Mission Types

Daily Missions

Mission Types

Strategies for each Daily / Specialist Mission Type

Invader Weaponry Notes are notes which are specific to the mission type that differentiate it from other missions in terms of invader turret layouts. In the strategies for each mission type below, if an Aura or Zen is not mentioned, it means it is neutral against that mission type, which means it works fine but it has no particular advantage or disadvantage which caters to that mission type.

Please note that there are reasons why some ships are repeated in multiple sections, while others get less mention. For example, a ship/apex in the speedrunning section may not always make it over to the fun section because while it does go fast, it may be frustratingly hard to actually do so. A final note on this, despite my best efforts to put ships and apexes carefully into each section, I may accidentally omit a few ships/apexes and mis-classify a few because there are simply too many ships and apexes. You are free to contact me and dispute it. I will assure you that I will look into your feedback with careful consideration.

This guide will only go into the mission types without considering the affinities in the strategies explained below. However, a table showing what ships can be used will be included. If a ship is mentioned, then both of its apexes can also be used. Some of the columns for the table in different mission types may be obscured by an inline text spoiler which looks something like this. The reason for this is because the associated affinity type for that mission type does not exist. For example, Unprotected Invaders cannot appear in Laser/Pellet missions. While this guide recommends to use a ship of a weapon affinity that matches the invader type, this may not always be possible especially in the early game. Thus, this guide gives you the option to use ships whose weapon affinity do not match the invader's type. In order to read the text, you can simply select all text (by using Ctrl + A on the computer keyboard), or highlight the text in the inline text spoiler. For the affinities of a certain mission type which do not appear, some apexes will not appear, like AP MS or SB LS because it makes no sense/no difference to use the apex in another affinity of that mission type. High Damage REMP apexes also don't appear in mission types that do not have Unprotected invaders because the base ship itself is usually already in another affinity of that mission type, so it already implies that you can use the High Damage REMP apex too.

As some mission types are extremely similar to each other, they will be under one section since they share most of the strategies..

There are 15 mission types, 2 of which are easier versions of their respectively mentioned mission types. This means there are technically only 13 mission types. The mission types can be broadly categorized into a few archetypes (Some missions are in more than one category):

• General - Features bullets in roughly equal proportions
  • General
  • General - No Lasers
  • General/Boomerang
• Laser Heavy - Very laser heavy missions
  • Lasers Only
  • Laser/Pellet
  • Laser/Shuriken
• Boomerang Heavy - Very fast paced missions that have darts and boomerangs
  • Dart/Boomerang/Pellet
  • Dart/Boomerang/Laser
  • General/Boomerang
• Bullet Hell - Bullets only. Absolutely no lasers.
  • Shuriken/MIRV - This mission kind of belongs to a category of its own as well for being extremely unique, since it is a slow bullet hell mission that has absolutely no fast bullets at all.
  • Dart/MIRV
  • Shuriken/Boomerang
  • General - No Lasers
• Others
  • Shuriken/Pellet/Laser - This is a weird mission type that is well balanced between a bullet hell and laser heavy mission, yet it's not a generic mission since darts are absent.
  • Dart/Pellet/Laser - This is a weird mission that is well balanced between a bullet hell and laser heavy mission, but it lacks shurikens which makes it not really a generic mission.
  • Shuriken/Pellet - An easier version of Shuriken/MIRV. This mission type doesn't really fit into bullet hell mission type because it appears only in Bronze ranks, which isn't really a bullet hell at all.
  • Dart/Pellet - An easier version of Dart/Boomerang/Pellet. This mission type doesn't really fit into bullet hell mission type because it appears only in Bronze and Silver ranks, which isn't really a bullet hell at all.

Note that these strategies are written mostly for Marshal rank. Thus, not all of the descriptions may be accurate in lower ranks. You will definitely be able to use many more Auras and Zens effectively at lower ranks due to the lower density of invader weaponry.

You can also click on the mission intel icons or the text links in the box for the different invader weaponry and check out individual strategies on how to deal against them.

Shuriken/MIRV	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Tempest Tillat'Or Aurora Boxer Uhb Lorilou AB8/Klyn Lyova Nimbus Tar'Cah Delta Orion Delta Shogun Sigma Predator Delta Claymore Lambda Jeria Sigma Pandora Tau	Krillou Jericho Juggernaut Sakura Hunter Saber Orion Sonah Trinity Shogun Predator Marauder Disaris Tar'Cah Delta AB8/Klyn Delta	Shinova Veil Phoenix Yigothu Mirage Luna Jeria Tar'Cah Delta Orion Delta Arietis Lambda AB8/Klyn Delta Banshee Phi
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Baqlor Uhb Nimbus Shogun Sigma AB8/Klyn Sigma Icarus Sigma Lyova Tau Starless Sigma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Saber Shogun Icarus Juggernaut Lambda Ex04239 Sigma Mistral Tau Disaris Omega	Veil Scuuxun Starless Jeria Proxymar Beta Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi Luna Tau & Omega Banshee Phi
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Tempest Aurora Boxer Uhb Lorilou AB8/Klyn Lyova Nimbus Tar'Cah Lambda Wrackr Epsilon Shogun Sigma Predator Delta Claymore Lambda Starless Sigma	Krillou Juggernaut Hunter Saber Sonah Shogun Predator Juggernaut Lambda Sakura Epsilon Widget Tau Mistral Tau Disaris Omega	Veil Yigothu Mirage Luna Phoenix Delta Arietis Lambda Banshee Phi

Example of Shuriken/MIRV Sub-Variant A (Marshal S2):

Example of Shuriken/MIRV Sub-Variant B (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) BEMP is the ultimate solution to this mission type. The extreme density of bullets in this mission make the energy to bullets cleared ratio very worthwhile.
  • (+) The Aura that takes it to the next level is PD EMP Laser Apex. You can simply relax amongst the red sea of bullets. Just keep on tapping to breeze through the bullet hell. On heavier waves however, don't tap too often and tap it rhythmically.
  • (+) REMP is also a great solution. However, due to the time needed to recharge, it can be difficult to rely on, and requires a supporting Aura that can also eliminate bullets.
    • As opposed to the normal way to open up a wave with REMP, you should instead just prepare yourself by moving into the middle of the field. Wait for the MIRVs to all fire, then release your touch to trigger REMP and most of the MIRVs will all be gone.
  • (+) TP is an effective tool to deal against clusters of MIRVs.
    • Against T3 and T4 shuriken launchers as you can simply TP your way upfield after these shuriken launchers have finished their rounds of firing. Just be careful not to TP close to a T1 and T2 shuriken launcher as they can shoot you at point blank.
    • However, because of how quickly wavefronts of MIRVs appear, TP can be easily overworked which leads to very long charge times. Alone by itself, TP simply is not sufficient to deal against dense waves that feature wave after wave of MIRVs.
    • The Extended Clearance Apex for TP finally sees some use here as it can delete larger clusters of MIRVs.
  • (+) VL is a good surgical tool to eliminate dangerous MIRV Bloomers and DDSMs. You can also eliminate shuriken launchers, although they are usually plentiful so it's not usually recommended to eliminate shuriken launchers.
  • (+) This mission is one of the only mission types where Phalanx can really succeed. The shoveling action of Phalanxes turn into something like 6 charges of medium sized BEMPs, especially when used well to clear a lot of the field. A well utilized Phalanx by bravely shoveling in front can eliminate about half the field's length.
    • Phalanxes are also effective against T3 and T4 shuriken launchers since they can shovel past the shurikens.
  • (+) SEMP can usually be sustained long enough for it to work. After firing the initial SEMP, get to work to kill off all Ravens and Herons on field first. Then go to work and eliminate MIRV Bloomers and Launchers/Spreads. Leave the shuriken turrets for last, these often pose little threat and you can simply avoid them.
  • (=) PD works well against waves that are mostly MIRVs. However, against T3 and T4 shuriken launchers, PD will struggle.
  • (=) Barriers don't work very well but they are usable.
    • It is usually difficult to place barriers upfield due to the many bullets or MIRVs coming your way. Placing barriers upfield are usually only up until the end of Act 3.
    • Barriers can block off the first wave of MIRVs effectively, but be sure to keep enough Aura for more barriers. Where possible, deploy them just before the next wavefront of MIRVs can enter your barrier.
    • Be sure to allow shurikens to be inside your barrier since going through the middle line of the pattern is what will allow you to graze and get Aura for subsequent barrier deployments.
  • (-) This is the only mission type where CF doesn't work well.
    • Having the invincibility against bullets is nice, but not when bullets are simply everywhere with no way to get rid of them. By itself, CF fails at getting any useful result.
    • Against T4 shuriken launchers, it doesn't help much to get past the other annoyances around it particularly when you realize that with every small CF you deploy to Phase Out through the annoyances, the further upfield you have to push, and eventually you'll be point blank with so many turrets you'll die.
    • Against MIRV wavefronts, you can approach a small part of the wavefront and explode them all to leave a gap in the middle. But soon you'll start to realize that you'll be faced with either another wavefront of MIRVs, or the mass flood of shurikens. Simply, you just don't have enough Aura to sustain the many waves of bullets.
    • A small CF won't help you here as the invincibility time isn't long enough to Phase Out through the pellets released by MIRVs or get past the annoyances in T4 shuriken launcher patterns. You need to kill them fast enough to put a quick end to this madness of waves as the defence provided by CF alone just isn't sufficient.
    • This does not mean CF ships are not recommended ships to use. Yigothu and Trinity are still very good options here.
  • (-) Due to the massive number of Ravens harboring so many MIRV Launchers, IC is a hopeless Aura here.
  • (-) Due to so many MIRV launchers and so many shuriken launchers, popping off turrets using LS is ineffective. LS would seldom focus fire on MIRV Bloomers, DDSMs and DDMBs, making it ineffective.
• Least variety of invader weaponry. Primarily summarized by 2 types of turrets: Shuriken Launchers and MIRV turrets. As boring as it gets, the combination of both quickly floods the field and creates an utter mess.
  • In particular, when you have a whole mess of Ravens on field, prepare to be bombarded with MIRVs less than 2 seconds later after they all appear. The Ravens and Herons will all fire MIRVs synchronously, resulting in a massive wavefront of MIRVs approaching your way.
• Turret Priority Elimination is a must in this mission type, especially if you do not have BEMP or PD EMP Laser. If you do not eliminate the dangerous turrets quickly, the chances of dying increases exponentially. If you have a forward firing ship, be sure to quickly take out MIRV Bloomers and DDSMs as quickly as possible.
  • DDMBs are not threatening, unless they cover the whole screen. If so, then, obviously, they are first priority to eliminate.
    • Unless you can eliminate 2 turrets before DDMBs goes off, if so, then eliminate one turret before a DDB.
    • If you have a ship that is not forward firing, you have to get up close to one of the DDMBs and pop them off.
    • Otherwise, watch the Vulture movement and go to the opposite side in the very bottom corner and hope for the best. There is a small chance this can work, but this is really down to RNG. Such a Vulture set-up usually makes all ships that aren't forward firing impossible, or at least, extremely difficult.
  • Not even REMP can save you, as REMP isn't a very damaging Zen. Unless, you have a capable offence enough to take out turrets quickly.
• (+) Auto aiming ships that can fire backwards actually do very well against these mission types, since you can camp any of the 2 upfield corners of the field and ignore probably 2/3 of MIRVs.
  • The only problem comes when there are DDMBs or MIRV Bloomers to deal against with. Eliminate these DDMBs or MIRV Bloomers as soon as possible if you see these appearing.
  • If there are MIRV Bloomers, unfortunately you will likely need to revert to playing downfield again, unless you have an easy means to deal against MIRVs.
• (-) Of course, on the other hand, ships with thin & forward firing main weapons do poorly here since trying to reach invaders will cause many MIRVs to explode. This can particularly be a problem at the end of the wave.
  • If you are forced to use such a ship (especially in solo specialist missions), the best way is to kill all invaders on field except one Raven or Heron.
  • Aim to eliminate one side of the field first minimally, so you have breathing space.
  • When you are down to the last invader, slowly strip off the side of MIRV Launchers of the last surviving Raven or Heron that is opposite to where they are located on field. For example, if the Raven/Heron is on the left side of the field, strip off the right turret.
  • It would of course be best if you can strip off both turrets of a Raven, but this is usually very hard due to how low their health are. On Herons however, this could be possible.
  • Doing this technique of surgically removing turrets on an Eagle is not recommended doe to how deadly the side turrets usually are, and the middle turret is even more dangerous so trying to strip off the middle and 1 side turret is too difficult.
  • Any invaders bigger than that are too difficult to not kill them so that the next wave does not arrive before you are prepared.
• Don't even try to get Ogon Is Fine badges on this mission type. It's impossible, so long you have one MIRV Bloomer show up. (To that, I have never seen a Marshal S4 Shuriken/MIRV mission without an MIRV Bloomer. So yea, not happening.)

