Guide reviewed for the July 2026 web build.
Burst is a reserve, not just a special shot
A run begins with level-three Burst and a full 100% baseline gauge. The reserve can climb above 100%, which matters because stored energy strengthens charge-shot damage and the starting damage of the Burst laser. While you are neither charging nor boosting, Burst passively returns at one percent per second. Defeated enemies and Burst pickups add more; a Burst pickup gives an immediate amount and starts a short bonus-energy effect.
Charge has three practical release points. The early stage costs little and is useful for opening a narrow path. The middle stage is a compromise between interruption and damage. The full stage reaches maximum charge at one second, spends more energy, pierces targets, and blocks enemy bullets. At Burst level three, the later charge also gains a one-hit guard. Holding maximum charge indefinitely is not free: the reserve continues to drain in small ticks.
When to release early
Release an early charge to remove a fragile lead target, interrupt your own tunnel vision, or keep normal fire active. A perfect full charge is not automatically the best shot. Damage that arrives before a dive begins can be safer than higher damage after it reaches you.
When to hold for maximum
Hold through the final stage when several targets share a lane, when enemy bullets need to be erased along the shot path, or when the boss weak point is about to open. Full charge also becomes more attractive when upgrades increase reserve, stage reliability, or automatic full-charge follow-ups.
ATK storage and temporary overdrive
Rapid and Spread pickups feed a shared ATK gauge. Stored ATK improves automatic-fire damage, while the pickup itself can also trigger a short overdrive independent of the displayed tier. That distinction explains why the ship may briefly fire at a stronger pattern before the long-term gauge appears dramatically different.
A completed Burst laser or a manually released stage-three Burst shot can grant a short maximum-ATK automatic-fire window. Burst-to-ATK conversion is a more deliberate mode: it applies the maximum ATK stage while draining real Burst and adding ATK. The visible aura and transfer sparks are a reminder that the damage increase is consuming another resource.
Use conversion when sustained contact is possible—for example, a boss is stationary or a wide formation is entering from one direction. Avoid conversion when movement pressure is about to force you away, because drained Burst also removes your ability to create a piercing escape lane.
Defense tools control different kinds of risk
Shield
A shield forgives a hit; it does not create space. It is strongest when you keep playing normally instead of using it as permission to collide with a dangerous formation.
Orbit items and the orbit wall
Orbit items stack up to six. Orbiters block bullets and rotate faster as the stack grows. The inner and outer groups counter-rotate, which spreads interception around the ship. Pressing the orbit-wall action launches them into a formation. Both the orb nodes and the visible connector strip can repeatedly damage enemies, so placing the line across a dive path is more effective than treating the nodes as isolated projectiles.
Bomb
A bomb is the widest emergency reset, and its pickup frequency is intentionally limited. It should answer a failed position, overlapping attack patterns, or a boss sequence that has closed every normal route. Using it to speed up a safe wave usually trades future survival for a small time gain.
Boost
Boost spends rechargeable movement energy. Short controlled bursts are safer than holding it until empty. Cross the dangerous lane, release, and let energy recover while normal movement handles the next adjustment.
Homing support
Homing missiles unlock from their pickup and scale with the current ATK tier. Picking up another can briefly push rate and damage to their maximum. Missiles do not pierce; impact consumes them. They are especially useful when dodging prevents direct alignment, but they do not replace the lane-clearing role of charge shots.
Read the warning, not the collision
Standard enemies build formation pressure, while elite enemies arrive every five waves and bosses every ten. A boost-diving enemy gives an advance warning before committing. Use that warning to move perpendicular to the projected lane. Moving too soon in the same direction can let the diver correct toward your new position; moving too late turns boost into a panic button.
Early waves reduce projectile density so movement and charge timing can be learned. Difficulty then scales every three waves. The useful mental model is “future space”: look at where formations, dives, and projectiles will overlap a moment from now. The safest current gap may be the worst destination if two warnings point into it.
Enemy bullets are prevented from traveling upward after an enemy has passed the player. That keeps pressure readable, but a passed enemy is still a collision threat. Do not follow it toward the lower edge just because its firing angle is limited.
Meteors are cover, hazard, and optional reward
Meteors have slow and fast variants, scale with the wave, block enemy bullets, and resist bombs. Destroying one releases two or three random item rewards. Those properties create a choice rather than a mandatory target.
- Use a meteor as temporary projectile cover when its path separates you from a firing line.
- Destroy it when the lane is already safe and the expected items can shape the run.
- Ignore it when chasing would pin the ship against an edge or hide a dive warning.
- Remember that a bomb may clear surrounding pressure without instantly removing the meteor itself.
Before the first boss, meteor generation is intentionally very low. The opening sequence should teach enemy movement and gauges without forcing repeated large-object detours. Later waves can make the risk-versus-reward decision more frequent.
The first boss sequence
The wave-ten boss combines regular barrages, aimed volleys, a laser charge, and minion summons. Regular fire has a minimum rearm period, while shots inside aimed volleys keep their own spacing. Do not react to every projectile as a separate surprise; identify the start of the sequence and move through the planned gap.
Before the laser, the boss exposes a weak point and takes amplified damage there. The charge warning is both a threat and an opportunity. Select a side that stays clear of the future beam, then spend stored Burst or ATK overdrive into the weak point. Once the laser commits, continue moving only as much as necessary. Large extra movements can carry the ship into minions or the next volley.
If a revive or rewarded continuation is available in a native build, treat it as recovery from a nearly completed attempt, not part of the base strategy. Web runs do not depend on an ad to reach the boss.
Three coherent build routes
Charge-control route
Prioritize Burst reserve, charge damage, charge-stage support, and safe firing windows. This route excels at aligned formations and boss weak points. Its weakness is lost automatic-fire time, so use early releases rather than forcing maximum charge on every wave.
Sustained-ATK route
Prioritize Rapid/Spread access, ATK storage, movement, and homing support. Keep enemies in front of the ship and use short charge shots only when a lane must be opened. This route is forgiving during constant movement but has fewer single-shot answers to a dense wall.
Orbit-control route
Prioritize orbit count, duration, formation opportunities, and defenses that let you position the wall aggressively. The route rewards prediction: launch the connector through the place an elite will occupy, then fight from the safer side. It loses value if the wall is launched after enemies have already crossed the intended line.
Hybrid builds are valid, but choose one question your build answers especially well: “How do I open a lane?”, “How do I maintain boss damage?”, or “How do I stop a dive?” If every card answers a different question, none may be strong enough at the next milestone.
Common mistakes and corrections
- Holding Charge through every safe target: release sooner and restore automatic fire.
- Boosting until empty: use one crossing burst and preserve a second correction.
- Launching orbiters at the current enemy position: place the wall across the enemy's warned future path.
- Chasing meteor drops immediately: clear the route first; pickups are not worth a life.
- Watching the ship during a boss warning: glance at the boss telegraph, choose the safe lane, then return attention to nearby bullets.
- Taking unrelated upgrades: build around a repeatable combat answer rather than the largest isolated number.
For controls and an opening-wave walkthrough, return to the Player Guide Hub. For account upgrades and ranking rules, continue to the Progression and Rankings Guide.
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