Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - Controls

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora combines first-person exploration, ranged combat, Na'vi movement and aerial ikran riding in one unusually deep control scheme. The basic commands are easy to understand, but several buttons perform different actions when tapped, held, used while aiming or pressed during flight.

Movement also feels different from a conventional shooter. Your Na'vi can sprint, power-jump, mantle, slide, crouch, inspect the environment with Na'vi Senses and gather plants without opening a separate harvesting screen. Later, the same controller must handle an ikran, aerial dodges, rolls, screeches, mounted attacks and launches from the ground.

This guide covers the default PlayStation 5 layout shown in the game, matching Xbox inputs, important PC commands, weapon controls, harvesting, Na'vi Senses, HUD shortcuts, SID hacking, Memory Painting activities and the complete ikran control set.

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Ikran Flying Controls

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Movement Controls Explained

Move with the left stick and control the camera with the right stick. Press L3 to sprint. Cross jumps, while Circle crouches and can transition into a slide when pressed during a sprint.

Use Momentum Instead of Repeatedly Jumping

Pandora's traversal is designed around maintaining flow. Sprint toward roots, rocks and fallen trees, then jump once the character reaches the edge. The game frequently assists with mantling when your approach angle is clean.

Slide under Obstacles

Press Circle while sprinting to lower your profile and preserve momentum. Sliding is useful beneath roots, inside narrow RDA structures and when crossing exposed ground during a firefight.

Hold Jump for More Height

A deliberate press gives better results than tapping Cross as quickly as possible. Later movement skills improve aerial control, landing and parkour flow.

Do Not Sprint through Every Plant

Some flora reacts aggressively to movement or contact. Slow down and use Na'vi Senses before entering an unfamiliar patch of vegetation.

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Switching between First Person and Third Person

Hold the touchpad on PlayStation 5, hold View on Xbox or press J on PC to change perspective after installing the relevant game update.

Use First Person for Precise Gathering

The closer view makes it easier to examine material condition, approach angle and harvesting direction.

Use Third Person for Traversal Awareness

The wider view can make platforming, crowded fights and movement around large wildlife easier to read.

Swap the Third-Person Shoulder

Long hold D-Pad Up to move the camera to the opposite shoulder. This is useful when firing around cover or inspecting a narrow path.

Choose One View for Difficult Combat

Frequent perspective changes during a fight can disrupt aiming and distance judgement. Switch before engaging rather than halfway through a charged bow shot.

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Interaction Controls

Short hold Square near an interactive object, person, resource container or quest point. The brief hold reduces accidental pickups when several objects are clustered together.

Centre the Prompt before Holding

A small camera adjustment is often faster than repeatedly pressing the button while the wrong object is selected.

Holster Weapons near Friendly Na'vi

Long hold Triangle to put your weapon away. This keeps the screen clear and avoids carrying a raised weapon through settlements.

Interact from the Correct Side

Crafting tables, cooking stations, baskets and terminals may only display their prompt when approached from the usable edge.

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Aiming and Firing

Hold L2 to aim or zoom and press R2 to fire the equipped weapon. Bows charge while held, whereas firearms and several tools respond immediately.

Do Not Release a Bow Too Early

Allow the draw to reach useful power before releasing. A partially drawn arrow has lower effectiveness and may fail to break exposed machine components.

Cancel an Unwanted Shot

Press Square while holding a charged shot to cancel it without wasting ammunition.

Aim at Components, Not Only Bodies

RDA machines have exposed weak points, armour pieces and removable components. Na'vi Senses can help identify the most productive target.

Move after Firing

RDA soldiers and machines quickly return fire toward the last known position. Shoot, break line of sight and attack from another angle.

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Reloading and Swapping Ammunition

Press Square to reload an applicable weapon. Use D-Pad Right to cycle available ammunition types for the current weapon.

Reload before Leaving Cover

Do not wait for an empty magazine while facing an AMP suit or turret. Reload during quiet moments between enemy searches.

Match Ammunition to the Target

Special arrows, shells and other ammunition can provide elemental effects, armour-breaking power or utility. Save valuable types for enemies that justify their cost.

Check Crafting Materials

Some ammunition can be crafted rapidly, but only when the required sticks, pods or other resources are available.

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Weapon Wheel and Weapon Swapping

Short hold L1 to open the weapon wheel. Triangle swaps between equipped weapons without opening the wheel.

Assign Different Roles

A useful setup includes a quiet hunting weapon, a strong machine-damaging weapon and an emergency close-range choice.