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) REMP is the best offensive Zen out there, as it is a double edged sword that allows bullet clearing, yet deals 20 AoE damage. With the High Damage REMP Apex, REMP becomes almost as potent as MB, just lacking the Fusion Core damage, a necessary sacrifice to deal against the bullet hell.
  • (+) VL to quickly kill Ravens that fire MIRVs so quickly. VLs can also be used to destroy Eagles before they can pump in shurikens on the field as well.
  • (+) ML has bullet clearing capabilities, and allows you to ride upwards to increase effective damage. As bullets are very slow moving in this mission, you can abuse ML more than once in many waves. Talk about Moses† parting the Red Sea≅.
  • (+) MS, with its Fire and Forget nature, has the capability to deal against the remaining invaders of the wave, allowing you to set up for the next wave.
    • It can also be used for barreling to eliminate dangerous turrets on a Condor or Roc, or simply delete the Vulture entirely before it has the chance to pump in MIRVs or shurikens.
  • (-) No bullet clearing with MB. MB ships that don't have a supporting Aura which offers defense don't frequently work well in this mission type.
• Only Safer-FO ships are able to clinch the BoB here, due to the massive amount of bullets in this mission. Any Full Offence ships are bound to suffer from severe maneuverability issues, wasting time to navigate around pellets released from MIRVs.
• The main technique in speedrunning is similar to survival in some sense that turret prioritization is important.
  • Where possible, one should prioritize to simply delete the Vulture on field before it gets to fire its MIRV Bloomers. This usually involves precise positioning.
    • Another possibility is to also set up your positioning in the next wave for a Condor with deadly turrets, so you could barrel on the Condor in a way that eliminates two of its turrets.
    • To do this, your ship core should be in between 2 turrets, then fire away. Depending on how fast you do this, you can even have enough energy to do a second MS barreling on the other side of a Condor or Roc.
  • To achieve this, plan what invaders you want to kill last in the previous wave. Usually, this would mean a very upfield invader, but if the Vulture is upfield in the next wave, you want to consider using an offensive Aura to finish off a downfield invader so you can set up to mass unload all firepower on the Vulture in the next wave.
• The presence of so many MIRVs in this mission means it is a good place to do MIRV grazing. Do take note that this is only for advanced speedrunners. You can go right up to the MIRV, and just as it explodes, retreat from it to gain lots of Aura. This technique is very useful for offensive Auras.
  • This technique is especially relevant when dealing against T3 or T4 MIRV Bloomers. Mastering this technique can earn you lots of Aura. This technique is usually accompanied by releasing an REMP at the right time for maximum bullet clearing and damage.

Fun

• (+) Having a BEMP ship usually makes this mission very satisfying due to how many bullets can be cleared by a full size BEMP.
• (+) Similarly, using Phalanx can be very rewarding when it is played well, due to how much shoveling can be done.
• (-) Speedrunning in this mission type can be very stressful, as small mistakes can quickly lead to death due to how missing a shot can be the difference to whether the next burst of MIRVs fires or not, or when DDSMs or DDMBs fire or not. The margin of error is small.

Dart/MIRV

Mission Intel:

Other Bullets: Darts, Pellets

Laser Density: None

General Difficulty: Hard to Extremely Hard

Brief Description: A fast moving bullet hell mission. Slotting in MIRVs in between darts make it really difficult to deal against MIRVs properly. In some cases, when pellet spinners join in the action, the bullet hell becomes quite unbearable at times.

Invader Weaponry Notes:

• Can have both Pellet Spinners (Lane) & Pellet Spinners (Wall).
• Caged MIRVs can only appear at Marshal rank.

Other Notes:

• This mission type isn't available on Lieutenant, Ace, and the Bronze ranks.
• Only Shielded Invaders are of Sinister type.

Dart/MIRV	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Tar'Cah Tempest Aurora Boxer AB8/Klyn Lyova Orion Delta Shogun Sigma Claymore Lambda Jeria Sigma Pandora Tau	Jericho Juggernaut Zephyr Saber Orion Sonah Trinity Shogun Disaris Tar'Cah Delta Orion Delta AB8/Klyn Delta	Shinova Veil Phoenix Vuxine Yigothu Luna Jeria Tar'Cah Delta Arietis Lambda Orion Delta AB8/Klyn Delta Banshee Phi
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Baqlor Uhb Nimbus Shogun Sigma AB8/Klyn Sigma Icarus Sigma Lyova Tau Starless Sigma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Saber Shogun Icarus Juggernaut Lambda Ex04239 Sigma Mistral Tau	Veil Scuuxun Starless Jeria Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi Luna Tau & Omega Banshee Phi
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Tempest Aurora Uhb AB8/Klyn Lyova Nimbus Tar'Cah Lambda Wrackr Epsilon Shogun Sigma Claymore Lambda Starless Sigma	Juggernaut Saber Sonah Shogun Sakura Epsilon Widget Tau	Veil Jn'Dur Yigothu Luna Phoenix Delta Arietis Lambda Banshee Phi

Example of a Dart/MIRV mission type (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) BEMP is the best solution to this mission type, much like its other bullet hell mission type.
    • To survive well in this mission, move slowly in order to graze off dart lanes, so that you could gain enough Aura to fire off BEMPs to get rid of MIRVs.
    • BEMP also does well to deal against tight pellet lanes released by pellet spinners (lane). It also does well against pellet spinners (wall).
  • (+) VL is a good surgical tool to eliminate dangerous MIRV Bloomers, MIRV Launchers and DDSMs.
  • (+) REMP is also a great solution. However, due to the time needed to recharge, it can be difficult to rely on, and requires a supporting Aura that can also eliminate bullets.
    
    • Be careful in setting up REMPs upfield since darts can easily kill you while you are in the middle of the field since darts can easily turn in opposite direction, trapping you easily.
  • (+) Against such missions with no or little fast firing MIRV Bloomers, CF is a very viable defense here, unlike its other bullet hell mission. It is easy to gain enough Aura for a full size CF. Deploy the CF and use the chance to set up an offensive Zen, which can be mid-wave (if the wave is heavy enough) or set it up for the next wave.
    • However, if you do not intend to use CF for setting up offensive Zens, then be careful not to simply Chrono Hop around the field as fast movements, as already mentioned, can quickly spell disaster.
    • Use this chance to slow down your movement. At the end of the CF, you should be at the edge of the CF where you have more horizontal space in the direction you are moving.
    • Deploy CF to counter pellets from MIRVs. Note that this is the part where it gets tricky - deploying CF too early means the pellets will continue to linger in the CF and CF may expire before the pellets have the chance to move away from your core. Thus, try to deploy CF as late as possible, best if it is after the MIRVs have exploded.
  • (=) PD EMP Laser Apex works ok in this mission type, but it really only shines in the hardest missions of this mission type, where MIRV Bloomers make their appearance. Otherwise, using BEMP is usually the much better option.
  • (=) SEMP needs to be sustained in order for it to work. In the presence of heavy waves or even Condors and Rocs, SEMP ships can become difficult due to how invaders can recover and back you into a corner. Be careful with your energy management here.
  • (-) TP is good against clusters of MIRVs, but is not great against dealing against high dart volumes.
    
    • In fact, charging up TP is very difficult in this mission type due to how fast darts move. In addition, finding a spot to TP to is very difficult. Not only the whole field is a mess of darts, but TP-ing to the other side can cause dart launchers to de-synchronize, which makes dodging between dart lanes impossible.
  • (=) PD can work reasonably well here since the quantity of darts is lesser compared to say, shurikens or pellets. However, to continuously use PD is also not a solution. Instead, PD can be used when you get trapped after you've found yourself slowly backed to one side of the field.
    • Use PD to help you clear out enough space to reverse horizontal direction.
    • PD can also be used against pellets released by exploded MIRVs, since such pellets often don't follow how you move and can kill you easily.
  • (=) PS can work reasonably ok since it can be used against MIRVs that explode, or when you are trapped after moving slowly to one side of the field. PS can be used to allow yourself to reverse direction. Just make sure to move as slowly horizontally as possible so PS can recharge.
  • (=) Barriers don't work very well since darts will break them quickly. Having darts everywhere also means putting very huge barriers all the time to deal against darts, which just isn't practical.
    • Small barriers around yourself can still be placed however, although this is not optimal use of barriers.
    • Since there are many darts, it is quite easy to have generate enough Aura for reasonably sized barriers to be placed, such that it blocks out MIRVs and prevents them from being close enough to explode.
    • This also means barriers ships will often have sub-optimal setups for offensive Zens.
  • (-) Phalanxes work poorly here due to the how little bullets it would clear, and running the risk of exploding MIRVs and leaving an even worse bullet mess.
  • (-) MB ships do poorly here due to MB's long charge time. Being confined in charging MB at the bottom of the screen means some invaders don't get hit by MB, making waves drag on longer and hindering survivability.
• The best advice for this mission is to move horizontally as slowly as possible.
  • Moving fast will cause de-synchronization of dart spreads, and cause interlocking lanes of darts that are very difficult to navigate around, quickly leading to being trapped and dying.
• Make sure all the dart spreads are synchronized, as this will make reversing the horizontal direction easier. Beware of dart launchers, especially darts fired by T2 dart launchers that can take up a lot of space.
• To find the delicate balance to dodge between dart lanes of dart spreads, and to narrowly avoid T2 dart launchers is the key to surviving this mission type.
• The worse kind of waves are front-heavy, with the Eagles also bearing MIRV Bloomers. These often fire rapidly and almost in your face, causing a bullet mess very quickly.
  • The only way to counter this is to try and destroy one of them first, then destroy the other. Use smaller BEMPs to counter the pellets released from MIRVs from MIRV Bloomers
• The bigger threat in this mission is almost always, the chunky Eagles more than anything else. Ravens don't have T4 dart spreads so they don't squeeze you that tightly. Vultures can be deadly if they have full-on T4 dart spreads or have T3 or T4 dart spinners, but if they are upfield, they are not too threatening.
• There really is no other technique to this mission type.
• Even though this mission is very dart heavy, pellet spinners can also appear, making the situation even worse when combined with dart spreads.
  • While pellet spinners (lane) are quite similar to darts, the gap is usually tighter. compared to dart spreads. However, given the massive amount of dart spreads, it is likely the gap would be about the same.
  • The biggest problem comes when dealing against pellet spinners (wall). These block off the very tiny lane you are already forced to be confined in. In such situations, it is necessary to use some sort of bullet clearance to clear off these pellet walls.
• Getting Ogon is Fine badges on this mission type is usually impossible due to how tightly squeezed you already are with any ship.

