Try To Reach The Abyss Submarine Controls: Spawn, Board, Drive and Exit

Quick answer

Quick answer

Spawn your submarine, walk up to it and press E to board, follow the outpost marker while piloting, then step out of the submarine at an outpost to earn Speed. That is the complete basic loop the game's own HOW TO PLAY teaches.

• Press E on the "Board" prompt to get in
• Follow the outpost marker to reach the next outpost
• Step OUT at an outpost to earn Speed
• Every new outpost also gives 1 free upgrade point

Spawning and boarding the submarine

The game's official HOW TO PLAY gives the sequence directly: spawn your submarine, hop in, and follow the outpost marker. Once your submarine has spawned, you start on foot next to it.

To board it, stand near the submarine while outside it. A proximity prompt appears showing "E", the submarine's name such as "Explorer Sub", and "Board". Pressing E while the prompt is up puts you inside the submarine and puts you at the controls.

Driving: follow the outpost marker

For basic travel, the official instructions point you at one thing: follow the outpost marker to reach the next outpost. The marker points you toward the next outpost platform, and reaching it safely is the core navigation goal of the game. The outposts are also described as safety points, so heading for the marker is how you both progress and stay safe between trips.

Leaving the submarine and what it earns you

Stepping out of the submarine at an outpost is a deliberate part of the loop, not just a way to stretch your legs. The official instructions say to "Step OUT of your submarine at outposts to earn Speed." In other words, Speed awards come from physically leaving the sub once you have arrived at an outpost.

Each new outpost also earns 1 free upgrade point. You can see this stated in-game on the outpost store display, which reads "Every new outpost earns 1 free upgrade point."

While you are out on the platform, there is more to do than collect your award:

• The upgrade stall has its own proximity prompt — "E", "Upgrade Store", "Open Store" — and pressing E beside it opens the store, where upgrade points are spent.
• Upgrades improve your Speed gains, hull, and torpedoes, per the official HOW TO PLAY.

The loop in practice

Put together, a typical run looks like this: spawn and board the submarine with E, pilot it along the outpost marker, step out when you reach the outpost to earn Speed and your free upgrade point, open the Upgrade Store with E to spend the point, then board again and continue to the next outpost. Speed and level-ups let you move faster over time, and every 5 levels your submarine evolves into a new, more powerful form — so each outpost visit feeds directly into making the next leg of the journey quicker.

For the bigger picture on where outposts lead and how upgrades fit into long-term growth, see the Try To Reach The Abyss outposts guide, the progression guide, and the upgrade points guide.