Difficulty and match settings
Match setup
Select difficulty
The host picks these on the match setup screen before a match (and can change them in the lobby).
Difficulty
Section titled “Difficulty”| Preset | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tutorial | A guided first match on shallow ice. 120 s prep, Obsidian-only upgrades. |
| Easy | Shallow ice. 120 s prep, Obsidian-only upgrades. |
| Medium | Deeper ice. 90 s prep, standard upgrade colors. |
| Hard | Deep ice. 60 s prep, randomized upgrade colors. |
| Insane | Right over the Sleeper. 30 s prep, randomized upgrade colors. |
On a brand-new profile the Tutorial is preselected and marked RECOMMENDED: three gentle waves that teach the basics step by step.
Match length
Section titled “Match length”| Length | What it means |
|---|---|
| Short | A quick night. About 15 minutes: 12 waves that ramp up fast. |
| Standard | A full night. About 30 minutes: 20 waves. |
| Long | A long one. Pack boots. About 45 minutes: 28 waves with longer nights to build. |
| Endless | The Long Night: the cage comes when the Base falls. After wave 10 the waves grow fast; survive wave 20 on Normal or harder to hold the Hollow. Your best wave is recorded. |
Advanced
Section titled “Advanced”- Prep time: 120 s, 90 s, 60 s, 30 s. The daylight you get to build before the first wave.
- Upgrade cost: which crystal pays for your in-match player upgrades at the Base.
| Upgrade cost | What it means |
|---|---|
| Obsidian Only | All player upgrades will only cost Obsidian crystals. |
| Standard | Uses specific element per stat (Ex: Speed=Amber, Yield=Obsidian). |
| Randomized | The color required for an upgrade changes randomly every time. |
| Option | Choices |
|---|---|
| Safe zone | 12 x 12 cells, 16 x 16 cells, 20 x 20 cells |
| Rock coverage | 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% |
| Crystals | 3% of rocks, 5% of rocks, 8% of rocks |
| Map | Random every match, or a fixed map |
| Secrets on the ice | On: Relics and echo stones can turn up out on the ice. Off: A plain match: no relics or echo stones are placed. |
The deep lift
Section titled “The deep lift”Something hums below the Sealed Gate. The deep lift is not safe to ride yet. Mend its brake in the deep workshop behind the Sealed Gate, and a match can ride it down instead of playing on the surface ice:
Darker, more rock and ice, tougher enemies with the nasty ones from wave 1, the Leviathan first. 1.5x Rime Essence, 2 Heartstones a boss. Medium, Hard and Insane.