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) REMP charges fast, and is the most viable means of circular AoE damage.
    • Push right up as a wave starts, then retreat back down vertically. This movement can temporarily confuse dart launchers and spreads to fire sideways, so the downfield won't be too crowded with bullets. This buys you a bit of time for your main weapon to go to work, or any Aura.
  • (+) VL is the other great offensive Aura since it can be fired at the bottom of the field without much issue (other than a bit of RNG)
    • VL is also the fastest way to get rid of 2 chunky Eagles at the front blocking all other invaders, since 3 VLs can be thrown between them to get rid of them immediately.
    • Be sure to conserve your VLs for these front heavy waves. This is key to speedrunning to allow more maneuverability to destroy the other invaders behind these chunky Eagles.
  • (-) MB takes too long to charge so it is impossible to charge MB at the center of the screen. Thus you can only charge downfield, which is sub-optimal.
    • You can't charge all the way upfield either, as you won't be able to get back downfield due to darts coming from both directions
    • The exception is of course, when you have CF as you can generate a full charge of CF easily from dart lane grazing, which allows you to land MBc very easily.
    • Even barriers may not work well, since they will not hold before darts leak through, forcing you to setup MB slightly lower, making MBc hard to land properly.
  • (-) GMs don't work well since they travel very slowly, making it difficult to land at the areas you want them to explode.
    
    • The slow moving nature of GMs mean that they have to be fired at point blank range. This means going upfield. As discussed earlier under MB, going upfield means getting trapped up there from darts coming from both directions, making your death quite certain.
• Due to the fact that Exarch works as a laid-back ship in which both offensive means (VL & ML) can be fired from downfield with little consequences (other than suffering from some invader movement RNG in the case of VL), it is often able to compete against Safer-FO ships like Jeria for the BoB.

Fun

• (-) This mission is generally not a fun mission type to play on. The fast moving darts give you the impression of a very fast paced mission. But this is far from the truth, as you need to inch slowly around the field.
• (-) For survival ships, this means a lot of tight squeezing around dart lanes. This is incredibly stressful, and definitely not fun on a small screen.
• (=) For speedrunning, the strategy is usually quite consistent. The key always lie in how you full-on charge at the start of the wave and eliminate the threats.

Dart/Boomerang/Pellet

Mission Intel:

Other Bullets: Darts, Pellets

Laser Density: None

General Difficulty: Medium to Hard

Brief Description: A very fast paced mission with fast moving darts and boomerangs, coupled with a bunch of lasers. Expect lots of boomerangs in higher ranks.

Invader Weaponry Notes:

• There can only be Pellet Spinners (Wall), there are no Pellet Spinners (Lane)
• Caged MIRVs can only appear at Major and Commander ranks.

Other Notes:

• Since boomerangs don't appear in Bronze ranks, this mission type is not available on Bronze ranks
• Instead, this mission type is replaced by the easier Dart/Pellet.

Dart/Boomerang/Pellet	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Tar'Cah Gorthaur Heechi Vani-Vith Baqlor Torrent Boxer Lorilou AB8/Klyn Lyova Qhelqod Nimbus Claymore Pandora	Jericho Photurius Xaniea Prime X Zephyr Hime Hunter Saber Proteus Orion Sonah Antioch Trinity Shogun Icarus Widget Disaris	Shinova NC-150 Yoth-Hola Razor VI Phoenix Vuxine Arietis Yigothu Njörun Luna Jeria Veil Sigma
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Elyon Baqlor Corsair Uhb Wraith Nimbus Kibarrax Naya AB8/Klyn Sigma Lyova Tau Starless Sigma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Havoc Photurius Ex04239 Von Braun Saber Shogun Icarus Neni Mistral Juggernaut Lambda Kibarrax Lambda Centurion Tau	Proxymar NC-150 Exarch Scuuxun Starless Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Luna Tau & Omega
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Cinnri Buhloo Vani-Vith Baqlor Torrent Corsair Uhb Wraith Lorilou AB8/Klyn Lyova Qhelqod Nimbus Reaper Claymore Kibarrax Naya Tar'Cah Lambda Wrackr Epsilon Xaniea Lambda Starless Sigma	Photurius Ex04239 Von Braun Prime X Hime Hunter Saber Sonah Antioch Shogun Predator Icarus Cinnri Lambda Juggernaut Lambda Proteus Gamma Xaniea Lambda Sakura Epsilon Zephyr Epsilon Widget Tau Kibarrax Lambda Centurion Tau	NC-150 Jn'Dur Razor VI Gladius Yigothu Exarch Luna Banshee Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Elyon Lambda Xaniea Tau Arietis Lambda

Example of a Dart/Boomerang/Pellet mission type (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) PD works very well here due to the fast pace of the mission. Also, there do not tend to be a lot of darts, so using PD to eliminate darts is a practical solution. PD is also an excellent defense against boomerangs, especially when there aren't a lot of other bullets around. Not to mention, the high density of lasers in this mission make PS a great counter offence.
    • However, working through pellets might be a bit of a problem.
    • Thankfully, PD can actually work quite well against pellet spinners (wall), because you only need to break the wall in front of you to escape, in the case you are desperate and walled off between dart lanes.
  • (+) Kappa helps to dodge boomerangs, and sometimes darts or between pellet lanes.
  • (=) There's generally no important turrets to eliminate in this mission type, as the dart, boomerang and laser turrets all come in roughly equal proportions. This makes Auras that target turrets pretty neutral.
  • (=) TP works fine here, but don't rely on TP to switch sides of the field. However, TP is a good way to get past pellet spreads.
  • (=) Phalanx, breaks down huge messes of pellet spreads, which can help somewhat.
    • However, Phalanx's usage of shoveling makes it difficult to strafe to the other side of the field, something that is frequently required for this mission to avoid boomerangs.
    • While shoveling upwards work to avoid boomerangs, this puts you at risk of being shot point blank by darts.
    • If you retreat after shoveling, this puts you at risk of crashing into boomerangs.
  • (-) Not much use for PS here, since no lasers to reflect.
    • PS can work against boomerang onslaughts, although this cannot be relied upon and is considered last resort.
    • PS Phase Out also allows you to break through dart and pellet lanes.
  • (-) It's difficult to charge MB here since the pace of the mission is so fast, and it's easy to get shot point blank by darts.
• The general strategy for this mission is to keep on switching sides of the field. As the boomerangs fire, go over to the other side of the field, and repeat.
  • Start the wave at one side of the field. Before you switch sides, try to ensure ALL the boomerang turrets are firing at you.
  • You basically want to synchronize them to fire all at the same time as one burst. De-synchronization of boomerang turrets can cause a lot of problems.
  • It's ok if some boomerang turrets fire slightly earlier than others. Just make sure they all fire such that you have just enough time to be as downfield as possible to dodge the first of the boomerangs that fire.
• Sometimes, going upfield a little bit, around the centerline (or slightly above) helps, especially when the darts in the wave are light. This allows you to re-direct boomerangs away from downfield.
  • This allows you to set up offensive Zens for the next wave more easily.
• Get rid of pellet spinners (wall) on one side as quickly as possible, since pellet spinners (wall) on both sides can create many blockades.
• Get rid of especially T4 dart spinners as soon as possible, as these make dodging boomerangs and other darts really tight.
• T1 Boomerangs can be treated as darts, but just be careful of the slight curve path that they take, as well as their tendency to speed up the longer they are on field.
  
  • Also be careful for hidden boomerangs that can be hard to see among the mess of darts on field.
• Getting an Ogon Is Fine badge for this mission is manageable. You can sometimes camp upfield, and move slowly upfield to avoid darts. Beware of pellet spinners (wall).

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) GMs can work very well here, since using GMs require you to be upfield to fire them accurately to hit. This is because it's quite easy to confuse the dart turrets, so you usually have enough time to fire your GMs, then quickly come back down before the dart spread turrets lock on to you. Just be careful not to crash into random darts fired from T1 and T2 dart launchers.
    • It generally helps to start from one side of the upfield, then go to the other side. Then head downfield from that side.
    • Do this before pellet spreads can fire. Also, be careful of pellet launchers as you head downfield.
  • (=) MB may be difficult to charge here, since bullets come in so fast. However, this does not mean MB is not usable. In some waves, it might be possible to charge MB all the way upfield. This is to buy you some time as dart turrets need time to turn around a 180° to fire at you. Also, the slightly lesser amount of dart turrets also mean that it can be possible that there are a few safe spots to charge MB.
    • You can also play a gamble against boomerangs for MB, so long you charge MB closer to the center of the field. T1 Boomerangs can often be slightly inaccurate in firing at short range (but not point blank), allowing you to perhaps survive. Meanwhile, other boomerang turrets will likely simply just fire boomerangs around you and become useless.
    • Be careful of pellets on your way down if you need to charge upfield.
    • If you charge more downfield, closer to the center, beware of your positioning as pellet spreads can often be at very close range, making MB setups very difficult.
  • (+) PD is a very good positioning tool since the bullet density isn't very high, thus it is easier to use PD to get up close to invaders.
  • (=) For ML, it might be a good idea to end off a wave by offsetting yourself to one side of the field, and be very upfield. This distracts boomerangs to fire around you, keeping downfield clean of boomerangs. Therefore, after the boomerangs has fired and the last invader(s) has/have been downed, you can safely retreat downfield to charge ML without fear of being hit by boomerangs unexpectedly.

• Try to eliminate all T1, T3 & T4 dart turrets. Doing so allows you to go point blank with invaders easily. Remember that boomerangs are ineffective at close range, so after you eliminate these dart turrets, boomerangs can become quite useless.
  • It's likely necessary to eliminate T4 dart spinners as well due to how dense it can get. However, where possible, leaving dart spinners alive means getting a lot of free grazing energy.
  • Beware of pellet spreads that can sometimes reload quite quickly.
• You can play a gamble against T2 dart launchers, since you can stand still and they will pass by your ship core perfectly. Just remember. Don't. Move. A. Muscle. If you intend to do this of course.
  • This is a very good strategy for ships with MB, since the fast pace of the mission often make it difficult to set up MB. However, this can also apply for charging ML if need be.
  • In particular, try to offset your ship to the side of Ravens that do not have the T2 dart launcher. For example, in a wave, if the Ravens have the T2 dart launcher on the right side, then charge MB more towards the left side of the field. Doing so is less prone to dying by RNG as Raven movements can sometimes misalign the T2 darts and kill you. Allowing a larger angle for T2 launchers to spin around alleviates this problem quite significantly.

Fun

• (+) This is a very fast paced mission that is very fun to play, especially when you are speedrunning.
• (+) Playing the left right game with boomerangs can be fun, like playing cat-and-mouse game with the boomerangs.

General - No Lasers

Mission Intel:

Other Bullets: Darts, Pellets, Shurikens

Laser Density: None

General Difficulty: Hard to Very Hard

Brief Description: A fast paced mission with quite a lot of darts. Expect lots of shurikens in the mix as well, making this mission very annoying. The only relief is that no DD weapons can appear here.

Invader Weaponry Notes:

• There can be both Pellet Spinners (Lane) and Pellet Spinners (Wall).
• Both Shuriken Launchers & Shuriken Spreads can appear.

Other Notes:

• This mission type is only available on Gold ranks and Marshal ranks.

