Commands and Controls

Updated Jun 25, 2026

Commands and Controls

Primary Input Behavior

Left-click (Primary): select an owned animal while aiming at it, or issue the selected command to this flute's selected animals.
Right-click (Secondary): open this flute's companion panel and command menu.
F (Interact): quick-toggle simple companion modes on both livestock and Beasts (Follow, Hold, Idle).

Owned Companion Panel and Selection

Ordinary command flutes show your owned companions automatically. Owning an animal and selecting it for a command are separate: use the checkbox on its card or left-click it with the appropriate flute to select it.

Each physical flute remembers its own selected animals. Clearing a flute's selection stops its commands without giving up ownership.
In World, Stored, Lost / Dead, and All tabs divide the companion list. In World includes loaded and currently unloaded animals. Their counts reflect the current search and Nearby-only filter, not the number selected for commands.
Selected cards appear first. Nearby-only, search, status tabs, and sorting only change what you see; they never change the selected recipients.
A flute can show an owned animal that it cannot command. Read the card's restriction before issuing a command.

Shared Groups

Groups belong to the player and are shared by compatible flutes. Use Add group to choose a name and color, then use an animal's group picker to add or remove memberships. An animal may belong to several groups or none.

Left-click a group shortcut to replace this flute's selection with that group's members.
Right-click a group shortcut to add its members to the current selection.
A highlighted group has all of its eligible members selected. Several groups can be highlighted at once.

Changing a group does not select command recipients, and changing selection does not change group memberships.

Animal Control Flute Commands

Item page: Animal Control Flute

Follow
Follow Close
Hold
Recall
Move To Ping
Set Home
Return Home
Idle

Combat Beast Flute Commands

Item page: Combat Beast Flute

Follow
Follow Close
Hold
Recall
Move To Ping
Defend
Aggressive
Attack Target
Idle
Set Home
Return Home

Following distance

Follow keeps companions in a compact formation that moves toward your location without rotating when you turn. Animals can exchange slots and spacing accounts for each animal's size.

Follow Close uses the original direct follow behavior, including the species' previous distances, flying orbit, and catch-up/teleport behavior. Select it beside Follow in either flute menu. The direct interaction cycle and Recall still select ordinary Follow.

Defend uses the formation while following between fights. Combat movement takes priority when a threat is engaged.

Limits and Gating

Owned companions appear in the panel automatically; each flute's selection determines which compatible companions receive its commands.
Commands require tame + ownership checks.
The Combat Beast Flute commands up to 3 active Beasts at a time. Both flutes use a 0.25-second command cooldown.

Companion Panel Actions

You can manage companions one-by-one with Recall, Set Home, Return Home, and Revive.
Release can be offered for an eligible owned companion. Cull requires an owned, loaded companion nearby.
If a companion shows LOST, use respawn/recovery instead of recall/return-home.

Captured and Cooped Companions

Tracked companions, and compatible filled capture items in your inventory, can appear as stored cards while captured. Owned companions in a coop can also show their stored status and location. Release an animal from its capture item or coop before commanding it; Recall does not remove it from storage.

If a tracked companion is captured, its card can remain visible even when the capture process clears ownership. That card is read-only and does not mean the former owner can command the animal. If another player successfully releases the companion and becomes its owner, the former owner's flute records are removed. Trading the item alone, or a failed release, keeps the card visible.

Shoulder Riding

Use To Me on a supported owned companion's card to place the animal on your shoulder. Use it again to set the companion down.

Supported critters: frogs, geckos, meerkats, mice, and squirrels.
Supported flying companions: bluebirds, sparrows, parrots, ravens, crows, green finches, woodpeckers, brown and snow owls, bats and ice bats, pigeons, ducks, archaeopteryxes, and hawks.
Pterodactyls and vultures are too large for shoulder riding.

Flying Companions

Supported flying companions have a Ground/Flight button on their companion card.

Ground mode: the companion lands and uses its slower grounded movement.
Flight mode: Idle uses aerial wandering, Follow uses a flying formation and Follow Close uses the original orbit, and Hold hovers in place.
Changing between Idle, Follow, Hold, Move To Ping, and home/recall orders does not change the selected Ground/Flight mode.
Food, water, sleep, and breeding require a safe landing. These activities temporarily take control, and the companion takes off again afterward if Flight mode remains selected.
These passive vanilla flyers do not receive combat commands.

Supported species and favorite foods: Flying Companions Taming and Food Preference Table

Related Pages

[Screenshot Placeholder: Command radial/menu with highlighted options] [Screenshot Placeholder: Attack Target use on a selected hostile]

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