Game Guide
What everything in Outpost Cores is, what it costs and when it unlocks. Numbers come straight from the current version of the game.
The game is in alpha: it is still in development, and anything here can change.
Currencies
What each currency is for and where it comes from.
| Currency | Earned from | Spent on |
|---|---|---|
| Scrap | Destroying enemies and finishing waves during a run | In-run upgrades. Scrap is lost when the run ends |
| Tokens | Every run (more the further you get), offline earnings, objectives | The Foundry and the Research Lab |
| Temporal Shards | Objectives, milestones and the Store | Outpost upgrades, core substats, the third research slot |
| Stardust | Tournaments, event checkpoints (5 each), weekly objectives (3 a week), the Outpost Core research, the Store | Cores: new cores, core tiers, attunement |
| Beacons | The monthly event | The Depot |
Levels and bosses
Each level is harder than the one before and pays more. Every level ends with a boss at wave 3,000.
| Level | Opens when | Boss at wave 3,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | From the start | the Harbinger |
| Level 2 | Reach wave 90 on Level 1 | Longshot Prime |
| Level 3 | Reach wave 90 on Level 2 | the Restorer |
Only the levels that are open in the game today are listed.
Enemies
Enemy types you will meet on the open levels.
| Enemy | What it does | First seen |
|---|---|---|
| Boss | Huge, slow, pays the most | Every few waves |
| Sniper | Shoots the Outpost from range. No drones | Level 2 |
| Mender | Heals the enemies around it | Level 3 |
| Shielded | The first hit only pops the shield | Early waves |
| Tank | Tough and slow | Wave 25 |
| Swarm | Fast and fragile | Wave 21 |
| Standard | The everyday enemy | Early waves |
In-run upgrades
Bought with scrap during a run. They reset when the run ends. Each level costs 2.4x the one before, up to level 1,000.
| Weapon | First level costs | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Laser | 100 scrap | Every run starts with level 1 |
| Shield | 350 scrap | |
| Railgun | 800 scrap | |
| Drone | 500 scrap | Appears once Starting Drone is bought in the Foundry |
Foundry
Permanent upgrades bought with tokens. Prices below are without the Foundry Discount research.
Weapons
| Upgrade | What it does | Max level | Price (level: tokens) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Laser | Every run starts with +1 Laser level | 2,000 | 1: 22: 75: 510: 1125: 15950: 565100: 1,757250: 7,776500: 64,5511,000: 4.5M2,000: 312M |
| Starting Railgun | Every run starts with +1 Railgun level | 2,000 | 1: 22: 75: 510: 1125: 15950: 1,623100: 5,270250: 23,328500: 194K1,000: 13.5M2,000: 936M |
| Starting Drone | Level 1 unlocks Drones. Every run starts with +1 Drone level | 2,000 | 1: 22: 75: 510: 1125: 15950: 2,649100: 8,783250: 38,880500: 323K1,000: 22.5M2,000: 1.56B |
| Global Cooldown | -10% Initial Laser CD per level | 5 | 1: 22: 45: 32 |
| Extra Bounce 1 | Adds bounce 2: hits for 113% of laser damage Needs LASER BOUNCE research, then BOUNCE CHAIN level 1 | 1 | 1: 10M |
| Extra Bounce 2 | Adds bounce 3: hits for 84% of laser damage Needs LASER BOUNCE research, then BOUNCE CHAIN level 2 | 1 | 1: 25M |
| Extra Bounce 3 | Adds bounce 4: hits for 63% of laser damage Needs LASER BOUNCE research, then BOUNCE CHAIN level 3 | 1 | 1: 60M |
| Extra Bounce 4 | Adds bounce 5: hits for 47% of laser damage Needs LASER BOUNCE research, then BOUNCE CHAIN level 4 | 1 | 1: 150M |
| Extra Bounce 5 | Adds bounce 6: hits for 36% of laser damage Needs LASER BOUNCE research, then BOUNCE CHAIN level 5 | 1 | 1: 400M |
Defense
| Upgrade | What it does | Max level | Price (level: tokens) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Shield | Every run starts with +1 Shield level | 2,000 | 1: 22: 75: 710: 1625: 23950: 4,224100: 70,378250: 2.82M500: 45.4M1,000: 1.35B2,000: 49.6B |
| Hull Armor | Each level blocks 1 damage from every hit on the shield | 2,000 | 1: 32: 65: 710: 1625: 23950: 4,224100: 70,378250: 2.82M500: 45.4M1,000: 1.35B2,000: 49.6B |
Economy
| Upgrade | What it does | Max level | Price (level: tokens) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Token Processing | +20% Chance for extra run tokens | 5 | 1: 52: 105: 80 |
Research Lab
Opens at wave 30 on Level 1. Research costs tokens and runs in real time, even while you are away. You start with one research slot; a second costs 30M tokens and a third 600 shards. Costs and times below are without the Research Discount and Lab Efficiency research.