General - No Lasers	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Tar'Cah Heechi Baqlor Torrent Boxer AB8/Klyn Lyova Qhelqod Nimbus Shogun Sigma Jeria Sigma	Jericho Zephyr Hime Saber Orion Trinity Shogun Disaris	Shinova Razor VI Phoenix Vuxine Yigothu Njörun Luna Jeria Veil Sigma Baqlor Phi
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Baqlor Corsair Uhb Wraith Nimbus Naya Shogun Sigma AB8/Klyn Sigma Icarus Sigma Lyova Tau Starless Sigma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Havoc Ex04239 Von Braun Saber Shogun Icarus Neni Juggernaut Lambda Prime X Epsilon Centurion Tau	Proxymar Exarch Scuuxun Starless Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi Luna Tau & Omega Naya Phi
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Cinnri Buhloo Vani-Vith Baqlor Torrent Corsair Uhb AB8/Klyn Lyova Qhelqod Nimbus Claymore Naya Tar'Cah Lambda Wrackr Epsilon Xaniea Lambda Shogun Sigma Icarus Sigma Starless Sigma	Ex04239 Hime Saber Shogun Icarus Cinnri Lambda Juggernaut Lambda Xaniea Lambda Prime X Epsilon Sakura Epsilon Zephyr Epsilon Widget Tau	Jn'Dur Razor VI Gladius Yigothu Exarch Luna Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Xaniea Tau Arietis Lambda Baqlor Phi Zimitr Delta Naya Phi

Example of a General - No Lasers mission type (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) BEMP can be quite useful to clear off shurikens.
  • (=) The fast pace of the mission, having quite a lot of darts, mean that TP can be hard to use. It is also slightly hard to find good spots to TP to, especially when dart spreads flood the field. However, TP helps to get past shuriken clouds.
  • (=) There's generally no important turrets to eliminate in this mission type, as all turrets all come in roughly equal proportions. This makes Auras that target turrets pretty neutral.
  • (-) It's difficult to charge MB here since the pace of the mission is so fast, and it's easy to get shot point blank by darts.
• Click on the various invader weaponry mission intel icons above to go to the relevant sections to know how to deal with different types of bullets. Since this mission doesn't have lasers or DD weapons, you can skip those sub-sections for the sake of this mission type.
• Getting an Ogon Is Fine badge on this mission type is extremely difficult, unless the mission is really easy.

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) REMP usually works much better for speedrunning since it is fast charging.
  • (-) It's difficult to charge MB here since the pace of the mission is so fast, and it's easy to get shot point blank by darts.
    
    • Charging all the way upfield is not recommended since the darts around can make it extremely difficult to head back downfield.
• Click on the various invader weaponry mission intel icons above to go to the relevant sections to know how to deal with different types of bullets.

Fun

• (+) This is a fast paced mission, especially when you are speedrunning.
• (-) This mission is generally quite a pain to deal with, due to all kinds of bullets, fast and slow. It's hard to find a balance when to move fast and when to move slow.

Shuriken/Boomerang

Mission Intel:

Other Bullets: Pellets, Shurikens

Laser Density: None

General Difficulty: Hard to Very Hard

Brief Description: In the right combinations, this can be one of the hardest mission types. Boomerangs can be far reaching and reach downfield, while shurikens and MIRVs cover boomerangs' weakness of being ineffective up close.

Invader Weaponry Notes:

• Both Pellet Spinners (Lane) & Pellet Spinners (Wall) can appear.
• Only Shuriken Launchers can appear, Shuriken Spreads do NOT appear.
• Caged MIRVs can only appear at Major & Commander ranks.

Shuriken/Boomerang	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Tar'Cah Tempest Wrackr Vani-Vith Baqlor Barret Torrent Boxer Lorilou AB8/Klyn Lyova Qhelqod Nimbus Shogun Sigma Icarus Sigma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Jericho Photurius Zephyr Hime Hunter Saber Proteus Orion Sonah Trinity Shogun Icarus Marauder Disaris	Shinova NC-150 Razor VI Phoenix Vuxine Arietis 502-Q8 Valkyrie Yigothu Njörun Luna Zimitr Jeria Esperon Veil Sigma Banshee Phi
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Elyon Baqlor Corsair Uhb Wraith Nimbus Kibarrax Naya Shogun Sigma AB8/Klyn Sigma Icarus Sigma Lyova Tau Starless Sigma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Havoc Photurius Ex04239 Von Braun Saber Shogun Icarus Neni Mistral Juggernaut Lambda	Proxymar Exarch Scuuxun Starless Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Luna Tau & Omega
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Cinnri Buhloo Vani-Vith Baqlor Barret Torrent Boxer Corsair Uhb Wraith Lorilou AB8/Klyn Lyova Qhelqod Nimbus Reaper Claymore Kibarrax Naya Tar'Cah Lambda Wrackr Epsilon Xaniea Lambda Shogun Sigma Predator Delta Icarus Sigma Starless Sigma	Krillou Photurius Ex04239 Von Braun Hime Hunter Saber Sonah Shogun Predator Icarus Juggernaut Lambda Proteus Gamma Xaniea Lambda Sakura Epsilon Zephyr Epsilon Widget Tau	NC-150 Razor VI Gladius Valkyrie Yigothu Exarch Luna Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Elyon Lambda Xaniea Tau Arietis Lambda Banshee Phi

Example of a Shuriken/Boomerang mission type (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) Barriers can also do well here against onslaughts of boomerangs. Simply deploy them upfield or around yourself to block them off.
    • However, the issue comes when there are shurikens, which can deplete barriers.
    • You can deploy barriers around yourself to surgically block off one burst of boomerangs. At the same time, use the barrier to cut up the shuriken cloud so you can pass through it.
    • Surgically placing barriers can also save you from MIRVs. If the MIRVs are all coming in as one singular wavefront, you can deploy your barrier downfield just as the MIRVs enter the Aura radius of Barrier, provided your barrier is big enough so the MIRVs won't explode first.
      • If your barrier is too small. head upfield to trigger the MIRVs. Then head back downfield. Since you have exploded the MIRVs in unison, then the pellets will also be released as a wavefront, allowing you to block off these pellets using the smaller barrier you could only afford.
  • (+) In waves with less boomerang turrets, you can use SEMP to eliminate them all (after eliminating all MIRV turrets), and then bait all the shuriken launchers to one side. Then as that side is filled with shurikens, the other side becomes clearer of bullets and you can strafe to the other side.
    • Similarly, you can do the same with eliminating all shuriken launchers (and MIRV turrets beforehand, of course) and then letting all the boomerangs fire around you.
  • (+) BEMPs work well against shurikens but is not an ideal solution against boomerang turrets since resetting them will cause them to fire almost instantly.
    • However, thankfully, a clear field of shurikens mean you have a lot of dodging space for boomerangs. Simply go to one side of the field and then strafe to the other side once all the boomerangs fire.
    • The absence of any other fast moving bullets also mean that dodging boomerangs is not an issue, since shurikens take time to re-populate the field.
  • (+) TP works to avoid both shurikens and boomerangs effectively. Simply TP between the left and right sides of the field where necessary. No matter if there is a thick shuriken cloud crowding the middle section, TP bypasses that. TP also works well against MIRVs.
  • (+) Try to use REMP against shurikens and MIRVs, instead of against boomerangs.
  • (+) ML is able to tear a hole for you to ride up and avoid the boomerangs, while also eliminating any shuriken turrets that might be directly blocking in front.
    • However, ML can usually only be used at the start of the wave, since boomerangs recharge quickly.
  • (=) Kappa can be useful in this mission as you would be able to weave your way around boomerangs much more easily.
    • However, it's no use against shurikens which are forward scattering.
    • Kappa can somewhat help to dodge through pellets released by MIRVs, but it's not very helpful since you can simply mass activate MIRVs which creates predictable patterns that are easier to dodge through. You don't exactly need the help of Kappa against MIRVs.
  • (=) PD is effective against boomerangs. If you have PD, you can stand further away from the invaders so that shurikens will not be eliminated by PD. Use PD surgically to cut across shuriken clouds.
    • In the absence of shurikens, you can even stay at the center of the screen and use PD to switch between invaders quickly.
    • Without the presence of shurikens, MIRVs are very easy to get rid of.
  • (=) Phalanx works quite well since shoveling eliminates shurikens, and shoveling upwards also avoid the boomerangs.
    • However, you will need to be careful not to get hit by shurikens at point blank range when you shovel upwards.
    • At the same time, if you need to retreat, be careful of boomerangs coming from the sides, since Phalanx will not protect you from that.
  • (-) PS can work well against boomerangs, but lasts only one time and needs a long time to recharge. It also works poorly against shurikens. It can work against MIRVs, since you can use Phase Out to get through the pellets released by the MIRVs, but this bullet clearing capability is very limited.
• A mission type with unusually large quantities of boomerangs compared to many other mission types.
• The strategy to this mission type is to try and eliminate all shuriken turrets first if practical. However, always eliminate all MIRV turrets first, especially MIRV Bloomers.
  • If you cannot eliminate MIRV Launchers/Spreads before they fire, be careful when retreating as you could easily retreat into boomerangs or sometimes even shurikens from shuriken turrets downfield.
  • If you succeed in eliminating all MIRV turrets and shuriken launchers, the wave becomes trivial. You can now camp in the center of the screen, which causes boomerangs to be ineffective as they will all go around you.
• Otherwise, the shuriken launchers will likely block you from eliminating the boomerang turrets.
• Pellets in this mission are more annoying than difficult, and are generally the last of your concerns.
• Although easier said than done, trying to accurately predict how boomerangs will move will help a lot on this mission type.
  • Otherwise, if there are too many shuriken launchers, just simply stay downfield. It becomes easier to predict boomerangs the more downfield you are.
  • Try to be on one side rather than being in the centerline, as it is harder to dodge boomerangs at the center.
  • Remember that T2 boomerangs, if you stay downfield while the T2 Boomerang turrets themselves are at least 2/3 upfield, they won't be able to reach you.
    
    • For T3 Boomerangs, if they are all the way upfield, they will just nice miss you if you stay extremely downfield.
    • Always assume that T4 Boomerangs can reach you, unless you are very close to T4 Boomerang turrets.
• Alternating between downfield of left side and downfield of right side is a common survival technique in this mission type, to avoid boomerangs.
• Condors and Rocs in this mission type can become very difficult, especially when equipped with boomerangs together with either lots of shuriken launchers and/or MIRV Bloomers and Spreads.
  • MIRV turrets are usually the first to go, but after that, eliminate the lesser of the two remaining. So eliminate all boomerang turrets if there are less of them compared to shuriken launchers, and vice versa.
  • If the MIRV turrets are of low tier, it may be better to eliminate the boomerangs first, since the bullet mess created by the MIRVs are not a huge threat.
  • If you have chose to eliminate all MIRV and shuriken turrets, then with only boomerang turrets left, go to the center of the Roc or Condor to survive the rest of the wave.
    • Note that this means starting the next wave upfield. This can be disadvantageous for long charging Zens. From here, you can simply head left or right to slowly eliminate the remaining essential boomerang turrets. Remember the advice above about how far reaching the different tiers of boomerang turrets are.
• In the presence of Caged MIRVs, this mission becomes an utter mess of bullets everywhere.
• It is possible but very difficult to get Ogon Is Fine badges on this mission type. Usually, you have to find ways to avoid the shurikens. Staying upfield might be a good idea, but watch out for shuriken spinners.

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) ML is able to tear a hole for you to ride up and avoid the boomerangs, while also eliminating any shuriken turrets that might be directly blocking in front.
    • However, ML can usually only be used at the start of the wave, since boomerangs recharge quickly.
    • You can eliminate all boomerang turrets on the field, so that all remaining bullets will be slow bullets. At this point, you can now charge ML more than once on some heavier waves, especially on Condors and Rocs.
  • (+) In waves where the shuriken launchers are all upfield, or where they are almost none, GM can become very easy to set up.
  • (=) MB can be easy or difficult to set up. If the Eagles or Herons have shuriken launchers at the side, then it becomes very difficult. Otherwise, it is quite easy.
• You can deploy offensive means such as VL and MS once the boomerangs all start firing, and then quickly strafe over to the other side to either throw more VLs and just avoid the boomerang carnage.
• Take out DDMBs quickly to stay close to invaders, especially when there are no shurikens around.