Do Not Carry Four Similar Weapons

Several bows with nearly identical strengths leave fewer answers for armoured machinery and close combat.

Holster between Encounters

Long hold Triangle to put the active weapon away and restore a cleaner exploration view.

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Melee Attacks

Press R3 for a close-range strike. Melee is useful against weakened soldiers, breakable objects and enemies that have moved inside your bow's comfortable range.

Do Not Challenge Heavy Machinery with Repeated Melee

Use the strike to finish exposed targets or create space. Large machines are normally safer to attack through weak points and environmental positioning.

Combine Sliding and Melee

Closing the final distance with a slide can make it harder for a rifle user to maintain aim.

Retreat after the Hit

A melee strike is not an invitation to remain beside an AMP suit. Move away before the counterattack.

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Grenade Controls

Double tap L1 to prepare the assigned grenade. Aim carefully and use the displayed throw command.

Use Grenades on Groups and Machines

Explosives are most valuable when they hit several enemies, damage a machine's components or force soldiers out of cover.

Do Not Throw from Dense Vegetation

Nearby leaves, roots and branches may block the arc or obscure the landing point.

Retreat before Detonation

Pandora's combat areas contain explosive objects that can trigger secondary damage.

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Healing

Press D-Pad Left to consume an available healing item.

Heal behind Cover

Using an item does not make you invulnerable. Break line of sight first.

Gather Healing Fruit during Exploration

Do not wait until a major mission begins to discover that your healing supply is empty.

Use Natural Recovery Wisely

When immediate danger has passed, avoid consuming a limited item for a small amount of missing health.

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Na'vi Senses

Press R1 to activate Na'vi Senses. The view highlights important plants, animals, scent trails, quest subjects, enemy components and environmental information.

Inspect before Hunting

Press L3 while Na'vi Senses are active to inspect a highlighted animal, machine, plant or object.

Pin Materials You Need

Use the Hunter's Guide to track specific resources, then follow their highlighted environmental clues.

Scan an RDA Facility before Attacking

Find soldiers, alarms, fuel tanks, weak components, alternate entrances and elevated firing positions before the first shot.

Do Not Leave Senses Active Constantly

The altered display can make ordinary movement and visual detail harder to read. Use it in short, purposeful scans.

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Gathering Materials

Approach a harvestable plant, hold the interaction as instructed and use R2 to pull or pluck in the required direction.

Check the Harvesting Condition

Material quality can depend on weather, time, location and whether the gathering action is performed cleanly.

Pull in the Indicated Direction

Forcing the wrong direction may damage the material and lower its quality.

Do Not Harvest during Combat

Gathering temporarily occupies your hands and attention. Clear nearby threats first.

Use the Hunter's Guide

The guide explains where a resource grows, its preferred conditions and which part of the world contains rarer specimens.

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Crafting and Cooking Controls

Interact with crafting or cooking stations using Square, navigate the menu with the sticks or D-Pad and confirm the selected recipe.

Quality Matters More Than Quantity

High-quality components produce stronger equipment. Avoid spending exquisite materials on an item you plan to replace immediately.

Read Ingredient Bonuses

Cooking combinations provide temporary effects in addition to restoring energy.

Keep Basic Ammunition Ingredients

Do not consume or sell every common stick, pod or plant. A reserve prevents running dry during a long RDA facility.

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Ping and Social Wheel

Press D-Pad Down to ping a location or target. Long hold D-Pad Down to open the social wheel.

Ping in Cooperative Play

Mark machines, resources, routes and objectives instead of relying entirely on spoken directions.

Use Contextual Communication

The social wheel provides quick cooperative expressions without opening a separate menu.

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SID Hacking Controls

SID is used to diagnose, repair, trace and hack RDA technology. Follow the displayed directional or timing inputs during each interface.

Queue Multiple Hacks when Available

Some situations allow hacks to be prepared before execution. Press Square to execute all queued SID hacks when the command is displayed.

Plan before Executing

Triggering several devices together can disable systems or create a distraction, but it may also begin an encounter.

Use Cover during Hacking

The interface occupies your attention. Stand somewhere that prevents patrols from seeing you immediately.

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Calling and Mounting the Ikran

Press D-Pad Up to call your ikran after the mount has been unlocked. The ikran needs enough open space to approach safely.

Move away from Dense Cover

Trees, cave roofs and narrow RDA interiors may prevent the ikran from reaching you.

Call from High Ground

Cliffs and elevated platforms provide an immediate route into flight without a difficult ground launch.

Do Not Call during Heavy Fire

Reach cover and reduce enemy attention before attempting to mount.

