WASD or Arrow Keys to move. Your weapons fire automatically — just focus on staying alive and positioning yourself. SPACE unleashes your Awakening. Esc or P pauses.

Kill enemies for XP gems. Leveling up pauses the game and offers 3 choices — new weapons, weapon upgrades, or passive stat boosts. Don't like your options? Spend a Reroll for a fresh set. Once every weapon is maxed, powerful Mastery upgrades unlock.

The gauge on the right fills as you fight — faster from Elites and bosses. When it's full, press SPACE to Awaken: 8 seconds of double damage, faster attacks, and boosted speed. Save it for when you're surrounded or a boss shows up.

Enemies can drop temporary power-ups — Speed Boost, Shield, Damage Boost, Heal, Magnet Burst, Nuke, and Freeze. Rarer still are Relics (gold diamonds), which last the entire run and reshape your build — lifesteal, extra shots, retaliation damage, even surviving a fatal hit. Elites and bosses are your best source.

Enemies ringed in gold are Elites — much tougher, but worth triple XP and Souls, and they always drop a power-up. They get more common as waves progress. Prioritize them when you can safely take them.

Later waves introduce specialists worth learning: Bombers explode when killed (deadly up close, but they also damage other enemies). Splitters break into three smaller foes. Menders heal nearby allies — kill them first. Bulwarks are heavily armored and shrug off most damage. Sentinels keep their distance and shoot.

Souls earned each run carry over permanently. Spend them in the Upgrades shop on stat boosts that apply to every future run, or in the Skin Shop on cosmetics — none of it is lost when you die.

Starting at Wave 10, a boss appears — you'll get a warning first. The Devourer is a mechanical worm whose entire trailing body hurts to touch and whose segments fire lasers. The Soul Warden teleports, drops telegraphed blast zones you must dodge, and summons minions. Either one guarantees a Relic on death.