Fun

• (+) In cases where the waves have no shuriken turrets, staying at the center of the field and watching all the boomerangs go around you is a sight to behold, and something to laugh at.
• (+) Playing the left right game with boomerangs can be fun, akin to something like playing hide-and-seek.
• (-) With all of heavy shuriken fire, MIRVs and boomerangs, this mission is very deadly and it is not fun to try and dodge boomerangs whose paths are very difficult to predict.

Dart/Boomerang/Laser

Mission Intel:

Other Bullets: Darts

Laser Density: High, No Speed Lasers

General Difficulty: Medium to Hard

Brief Description: A very fast paced mission with fast moving darts and boomerangs, coupled with a bunch of lasers. Expect lots of boomerangs in higher ranks.

Invader Weaponry Notes:

• Laser Spreads can appear.

Other Notes:

• This mission isn't available in bronze ranks since boomerangs don't appear in Bronze ranks.
• Invaders are Sinister type only if they are shielded.

Dart/Boomerang/Laser	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Geist Gorthaur Baqlor Torrent Nimbus Centurion	Jericho Photurius Atlas Hime Lokie Saber Antioch Trinity Shogun Widget Centurion Tau	NC-150 Yoth-Hola Razor VI Phoenix Essin Yigothu Njörun NC-271 Jeria Baqlor Phi
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Geist Elyon Baqlor Corsair Uhb Wraith Nimbus Centurion Naya	Krillou Havoc Photurius Ex04239 Von Braun Saber Shogun Icarus Neni Mistral Juggernaut Lambda Centurion Tau	Proxymar Exarch Scuuxun Starless Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi Naya Phi
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Cinnri Buhloo Geist Vani-Vith Baqlor Torrent Corsair Uhb Nimbus Reaper Claymore Centurion Naya Wrackr Epsilon Tillat'Or Gamma	Photurius Atlas Ex04239 Von Braun Hime Lokie Saber Antioch Shogun Icarus Cinnri Lambda Juggernaut Lambda Xaniea Lambda Prime X Epsilon Widget Tau Centurion Tau	NC-150 Razor VI Essin Yigothu Exarch Banshee Warden Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Elyon Lambda Xaniea Tau Baqlor Phi Reaper Tau Zimitr Delta Naya Phi

Example of a Dart/Boomerang/Laser mission type (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) PD works very well here due to the fast pace of the mission. Also, there do not tend to be a lot of darts, so using PD to eliminate darts is a practical solution. PD is also an excellent defense against boomerangs, especially when there aren't a lot of other bullets around. Not to mention, the high density of lasers in this mission make PS a great counter offence.
  • (+) PS works very well against the high density of lasers in this mission.
    • It also works well against boomerang onslaughts, although this is secondary. But you can combine both functions (reflecting lasers and deflecting boomerangs) in one usage of PS.
    • PS Phase Out also allows you to break through dart lanes to escape death.
  • (+) VL works to get rid of Ravens with annoying laser spreads.
  • (+) Kappa helps to dodge boomerangs, and sometimes darts.
    • (-) But it doesn't help to dodge against lasers, obviously.
  • (+) This is one of those missions where Phalanx Reflector apexes can start to shine. Having no laser MIRVs to deal with means being able to reflect a majority of lasers if you go close enough to catch as many laser spreads as possible, while letting all the tracking lasers track you.
  • (=) Barrier is able to hold up against the amount of darts and boomerangs in this mission type. However, be careful not to deploy barriers that are too small or you'll still get bombarded by darts, boomerangs and lasers alike.
    • The fast pace of the mission means that it may not always be easy to go upfield and deploy barrier optimally as well. Deploying barriers downfield may mean that the barriers may break or enter Phase Out state before the lasers can fire. This is problematic as lasers can leak through the Phasing Out barriers and kill you unexpectedly
  • (=) Barrier Reflector apexes can find some use here, but not all waves have a lot of lasers, so there would sometimes be a confusion of whether to deploy barriers as per normal upfield, or downfield to reflect lasers.
    • That being said, for waves with a lot of lasers, the laser reflection damage makes these annoying waves (that often contain a lot of laser spreads) trivial.
    • Unfortunately, there are no laser MIRVs to utilize more reflection damage, so always make sure your barriers can last the initial onslaught of darts and boomerangs.
  • (=) There's generally no important turrets to eliminate in this mission type, as the dart, boomerang and laser turrets all come in roughly equal proportions. This makes Auras that target turrets pretty neutral.
  • (=) For CF, due to the lack of bullets in this mission type, it may be slightly difficult to pull off Chrono Hopping. This is especially so when boomerangs tend to arrive downfield earlier than darts.
  • (-) The fast pace of the mission, and how fast boomerangs can reload mean that TP ships can struggle here. Avoiding lasers can also be really difficult.
  • (-) There's not a lot of bullets to eliminate here, and eliminating bullets aren't very useful since it's easy for bullets to flood the field again. Therefore, BEMP and REMP aren't very useful here.
    • In addition, BEMP also runs the risk of resetting boomerang turrets, causing them to fire again almost immediately, making it kind of useless. If you are using a BEMP ship, try to use smaller BEMPs.
      • The good thing is, it's quite easy to graze for energy, so you can use BEMPs frequently.
    • That being said however, BEMP still helps to reset lasers. Even though you will also reset boomerangs, at least you can live past one round of laser fire, which buys you some time.
  • (-) It's difficult to charge MB here since the pace of the mission is so fast, and it's easy to get shot point blank by darts.
  • (-) Phalanx, given that it still breaks easily, is very bad against this mission type, since it does not last long. Also, Phalanx's usage of shoveling makes it difficult to strafe to the other side of the field, something that is frequently required for this mission to avoid boomerangs.
    • While shoveling upwards work to avoid boomerangs, this puts you at risk of being shot point blank by darts.
    • If you retreat after shoveling, this puts you at risk of crashing into boomerangs.
• The general strategy for this mission is to keep on switching sides of the field. As the boomerangs fire, go over to the other side of the field, and repeat.
  • Start the wave at one side of the field. Before you switch sides, try to ensure ALL the boomerang turrets are firing at you.
  • You basically want to synchronize them to fire all at the same time as one burst. De-synchronization of boomerang turrets can cause a lot of problems.
  • It's ok if some boomerang turrets fire slightly earlier than others. Just make sure they all fire such that you have just enough time to be as downfield as possible to dodge the first of the boomerangs that fire.
• Sometimes, going upfield a little bit, around the centerline (or slightly above) helps, especially when the darts in the wave are light. This allows you to re-direct boomerangs away from downfield.
  • This allows you to set up offensive Zens for the next wave more easily.
• Circling around invaders can help a lot.
  • Circling avoids Ravens with annoying laser spreads. Before they fire, you can circle around the invaders.
  • Circling confuses dart spreads which can buy you time. Since the dart density is not very high, it is not exactly deadly if some dart turrets are slightly desynchronized, just like how it's very hard to synchronize all boomerang turrets. Not having too many dart spreads also mean that it's easier to use the extreme left and right sides of the field to simply circle around them without having too much fear that they will fire.
• Get rid of especially T4 dart spinners as soon as possible, as these make dodging boomerangs and other darts really tight.
• Get rid of T4 tracking lasers if you do not some form of laser reflection damage, since these track really fast and can kill you easily.
• T1 Boomerangs can be treated as darts, but just be careful of the slight curve path that they take, as well as their tendency to speed up the longer they are on field.
  • Also be careful for hidden boomerangs that can be hard to see among the mess of darts on field.
• Getting an Ogon Is Fine badge for this mission is manageable. You can usually camp upfield, and move slowly upfield to avoid darts.

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) GMs can work very well here, since using GMs require you to be upfield to fire them accurately to hit. This is because it's quite easy to confuse the dart turrets, so you usually have enough time to fire your GMs, then quickly come back down before the dart spread turrets lock on to you. Just be careful not to crash into random darts fired from T1 and T2 dart launchers.
    • It generally helps to start from one side of the upfield, then go to the other side. Then head downfield from that side. You may even sweep in an S shape if you need to exhaust even more GMs that can be useful.
  • (+) MB may be difficult to charge here, since bullets come in so fast. However, this does not mean MB is not usable. In some waves, it might be possible to charge MB all the way upfield. This is to buy you some time as dart turrets need time to turn around a 180° to fire at you. Also, the slightly lesser amount of dart turrets also mean that it can be possible that there are a few safe spots to charge MB.
    • You can also play a gamble against boomerangs for MB, so long you charge MB closer to the center of the field. T1 Boomerangs can often be slightly inaccurate in firing at short range (but not point blank), allowing you to perhaps survive. Meanwhile, other boomerang turrets will likely simply just fire boomerangs around you and become useless.
  • (+) PD is a very good positioning tool since the bullet density isn't very high, thus it is easier to use PD to get up close to invaders.
  • (=) For ML, it might be a good idea to end off a wave by offsetting yourself to one side of the field, and be very upfield. This distracts boomerangs to fire around you, keeping downfield clean of boomerangs. Therefore, after the boomerangs has fired and the last invader(s) has/have been downed, you can safely retreat downfield to charge ML without fear of being hit by boomerangs unexpectedly.
  • (-) BEMP ships will find trouble trying to get close to invaders, since it is mostly a one-time use, and darts will quickly flood the field again.
    • However, the BEMP Destructive Wave apex will still do quite well if used correctly.

• Try to eliminate all T1, T3 & T4 dart turrets. Doing so allows you to go point blank with invaders easily. Remember that boomerangs are ineffective at close range, so after you eliminate these dart turrets, boomerangs can become quite useless.
  • It's likely necessary to eliminate T4 dart spinners as well due to how dense it can get. However, where possible, leaving dart spinners alive means getting a lot of free grazing energy.
• You can play a gamble against T2 dart launchers, since you can stand still and they will pass by your ship core perfectly. Just remember. Don't. Move. A. Muscle. If you intend to do this of course.
  • This is a very good strategy for ships with MB, since the fast pace of the mission often make it difficult to set up MB. However, this can also apply for charging ML if need be.
  • In particular, try to offset your ship to the side of Ravens that do not have the T2 dart launcher. For example, in a wave, if the Ravens have the T2 dart launcher on the right side, then charge MB more towards the left side of the field. Doing so is less prone to dying by RNG as Raven movements can sometimes misalign the T2 darts and kill you. Allowing a larger angle for T2 launchers to spin around alleviates this problem quite significantly.

Fun

• (+) This is a very fast paced mission that is very fun to play, especially when you are speedrunning.
• (+) Playing the left right game with boomerangs can be fun, like playing cat-and-mouse game with the boomerangs.
• (+) The high amount of lasers also mean that PS can be a very fun counter offence.
• (+) Top it up with Super Reflect for extra juicy damage.
• (+) To add on top of the fun with lasers, there are no speed lasers in this mission, which make Super Reflect much easier to use. Or simply, just using PS in general.
• (+) This is the only mission type where it's practical to use Phalanx Reflector apexes, since most of the lasers fire at the same time during the first burst.
• (=) It can be a bit difficult to use Barrier Reflector apexes here, since not all waves have a lot of lasers to reflect. Sometimes you have to deploy barrier upfield to survive more bullet heavy waves, but in other laser heavy waves, you have to deploy it downfield to reflect lasers. It can get a bit confusing and takes a few runs to find out which waves to use the Barrier Reflector apex ability. Only once you know the waves well enough, then you can have fun with Barrier Reflector apexes.

General/Boomerang

Brief Description: This is a very difficult mission type that is quite fast paced due to rather heavy boomerang presence, topped up with speed lasers. Thankfully, MIRVs are not in the mix.

