more demanding than an empty tutorial area.

Component	Official minimum	Official recommended
Operating system	Windows 7 or later listed for the game	Windows 7 or later listed for the game
Processor	Dual-core 2 GHz	Quad-core 2.8 GHz
Memory	4 GB RAM	8 GB RAM
Graphics	Nvidia 400 series or later	Nvidia 600 series or later
DirectX	Version 9.0c	Version 11
Storage	10 GB available	10 GB available
Network	Broadband connection	Broadband connection

The Steam client itself now requires Windows 10 or later even though the game’s requirement block still lists Windows 7.

Fix camera shaking or movement drift

If the camera, weapon, or movement begins shaking or drifting at a very high frame rate:

Set a reasonable frame-rate cap.
Restart the current tutorial or match.
Test movement before changing sensitivity, input devices, and graphics together.

Fix low performance in bot matches

Use the symptom to choose the first setting:

Frame rate drops as more bots join: reduce AI population.
Frame rate drops around effects or large space battles: reduce demanding visual settings or resolution.
Tutorial is smooth but a full match is not: test a smaller bot match before changing every graphics option.
Game fails to launch or crashes after changing settings: verify game files and remove unnecessary custom launch options.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Skipping every tutorial

The game uses familiar shooter controls but combines them with targeting, orders, vehicles, spacecraft, deployment, and repair systems.

Treating every match like team deathmatch

Kills help, but the current capture, destroy, hack, escort, defense, or boarding objective controls the match.

Changing roles after every death

Constant switching prevents you from learning one weapon, one vehicle, one route, or one objective flow.

Ignoring the three defensive layers

A full shield does not guarantee full armor and health.

Opening the Tac Map in the open

Move behind cover before reading squads, objectives, and spawn points.

Filling every loadout slot immediately

A valid focused loadout is more useful than an overloaded build that cannot deploy.

Taking a vehicle without a job

Use vehicles to transport, escort, attack, defend, intercept, or support a marked objective.

Increasing bot count before understanding the map

More units create more action, but they also make markers, routes, orders, and performance harder to read.

First-Match Checklist

Before deploying:

Complete the four tutorials.
Confirm Interact, Tag, Tac Map, Command, Flight Assist, and countermeasure bindings.
Choose ULA or AIA and stay with that faction for the session.
Use a valid loadout.
Read the Main Objective.
Check for a Squad or Commander task.
Select one role for the current life.
Check where the nearest useful spawn point is.

During the match:

Follow the objective rather than the largest firefight.
Leave cover when your shield is ready.
Check armor and health after the shield returns.
Repair, heal, or resupply before repeating a failed push.
Use tags and short orders to make targets visible.
Change one setting or loadout element at a time.

After the match:

Identify the one system that caused the most confusion.
Open the focused guide for that problem.
Keep the same map or settings when testing the fix.
Add another role only after the first one feels readable.

What to Read Next

Guide	Open it when	Main coverage
How to Board Ships and Defend a Breach	You cannot find a dropship, enter a ship, reach the Core, escape, or stop enemy reinforcements	Breach Points, boarding transfer, internal objectives, Core routes, defense, and fixes
Loadout Budget and Progression Guide	A weapon, armor layer, ammunition type, tool, or vehicle build exceeds budget	Exact budget curve, slots, ammunition, templates, ranks, Loaded, and Prestige
Single Player, Bots and Orders Guide	AI settings, tasks, MILNET, Freelance, squad orders, or vehicle offers are unclear	Bot setup, 64-slot scale, objective hierarchy, orders, roles, and troubleshooting
Achievements Guide and 103 Checklist	You want a completion route rather than a raw achievement list	Four-stage roadmap, hidden tasks, map mastery, ranks, faction wins, and long grinds

The House Always Wins FAQ

What should I do first in Angels Fall First? +

Complete the Infantry, Vehicle, Ship, and Command tutorials, confirm your main controls, then enter a Single Player bot match and follow one objective chain with one role at a time.

Which Angels Fall First tutorial should I play first? +

Start with Infantry, continue with Vehicle and Ship, then finish with Command. Orders are easier to understand after you can recognize objectives, vehicles, hangars, and battlefield roles.

What are the most important Angels Fall First controls? +

The current tutorials use F for interaction, G for tagging or targeting, and Home to return to the tutorial selection. Confirm your Tac Map, Command, Flight Assist, and countermeasure bindings in the Controls menu.

Does health regenerate in Angels Fall First? +

Do not wait for health to refill. Shields recharge after you avoid damage, while damaged armor and health should be handled with repair tools, medical equipment, or teammate support.

What does the Multiwrench do? +

The Multiwrench repairs armor and damaged systems and can revive an incapacitated teammate. It is one of the most useful Support tools for infantry, vehicles, and capital-ship interiors.

Should I choose ULA or AIA? +

Both factions use the same core objectives and progression structure but have different weapons, vehicles, spacecraft, and silhouettes. Pick either faction and stay with it for several matches before switching.

What is a good first Single Player setup? +

The checked setup uses a 20-minute minimum match time, 10-second respawns, 0% friendly fire, AI Skill 3, AI Rank Cap 19, and 16 AI per team. Reduce AI Skill or population if the battle feels too busy.

Does Angels Fall First have a story campaign? +

The dependable solo experience is objective-based scenarios played with bots rather than a traditional linear story campaign. Single Player uses the same combined-arms maps and objectives as normal matches.

Why will my loadout not deploy? +

At least one Combat, Support, or Command budget has been exceeded. Open the focused loadout guide for exact caps, slot structure, ammunition effects, vehicle templates, ranks, and Prestige planning.

Why can I not board an enemy ship? +

A valid target needs a Breach Point marker, and reaching the hull is not the entire transfer. The complete boarding guide covers dropships, the rear boarding module, Core objectives, defense, and failure fixes.

Why are bots ignoring the objective? +

The match objective, Commander task, Squad task, and Freelance state are not the same thing. Use the Single Player guide to identify which instruction currently applies to you or your bots.

How many achievements are in Angels Fall First? +

Angels Fall First has 103 Steam achievements. The achievements guide organizes them into quick actions, role projects, map and hidden cleanup, and long-term rank, faction-win, and Prestige grinds.

How do I fix camera shaking or movement drift? +

Try setting a reasonable frame-rate cap first. If a large bot match remains unstable, reduce AI population for CPU load or lower resolution and effects for GPU load.