When To Use AWD, Low Gear and Diff Lock in Roadcraft
You're going to need them all!
Despite RoadCraft’s construction theme, traversal is still a big part of the off-roading experience. Your scout vehicle must still navigate muddy tracks, climb steep hills, and descend rocky terrain. Knowing what to do in each situation is vital to smooth traversal, which the game handles through its various driving modes.
Knowing what to engage in each situation takes practice and experimentation, but I’m here to break down when you should use AWD, low gear, and the diff lock in RoadCraft.
When To Use AWD in RoadCraft
AWD, or All-Wheel Drive, is a common feature in 4×4 vehicles. When enabled, it sends power to all wheels equally, improving traction and overall control. While you shouldn’t use it on regular solid roads, it’s extremely useful when climbing uphill or navigating uneven terrain and bumpy roads.
Here is a scenario where using AWD makes sense.
The path ahead is steep, filled with small rocks, and uneven terrain. If I try to climb it with my default starting scout, I can’t make any progress as the wheels just spin in place. However, as soon as I engage AWD, power is distributed to all the tires, and the scout climbs the hill with ease.
You can also AWD in combination with the other modes on slippery roads, and anytime you feel like the wheels are struggling to rotate and carry the vehicle.
When To Use Diff Lock in RoadCraft
Diff Lock, or locking differential, locks the axle of the vehicle, forcing both wheels on the axle to turn at the same speed. While AWD distributes power equally to all wheels, Diff Lock ensures that one wheel isn’t spinning at a different speed from another.
In practical use, you want to use Diff Lock when one wheel is spinning freely while another is stuck. This is extremely useful when you’re stuck because of a rock obstructing one of your wheels or if one or more wheels are losing traction. Here is a scenario where using Diff Lock makes sense.
The left wheel is stuck in place because of a large rock next to it. The right wheel is spinning quite fast, but the vehicle is stuck in place because of the stuck wheel. So, this is when using Diff Lock makes a lot of sense.
As soon as you turn it on, every wheel has to move at the same speed, which means that one wheel isn’t slipping, and they all rotate at the same speed, allowing the left wheel to easily go over the rock.
It can also be useful when the road is very uneven and when you’re driving over a steep hill with a lot of rocks. In that case, you want to use it in combination with AWD. Just ensure that it’s a straight climb, because the diff lock also reduces the turning radius of the axle.
When To Use Low Gear in RoadCraft
Finally, the trusty old low gear function. This one is fairly straightforward. You want to use low gear when your tires are spinning a bit too fast for the terrain you’re on. For example, if you’re driving through mud, the surface can deform if you’re going too fast, causing you to sink. To avoid that, slower wheel rotation is necessary, which is exactly what a low gear helps with.
Here are the default controls for each function:
| Vehicle Mode | Xbox | PlayStation | Keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWD | X | Square | E |
| Diff. Lock | Y | Triangle | Q |
| Low Gear | A | X | Left Shift |
| Handbrake | B | Circle | Space |
You can see which mode is currently engaged by looking at the icons at the bottom right of the screen.
Your last action will also pop up right above it.
Overall, each mode has its use, and if you’re in a really sticky situation, a combination of each is worth trying before you recover your vehicle altogether.