Mission Intel:

General Difficulty: Very Hard

Laser Density: Medium-High, Low to Medium amounts of Speed Lasers

Other Bullets: Darts, Shurikens

Invader Weaponry Notes:

• Shuriken Spreads tend to appear more frequently than Shuriken Launchers.
• Spinners (Dart or Shuriken) rarely appear in this mission type.
• Laser Spreads do NOT appear.
• Caged MIRVs only appear at Commander rank.

Other Notes:

• Since Speed Lasers do not appear in Bronze and Silver ranks, this mission type does not appear at those ranks.

General/Boomerang	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Baqlor Torrent Nimbus Shogun Sigma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Jericho Photurius Hime Saber Trinity Shogun	NC-150 Razor VI Phoenix Yigothu Njörun Jeria Veil Sigma Baqlor Phi
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Geist Elyon Baqlor Corsair Uhb Wraith Nimbus Kibarrax Naya Shogun Sigma AB8/Klyn Sigma Icarus Sigma Starless Sigma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Havoc Photurius Ex04239 Von Braun Saber Shogun Icarus Neni Mistral Juggernaut Lambda Kibarrax Lambda	Proxymar Exarch Scuuxun Starless Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi Luna Tau & Omega Naya Phi
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Cinnri Buhloo Geist Vani-Vith Baqlor Barret Torrent Corsair Uhb Wraith AB8/Klyn Nimbus Reaper Claymore Naya Wrackr Epsilon Xaniea Lambda Shogun Sigma Predator Delta Icarus Sigma Starless Sigma	Krillou Photurius Ex04239 Von Braun Hime Saber Shogun Predator Icarus Cinnri Lambda Juggernaut Lambda Xaniea Lambda Prime X Epsilon Sakura Epsilon Zephyr Epsilon Widget Tau	NC-150 Jn'Dur Razor VI Gladius Yigothu Exarch Luna Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Elyon Lambda Xaniea Tau Arietis Lambda Baqlor Phi Reaper Tau Zimitr Delta Naya Phi

Example of a General/Boomerang mission type (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) BEMP can be quite useful to dodge boomerangs and also clear off shurikens at the same time.
  • (+) TP helps to get away from boomerangs, and also to get past shuriken clouds.
  • (+) Kappa helps to dodge boomerangs, and sometimes darts.
  • (=) There's generally no important turrets to eliminate in this mission type, as the dart, boomerang and laser turrets all come in roughly equal proportions. This makes Auras that target turrets pretty neutral.
  • (-) It's difficult to charge MB here since the pace of the mission is so fast, and it's easy to get shot point blank by darts.
• Try to switch sides of the field. As the boomerangs fire, go over to the other side of the field, and repeat.
  
  • However, this can be difficult due to presence of shurikens. You either have to try and survive the boomerangs by predicting their path, or find a way to clear off bullets to switch sides or block them off. Otherwise, try to head as downfield as possible and duck underneath the shuriken clouds.
• Try to target high tier boomerang turrets to pop off first.
  • Spinners, while rare, should be taken note of. High tier spinners still cause a lot of problems, so eliminate particularly T4 shuriken spinners if they appear, or T3 and T4 dart spinners if they appear.
  • On long battles such as against Rocs and Condors, eliminating boomerangs are essential to survival.
• T4 tracking lasers also exist and can be rather plentiful. However, having 1 or 4 T4 tracking lasers usually does not make a huge difference in difficulty.
  • On the other hand, T4 shuriken launchers (spread) are often more deadly, so try to go for those first.
• Click on the various invader weaponry mission intel icons above to go to the relevant sections to know how to deal with different types of bullets and lasers. Since this mission doesn't have pellets, you can skip those sub-sections for the sake of this mission type.
• Getting an Ogon Is Fine badge on this mission type is extremely difficult, unless the mission is really easy.

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (=) Since boomerangs appear more frequently than darts, it's still possible to use ships that have MB effectively in speedrunning this mission.
    • This is because boomerangs tend to be inaccurate when charging upfield.
    • Just don't get too close to T1 Boomerangs.
• No specific advice, click on the various invader weaponry mission intel icons above to go to the relevant sections to know how to deal with different types of bullets and lasers.

Fun

• (+) This is a fast paced mission, especially when you are speedrunning.
• (-) However, the presence of speed lasers coupled with so many other kinds of bullets, especially boomerangs, can make this mission a nightmare to deal with. Trying to dodge fast darts, boomerangs and speed lasers with presence of shurikens around can be very difficult. Thankfully, there are no pellets (and particularly, pellet spinners) to deal with.

General

Brief Description: Very generic missions that feature all kinds of common bullets. Thankfully, MIRVs and boomerangs are not in the mix.

Mission Intel:

General Difficulty: Hard to Very Hard

Laser Density: Medium, No Speed Lasers

Other Bullets: Darts, Pellets, Shurikens

Invader Weaponry Notes:

• There can be both Pellet Spinners (Lane) and Pellet Spinners (Wall).
• Only Shuriken Spreads can appear, Shuriken Launchers do NOT appear.
• Laser Spreads do NOT appear.

Other Notes:

• All invaders are of non-Sinister type.

Example of a General mission type (Marshal S2):

Click on the various invader weaponry mission intel icons above to go to the relevant sections to know how to deal with different types of bullets and lasers. The generic mission type means all Auras and Zens have no particular advantage overall. It depends from mission to mission which one dominates over another.

Getting an Ogon Is Fine badge on this mission type is extremely difficult, unless the mission is really easy.

Dart/Pellet/Laser

Mission Intel:

Other Bullets: Darts, Pellets

Laser Density: High, No Speed Lasers.

General Difficulty: Hard

Brief Description: Characterized by a rather high amount of darts and lasers (both tracking and spread lasers).

Invader Weaponry Notes:

• Can have both Pellet Spinners (Lane) & Pellet Spinners (Wall).
• Laser Spreads can appear.

Other Notes:

• All invaders are of Sinister type.

Dart/Pellet/Laser	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Geist Baqlor Torrent Nimbus Centurion	Jericho Atlas Hime Lokie Saber Antioch Trinity Shogun Widget	NC-150 Yoth-Hola Phoenix Essin Yigothu Njörun NC-271 Jeria Baqlor Phi
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Geist Baqlor Corsair Uhb Wraith Nimbus Centurion	Krillou Havoc Ex04239 Saber Shogun Icarus Neni Juggernaut Lambda	Proxymar Exarch Scuuxun Starless Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Cinnri Buhloo Geist Baqlor Torrent Nimbus Reaper Centurion Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Qhelqod Gamma	Atlas Ex04239 Hime Lokie Saber Antioch Shogun Icarus Cinnri Lambda Juggernaut Lambda Marauder Beta Widget Delta Stinger Epsilon	NC-150 Essin Yigothu Exarch Warden Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Baqlor Phi Valkyrie Gamma Njörun Gamma Reaper Tau Zimitr Delta

Example of a Dart/Pellet/Laser mission type (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) The presence of a lot of darts can make BEMP useful here, since you can inch your way around the field to graze and build up BEMP easily.
    • Doing this is very advantageous, since you can fire off a huge BEMP 1s before the lasers all fire to reset them all.
    • BEMP also works against pellet spinners very well.
  • (+) The presence of many lasers here make PS very viable here, since it can deal against them and is an effective counter-offence.
  • (+) VL or GM to eliminate pesky Ravens with annoying laser spreads.
  • (+) PD works well to eliminate bullets just before lasers fire to aid dodging lasers.
  • (=) Barriers can hold quite ok in this mission type since the bullet density isn't that heavy. However, deploying barriers upfield can be a challenge. To make it easier, you can eliminate all dart turrets before the current wave ends (so don't bother with pellet or tracking laser turrets) so it'll be easier to quickly head upfield to deploy the barrier before the next wave starts.
    • Barriers also hold reasonably well against lasers, so long they aren't in Phase Out state.
    • Deploying last minute small barriers around yourself can defend against any laser onslaught if desperate.
  • (=) IC can help to stun annoying invaders on one side of the field that have laser spreads. However, it struggles against upfield Ravens or Herons that have these annoying laser spreads.
    • One solution is to go upfield and stun these pesky invaders before coming back down. Doing so slightly desynchronizes the lasers, which means you can switch sides of the field between bursts of lasers. Note that this comes with disadvantages associated with desynchronized lasers, having to take note of lasers more often while dodging bullets.
  • (=) Barrier Reflector can be quite difficult to use here, since you need to block both bullets and lasers. For waves with a high density of lasers, barriers can be deployed downfield to maximize the apex ability.
    • It becomes quite awkward, as trying to switch from deploying barriers downfield (in laser heavy waves) to deploying barriers upfield (in more bullet heavy waves) is a challenge, especially in the presence of darts.
  • (=) Phalanx Reflector is ideal against lasers in this mission type since they usually go off at the same time on the first burst. However, Phalanx itself suffers slightly against this mission type since the bullet density is not that high, and shoveling too far upfield can cause you to be shot blank by darts.
  • (-) As mentioned, Phalanx can be difficult to use due to the need to shovel upfield for effective usage.
  • (-) The fast pace of the mission, having quite a lot of darts and laser spreads, mean that TP can be hard to use. It is also slightly hard to find good spots to TP to, especially when dart spreads flood the field.
    
    • TP can be used to get above laser spreads just before they fire.
  • (-) It's difficult to charge MB here since the pace of the mission is so fast, and it's easy to get shot point blank by darts.
• Moving slowly in this mission helps, since it is quite dart heavy.
• Eliminate one side of laser spreads before they fire.
• Attract all the tracking lasers to one side first, then strafe to the other side just before they fire.
  • This can be very difficult when dealing against BOTH tracking lasers and laser spreads.
  • In this case, try to go above laser spreads where possible. It is more important to avoid tracking lasers.
  • An exception is when the tracking lasers are all of T3, which means that double laser. You can simply stand still and they will not kill you. In this case, deal against laser spreads and ignore the T3 tracking lasers.
    • Don't do this if the T3 tracking lasers are on Ravens that are not all the way upfield.
• Getting an Ogon Is Fine badge on this mission type is difficult, but possible on easier missions due to the lack of shurikens.

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) REMP usually works much better for speedrunning since it is fast charging.
  • (=) Although there are many lasers in this mission type, Barrier Reflector can be difficult to use here since some waves don't have many lasers. The rather high density of bullets also mean that placing barriers downfield may not always last long enough for Barrier to reflect the lasers.
  • (-) It's difficult to charge MB here since the pace of the mission is so fast, and it's easy to get shot point blank by darts.
    
    • Charging all the way upfield is not recommended since the darts around can make it extremely difficult to head back downfield.
• Click on the various invader weaponry mission intel icons above to go to the relevant sections to know how to deal with different types of bullets and lasers. Since this mission doesn't have shurikens or boomerangs, you can skip those sub-sections for the sake of this mission type.

Fun

• (+) This is a fast paced mission that is fun to play due to the lack of annoying shurikens, boomerangs and especially speed lasers. The bullets in this mission type are quite manageable.
• (+) Using PS to reflect the many lasers in this mission type is incredibly satisfying. No speed lasers to deal with here as well.
• (=) Barrier Reflector and Phalanx Reflector apexes can be quite difficult to fully utilize here.