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Basic Ikran Flight

Use the left stick to steer and Cross to flap the wings for lift. Forward momentum, dives and wing flaps work together; constant flapping is not always the fastest way to travel.

Dive before Climbing

A shallow dive builds speed that can be converted into altitude more efficiently than repeatedly flapping from a near-stall.

Use Gentle Steering

Large stick movements can overcorrect the ikran, particularly near cliffs and floating mountains.

Hold L2 to Look Around

Free look helps locate objectives and enemies without immediately changing the flight path.

Land into Open Space

Approach clear ground at a manageable speed instead of aiming directly for dense trees.

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Ikran Rolls and Defensive Flying

Push the left stick toward the desired side and press Square to roll. Later defensive techniques use L1 and R1 together when available.

Roll after Seeing the Incoming Attack

Rolling too early lets an enemy projectile or aircraft adjust its aim.

Change Altitude as Well as Direction

A horizontal dodge alone may not escape sustained fire. Dive or climb immediately afterward.

Do Not Roll near Cliffs

Leave enough space for the animation and recovery.

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Ikran Attacks

Press R3 when the Flying Takedown or Ikran Smash prompt becomes available. Special aerial commands depend on unlocked skills and the current target.

Approach from an Advantageous Angle

High speed and a clear line toward the target make mounted attacks easier to trigger.

Do Not Hover over Anti-Air Fire

Complete the attack and immediately leave the firing arc.

Use Screech Tactically

Press L3 to screech when the ability is relevant. Its value depends on progression and the current aerial encounter.

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Memory Painting Controls

Memory Paintings use both triggers and shoulder buttons to reproduce slow, deliberate hand movements. L1 and L2 control the left hand, while R1 and R2 control the right.

Follow the Rhythm, Not Maximum Speed

These sequences reward smooth timing. Rushing ahead can cause repeated mistakes.

Use Autocomplete when Needed

Press Square when the accessibility or autocomplete command is available.

Watch Each Hand Separately

Focus on the side that changes first, then add the matching second-hand input.

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Controller Remapping

Open Settings, choose Controls, select the controller section and open Controller Remapping. Choose an action and press the new button you want to assign.

Respect Short-Hold and Long-Hold Commands

Several actions share one button through different press durations. Remapping without checking both commands can create confusing overlaps.

Test Ground and Ikran Controls

A comfortable combat layout may conflict with flight, SID or Memory Painting inputs.

Keep Aim and Fire on the Triggers

This arrangement remains natural for bows, guns, gathering tools and mounted combat.

Use Reset to Default when Necessary

The remapping screen includes a reset command if a custom layout creates an unusable combination.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you sprint in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora?

Press L3 while moving on the default PlayStation layout.

How do you crouch or slide?

Press Circle to crouch. Press it while sprinting to slide.

How do you use Na'vi Senses?

Press R1. Press L3 while Senses are active to inspect a highlighted subject.

How do you heal?

Press D-Pad Left when a healing item is available.

How do you swap ammunition?

Press D-Pad Right.

How do you open the weapon wheel?

Short hold L1.

How do you throw a grenade?

Double tap L1 to prepare the grenade, then use the displayed throw command.

How do you cancel a charged bow shot?

Press Square while the shot is being held.

How do you melee?

Press R3.

How do you holster a weapon?

Long hold Triangle.

How do you change to third person?

Long hold the touchpad on PlayStation 5, long hold View on Xbox or press J on PC.

How do you swap the third-person shoulder?

Long hold D-Pad Up on the shown PlayStation layout.

How do you call the ikran?

Press D-Pad Up after unlocking the ikran.

How do you flap the ikran's wings?

Press Cross while flying.

How do you roll with the ikran?

Push the left stick left or right and press Square.

How do you pet the ikran?

Short hold Triangle when the pet prompt appears.

Can the controls be remapped?

Yes. Open Settings, Controls and Controller Remapping to change individual actions.

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Final Control Advice

The fastest way to become comfortable with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is to separate the controls into four groups: movement, combat, Na'vi interaction and ikran flight. First learn sprinting, sliding, jumping and Na'vi Senses. Then practise aiming, cancelling bow shots, swapping ammunition and using the weapon wheel.

Once the ikran becomes available, spend several minutes flying without following an objective. Practise building speed through dives, converting that speed into climbs and rolling away from imaginary attacks. Flight becomes far easier when these movements are instinctive before the game introduces aerial combat.

See our Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Tips and Tricks Guide for gathering, crafting, combat, exploration, ikran and equipment advice.