Projects
| Research | What it does | Unlocks | Levels | Cost (tokens) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser Bounce | Laser shots bounce to one extra enemy, further from the Outpost than the first target. Applies to every run started after it completes. | Reach wave 150 on any level | 1 | 1M | 1 day |
| Drone Bounce | Every drone zap also arcs to a second enemy near its target, shielded or not. A shielded target loses its shield. Applies to every run started after it completes. | Reach wave 200 on Level 2 | 1 | 4M | 2 days |
| Overclock 4x | Unlocks the 4x game speed. Faster runs, same rewards per wave. Run records and daily goals use real time. | Reach wave 300 on any level | 1 | 3M | 5 days |
| Overclock 5x | Unlocks the 5x game speed. Faster runs, same rewards per wave. Run records and daily goals use real time. | Needs Overclock 4x | 1 | 5B | 30 days |
| Fire Orders | Unlocks a crosshair on the main menu. Drag enemy types into the order your weapons should shoot them. | Reach wave 200 on any level | 1 | 2M | 2 days |
| Outpost Core | Opens CORES in the Outpost: core tiers, attunement and more cores, paid for with Stardust. Gives 30 Stardust when it finishes. | Reach wave 90 on Level 1 | 1 | 250K | 7 days |
Attack
| Research | What it does | Unlocks | Levels | Cost (tokens) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bounce Chain | Each tier unlocks one more laser bounce in the Foundry. Level 1: 1 extra bounce · Level 5: 5 extra bounces | Needs Laser Bounce | 5 | 2,500 to 114K | 10 min to 14 days |
| Laser Multishot | The laser can hit the same enemy more than once before moving on. Level 1: 2 hits per enemy · Level 3: 4 hits per enemy | Reach wave 110 on Level 1 | 3 | 500K to 4.5M | 30 min to 10 days |
| Critical Strikes | Laser, rail and drone hits can crit for extra damage. Level 1: 3% crit x1.65 · Level 10: 30% crit x3.00 | Reach wave 60 on any level | 10 | 30,000 to 36.2M | 3 min to 21 days |
| Rail Pierce | Railgun slugs punch through more enemies. Level 1: Pierces 4 enemies · Level 3: Pierces 6 enemies | Reach wave 60 on any level | 3 | 50,000 to 450K | 15 min to 7 days |
| Drone Bay | Raises the limit on drones in the air at once. Level 1: 5 drones at once · Level 2: 6 drones at once | Reach wave 100 on any level | 2 | 200K to 1M | 15 min to 4 days |
| Far Strike | Extra damage to enemies still far from the Outpost. Level 1: +4% damage at range · Level 10: +40% damage at range | Reach wave 100 on any level | 10 | 100K to 121M | 3 min to 14 days |
| Overdrive | Every weapon fires faster: laser, railgun and drone zaps. Level 1: +1% fire rate · Level 25: +25% fire rate | Reach wave 100 on any level | 25 | 200K to 980B | 5 min to 21 days |
Defense
| Research | What it does | Unlocks | Levels | Cost (tokens) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shield Regeneration | The shield heals faster, so it comes back sooner. Level 1: +10% shield regen · Level 25: +250% shield regen | Reach wave 60 on any level | 25 | 30,000 to 147B | 3 min to 21 days |
| Impact Plating | Enemies that hit the shield drain less of it. Level 1: -3% shield damage taken · Level 10: -30% shield damage taken | Reach wave 100 on any level | 10 | 80,000 to 96.6M | 3 min to 14 days |
| Defense Matrix | Hull Armor blocks more damage per level. Level 1: +4% hull armor · Level 40: +160% hull armor | Reach wave 80 on Level 1 | 40 | 100K to 97.2T | 5 min to 21 days |
Economy
| Research | What it does | Unlocks | Levels | Cost (tokens) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Token Yield | More tokens from every run, on every level. Level 1: +3% run tokens · Level 30: +90% run tokens | Research Lab open (wave 30 on Level 1) | 30 | 1,000 to 4.82B | 3 min to 21 days |
| Offline Archive | The station keeps earning for longer while you are away. Level 1: 6.5h offline cap · Level 12: 12h offline cap | Research Lab open (wave 30 on Level 1) | 12 | 800 to 932K | 5 min to 21 days |
| Offline Efficiency | A bigger share of your best token rate is earned offline. Level 1: 5.5% of best rate · Level 20: 15% of best rate | Research Lab open (wave 30 on Level 1) | 20 | 1,200 to 49.8M | 5 min to 28 days |
| Wave Stipend | A bigger checkpoint reward. Spendable scrap only. Level 1: +40% wave reward · Level 10: +400% wave reward | Reach wave 60 on any level | 10 | 40,000 to 48.3M | 3 min to 14 days |
