Beginner's Guide

Beginner's Guide • Gameplay

Contents

On this page

Start Here

Your First Match

Game Types

Universal Controls

Class System

Combat Mechanics

Naval Operations

Where To Go Next

Pro Tips

Start Here

New player guide

Stay with the team, learn one role, and let the deeper pages fill in the details.

Holdfast rewards teamwork more than lone heroics. Your first goal is not to top the scoreboard; it is to understand the objective, follow nearby officers or experienced players, and survive long enough to learn the flow of the round.

Best first classLine Infantry or Sailor

Best first habitStay near your formation or crew

Best first pagesGame Modes, Classes, Shooting, Melee

Game Modes

Learn what each round type asks your team to do.

Classes

Find the role that fits how you want to help the team.

User Interface

Understand the HUD, compass, score, health, ammo, and interaction prompts.

Your First Match

Use this as a simple checklist for your first few rounds:

1. Spawn with the main group. If you are unsure, choose a Line Infantry, Sailor, or other simple frontline role.
2. Look for the objective. Check the top HUD, map, or team movement. Game Modes explains the different win conditions.
3. Follow an Officer, Sergeant, Captain, or visible mass of teammates. Orders and formation buffs matter.
4. Reload behind cover or behind your line. Reloading leaves you vulnerable, especially in melee range.
5. Do not block artillery, ladders, ship wheels, or cannon crews. If someone is operating a team asset, give them space.
6. Ask before taking command roles. Captain, Officer, and artillery roles are powerful but can hurt the team when misused.

If you get lost: regroup at the nearest friendly spawn, follow the largest friendly push, and avoid charging alone into an objective.

Game Types

Holdfast features multiple historical theatres and round types. The broad split is between Napoleonic / Age of Sail combat and Frontlines WW1 combat.

Nations At War

The original Napoleonic-era setting for Holdfast. Players fight as 18th-19th century armies and navies using muskets, bayonets, cannons, cavalry, and sailing ships. It includes army battles, sieges, conquest, naval engagements, and coastal modes.

Frontlines WW1

A World War I-themed experience within Holdfast. Players use bolt-action rifles, pistols, machine guns, grenades, artillery, and trenches. The gameplay emphasizes attrition, cover, suppression, and coordinated pushes.

For mode-specific objectives, maps, and win conditions, see Game Modes and Maps.

Universal Controls

Action	PC Input	Console (Xbox/PS)
Movement	W, A, S, D	Left Thumbstick
Aim / Block	Right Click (Hold)	LT / L2 (Hold)
Fire / Attack	Left Click	RT / R2
Melee Toggle	X	D-Pad Right
Reload / Interact	R / E	X / Square
Command Radial	Q / V	RB / R1 (Hold)
View HUD / Scores	Tab	View / Touchpad
Crouch	C	B / Circle

Class System

Classes decide your weapons, traits, abilities, and team responsibilities. For the full role list, use Classes.

Command

Army Officer: Coordinates the line of battle. Issues Orders such as Fire, Charge, Form Line, and Reinforce that provide buffs to nearby troops.

Naval Captain: Commands the ship, manages sail state and heading, and coordinates broadsides, repairs, ramming, and boarding. See Command and Naval Combat before taking the wheel on a live server.

Rank & File

Line Infantry: The versatile backbone. Strong beginner pick because the job is clear: stay with the line, fire with the group, and defend the objective. See Rank and File.

Guards & Grenadiers: Elite shock troops with stronger close-range utility and defensive traits. They are good once you understand positioning and timing.

Skirmisher

Rifleman: Accurate at longer ranges but slower to reload. Pick this when you can stay alive, choose targets, and avoid blocking the main line. See Skirmisher and Shooting.

Light Infantry: Mobile skirmishers that fight around flanks, cover, and awkward angles.

Support

Artilleryman: Operates cannons, mortars, rockets, and other heavy weapons. Learn Artillery before taking key guns in a serious round.

Carpenter / Sapper: Repairs, builds, and keeps defensive positions or ships alive. See Defences, Spawnable Props, and Naval Combat.

Combat Mechanics

Aiming & Ballistics

Projectile Drop: Smoothbore muskets are inaccurate and have noticeable drop. At short range, aim center mass; at longer range, aim higher and fire with the group. For details, see Shooting.

Vulnerability: Any player caught reloading or aiming is in a vulnerable state. Keep distance from enemies while reloading and switch to melee early if someone closes on you.

Melee System

Holdfast uses directional melee. The basics are simple, but timing takes practice. See Melee for full details.

Blocking: You must match the direction of your opponent's strike. Moving the Mouse or Right Stick Down while holding Block will counter a downward bayonet thrust.

Feinting: Start an attack, then quickly tap Block to cancel it. This baits your opponent into a defensive stance, leaving them open to a follow-up strike.

Drags: Moving your camera during the "Thrust" phase can alter the strike's path, though excessive "dragging" reduces damage dealt.

Naval Operations

Naval rounds have their own rhythm: sailing, broadsides, repairs, resources, boarding, and ship capture. Read Naval Combat for mechanics and Ships for vessel details.

Sailing: Wind direction is indicated on the HUD compass. Sailing into the wind will slow or stall the vessel.

Gunnery: Use Round Shot for hulls, Chain Shot for masts (crippling speed), and Grapeshot for clearing enemy decks.

Survival: If a ship is foundering, deploy or board a Rowboat if available. Rowboats can save survivors, support boarding, or move crew between ships.

Damage & Repair

Hull Damage: Causes leaks. Repair crews must spend ship resources to keep the vessel afloat.

Boarding: Do not rush aboard alone. Wait for a call, clear decks with grapeshot, and commit with enough crew to win the capture contest.

Where To Go Next

Once you know the basics, use these pages as your next steps.

Shooting Mechanics

Musket, rifle, pistol, reload, and ballistics basics.

Melee Combat

Blocking, striking, feints, drags, and close-range survival.

Orders & High Command

Officer, sergeant, captain, and midshipman orders.

Artillery

Cannons, rockets, mortars, and operating heavy weapons.

Naval Combat

Sailing, broadsides, repairs, boarding, and capture.

Linebattle

Common event rules and organised battle etiquette.

Pro Tips

Musicians: Stay near a Musician when fighting in formation. Music can provide useful buffs, and later updates allow musicians to support more classes, including ship crew-mates.

Surgeons: Protect your Surgeon. They keep pushes alive and save tickets by healing wounded teammates.

Officers and Captains: Listen for orders. Buffs and coordinated timing matter more than individual aim.

Artillery and Ship Guns: Do not grab a loaded team weapon unless you know what it is aimed at. A bad shot can waste a long reload or hit friendlies.

HUD Toggle: For cinematic gameplay, hold H on PC or the Menu/Options button on console to hide the UI. For normal play, keep the HUD visible until you understand the game state.