M3A Labs / Vortex Shift / Guide

Orbits, Mines, Pickups and Events

The field is made of concentric orbits, anywhere from one to six. Each ring has a type that changes what it gives you and what it costs you, and mines and power-ups appear on the rings based on weighted odds. The percentages below are calculated from the game's data files, so they match what the game actually rolls.

Orbit types

On level one every orbit is standard. From level three onwards some rings get a special type (up to three per level), and the intro screen tells you which ones. It's worth reading: a RICH ring next to a VOLATILE one is a very different situation from two plain rings.

OrbitEffect
STANDARD ORBITA plain, honest orbit. No modifiers.
RICH ORBITBONUS: gems ×2 here. MALUS: mines spawn here far more often.
FROST ORBITBONUS: you orbit 25% slower (easier to dodge). MALUS: passive score halved.
VOLATILE ORBITBONUS: gems ×3 here. MALUS: crawling with mines, slightly faster.
FLUX ORBITBONUS: gems ×2 here, and you drift 20% slower. MALUS: you orbit BACKWARDS on this ring.

Mines

Every mine looks dangerous on purpose: the same red outline with sharp spikes, and nothing you should pick up ever looks like that. The center tells you which kind it is: solid red for the basic mine, darker red for the heavy one, a purplish red for the EMP and an orange-red for the Overdrive, each with its own small symbol. Gems are shiny gold or cyan diamonds, and power-ups float inside glowing bubbles.

Mines drift along the rings. You'll see more of them as the levels go up (and even more once destabilization starts), and new kinds join in as you climb.

MineAppearsEffect
CONTACT MINEfrom level 1The basic mine: solid red, marked ✖. Deals 1 damage - a shield charge absorbs it.
OVERDRIVE MINEfrom level 2Orange-red center, marked ». No damage, but overcharges your engines: +20% orbit speed for 5 s. Hitting more of them STACKS the effect.
EMP MINEfrom level 3Purplish-red center, marked with a slashed shield. Shatters ALL your shield charges at once, but deals no hull damage.
HEAVY MINEfrom level 4Bigger, with more spikes and a dark red center, marked 2. Deals 2 damage. Shields absorb it one charge per point.

Mine spawn odds

Each new mine picks its type from the kinds unlocked at your level, weighted by how rare they are:

LevelCONTACT MINEOVERDRIVE MINEEMP MINEHEAVY MINE
1100%---
286.2%13.8%--
374.6%11.9%13.4%-
4+67.6%10.8%12.2%9.5%

Pickups

There are always some plain gems on the field, up to a small cap that rises with the level. Only one special pickup can be on the field at a time. Once it's gone, a new one rolls after a few seconds (a bit sooner with LUCKY CHARM).

PickupAppearsEffect
GEMfrom level 1The plain gem, a gold outline that is almost see-through inside: +25 × combo score and +1 toward the level quota. It is not banked.
PRISMfrom level 3A giant cyan gem: +75 × combo score and 3 gems for the quota, split as one plain, one upgrade and one cosmetic gem (so it banks one of each currency).
UPGRADE GEMfrom level 1A solid yellow-green gem. Fills the quota like a plain gem, and is banked as currency for new ships and hangar upgrades.
COSMETIC GEMfrom level 1A pale, almost white gold, much brighter than the plain gem. Fills the quota like a plain gem, and is banked as currency for ship colors and trails.
AEGIS ORBfrom level 1One shield charge - absorbs mine damage for free (max 3 charges).
CHRONOfrom level 2Slows your orbit speed 25% for 6 seconds. Breathing room.
MAGNETfrom level 2Triples your collection radius for 8 seconds.
PULSEfrom level 4Detonates every mine on your current orbit. Very satisfying.
MEDIKITfrom level 4Restores 1 hull point (bonus score when already at full hull). Rare - grab it while you can.

Special pickup odds

LevelPRISMAEGIS ORBCHRONOMAGNETPULSEMEDIKIT
1-100%----
2-32%32%36%--
319.4%25.8%25.8%29%--
4+14.6%19.5%19.5%22%17.1%7.3%

Micro-events

On about half of the non-boss levels, a short event breaks out once, announced by a pulsing banner:

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