| Scrap Salvage | More scrap from kills. Spendable only, no tokens. Level 1: +2% scrap from kills · Level 10: +20% scrap from kills | Reach wave 100 on any level | 10 | 100K to 121M | 3 min to 14 days |
| Boss Cache | Bosses can drop a cache: a free level on your cheapest in-run upgrade. Level 1: 20% chance per boss · Level 5: 100% chance per boss | Reach wave 80 on any level | 5 | 100K to 3.91M | 10 min to 10 days |
Lab
| Research | What it does | Unlocks | Levels | Cost (tokens) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundry Discount | Every Foundry upgrade costs fewer tokens. Level 1: -2.5% foundry costs · Level 10: -25% foundry costs | Reach wave 60 on any level | 10 | 50,000 to 60.4M | 5 min to 21 days |
| Research Discount | Every research costs fewer tokens. Level 1: -2.5% research costs · Level 10: -25% research costs | Reach wave 100 on any level | 10 | 100K to 93.6M | 5 min to 21 days |
| Lab Efficiency | Every research finishes sooner. Level 1: -3% research time · Level 10: -30% research time | Reach wave 150 on any level | 10 | 300K to 362M | 10 min to 20.4 days |
| Objective Reroll | Swap an unfinished objective for a fresh one. Level 1: 1 reroll a day · Level 3: 3 rerolls a day | Reach wave 60 on any level | 3 | 20,000 to 180K | 15 min to 7 days |
Boost
| Research | What it does | Unlocks | Levels | Cost (tokens) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fill Rate | Boosts need fewer kills to fill a rank. Level 1: -10% kills per rank · Level 2: -20% kills per rank | Boost! open (wave 200 on Level 3) | 2 | 2B to 10B | 3 days to 7 days |
| Primed | Every run starts with the first boost of your loadout half filled. Applies to runs started after it completes. | Boost! open (wave 200 on Level 3) | 1 | 5B | 7 days |
| Boost Loadouts | Keep more saved loadouts of 3 boosts in BOOST SETUP. Level 1: 2 saved loadouts · Level 5: 6 saved loadouts | Boost! open (wave 200 on Level 3) | 5 | 10B to 2.56T | 7 days to 21 days |
Outpost
Opens at wave 60 on Level 1. Outpost upgrades cost Temporal Shards and have 5 tiers. Equip one item per category. Every purchase (a new item or a higher tier) costs more than the last: 100, 125, 155, 195, 245, 305, … up to 10,000 shards.
Weapons
| Item | Tier 1 | Tier 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Surge Capacitor | Every 8th railgun shot is supercharged: 3x damage and pierces 6 enemies. | Every 4th railgun shot is supercharged: 4x damage and pierces 8 enemies. |
| Execution Protocol | 2% of enemies spawn marked. Any hit destroys a marked enemy, shield and all. Bosses are immune. | 6% of enemies spawn marked. Any hit destroys a marked enemy, shield and all. Bosses are immune. |
| Breach Rounds | Each hit makes that enemy take 4% more damage, up to +40%. Resets after 4s. | Each hit makes that enemy take 8% more damage, up to +80%. Resets after 4s. |
| Hive Link | Drones zap 10% faster and 10% further. | Drones zap 30% faster and 30% further. |
| Arc Amplifier Needs LASER BOUNCE research | Each laser bounce keeps 80% of the previous hop's damage (normally 75%). | Each laser bounce keeps 100% of the previous hop's damage (normally 75%). |
Defenses
| Item | Tier 1 | Tier 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Reboot Core | A broken shield comes back online at 20% HP instead of 25%. | A broken shield comes back online at 10% HP instead of 25%. |
| Barb Lattice | An enemy that hits the shield explodes for 30% of the shield damage it caused to enemies within 90 px. | An enemy that hits the shield explodes for 70% of the shield damage it caused to enemies within 110 px. |
| Proximity Mines | 3 mines ring the Outpost. Each blasts for 1.5x a standard enemy's HP on contact and rearms every wave. | 8 mines ring the Outpost. Each blasts for 4x a standard enemy's HP on contact and rearms every wave. |
| Static Veil | Enemies within 200 px of the Outpost move 10% slower. | Enemies within 200 px of the Outpost move 30% slower. |
| Last Stand Protocol | Once per run, a breach destroys every non-boss enemy, pushes a breaching boss back 250 px and restores the shield to 30%. | Once per run, a breach destroys every non-boss enemy, pushes a breaching boss back 450 px and restores the shield to 70%. |
Economy
| Item | Tier 1 | Tier 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Recycler | 3% of in-run upgrade purchases cost nothing. | 8% of in-run upgrade purchases cost nothing. |
| Bounty Contract | Bosses, tanks and shielded enemies pay 20% more scrap to spend. It does not add to your run tokens. | Bosses, tanks and shielded enemies pay 60% more scrap to spend. It does not add to your run tokens. |
