Drag anywhere on the screen — your guardian follows the movement (your finger needn't be on it). The guardian fires automatically. Dodge the shadows and the orbs they shoot. Tap the ❚❚ button (top-left) to pause.
Stardust (✦) is your currency — collect it from slain shadows and spend it on unlocks and upgrades. XP raises your level; every level pays out stardust and unlocks new things: foxes at level 15, a 2nd fox slot at level 40, and the Starforge at level 50.
In Squad you buy and upgrade guardians (your main character — each has its own shooting style) and foxes (sidekicks that fire alongside you, unlocked at level 15; a second can be equipped from level 40). Tap any stat bubble (Damage, Rate, Crit…) to read what it means.
The 3rd Squad tab, unlocked at level 50. Permanent upgrades bought with stardust that apply to every guardian — more damage, fire rate, crit, stardust, magnet and more. They are always active, in every run — and they stack with the blessings you pick up during a run. The forever goal for your stardust.
Your equipped guardian slowly earns mastery from every shadow it slays (max 10) — more fire rate and crit. Reach Mastery 10 to unlock a glowing aura.
Chain kills quickly to build a combo multiplier — more score and stardust per kill. Getting hit (or pausing your killing) breaks the chain.
Every run can be a different night — Blood Moon, Frost Night, Gold Rush and more — each with its own colours, rules (tougher / faster / richer) and enemy mix. The night is announced at the start.
Bosses arrive periodically with unique attack patterns. After each boss you choose 1 of 3 blessings (boons) that stack for the rest of the run — so every run builds differently. Unlike the Starforge (which is permanent), blessings last only the current run — but they add on top of your permanent upgrades.
Slain shadows drop timed power-ups (spread, rapid, shield, magnet…). Rare golden relics grant an instant random blessing. Glowing elite shadows are tough but drop a fat reward.
Log in each day for an escalating streak reward, complete daily quests for stardust, and compete on the daily and weekly challenge leaderboards. Your first run each day pays double stardust.
Each challenge has a fixed night plus a daily twist (Boss Rush, Swarm, Glass Cannon, Sudden Death, Blessed, No Shield…) so it plays differently every day — check Coming up to plan ahead. Reach the score thresholds for 🥉🥈🥇 daily medals (a stardust payout every day) and keep a challenge streak going for a growing bonus. The weekly has its own medals too, but earned differently — from your total score across the whole week, so keep coming back. Place top-3 on a finished day or week for a podium reward, and last week's weekly winner wears a 👑 on the scoreboard.
The Bestiary unlocks an entry for every shadow and boss you defeat. The Next goal card on the menu always shows your nearest target — tap it to jump there.
From level 100 you may Ascend — open the Levels menu (tap your profile at the top of the main menu). Ascending resets your level to 1 but grants a permanent boost to damage, stardust AND XP. Crucially, the boost grows the higher you climb first: Lv 100 → +10%, Lv 200 → +25%, Lv 300 → +40% — so it pays to push higher before you ascend. It stacks every time, and you keep everything else: all guardians, foxes, Starforge upgrades and stardust. Ascend again at Lv 100+ as often as you like.
Stuck? Spend stardust in the Starforge for steady power, chase the Next goal, and don't be afraid to revive on a great run (the cost grows the deeper you are).