Game Phases

Laning Phase — Farm and Survive

The game starts with laning: you and (usually) a partner hold a lane, secure soul orbs from fallen troopers, and trade damage with the enemy laners. This is the calmest part of the match — use it to build your foundation.

Your job:

• Secure soul orbs. Troopers drop soul orbs when they die — shoot or melee them to collect full value, or they dissipate for a smaller share. Shoot your green orbs to secure them — if the enemy shoots them first, those souls are denied and lost. Steal their orange orbs the same way. Missed orbs are the #1 reason new players fall behind.
• Trade smart. Poke the enemy when they go for orbs. Don't take bad fights — dying in lane sets you back minutes.
• Poke the Guardian when your wave is pushed up and it's safe. Lane Guardians don't get backdoor protection, but their timed damage resistance fades through the laning phase.
• First 10 minutes: lane partners split trooper orb value — roughly 54% each with two heroes nearby — so don't stack extra heroes in a lane. Duo laning is still fine for trading, but the farm is shared.

Buy: cheap, efficient stats. Small Weapon pieces, a little Vitality, Extra Stamina for mobility. Nothing fancy — you're building a base, not a win condition yet.

Clock to watch: 2:00 easy camps spawn · 3:00 Soul Well activates, breakables spawn · 5:00 medium camps + bridge powerups · 8:00 hard camps + Sinner's Sacrifice machines · 10:00 Soul Urn descends. Lane Guardians hit their minimum timed damage resistance at 12:00 and Walkers at 18:00, so structures get progressively easier to melt.

Mid Game — Rotate and Fight

Lanes start breaking. Guardians fall, Walkers become the focus, and the map opens up. This is where rotations, ganks, and objective fights decide who takes control.

Your job:

• Rotate with purpose. When your Guardian is down, don't sit in an empty lane — move to help teammates, gank, or pressure another lane.
• Contest the mid-boss. The Rejuvenator's revive credits are a massive teamfight swing. Track its timing and be ready.
• Group for Walkers. Walkers need the team — don't solo them. Spread out, let troopers tank, focus fire.
• Farm the jungle. Neutral Haunts between lanes are bonus souls between rotations.
• Watch the Soul Urn. Free soul injections for whoever shows up — don't let the enemy take them uncontested.
• Use teleporters (available from the start, by the underground Secret Shops) to cross the map fast for fights.

Buy: your first power spike. This is where your build's identity forms — the items that let you win skirmishes and take objectives. Commit to your win condition here.

Clock to watch: ~11:00 first Unstable Rift (York or Greenwich — everyone rotates) · 15:00 Soul Urn · mid-boss respawns 7 / 6 / 5 minutes after each kill, shrinking every time.

Behind on souls? the game throws you a rope: up to +26% souls from troopers, camps, and objectives while you're behind, plus rift-fight bonuses. Don't tilt — play for objectives and the gap closes.

Late Game — Push and Close

Everyone's online. Teamfights are constant, structures are falling, and one bad fight can end the game. Every decision is high-stakes.

Your job:

• Stay with the team. Getting caught alone late game means a 5v6 while you're dead for 40+ seconds. Group up.
• Push with Super Troopers. Each destroyed Shrine upgrades that lane's troopers — push behind them, they're your siege engine.
• Take both Shrines, then the Patron. Remember the Patron's two health bars: burn through the first, it transforms weakened in place — commit and finish it, because it regenerates if left alone.
• Bank stamina for fights. Late-game fights are decided by who has mobility left. Arrive with pips, not on empty.
• Track enemy actives. Late game, one well-timed enemy active can wipe your team. Know what's on cooldown before you commit.

Buy: big-ticket win-condition items. Full build online. If the game goes very long, sell early cheap items for late-game monsters.

Clock to watch: Soul Urn every 5:00 · Unstable Rift roughly every 7 minutes · troop waves spawn faster and get tougher (+50% max health at 35:00) the longer the game runs, so lanes need babysitting even during sieges.