| Scrap Dividend | Each wave pays 0.5% of your unspent scrap, up to 15% of the wave reward. | Each wave pays 1.5% of your unspent scrap, up to 35% of the wave reward. |
| Capital Reactor | Laser and drone damage +0.5% for every digit of your banked scrap. | Laser and drone damage +1.5% for every digit of your banked scrap. |
| Dispatch Relay | New objectives arrive every 7 hours instead of 8. | New objectives arrive every 5 hours instead of 8. |
Cores
You choose one core at the start. The Outpost Core research opens CORES in the Outpost, where cores are upgraded with Stardust. One core is equipped at a time.
| Core | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shield Core | Stacked shields that queue up and recharge behind each other. |
| Guardian Swarm | Guardians launch from the outpost to stop hits that reach the shield. |
| Laser Core | One continuous beam that damages its target and the enemies around it. |
| Railgun Core | A heavy railgun that hits hard, especially against bosses. |
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| A new core | 30 Stardust |
| Core tier II | 60 Stardust |
| Attunement (after tier II): 25 levels, +0.7% core strength each | 12 Stardust for the first level, rising to 76 for the last |
Substats
Each core has up to 3 substat lines, bought with Temporal Shards. A line rolls a random stat; it can be rerolled or locked.
| Action | Cost (shards) |
|---|---|
| Open line 1 / 2 / 3 | 500 / 2,000 / 6,000 |
| Reroll a line | 100 |
| Lock a line (1st / 2nd / 3rd) | 200 / 600 / 1,500 |
| Substat | Values by rarity |
|---|---|
| Laser Damage | +2% / +4% / +6% / +9% |
| Railgun Damage | +2% / +4% / +6% / +9% |
| Drone Damage | +2% / +4% / +6% / +9% |
| Boss Damage | +3% / +6% / +9% / +14% |
| Attack Speed | +1% / +2% / +3% / +5% |
| Crit Chance | +1% / +2% / +3% / +5% |
| Crit Damage | +5% / +10% / +15% / +25% |
| Shield HP | +2% / +4% / +6% / +9% |
Boost!
Opens at wave 200 on Level 3. Boosts are run-only upgrades: pick a loadout in BOOST SETUP on the main menu, and kills fill them during a run.
| Boost | Max rank | Rank 1 | Max rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield Plating | 5 | Shield max HP +15% | Shield max HP +75% |
| Shield Dynamo | 5 | Shield regeneration +25% | Shield regeneration +125% |
| Armor Weave | 5 | Hull Armor blocks 15% more | Hull Armor blocks 75% more |
| Laser Focus | 5 | Laser damage +9% | Laser damage +45% |
| Rail Charge | 5 | Railgun damage +15% | Railgun damage +75% |
| Drone Uplink | 5 | Drone damage +15% | Drone damage +75% |
| Rapid Cycle | 5 | Every weapon fires 4% faster | Every weapon fires 20% faster |
| Critical Matrix | 3 | +3% chance for a critical hit | +9% chance for a critical hit |
| Piercing Slugs | 3 | Railgun slugs pierce 1 more | Railgun slugs pierce 3 more |
| Extra Drones | 3 | +3 drones out at once | +9 drones out at once |
| Stasis Field | 4 | Enemies within 200 px move 10% slower | Enemies within 200 px move 40% slower |
| Spiked Shield | 3 | Enemies that hit the shield explode for 4% of the hit nearby (at most half a target's health) | Enemies that hit the shield explode for 12% of the hit nearby (at most half a target's health) |
| Emergency Barrier | 3 | 1 charge, rebuilt every 100 waves: a broken shield snaps back to 70% and takes no damage for 5 s | 3 charges, rebuilt every 100 waves: a broken shield snaps back to 70% and takes no damage for 5 s |
| Quick Reboot | 3 | A broken shield reboots 6% of its HP sooner | A broken shield reboots 18% of its HP sooner |
| Death Mark | 3 | 3% of new enemies are marked: any hit destroys them | 9% of new enemies are marked: any hit destroys them |
| Boss Breaker | 2 | Damage to bosses +30% | Damage to bosses +60% |
| Signal Jammer | 3 | Snipers and Wardens move and fire 10% slower; bolts fly 25% slower and hit 20% softer; wards 10% weaker | Snipers and Wardens move and fire 30% slower; bolts fly 75% slower and hit 60% softer; wards 30% weaker |
| Salvage Crew | 5 | +15% scrap to spend (not tokens) | +75% scrap to spend (not tokens) |
| Bounty Hunter | 3 | Bosses pay +50% scrap to spend | Bosses pay +150% scrap to spend |
| Reclaimer | 3 | Shield kills pay +25% scrap to spend | Shield kills pay +75% scrap to spend |
| Token Surge | 3 | This run pays 5% more tokens | This run pays 15% more tokens |
Gambits
Gambits are boosts with an upside and a downside.
