Though many people may simply not mention them because of how simple they are and that they can be accessed simply by clicking the '?' button, I feel that all certain keys need to be mentioned because not having the knowledge about one important one can hurt a run a lot.

'''a''': This key is used to apply objectsApply. More specifically, it is the The game's interaction with wands, tools, and certain miscellaneous items (chests , traps, and trapskeys). With wands, 'a' will not zap a wand and instead break, releasing all their stored energy onto the user, namely you. This is most useful for the wand of teleportation, but is also applicable with the wand of cloning and mirroring. Careful with offensive wands and prepare good resistance or good armor, as they hit you the hardest in their explosion radius. Apply can also be used with traps to activate them on the spot you are standing on. Do not activate a backpack of gunpowder without a very good reason, as it will instantly detonate on you. Can use with magical items or keys to activate their abilities or open chests and doors, respectively. Finally, use 'A' (capitalized) to repeat the last 'a'pply action, which can save time.  '''C''': Chat. What is used to sci-talk with various entities, but also to find some interesting lore. Holding down 'C' will let you chat to the entity you previously talked to, as long as they are still in the 1 block radius, very good for when surrounded by multiple creatures. '''c''': Close. Closes doors. More useful that one would think, as only closed doors can be locked. Good for fleeing and gaining time.  '''!''': Dip. A supremely useful tool that enables a player to transfer liquids from one container to another. Given that cans cannot break, it's a prime target for moving healing liquids into. On the other hand, dousing flames requires only a tiny bit of liquid, so moving liquids to vials to cover your flaming scrolls in is sufficient to quickly extinguish the flames while saving much liquid. '''d''': Drop. Self-explanatory, should be frequently used later on to not be burden or stressed. '''g''': Go. Allows a player to quickly traverse terrain. I suppose if you want to speedrun IVAN, this is the key to keep track of. The way it works is after pressing g, you can choose a direction (including diagonals!) to continuously run in until you '''>'''See a hostile enemy of any kind '''>'''Discover a trap '''>'''Reach a corner in which there is another possible path to take that leads in another direction. '''>'''Hit a wall or an immovable object These make sure that you won't take dumb damage while running, but be careful, as using 'g' too much will often lead to running unintentionally into traps or get the player too close to potentially lethal enemies. If you have ESP, use it to the fullest before you run ahead. '''L''': look. Also self-explanatory, but people need to do it more. If you have the whole map unlocked, instead of running around looking for the way up or down, just look to remember places you've been to before, saving time and energy, literally. You can also see enemy equipment to make decisions about before fights by 'L'ooking at them and using certain keys, or what items are on a faraway block that you can see. '''O''': Offer. When standing on an alter, you can offer items to the god of that alter. Better items make gods happier, or items associated with them (like lanterns for [[Legifer]], very useful). You can see who is associated with what in [[List of Material Values]] '''p''': See gods sections. '''r''': Read. Uses scrolls, just so you know. '''h''': Rest. Allows the player to heal up while staying in one place, very fast. Still takes in game time though. Also note that a player heals twice as fast on a couch and a whooping five times as fast on a bed. '''s''': Search. Top tier key that makes the player check their surroundings (a one block radius) for traps. The trap checking, while useful, is not the main benefit from searching, but instead the singular tick a search takes. For reference, IVAN is split into turns, with each turn having 10 ticks. Every entity in the game can only move so many ticks per turn, which is improved by agility. Since entities usually move at the same tick each turn, This can be somewhat exploited by the search key, as staying slightly far enough enables players to stay just out of range, search til an enemy moves in, attack them, and run to the next block. This method, known as kiting, is enough to kill most enemies in the game with enough time, though it falter against spellcasters or a certain queen. '''.''': Wait. Similar to search, but takes a turn rather than a tick. Could be useful, but rather niche use. '''t''': Throw. Throw an item. Very strong if you have plenty of weapons to throw, particularly daggers and short swords early game, and poisons and magical weapons late game. Throwing ability is based on arm strength though, so don't expect that adamantium halberd to go too far. Throwing wands will also often break them. '''V''': Vomit. Removes some nutrients from your body in the form of a short range projectile vomit. Does poison enemies, but don't use this as a weapon unless you're at death's door with no options. Vomiting is mainly for getting rid of tape worms that can infest your body when you eat rotten food. '''z''': Zap, use a wand in a certain direction. Most common form of wand use.