Controls & Stances

Combat in Gladihoppers looks simple on the surface — move, swing, block — but the game’s physics-based ragdoll system means every input matters far more than it would in a typical fighting game. This guide covers the full control scheme on PC and mobile, explains how the two attack stances work, and breaks down the finer points of directional strikes and the spear throw.

PC Controls

On desktop, Gladihoppers uses a lightweight set of keyboard and mouse inputs that can usually be remapped in the settings menu to suit your preference. The standard default layout looks like this:

Because inputs can be remapped, don’t panic if your setup looks slightly different — the underlying actions stay the same regardless of which keys you assign to them. If you’re brand new to the game, it’s worth pairing this reference with our broader How to Play guide, which walks through how these inputs come together in an actual fight.

Mobile Controls

On phones and tablets, Gladihoppers replaces keyboard inputs with an on-screen virtual control layout. While the exact placement can vary slightly by device and screen size, the core structure stays consistent:

• A virtual joystick or directional pad on one side of the screen for movement.
• A jump button positioned for easy thumb access.
• An attack button that triggers a swing based on your current stance and facing direction.
• A block button or gesture to hold up your guard.
• A dedicated throw button for launching your spear or javelin.

Mobile play tends to reward slightly more deliberate inputs than PC, since touch controls don’t offer quite the same precision as a mouse and keyboard. Many mobile players find it useful to slow down their overall pace, favoring clean single strikes over rapid combos that are easy to mistime on a touchscreen.

Understanding the Two Attack Stances

Stances are one of the most important systems in Gladihoppers, and they’re also one of the most commonly overlooked by new players. At any given moment, your gladiator is in one of two stances, and switching between them changes how your attacks behave:

• Upper Stance: Favors strikes that come from above, useful for hitting over an opponent’s guard or targeting the head and shoulders.
• Lower Stance: Favors strikes that come from below or at a flatter angle, useful for hitting under a raised guard or targeting the legs and torso.

Because blocks in Gladihoppers are directional rather than universal, an opponent who’s braced for an overhead strike may be completely open to a low strike, and vice versa. Skilled players constantly switch stances mid-fight specifically to bait a block in one direction and then land a hit from the other. If you never switch stances, your attacks become predictable — and predictable attacks get blocked or countered far more often than varied ones.

Directional Strikes in Practice

Within each stance, the direction you’re moving or facing when you attack also affects the angle and force of your swing. A strike thrown while stepping forward tends to carry more momentum than one thrown while standing still, while a strike thrown while backing away can be shorter and safer but less damaging. This is part of what makes the combat feel physical rather than scripted — your positioning and stance combine to determine the actual outcome of every swing, rather than a fixed animation playing out the same way every time.

A few practical tips for using directional strikes effectively:

• Step into a strike when you want maximum damage and you’re confident it will land.
• Hold your ground or step back slightly when you’re testing an opponent’s reaction.
• Combine a stance switch with a change in direction to make your next attack harder to predict.
• Avoid attacking mid-jump unless you’ve specifically practiced landing safely afterward.

The Spear Throw

The ranged throw — typically bound to a dedicated key like E on PC or a throw button on mobile — launches your spear or javelin in an arc toward your opponent. This is one of the highest-risk, highest-reward tools in the game: land it and you can stagger an opponent from a safe distance, but miss it and you’re temporarily left without your primary ranged option until you recover the weapon or switch to a backup. Because the throw follows an arc rather than a straight line, timing and distance both affect whether it connects, so it’s worth spending time in Practice mode specifically to learn the arc at different ranges.

For a deeper look at how thrown weapons compare to melee options in terms of raw stats, check out our Weapons & Gear guide.

Blocking and Balance

Blocking in Gladihoppers isn’t a free defensive action — holding your guard costs stamina or balance over time, and a block that absorbs a heavy hit can still knock you off balance even if it prevents damage. This means blocking should be used deliberately rather than held constantly. Many experienced players prefer to rely on spacing and stance reads instead of blocking every incoming attack, saving their guard for moments when they’re genuinely caught out of position.

Practicing Your Inputs

Because so much of Gladihoppers’ combat depends on precise timing rather than memorized combos, the single best way to internalize the controls is repetition against low-pressure opponents. A dedicated Practice session, or a few rounds of Quick Fight against an easy AI, gives you room to experiment with stance switching and directional strikes without the stakes of a Career loss. Our Game Modes guide explains exactly where to find these low-pressure options.

Adjusting Controls to Your Setup

Not every player is comfortable with the default key bindings, and that’s fine — most versions of Gladihoppers allow some degree of remapping through the settings menu. If you’re used to a different fighting game’s layout, it can be worth spending five minutes reassigning inputs before your first real session rather than fighting the default scheme the whole way through Career mode. A few things worth checking in your settings:

• Whether movement can be swapped between arrow keys and WASD.
• Whether attack and block can be moved from mouse buttons to keyboard keys, if you prefer a keyboard-only setup.
• Whether the throw key can be relocated somewhere more comfortable for your hand position.
• Whether mobile touch button size and position can be adjusted for your screen.

Controller Considerations

While Gladihoppers is primarily designed around keyboard, mouse, and touch input, some versions of the game support gamepad input as well. If a controller option is available in your settings menu, movement typically maps to the left stick or directional pad, with attack, block, jump, and throw mapped to face buttons. Controller play can feel more natural for directional strikes since analog input allows for slightly more nuanced movement than digital key presses, though this comes down to personal preference more than any objective advantage.

Common Input Mistakes to Avoid

Even after learning the control layout, a few habits tend to trip up newer players specifically around timing and stance management:

• Holding block constantly instead of using it selectively, which drains stamina at the worst possible moments.
• Forgetting which stance is currently active and throwing a strike from the wrong angle.
• Attacking immediately after a jump lands, before regaining full balance.
• Mashing the throw button without lining up distance first, wasting the spear on a shot that was never going to land.

Once your inputs feel natural, the next step is learning how to apply them strategically — reading opponents, managing distance, and building a Career-ready gladiator. Our Tips & Strategy guide picks up right where this one leaves off, turning raw mechanical skill into consistent wins.