| Gambit | Upside | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| Overvolt | Weapon damage +25% | Shield max HP -40% |
| High-Yield Contract | This run pays +50% tokens | Enemies have +30% health |
| Bulwark Protocol | Shield regeneration x3 | Every weapon fires 25% slower |
| Heavy Slugs | Railgun turret damage x2.5 | Railgun turret fires 35% slower |
| Hive Overload | +8 drones out at once | Drone damage -25% |
| Apex Hunt | Damage to bosses x2.5 | Other enemies have +20% health |
| Scrap Furnace | Kills pay double scrap to spend | Hull Armor blocks 25% less |
| Last Stand | While the shield is down, weapons deal x2 damage | A broken shield needs 60% more charge to reboot |
Monthly event and Depot
The event opens once you reach Level 2. Each month has one long event run lasting 28 days, with a checkpoint every 1,000 waves: later event runs start from your last checkpoint. The event pays Beacons, spent in the Depot.
| Depot item | Group | Levels | Beacons per level | Level 1 | Max level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-Restart | Automation | 1 | 6 | Runs restart on their own; each sends a mailbox report | |
| Auto-Claim | Automation | 1 | 10 | Objectives, milestones and event rewards claim themselves | |
| Auto-Upgrade | Automation | 1 | 20 | Spare scrap buys the cheapest upgrade each second | |
| Weapon Tuning | Command | 5 | 3, 5, 8, 12, 16 | Weapon damage +2% | Weapon damage +10% |
| Shield Tuning | Command | 5 | 3, 5, 8, 12, 16 | Shield max HP +2% | Shield max HP +10% |
| Salvage Tuning | Command | 5 | 3, 5, 8, 12, 16 | Kills pay +3% scrap to spend | Kills pay +15% scrap to spend |
| Bolt Dampeners | Threat | 5 | 4, 6, 9, 13, 18 | Sniper bolts hit 4% softer | Sniper bolts hit 20% softer |
| Heal Jamming | Threat | 5 | 4, 6, 9, 13, 18 | Menders heal 6% less | Menders heal 30% less |
| Ward Piercing | Threat | 5 | 4, 6, 9, 13, 18 | Warden wards are 6% weaker | Warden wards are 30% weaker |
| Boss Analysis | Threat | 5 | 4, 6, 9, 13, 18 | Bosses have 3% less health | Bosses have 15% less health |
Tournaments and objectives
Tournaments
Weekly tournaments open once you reach Level 2 and need a connection. You are placed in a bracket with players of a similar rank and ranked by the wave your tournament run reaches. Rewards are Stardust and Beacons; ranks are Dwarf, Subgiant, Giant, Bright Giant, Supergiant and Hypergiant.
Objectives
Short goals (reach a wave, destroy enemy types, buy upgrades and so on) that pay tokens and Temporal Shards. New ones arrive during the day, and weekly objectives also pay Stardust.
Store
Prices are in US dollars and can differ by country and app store.
| Item | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Remove Ads | One-time | $4.99 |
| Triple Credits | One-time | $9.99 |
| 60 Temporal Shards | Can be bought again | $0.99 |
| 330 Temporal Shards | Can be bought again | $4.99 |
| 700 Temporal Shards | Can be bought again | $9.99 |
| 1500 Temporal Shards | Can be bought again | $19.99 |
| 60 Stardust | Can be bought again | $9.99 |
| 180 Stardust | Can be bought again | $24.99 |