Getting started
A Firnreach match starts with a short prep in the daylight: mine crystals and build. Then the dark comes and stays. Enemies attack in waves through the lanes at the edge of the map, and the quiet night between waves is your time to rebuild. Hold the Base through every wave to win; if the Base falls and everyone is down, you lose.
The first prep
Section titled “The first prep”- Mine. Hold Left Mouse while facing a rock or crystal. There are four colors of crystal: Red, Purple, Amber and Obsidian. Gray rocks give +5 of a random color.
- Place your Base first. Press B for the build bar; the Base is under UTILITY. Until it’s down the other build cards say BUILD YOUR BASE FIRST, and with no Base the enemies hunt you. Pick a spot you can wall in: a pocket of rock with one way in is ideal.
- Wall off the way in. DEFENSE has the walls. The Stone Wall is cheap and needs no power; R turns a wall before you place it.
- Make power. Most towers only work with power. Generators make it, Batteries store it and pass it on. You can feed a tower yourself: hold F while looking at it (or press V to auto-feed the nearest tower that needs it).
- Build guns. Turrets, Artillery and Snipers (OFFENSE) shoot. Put them in reach of a generator.
- Start the first wave when you’re ready, or let the timer run out. J skips the rest of the prep; in multiplayer the team votes (Y / N).
Which crystal builds what
Section titled “Which crystal builds what”| Crystal | What it builds |
|---|---|
| Red | Power: Generators and Batteries |
| Purple | Guns: Turret, Artillery, Sniper |
| Amber | Support: Healers, Shield Projectors, Siphons |
| Obsidian | Walls, and it pays for upgrades |
Carrying more than your capacity slows you; twice your capacity stops you. See Crystals and resources for Heartstone, Rime Essence and power, and Buildings for exact costs at every level.
The waves
Section titled “The waves”- Enemies go for your Base. Its level also caps how far every other building can be upgraded, so upgrade it.
- Some enemies change the rules: a Cryo-Mage slows your guns, a Rime-Warden protects its friends, a Burrower dives underground. Their pages under Enemies say how to spot each attack.
- A boss walks every few waves (every 5th in a Standard match). Aim your own shots at its glowing weak spots: they hit for double.
- Gun towers have a weapon you can take: press Q at the stand to carry it and aim it yourself. Your own shots hit harder than the tower’s aim, and carried guns are never frozen by bosses.
- Between waves: open the Base menu (click the Base, press Home, or walk up to it and press E) for your player upgrades, like Mine Speed and Mine Yield.
Two ways to play: first person and commander
Section titled “Two ways to play: first person and commander”Press Tab to switch at any time.
- First person: mine, carry guns, feed power and fight up close.
- Commander view: a top-down view for planning. Pan with WASD, left-click to select and place, right-click to send your character to walk somewhere or mine something.
The Almanac’s Player page has the details for both views.
Default controls
Section titled “Default controls”| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Move / jump / sprint | WASD / Space / Shift |
| Mine or fire | Left Mouse (hold) |
| Aim / scope | Right Mouse (hold) |
| Build mode | B |
| Switch first person / commander | Tab |
| Use, tower menu | E |
| Take or return a tower’s gun | Q |
| Feed power to a tower | F (hold) |
| Auto-feed power | V |
| Open / close a Stone Door | T |
| Upgrade / sell selected tower | U / X |
| Rotate a tower | R |
| Skip the day (start the next wave) | J |
| Ping (twice: need help) | G |
| Chat | Enter |
| Pause | P (Esc always works too) |
Every key can be rebound in Settings. The full list is on the Controls page.
Between matches: the Hollow
Section titled “Between matches: the Hollow”After a match you return to the Hollow, an underground street of shops. Spend Rime Essence (the pale wisps enemies drop, plus a wage every wave) and banked Heartstone on outfits, a better pick, tower parts and supplies. Leveling up earns skill points, which you spend with your Trainer in the skill tree. The Surface Lift at the end of the street takes you back up to the ice.