SCROOMS Controls
Hotbar, Index, equip flow, Pay Respects, Ocarina songs, and the tune-and-catch loop.
SCROOMS plays cleanly once you know which hotbar slot does what. This page covers PC defaults used in most English guides, with mobile notes where prompts differ. For the full catching tutorial see How to Catch Scrooms; for day-one order see Getting Started.
Exact keybinds can vary if you remapped Roblox or used a controller. When a prompt on screen disagrees with this wiki, trust the prompt.
Hotbar overview
The bottom hotbar holds your core tools:
| Slot / control | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Equipped catch instrument | Play to start a catch when a Scroom is nearby |
| Equipment Bag | Instruments tab, equip / unequip, close bag to clear tutorial checks |
| Index (key 3) | Scroomdex by area — silhouettes, frequencies, completion % |
| Quest Log | Active objectives and counters |
| Ocarina (appears when unlocked) | Melodies only — Homeward, Bloomcall, Song of Passage, etc. |
Community PC notes often place the Ocarina around hotbar 5 after Halden’s quest. Chimes appear as a music-note currency readout (not a hotbar key).
Essential PC keys
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| E | Talk to NPCs; Pay Respects at Weathered Statues; Break the Seal / world interactions when prompted |
| G | Open backpack / inventory (mobile shows Tap to open backpack) |
| 3 | Open the Index |
| Number keys | Swap hotbar items including instruments and Ocarina |
| Left click | Start tuning / interact with catch UI |
| Hold / drag left click | Stay on frequency and keep the Scroom inside the moving catch zone |
Pay Respects is easy to miss: walk into statue range until the E prompt appears, then press once per unique statue during Halden’s Ocarina quest.
Equip instruments correctly
Owning an instrument is not the same as equipping it.
- Open the Equipment Bag.
- Open the Instruments tab.
- Select the tool (Wooden Lute, Tamer’s Guitar, Deepchord, Magus’ Requiem, Mothwing, etc.).
- Press Equip.
- Close the bag — tutorial objectives often require the close step.
Catch instruments and the Ocarina have different jobs. Keep a catch tool equipped for taming; switch to the Ocarina only when a melody prompt is active. Mixing them up is why new players think catching “broke” after Magic Melody.
Index (key 3)
The Index is your collection brain:
- Area tabs (Grove, Bluestone, Sorin’s Respite, Sanctum Magus, Tall Trees / related labels, newer update zones)
- Undiscovered species show as ??? silhouettes with rarity / frequency hints
- Caught species fill cards; Melodic, Harmonic, and Resonant track in tone blocks
- Completion % tells you when Fenna-style Index gates are realistic
Open the Index before long farms so you chase missing rows instead of duplicate Commons. After Crescendo Valley and ahead of Ivory Plains, re-check tabs for new cards.
Catch loop controls
Full detail lives in How to Catch. Control summary:
- Equip a Resonance-correct catch instrument.
- Stand near a wild Scroom and play.
- Hit the tuning / frequency stage (click and hold as the UI asks).
- Keep the creature inside the moving catch zone with drag corrections.
- Perfect catches pay better XP — practice after family minigame reworks (Wind, Strings, Percussion, Keys).
If the Index says your instrument cannot reach the frequency, no amount of frantic clicking will finish the catch. Upgrade Resonance via the instruments catalog.
Ocarina songs
After unlocking the Ocarina:
- Equip the Ocarina from its hotbar / bag slot
- Open Known Songs and select the melody
- Play the on-screen note sequence (arrow buttons or letter notation depending on UI)
Common early songs:
- Homeward Melody — return to your set home / Grove hub for sell loops
- Bloomcall — opens Heart of Thorns for Forest Spirit’s Lyre
- Song of Passage — reported for sigil doors into Sanctum Magus routes toward Magus’ Requiem
Always prefer the in-game song sheet over memorized third-party note strings when patches rearrange inputs.
Mobile notes
Touch prompts replace key letters: Tap to talk, Tap to open backpack, on-screen play / drag for catching. The systems are the same — Index, Quest Log, Equipment Bag, Ocarina melodies — only the fingers change. Landscape mode helps catch-zone precision.
Quality-of-life habits
- Rebind only after you can finish a catch blind on defaults
- Keep Pay Respects (E) muscle memory for statues and seals
- Glance at Index (3) every time you enter a new region
- Close the Equipment Bag after every equip during quest checks
- Use Homeward Melody instead of walking dead time once the Ocarina is online
Related pages
Master the hotbar and E / 3 habits first; every later instrument quest assumes you can talk, respect, index, and catch without fighting the UI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common SCROOMS questions.
What key opens the SCROOMS Index?
On PC, hotbar key 3 opens the Index. Use it to track area cards, frequencies, and completion percent.
What does E do in SCROOMS?
E talks to NPCs, Pays Respects at statues, and confirms many world interactions such as Break the Seal when prompted.
How do I equip an instrument?
Open Equipment Bag → Instruments, press Equip on the tool you want, then close the bag so tutorial checks clear.
Can the Ocarina catch Scrooms?
No. The Ocarina plays world melodies. Equip a catch instrument for the tune-and-catch loop.
Where is the full catching tutorial?
Read How to Catch Scrooms for the complete tune, frequency, and catch-zone walkthrough.