Crystals and resources
Almanac
Crystals and resources
Crystals
Section titled “Crystals”You mine four colors of crystal on the ice. Colored crystals always give their own color; gray rocks give a few crystals of a random color.
| Crystal | What it builds |
|---|---|
| Red | builds power (Generators, Batteries). |
| Purple | builds guns (Turret, Artillery, Sniper). |
| Amber | builds support (Healers, Shield Projectors, Siphons). |
| Obsidian | builds walls and pays for upgrades. |
Carrying more than your capacity slows you; twice your capacity stops you. Spend crystals on buildings to lighten the load.
Mining specialty
Section titled “Mining specialty”Pick a crystal color you mine 50% faster (the others 10% slower). Co-op teams split the colors. You choose it on the match setup screen; it is saved with your profile.
Heartstone
Section titled “Heartstone”Every boss drops one, and about 1 in 30 gray rocks. It is heavy, and it only counts once you bank it: carry it to your Base and press E. Heartstone still in your pocket when the match ends is lost. Banked Heartstone is spent in the Hollow’s shops.
Rime Essence
Section titled “Rime Essence”The pale wisps enemies drop: walk over them before they fade. Every player also earns a wage each time a wave’s day ends. You keep all your Essence on a win and half of what you collected on a loss (the wage is always kept). Rime Essence is spent in the Hollow’s shops. Your first win pays a bonus.
Most buildings run on power. Generators make it, Batteries store it and pass it on. You carry your own POWER too: look at a tower and hold F to feed it, or press V to auto-feed the nearest tower that needs it. Your POWER refills at the Base.
Tips the game gives you
Section titled “Tips the game gives you”The first time each of these comes up in a match, the game shows the tip:
- A BOSS wave: one huge enemy that shrugs off tower fire. Aim your own shots at its glowing weak spots - they hit for double.
- Gray rocks give a few crystals of a random color. Colored crystals always give their own color.
- Your load is getting heavy. Past your carry limit you move at half speed: spend crystals on buildings, and bank Heartstone at your Base.
- A Shield Wall’s shield only works while it has power: keep it in reach of a Generator.
- A tower ran out of power and stopped firing. Build a Generator in its reach, or feed it your own POWER (F).
- Heartstone! It is heavy, and it only counts once you bank it at your Base. Heartstone still in your pocket when the match ends is lost.
- This tower runs on POWER. Look at it and hold F to feed it yours (commander view: select it, FEED POWER). Your POWER refills at the Base.
- No walls yet. In a few nights the waves get big enough to reach your Base. Block the way in with Spike Walls so your towers can hold them.