Progression and Rankings

Guide reviewed for the July 2026 web build.

Guest play and account play are both complete paths

You can start, finish, and restart runs without creating an account. Control bindings, sound preference, tutorial state, local scores, and other local settings remain in that browser or app storage. Clearing site data, using private browsing, or changing devices can remove those local records.

Account login is optional. It adds server-synced achievements, Career Points, permanent Career upgrades, and account-linked score records. Google login is used only when selected. The game receives an authenticated account identifier and the profile fields supplied through that login flow; it does not receive the Google password.

Run research changes choices, not account power

The Progression Lab contains two separate layers. Run research is a six-point loadout that changes the weights used when upgrade cards are drafted. It helps steer what may appear during that run, but it does not directly purchase a permanent stat increase. Use it to make a planned build more consistent: charge tags for a Burst route, projectile or fire-rate tags for sustained ATK, or defense/control tags for an orbit route.

Because research influences weighted pools, it cannot guarantee a specific card. A flexible plan should include a primary direction and one fallback. For example, a charge plan can use orbit control as its defensive fallback without spending every point across unrelated themes.

Achievements turn completed activity into Career Points

Account achievements track completed runs, kills, boss kills, destroyed meteors, survival time, best score, and best wave. Progress is submitted after game over. Each defined achievement reward can be granted only once per account. Repeating the same completed run does not create duplicate Career Points because the server processes the account and run identifier together.

If the connection fails at game over, an account-scoped browser queue keeps the unsent run report and retries during a later synchronization. The local display may show the last successful snapshot while the request is pending; the server remains the final source of truth.

Career upgrades apply at clean run boundaries

Career Points can purchase server-validated ranks for starting lives, starting bombs, starting Burst, starting ATK, shield, and movement speed. The game takes a snapshot of owned bonuses when a new run begins. Buying an upgrade while a run is already active does not rewrite that run's lives, gauges, or speed.

This boundary protects both clarity and ranking integrity: two players know the rules of a run cannot change because an asynchronous account response arrived mid-fight. Start a new run after a successful purchase to use the new rank.

Choosing an early Career purchase

• Starting life: broadest forgiveness, useful while learning boss patterns.
• Starting bomb: an additional emergency reset, valuable when deaths come from overlapping pressure.
• Starting Burst or ATK: earlier offensive consistency for a preferred build route.
• Shield: protects against one mistake without changing damage timing.
• Movement speed: powerful for players who already use small corrections; excessive movement can make oversteering worse.

What leaderboard records describe

Leaderboard entries can include score, wave, survival time, and build details such as upgrade order. Personal, regional, and global categories let the same run be viewed in different contexts. Ranking periods may change as the service evolves, but a score must come from a completed game flow and pass server validation.

A high score is more useful when its run detail explains how it happened. Review the upgrade order and survival time alongside the number: a lower-damage control build may reach a later wave, while an aggressive build may score faster but end earlier.

Regional rankings use coarse location only after permission

Location permission is optional and is requested for Nearby or regional ranking features, not for basic play. When used, exact latitude and longitude are converted into a country code and an approximate area cell. Exact coordinates are not stored as the leaderboard field. Denying or revoking permission leaves personal and global categories available.

Account, leaderboard, regional, advertising, provider, and retention details are documented in the Privacy Policy. Public operator and support information is provided separately on the Business Information page. Direct purchases are not enabled.

Account synchronization troubleshooting

1. Confirm that the LOGIN panel shows the account you intend to use.
2. If the status says a run is queued, stay signed into that account and retry sync after the network returns.
3. Do not switch accounts while an old run is pending unless you intend to leave it associated with the original account. Client queues are account-scoped.
4. If the display looks old, reopen the account panel to request a fresh server state. Avoid repeatedly purchasing the same rank while a response is pending.
5. For a persistent mismatch, send the approximate time, visible status message, platform, and browser version through the support routes. Never send a password or login code.

Fair play protects meaningful rankings

Automated play, modified score submissions, client tampering, exploit abuse, impersonating display names, and attempts to access another account are prohibited. Suspicious records may be withheld, corrected, or removed. This is not meant to punish experimentation in ordinary play; it keeps public rankings comparable.

Report a reproducible scoring exploit before using it in a public run. A useful report includes the sequence of actions, expected result, actual result, and whether it repeats after a clean restart. Screenshots are welcome, but remove account email, tokens, or other private data before posting publicly.

Progression without pressure

Career bonuses are long-term goals, not a requirement for learning the game. The tutorial, first boss, item systems, and core build decisions are available to guests. A good first objective is simply to reach wave ten with one emergency tool unused. Account progression can then reward repeated play without replacing the combat skills described in the Combat and Build Manual.