Laser/Shuriken	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Geist Gorthaur Baqlor Dragonfly Torrent Wraith Nimbus Reaper Claymore Centurion Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Qhelqod Gamma Stinger Epsilon	Krillou Jericho Oran Ogon Atlas Lokie Antioch Trinity Widget Mistral Trireme Gamma Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Marauder Beta Qhelqod Gamma Centurion Tau Stinger Epsilon	NC-150 Yoth-Hola Mist Star Proxymar Trireme Phoenix Czar Essin Yigothu Njörun X-81 NC-271 Mirage Zhetass Banshee Zimitr Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Baqlor Phi Valkyrie Gamma Qhelqod Gamma Reaper Tau
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Geist Baqlor Wraith Kibarrax Centurion Icarus Sigma Qhelqod Gamma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Havoc Ex04239 Von Braun Icarus Neni Mistral Qhelqod Gamma Kibarrax Lambda Centurion Tau	Proxymar Exarch Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi Qhelqod Gamma
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Cinnri Buhloo Geist Baqlor Dragonfly Torrent Wraith Reaper Claymore Centurion Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Qhelqod Gamma Stinger Epsilon	Krillou Ex04239 Atlas Lokie Antioch Mistral Trireme Gamma Cinnri Lambda Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Marauder Beta Qhelqod Gamma Widget Delta Centurion Tau Stinger Epsilon	NC-150 Proxymar Trireme Essin Yigothu Exarch Mirage Banshee Warden Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Baqlor Phi Valkyrie Gamma Njörun Gamma Qhelqod Gamma Reaper Tau Zimitr Delta Stinger Epsilon

Shuriken/Pellet/Laser	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Tempest Cinnri Geist Gorthaur Baqlor Torrent Lorilou AB8/Klyn Lyova Qhelqod Nimbus Reaper Claymore Centurion Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Qhelqod Gamma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Jericho Oran Ogon Photurius Atlas Hime Lokie Saber Proteus Antioch Trinity Shogun Predator Widget Mistral Trireme Gamma Marauder Beta Stinger Epsilon	Shinova NC-150 Yoth-Hola Mist Star Proxymar Trireme Phoenix Czar Arietis Essin Yigothu Njörun X-81 Scuuxun NC-271 Mirage Luna Zhetass Starless Banshee Zimitr Jeria Veil Sigma Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Baqlor Phi Valkyrie Gamma Qhelqod Gamma Reaper Tau Stinger Epsilon
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Geist Baqlor Uhb Wraith Nimbus Kibarrax Centurion Qhelqod Gamma Jeria Sigma	Krillou Havoc Photurius Ex04239 Von Braun Saber Shogun Icarus Neni Mistral	Proxymar Exarch Scuuxun Starless Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi Qhelqod Gamma Luna Tau & Omega
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Buhloo Geist Vani-Vith Baqlor Torrent Uhb Lorilou AB8/Klyn Lyova Qhelqod Nimbus Reaper Claymore Centurion Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Qhelqod Gamma	Krillou Photurius Ex04239 Atlas Hime Lokie Saber Antioch Shogun Predator Icarus Mistral Proteus Gamma Trireme Gamma Cinnri Lambda Marauder Beta Widget Delta Stinger Epsilon	NC-150 Proxymar Trireme Essin Gladius Yigothu Exarch Mirage Luna Banshee Warden Veil Sigma Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Tillat'Or Gamma Arietis Lambda Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Baqlor Phi Valkyrie Gamma Njörun Gamma Qhelqod Gamma Reaper Tau Zimitr Delta Stinger Epsilon

The difference between Laser/Shuriken and Laser/Pellet/Shuriken is the additional presence of pellets in the latter. which is not very significant, although a few pointers will be made about the additional presence of pellets.

Example of a Laser/Shuriken mission type (Marshal S2):

Example of a Shuriken/Pellet/Laser mission type (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) BEMP works very well here against pellets and shurikens. The reset of lasers is also useful, although the bullet clearing of pellets, shurikens (or even sMIRVs or pellets from Caged MIRVs) is really the main selling point here.
  • (+) Similarly, REMP is also a useful tool to clear out shurikens and pellets. Unfortunately, REMP against sMIRVs may not work the best, but it is still decent.
  • (+) VL or GM to eliminate annoying Ravens with laser spreads.
  • (+) TP works well to counter against shuriken launchers (spread), since they won't fire until they achieve a brief lock on to you. T3 and T4 shuriken launchers (spread) can be baited to fire, then TP away to avoid their shurikens.
    • You can also use TP to get above a criss-cross pattern of interlocking pellet spreads, if the RNG happens to be really bad.
  • (+) Barrier Reflector, once again, works very well here due to the high density of lasers. Shurikens are generally not a huge concern when invaders will likely die before shurikens even get to you.
    • Even if pellets and/or shurikens do get to you, you can simply deploy a barrier to slice a thick cloud of shurikens so you have some breathing space. It is rare that you would ever need to do that from how potent the Barrier Reflector apex is.
    • Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Phalanx Reflector, since it now has to deal with shurikens and pellets after laser reflecting, wasting many charges of Phalanxes just to clear bullets rather than reflecting lasers.
  • (=) Barrier is a decent Aura against both bullets and lasers, since one barrier will usually last against a full burst of lasers. Barrier's ability to cut up shuriken clouds also make it quite useful.
  • (=) PS still works ok here due to the laser heavy nature of this mission. PS works fine against pellet spreads since the Phase Out distance However, PS works quite poorly against shurikens, but the Phase Out of PS is still able to allow you to cut through some tight walls where required.
  • (=) Phalanx works ok and clears out shurikens well, but are weak against lasers, so prepare to strafe when under laser fire. You will have to shovel diagonally and deploy several Phalanxes to survive both the bullet hell and the current burst of lasers.
  • (-) PD is a difficult Zen to use due to the huge amount of shurikens that appear. It also cannot deal against lasers. However, it does work to clear some pellets from Caged MIRVs. For sMIRVs, trigger them first but be careful not to trigger the pellet MIRVs as well, then try to use PD to eliminate the pellet MIRVs.
• When dealing with T3 and T4 shuriken launchers (spread), try to allow all of them to lock on and start firing at you at the same time, so that you can strafe to the other side.
• Pellet Spreads can get annoying when they start appearing in huge numbers, particularly if more than 2 of them in a row. Quite a lot of it starts to count on RNG from Raven and Heron movements. Generally, it's easier to just dodge from the side of the field if too many pellet spreads are in the middle.
• Draw all the shuriken launchers to one side, and then before lasers fire, strafe to the other side.
• Eliminate T3 and T4 shuriken launchers first. If this is not possible, aim for Ravens with laser spreads that make dodging nearly impossible.
• Due to the blockade caused by shurikens, it can be very difficult to mass trigger laser MIRVs. The massive de-sync between lasers from laser MIRVs as well as the firing of lasers from laser turrets themselves make it very difficult to accurately predict which line is actually going to fire next even when you have the sounds turned on. Most of the time, it is best to assume that all the laser turrets are going off at once and stay off the laser lines at all times, particularly when you hear the sound of lasers firing.
• Alternatively, go upfield above the shuriken launchers and the pellet launchers/spread. In this regard, auto aiming ships actually work quite well for this mission since shurikens and pellets can be more easily avoided.
  • However, if Caged MIRVs exist, you can only go upfield once these pellets from Caged MIRVs are cleared off the field. Thus, you would have to make a dash above the shuriken launchers before they start firing.
  • Another very important thing to take note of is to make sure when you dash above these shuriken launchers, make sure that all the shuriken launchers are rotating in the same direction, so push along the very edge of the field. Otherwise, even one shuriken launcher rotating in the wrong direction will cause the upfield to be flooded with no way out.
• Condors or Rocs with all of MIRV Bloomers, fast tracking lasers and T3 or T4 shuriken launchers (spread) are the WORST. The only way past these menaces is to draw the shuriken launchers to one side, then strafe to the other side as the fast tracking lasers are about to fire. To repeat this for many rounds is a huge problem.
  • If you wish to survive this menace with a difficult ship like Ogon, go above the shuriken launchers and bait them to fire before they can turn upwards. Then, be very careful of laser MIRVs that are emitted, it WILL be a tight squeeze. After the shuriken launchers take a break, you can quickly head downfield again to avoid the tracking lasers, and yet not get shot point blank by MIRV Bloomers. Note that this technique has very low success, so it's easier to use a better ship that can survive this menace.
• When Caged MIRVs appear, it can get very messy unless you have an Aura/Zen that has both bullet clearing and damage capabilities.
• In particular, a very deadly combination is laser spreads coupled with DDMBs. Laser spreads disallow you to move sideways, while DDMB prevents upward movement, trapping you between laser spreads with not much space above you. As mentioned, it is difficult to know if the laser spread is actually going to go off even as you hear the sound as it could be from another laser turret instead. DDMB, while has an obvious sound of its own, actually takes some time after the sound goes off before it actually fires. That duration can make you anxious and keep staying at the bottom of the field. The duration is enough to do stuff like going upfield to launch BEMPs (even if they might be small), or complete a single Phalanx shoveling.
• This is a mission that is possible to get Ogon Is Fine badges. If Caged MIRVs appear, the difficulty of getting this badge significantly increases. If DDSMs appear, just simply hide at the extreme top left or top right corner of the screen, and you should be safe. Also, beware of DDMBs.

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) Barrier Reflector apexes are king here. Properly sized and placed barriers can catch a huge amount of lasers coming from laser MIRVs, which is the biggest key. It is almost automatic that you will catch all of the tracking lasers and spread lasers (the latter being a little RNG based) if your barriers downfield spans the whole width of the field.
  • (+) PS is without a doubt, an offensive tool in this mission type. Having Super Reflect apexes are often not really necessary in higher ranks due to the sheer crazy amount of lasers that can be on field, other than when Rocs with not many MIRV Bloomers are present.
    • Generally, PS should only be used in heavier waves in Act 3, or Act 4 and above since invader lasers take 4s to fully fire. By then, most of, or all of the invaders would be dead by your main weapon + any offensive Aura before you can reflect the lasers.
  • (+) Since shuriken launchers (spread) generally take some time to achieve a brief lock on and then fire, charging MB is slightly more lenient in this mission type. However, beware of T3 or T4 shuriken launchers (forward scattering) since those fire immediately once the invader(s) is/are on field.
  • (=) ML works to clear out shurikens to head upfield and go point blank with invaders
  • (=) Phalanx Reflector allows some speed but it only catches tracking lasers and spread lasers effectively. Difficult to catch lasers coming from laser MIRVs.
• Without a doubt, reflecting as many lasers as possible is key to going fast.
• Traditional offensive Auras and Zens can still do very well here.
• When faced with less lasers or not many laser MIRVs, thus finding it difficult to find a good spot to reflect more than 4 lasers, a good technique is to trigger a laser MIRV, then go right on top of the center of the triggered MIRV and reflect all the lasers, which is at least 5 or 9 lasers (T1 and T2 laser MIRV respectively)
• While this relies on luck, sometimes it's possible to go down the middle and make your way through several pellet spreads. Such a move allows a lot of grazing which benefits offensive Auras.
• Same strategy for turret elimination, eliminate T3 and T4 shuriken launchers (Both Forward Scattering & Spread) first.
• Since MIRV Bloomers are your main source of laser reflecting, usually the best idea is to be inbetween the MIRV Bloomers and around the middle of the field in order to pull off the most optimum PS laser reflects.

Fun

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) PS for extremely satisfying laser reflects and vaporizing waves, especially those with a lot of MIRV Bloomers.
  • (+) Top it up with Super Reflect for even more fun.
  • (+) Barrier Reflector apexes are a huge ton of fun to use.
• (+) Activating a ton of laser MIRVs at the same time fills the field with a crazy amount of lasers. While slightly ironic to say, it is a beautiful mess.
• (-) Otherwise, having to deal with many lasers and bullets at the same time isn't fun.

