What to do in the first five minutes
Treat the opening as an information pass, not a race to force a perfect build. The official store description frames the game around a squad, upgrades, and a survivors-style run. Your first job is to identify what your starting team already does reliably, then choose upgrades that keep that plan functioning when the screen gets crowded.
A simple first-run loop is: pick a team, read the offered upgrade, protect a consistent damage pattern, and note which choice created a real problem later. Write down the mode and difficulty as well. The official Game modes page is the better place to confirm time limits and unlock relationships; the store page is not a substitute for those details.
- Choose a team whose starting tools are easy to observe rather than one that requires a fully solved synergy.
- Prefer an upgrade that makes the next minute safer when two choices look close.
- When a run fails, record the first pressure point: positioning, damage uptime, recovery, or an unclear upgrade path.
Read upgrades by job, not by isolated number
An upgrade is useful because it changes a job in the run. Ask whether it improves reliable screen coverage, concentrated damage, survivability, or the ability to keep moving. A large-looking number is not automatically the best pick if the team cannot deliver that damage consistently. The official Upgrades page is the reference for the available upgrade structure; this guide only supplies a way to compare choices during a live run.
Use a two-column mental model. In the first column, write the damage pattern you already have: close, long-range, area, or target-focused. In the second, write the problem the next wave is creating. Pick the choice that connects those columns. This keeps you from collecting attractive upgrades that never answer the pressure you are actually facing.
- Coverage answers how much of the screen your team can affect without perfect aim.
- Uptime answers how often the damage pattern can operate while you reposition.
- Survivability answers whether the build can recover from one bad approach or missed timing.
Mode and difficulty checks
Do not assume every mode uses the same timer, enemy pressure, or unlock path. Before comparing two runs, record the mode and difficulty, then verify the current relationship on the official Game modes page. That small habit prevents a route that works in one ruleset from being presented as universal advice.
If an unlock appears to be missing, check the source page first and separate three states: confirmed requirement, visible achievement name, and requirement not currently documented in the material you have. A hidden achievement title is a label, not proof of its condition.
A repeatable run review
After a run, review the earliest avoidable decision rather than only the final screen. Was the team already missing a damage role? Did the route depend on one upgrade appearing? Did you spend a defensive choice before the run had enough coverage? Those questions produce transferable notes for the next attempt and make the site pages below easier to use as a working reference.
Use the Characters index for role-specific pages, Synergies for team experiments, and Weapons for upgrade or attribute questions. The links are deliberately split by user problem so a guide answer does not blur into an unverified tier claim.
- Confirmed fact: the store page currently presents the game as single-player and centers a squad-and-upgrade loop.
- Source-backed detail: modes, timers, and unlock relationships belong to the official Wiki pages.
- Open question: any exact current point values or damage formulas need a current 1.0 source check.
Next pages for a second run
If your first run was mechanically clear but underpowered, open Weapon Upgrade Route or the Attack Speed vs Cooldown explainer. If the run worked but felt inconsistent, compare Synergies and the Huntress or Ghost pages. If you are trying to unlock something, start with Achievement Unlocks and Hidden Characters instead of guessing from a name.