How to play NebulaWar

NebulaWar is a free, real-time multiplayer space shooter you play in your browser. Launch a small ship into one of 8 sectors with up to 16 pilots, mine crystal asteroids, level up, and evolve your ship through a tree of 86 forms while you battle everyone else for the top of the leaderboard.

Controls

• WASD / Arrows: Move
• Mouse: Aim
• Left mouse (hold): Fire
• Shift: Turbo while moving
• E: Auto fire on / off
• 1 – 7: Spend an upgrade point
• Z · X · C: Choose an evolution
• M: Sound on / off
• Esc: Flight control

On a touch screen, two joysticks take over:

• Left stick: Move · push to the edge for turbo
• Right stick: Aim and fire
• Tap right stick: Burst at the nearest enemy
• Settings › Controls: Switch to the free touch pad

Grow your ship

1. Mine crystals. Blue, gold and the red ore at the centre of every sector pay XP. Plain rocks only clear the way.
2. Level up. Every level grants one point for your 7 systems, up to 8 points each. Your ship grows with every level, to level 42.
3. Evolve. At levels 5, 11, 18 pick the next ship on your tree. At level 36, choose one of the Apex ships.
4. Earn Stardust. Each elimination pays 15. Spend it in the hangar on new origin ships, each with a tree of its own.

System upgrades

• Hull strength: +12% hull and component health
• Repair systems: +25% repair rate after 7 seconds without damage
• Engine thrust: +7% movement speed
• Weapon damage: +12% damage per shot
• Reload speed: 8% shorter firing interval
• Weapon range: +9% projectile speed or laser range
• Shield capacity: +18 shield; recharges out of combat

Game modes

• Free for All: Every pilot for themselves
• Zone Fight: Hold the zone. Hold the lead.
• Team Battle: Azure against Crimson

Origin ships

Every pilot starts in the Scout. Stardust unlocks the other origins, each with an evolution tree of its own.

• Scout, the all-rounder: Built for the unknown. A balanced frame with a path for every pilot.
• Viper, the interceptor (90 Stardust): Outrun the crossfire. High speed and a fast cycle rate reward precision.
• Bulwark, the heavy fighter (150 Stardust): Hold your ground. Reinforced armor and heavy rounds trade speed for staying power.
• Wraith, the marksman (210 Stardust): Strike from the edge. Fast, long-range rounds and a light, agile silhouette.
• Oracle, the drone commander (270 Stardust): Command a small fleet. Autonomous drones support your main cannon.

Sectors

• The Veil (N-07): Beyond the blue horizon
• Ember Reach (E-12): At the edge of a dying star
• Spiral Clown (J-03): A galaxy dancing out of line
• The Great Beyond (B-21): A thousand galaxies from home
• Event Horizon (H-00): Where even light loses its way
• Milky Way (M-01): Across an ocean of distant suns
• Ranged Planet (C-08): A purple abyss of dust and starlight
• Galaxy Collision (G-42): Two galaxies. One shared fate.