M3A Labs / Vortex Shift / Guide

Ships, Abilities and the Hangar

There are four ships. They all fly the same orbits and dodge the same mines, but hull, speed, scoring and especially their active ability change the way you play every ring switch. You buy ships with the upgrade gems you bank in your runs, and the Comet is available from the very first one.

The ships

The Comet is the all-rounder, and the ship I'd recommend for learning the game. It's forgiving while you figure things out, and still good enough to climb the boards later on. The Bulwark gives up some score in exchange for a third hull point and a slower orbit, which makes it a good pick for learning boss patterns. The Wisp dies in one hit, but it has a much wider collection radius and the best multiplier in the game, so when a Wisp run survives it usually ends up on the leaderboard. The Phase can't be hurt by mines for half a second after every switch. Playing it feels a bit like a rhythm game: you jump through danger instead of waiting for it to pass.

Abilities and ABILITY+

Each ship has one active ability with a cooldown (Space on a keyboard, the center button on touch). The ABILITY COOLANT perk shortens the cooldown, while the ABILITY+ hangar mod makes the ability itself stronger.

Hangar: permanent upgrades

Hangar mods are bought with upgrade gems, for one ship at a time, and they're permanent. They stack with the perks you draft during a run, and that's why a fully upgraded ship plays so differently from a brand new one.

Color schemes

These are only cosmetic and change your ship's hull and glow. Colors and trails are bought with cosmetic gems. There are four solid schemes and four gradient or textured skins, bought separately for each ship.

Trails

This is the wake your ship leaves behind it. Most trails just change the color, while the four fx trails change the particles themselves into sparks, crystal shards, a weaving ribbon or starbursts.

Once you own every hangar item for a ship, you unlock its FULL KIT achievement.