Star Citizen guide #02: getting around without the hassle (on foot, elevators, trams, inventory, respawn)

In Star Citizen, everything happens “for real”: you walk to the spaceport, take the elevator, carry your gear. It’s confusing at first, but a few habits are all you need.

On foot

• Walk with WASD, sprint by holding Shift, jump with Space. The full list is in Options › Keybindings, under “On Foot.”
• Hold F to see what you can interact with (doors, buttons, seats, items).
• In zero-g (stations, spacewalks), you float: Space and Ctrl move you up and down, and you can rotate freely. Keep your helmet on!

Elevators, trams and metros

• Elevators have a destination panel: spaceport, hangars, metro, habs, shops… Read it before pressing: picking the wrong floor is the most common mistake.
• Each city has its own transit network: the metro in Lorville, the tram in New Babbage, shuttles between Orison’s platforms… Signs on the platform show the direction.
• In spaceports, look for elevators marked Hangars or Spaceport: that’s where you get your ship.

Inventory

• I opens your personal inventory: what you’re wearing, your backpack, your armor pockets.
• Every location has its own local inventory: what you store in Lorville stays in Lorville. To take it elsewhere, you have to carry it (in your ship, for instance).
• Bulky items and crates go through freight elevators: send them to your hangar from the elevator terminal.

Dying… and coming back

• After heavy injuries, you go down (incapacitated) and a countdown starts. A friend can revive you with a Hemozal shot (MedPen), or you can send a rescue beacon.
• If the timer runs out, you respawn at your home hospital, or at the medical bed where you registered your imprint (hospital, clinic, or a ship with a medical bed).
• Your gear stays on your body: you have to go back for it. Before a risky mission, set your respawn point at a nearby clinic.

💡 Beacon tip: when you log off, do it in a bed (hotel room or ship bed): it’s the most reliable way to pick up where you left off.

Read next: Your first ship · Medic and rescue · Rookie mistakes

Written for Star Citizen Alpha 4.10.2 (October 2026). The game changes with every patch: if something has moved, tell us in a reply and we’ll update the guide.