Lasers Only	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Geist Gorthaur Baqlor Dragonfly Torrent Nimbus Reaper Kibarrax Claymore Centurion Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Qhelqod Gamma	Krillou Oran Ogon Atlas Lokie Antioch Trinity Widget Mistral Trireme Gamma Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Marauder Beta Qhelqod Gamma Kibarrax Lambda Centurion Tau Stinger Epsilon	NC-150 Yoth-Hola Mist Star Proxymar Trireme Phoenix Czar Essin Yigothu Njörun X-81 NC-271 Zhetass Banshee Zimitr Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Baqlor Phi Valkyrie Gamma Qhelqod Gamma Reaper Tau Stinger Epsilon
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Geist Baqlor Wraith Kibarrax Centurion Qhelqod Gamma	Krillou Havoc Ex04239 Von Braun Icarus Neni Mistral Qhelqod Gamma Kibarrax Lambda Centurion Tau	Proxymar Exarch Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi Qhelqod Gamma
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Buhloo Geist Baqlor Dragonfly Torrent Wraith Reaper Kibarrax Claymore Centurion Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Qhelqod Gamma	Krillou Atlas Ex04239 Lokie Antioch Mistral Trireme Gamma Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Marauder Beta Qhelqod Gamma Widget Delta Kibarrax Lambda Centurion Tau Stinger Epsilon	NC-150 Proxymar Trireme Essin Yigothu Exarch Banshee Warden Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Baqlor Phi Valkyrie Gamma Njörun Gamma Qhelqod Gamma Reaper Tau Zimitr Delta Stinger Epsilon

Laser/Pellet	Unprotected	Armored	Shielded
Ships/Apexes strong against this mission type	Geist Gorthaur Baqlor Dragonfly Torrent Nimbus Reaper Kibarrax Claymore Centurion Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Qhelqod Gamma	Krillou Oran Ogon Atlas Lokie Antioch Trinity Widget Mistral Trireme Gamma Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Marauder Beta Qhelqod Gamma Kibarrax Lambda Centurion Tau Stinger Epsilon	NC-150 Yoth-Hola Mist Star Proxymar Trireme Phoenix Czar Essin Yigothu Njörun X-81 NC-271 Zhetass Banshee Zimitr Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Baqlor Phi Valkyrie Gamma Qhelqod Gamma Reaper Tau Stinger Epsilon
Speedrunning Ships/Apexes	Fujin Buhloo Geist Baqlor Wraith Kibarrax Centurion Qhelqod Gamma	Krillou Havoc Ex04239 Von Braun Icarus Neni Mistral Qhelqod Gamma Kibarrax Lambda Centurion Tau	Proxymar Exarch Banshee Jeria Monsoon Warden Phoenix Delta Baqlor Phi Qhelqod Gamma
Fun Ships/Apexes to try on this mission type	Fujin Buhloo Geist Baqlor Dragonfly Torrent Wraith Reaper Kibarrax Claymore Centurion Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Qhelqod Gamma	Krillou Atlas Ex04239 Lokie Antioch Mistral Trireme Gamma Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Marauder Beta Qhelqod Gamma Widget Delta Kibarrax Lambda Centurion Tau Stinger Epsilon	NC-150 Proxymar Trireme Essin Yigothu Exarch Banshee Warden Phoenix Delta Czar Lambda Tillat'Or Gamma Gorthaur Beta Heechi Delta Baqlor Phi Valkyrie Gamma Njörun Gamma Qhelqod Gamma Reaper Tau Zimitr Delta Stinger Epsilon

Example of a Lasers Only mission type (Marshal S2):

Example of a Laser/Pellet mission type (Marshal S2):

Survival

• Auras & Zens
  • (-) TP isn't an ideal Zen because it's easy to keep on abusing TP and then run into long charge times, potentially, triggering laser MIRVs one by one, eventually leading to sticky situations.
  • (+) PS is an easy Zen to use, and a good counter offence as well. Use PS to reflect as many lasers as possible, including those laser lines from mass triggering laser MIRVs.
    • If the wave instantly vaporizes after one round of laser reflect, take care not to use it in the next wave since PS needs time to cool down (unless you have the PS Focus apex). Take your time to clear out the last invaders if you are not using an instant tracking or perfecting homing main weapon. Otherwise, using either of the 2 mentioned main weapon types will usually give you time to recover PS since their DPS is lower.
  • (+) Barrier Reflector is the best Aura out there, as putting it downfield protects yourself and deals huge counter offensive damage. Just make sure you always have enough for a minimum size of barrier to be deployed.
  • (+) VLs and GMs eliminate annoying Ravens that are carrying laser spreads.
  • (+) Charging MB at the right place is usually not a problem, unless pellet spinners (wall) are around since they charge up quickly. But the number of occurrences are usually very low.
  • (=) Phalanx Reflector will be slightly difficult as it requires skill to not burn through Phalanx charges too fast. At best, 2 Phalanxes are needed to reflect a huge amount of lasers, although 3 is the ideal balance between surviving the lasers
    • If you don't have enough Phalanx charges, slowly move to one side when reflecting lasers, and then, at your last Phalanx charge, move quickly like you are avoiding the tracking lasers (if there are any tracking lasers locked onto you).
  • Lasers Only - (=) CF ships may not work too well here since there are no bullets to graze off. You will have to rely on grazing off laser lanes from laser MIRVs to do Chrono Hopping.
  • Lasers Only - (-) BEMP, as already implied in its name, is not very useful in this mission, unless you are using the Destructive Wave apex. However, the reset stun of BEMP can save you once or twice in a difficult wave.
  • Lasers Only - (-) REMP is nothing more than 20 AoE damage, since it would be too late to clear laser MIRVs. This is unfortunately, mediocre damage compared to MB.
  • Lasers Only - (-) Similarly, Phalanx is useless since it breaks easily under laser fire. Unless you are using a Phalanx Reflector apex, but even such apexes are a bit harder to use.
  • Lasers Only - (-) PD is not very useful as well since it only eliminates laser MIRVs, but doesn't solve the problem of tracking lasers and laser spreads.
  • Laser/Pellet - (+) BEMP, Phalanx & REMP could be useful against pellet spinners, especially those on Condors or Rocs since the pellet spinners might around for some time.
  • Laser/Pellet - (=) PD can help somewhat to deal against pellet spinners.
• Among the easiest mission types out there. With a total lack of bullets, there is complete freedom to be anywhere on the field you want.
• Eliminating MIRV Bloomers is your utmost priority in surviving.
• If required, eliminate MIRV Launchers if your ship is not an auto aiming ship. Although most of the time, MIRV Launchers don't throw too many laser MIRVs on field, so they are not too deadly.
• Using auto aiming ships is another good idea, and makes such missions easier to play.
  • Just be careful when you go upfield as MIRV Bloomers upfield will almost certainly cause you to die either by the laser MIRVs themselves or the lack of space between intersacting lines. Otherwise, you can simply camp upfield.
• If there are a lot of tracking lasers, especially very fast tracking lasers in heavier waves, be sure to have them all rotate clockwise or counter clockwise. Having tracking lasers rotate in both directions can make them dice you if the firing intervals are correct. To ensure this, try to start from downfield first, then have all the tracking lasers start rotating one way, then move upfield on the corresponding extreme side of the field to "guide" the tracking lasers.
  • It's not the end if 1 or 2 tracking lasers rotate in the opposite direction, but be careful when that happens. If it happens, try to move closer to one group of lasers so you can have these group of lasers be fully tracked onto you for a short while so there is a less chance of getting diced.
• Laser spreads can get very annoying for ships that do not have auto aiming weapons, or for waves that have upfield MIRV Bloomers.
• Always zip past DDLs before you hear the DDLs charging if you intend to dodge lasers, otherwise you will probably be too late. Don't hesitate. It's best to just zip past a DDL if you are already approaching within 3 normal ship's width on left or right side of the DDL .
• Sound cues are very important for this mission. As you hear the lasers charging up, that is your cue to strafe. When you strafe, push up to either upper left or right corner of the field.
  • If you do not have sound cues, unfortunately you need experience to know how to count down from 3s when laser lines appear, yet still strafe and destroy invaders at the same time.
• (+) Getting Ogon Is Fine badges is high likely for such missions, except when you have more than 2 pellet spinners or 2 T4 pellet spinners (wall).
• Eliminate all pellet spinners as quickly as possible. Especially the T3 and T4 pellet spinners (wall).
• When pellet spinners are present, generally there will not be a lot of tracking lasers or laser spreads. Thus, it is possible to try turret riding, especially you have an offensive Aura. Otherwise, simply aim to eliminate these pellet spinners first.
  
  • This is extremely difficult and only works properly if there are only 2 pellet spinners, and they are far apart. By far apart, I meant the spacing between the 2 outermost Vulture turrets. Or a similar distance between the middle turret of 2 Eagles.
  • Despite this, do eliminate the pellet spinner you are riding on so it is easier to move around after that to eliminate the rest of the invaders.
  • Don't try this on pellet spinners (wall).
  • However, Barrier Reflector and Phalanx Reflector apexes should stay downfield and use the chance to absorb all the lasers.
• Be careful not to randomly crash into pellets, especially when dodging tracking lasers.

Speedrunning

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) Barrier Reflector apexes are king here. Properly sized and placed barriers can catch a huge amount of lasers coming from laser MIRVs, which is the biggest key. It is almost automatic that you will catch all of the tracking lasers and spread lasers (the latter being a little RNG based) if your barriers downfield spans the whole width of the field.
    
    • Do not be afraid when dealing against DDLs. Deploy barriers as per normal downfield but be prepared to dodge DDLs if you cannot kill the invader on time.
  • (+) PS is without a doubt, an offensive tool in this mission type. Having Super Reflect apexes are often not really necessary in higher ranks due to the sheer crazy amount of lasers that can be on field, other than when Rocs with not many MIRV Bloomers are present.
    • Generally, PS should only be used in heavier waves in Act 3, or Act 4 and above since invader lasers take 4s to fully fire. By then, most of, or all of the invaders would be dead by your main weapon + any offensive Aura before you can reflect the lasers.
  • (+) MB is easily chargeable anywhere on field, so long you don't have too many speed lasers and you don't get rammed into by invaders and die by turret collision.
  • (=) Phalanx Reflector allows some speed but it only catches tracking lasers and spread lasers effectively. Difficult to catch lasers coming from laser MIRVs.
• Without a doubt, reflecting as many lasers as possible is key to going fast.
• Traditional offensive Auras and Zens can still do very well here.
• When faced with less lasers or not many laser MIRVs, thus finding it difficult to find a good spot to reflect more than 4 lasers, a good technique is to trigger a laser MIRV, then go right on top of the center of the triggered MIRV and reflect all the lasers, which is at least 5 or 9 lasers (T1 and T2 laser MIRV respectively)
• No need to destroy any turrets other than speed lasers when they exist. Especially, MIRV Bloomers provide a lot of speed for reflecting lasers.
• If you are using a speedrunning ship that cannot deal against lasers, eliminate Ravens with laser spreads on one side of the field if necessary.
• Since MIRV Bloomers are your main source of laser reflecting, usually the best idea is to be inbetween the MIRV Bloomers and around the middle of the field in order to pull off the most optimum PS laser reflects.

Fun

• Auras & Zens
  • (+) PS for extremely satisfying laser reflects and vaporizing waves, especially those with a lot of MIRV Bloomers.
  • (+) Top it up with Super Reflect for even more fun.
  • (+) Barrier Reflector apexes are a huge ton of fun to use.
  • (=) Phalanx Reflector apexes are a bit more difficult to use, and may not provide maximum fun value due to the need to keep replacing Phalanxes while lasers are firing. It is especially difficult to catch lasers coming out of laser MIRVs
• (+) Using auto aiming ships here can be a lot of fun as it is easy to avoid all the lasers by going in circles or hiding at the top corners of the field
• (+) Activating a ton of laser MIRVs at the same time fills the field with a crazy amount of lasers. While slightly ironic to say, it is a beautiful mess.
• (+) You can play the cat-and-mouse chase with tracking lasers a LOT in this mission type. Just make sure you don't get diced by tracking lasers coming from left and right.